Near / far field determination for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) for mobile device positioning

Abstract

Techniques for determining reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) operation for RIS- assisted positioning determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system according to this disclosure can include determining, for one or more RISs, whether the mobile device is within a near-field operation distance of the RIS based at least in part on a determined near-field operation distance of the RIS and a relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. The techniques also include determining a RIS-assisted position of the mobile device based on measurements by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RISs. The techniques also include providing the determined RIS-assisted position of the mobile device.

Description

background

[0001] 1. Field of Invention

[0002] This invention generally relates to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically to using radio frequency (RF) signals to determine the location or position of a mobile device.

[0003] 2. Relevant Technical Descriptions

[0004] In wireless communication networks, the location of a mobile device can be determined by measuring RF signals transmitted by a transmitting device in the wireless communication network. New techniques are being developed to utilize reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS) in this type of location determination, where the mobile device measures RF signals transmitted by one or more transmitting devices and reflected from one or more RIS. Using RIS in this way can improve the accuracy and / or availability of this type of network-based location for mobile devices.

[0005] Measurements taken by mobile devices to perform this type of network-based positioning typically assume that the mobile device is far enough from the transmitting device and the RIS (Radio Router Receiver) that near-field transmission effects do not apply. This may not always be the case. For example, because RISs can be used indoors to improve wireless network coverage in a room or other relatively small area, they may be very close to the mobile device, in which case near-field effects may need to be considered.

[0006] Brief Overview

[0007] An example method according to this disclosure for determining RIS operation in a wireless communication system for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device may include: determining, for one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating range of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. The method further includes conducting a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein the positioning session includes measurements made by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements made by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating range of the at least one of the one or more RIS. The method further includes determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements made by the mobile device. The method further includes providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0008] An example apparatus according to this disclosure for determining RIS operation for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processing units are configured to: determine, for one or more RIS, whether a mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the RIS, at least in part, based on a determined near-field operating range of the RIS and a relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. The one or more processing units are further configured to: perform a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein the positioning session includes measurements performed by the mobile device on radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements performed by the mobile device are at least in part based on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating range of the at least one of the one or more RIS. The one or more processing units are further configured to determine RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements performed by the mobile device. The one or more processing units are further configured to provide the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0009] Another example apparatus according to this disclosure for determining RIS operation in a wireless communication system for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device may include: means for determining, for one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating distance of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. The apparatus further includes means for conducting a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein the positioning session includes measurements made by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements made by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of the at least one of the one or more RIS. The apparatus further includes means for determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements made by the mobile device. The apparatus further includes means for providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0010] An example non-transient computer-readable medium according to this disclosure stores instructions for determining RIS operations in a wireless communication system for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device. These instructions include code for determining, at least in part, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of one or more RISs based on: the determined near-field operating range of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. These instructions also include code for conducting a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein the positioning session includes measurements made by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RISs, and the measurements made by the mobile device are at least in part based on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating range of the at least one of the one or more RISs. These instructions also include code for determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on measurements made by the mobile device. These instructions also include code for providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a positioning system according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) positioning system, explaining the positioning system implemented within a 5G NR communication system (e.g., Figure 1 An example of a positioning system.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a simplified diagram illustrating the configuration of a positioning system, showing how positioning of user equipment (UE) can be performed without using a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS).

[0015] Figure 4 This is a simplified illustration of a configuration according to one embodiment, in which the UE can be located with the assistance of RIS.

[0016] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a call flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the process for determining the RIS operation used for RIS-assisted positioning of the UE.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method for determining RIS operations for RIS-assisted positioning determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device that can be utilized in the embodiments described herein.

[0019] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system that can be utilized in the embodiments described herein.

[0020] Similar reference numerals in the various figures indicate similar elements according to certain examples. Additionally, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by appending a letter or hyphen followed by a second numeral after the first numeral. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first numeral is used to refer to such an element, it will be understood to refer to any instance of that element (e.g., element 110 in the previous examples would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).

[0021] Detailed description

[0022] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to describe aspects of the inventiveness of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standards (including those identified as...). Those technical standards) Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), or other known signals used for communication in wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks (such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof).

[0023] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information across the space between a transmitter (or transmitter equipment) and a receiver (or receiver equipment). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of individual RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a simplified explanation of a positioning system 100 according to one embodiment, wherein user equipment (UE) 105, location server 160, and / or other components of positioning system 100 may use the techniques provided herein for reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning determination of UE 105 and further determination of whether UE 105 is within the near-field operating range of one or more RIS. However, it should be noted that the techniques described herein are not necessarily limited to positioning system 100. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of positioning system 100. Positioning system 100 may include: UE 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as spacecraft (SV)) for a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) (such as Global Positioning System (GPS)); base station 120; access point (AP) 130; location server 160; network 170; and external client 180. Generally, positioning system 100 can estimate the location of UE 105 based on RF signals received and / or transmitted by UE 105 and the known locations of other components transmitting and / or receiving RF signals (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, base station 120, AP 130). Reference Figure 2 Further details regarding location-specific estimation techniques will be discussed.

[0025] It should be noted that Figure 1 This provides only a general explanation of the various components, where any or all of them can be appropriately utilized, and each component can be repeated as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is described, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can utilize positioning system 100. Similarly, positioning system 100 may include more than Figure 1The illustrated number of base stations 120 and / or access points 130 may be greater or less. The illustrated connections to the various components in the positioning system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, an external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize numerous modifications to the illustrated components.

[0026] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may include any of a wide variety of wireless and / or wired networks. Network 170 may include, for example, any combination of public and / or private networks, local area networks (LANs) and / or wide area networks (WANs). Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may include, for example, cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks (also known as New Radio (NR) wireless networks or 5G NR wireless networks), Wi-Fi WLANs, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network.

[0027] Base station 120 and access point (AP) 130 are communicatively coupled to network 170. In some embodiments, base station 120 may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies as described below. Depending on the technology of network 170, base station 120 may include a B-node, evolved B-node (eNodeB or eNB), base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station (RBS), NR B-node (gNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. In the case where network 170 is a 5G network, base station 120, as a gNB or ng-eNB, may be part of a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that can connect to a 5G core network (5GC). AP 130 may include, for example, a Wi-Fi AP or AP. Therefore, UE 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices (such as location server 160) via base station 120 accessing network 170 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because AP 130 can also be communicatively coupled to network 170, UE 105 can use a second communication link 135 to communicate with internet-connected devices (including location server 160).

[0028] As used herein, the term "base station" generally refers to a single physical transmission point or multiple co-located physical transmission points that may be located at base station 120. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also referred to as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term "TRP" may be used interchangeably with the terms "gNB," "ng-eNB," and "base station" herein. A physical transmission point may include the antenna array of a base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or in the case of beamforming at the base station). The term "base station" may additionally refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a shared source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical transmission points may be the serving base station receiving measurement reports from UE 105 and neighboring base stations where UE 105 is measuring its reference RF signal.

[0029] As used herein, the term "cell" generally refers to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 120 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different operators. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells and may be configured with different protocol types (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocols) that can provide access for different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of the geographic coverage area on which a logical entity operates.

[0030] Location server 160 may include servers and / or other computing devices configured to determine the estimated location of UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “auxiliary data”) to UE 105 to facilitate location determination. According to some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Home Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) location platform (H-SLP) that supports SUPL user plane (UP) positioning solutions defined by the Open Mobility Alliance (OMA) and can support location services for UE 105 based on subscription information about UE 105 stored in location server 160. In some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). Location server 160 may also include an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for LTE radio access of UE 105. Location server 160 may further include a Location Management Function (LMF) that uses a Control Plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for UE 105's NR radio access. In the CP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can use existing network interfaces and protocols and is exchanged as signaling between components of network 170 and with UE 105. In the UP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can be exchanged as data (e.g., data transmitted using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) between location server 160 and UE 105.

[0031] As previously mentioned (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated location of UE 105 can be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by UE 105. Specifically, these measurements can provide information about the relative distance and / or angle between UE 105 and one or more components of positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, AP 130, base station 120). The estimated location of UE 105 can be estimated geometrically (e.g., using polygonal measurements and / or polygonal positioning) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known locations of these one or more components.

[0032] Although ground components (such as AP 130 and base station 120) can be fixed, the embodiments are not limited to this. Mobile components can be used. Moreover, in some embodiments, it can be at least partially based on the interaction between UE 105 and one or more other UEs ( Figure 1The location of UE 105 is estimated by measuring the RF signals transmitted between (not shown) and (the other UEs may be mobile). Direct communication between UEs in this manner may include sidelinks and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelinks, as defined by 3GPP, are D2D communication forms based on cellular LTE and NR standards.

[0033] The estimated location of UE 105 can be used in various applications—for example, to assist the user of UE 105 in direction finding or navigation, or to assist (e.g., in the location of another user associated with external client 180) in locating UE 105. "Location" is also referred to herein as "location estimation," "estimated location," "location," "positioning," "location estimation," "location lock," "estimated positioning," "location lock," or "lock." The process of determining location may be referred to as "location," "location determination," "location determination," etc. The location of UE 105 may include the absolute location of UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possible altitude) or the relative location of UE 105 (e.g., expressed as north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below, of another known fixed location or another location (such as the location of UE 105 at a known previous time)). Location may also be specified as a geodetic location (e.g., latitude and longitude) or an urban location (e.g., in the form of a street address or using other location-related names and labels). Location may further include indications of uncertainty or error, such as horizontal and vertical distances where errors are expected to exist in the location, or indications of the area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) in which the UE 105 is expected to be located at a certain confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0034] External client 180 may be a web server or remote application that can be associated with UE 105 in some way (e.g., accessible by a user of UE 105), or it may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to one or more other users, including obtaining and providing the location of UE 105 (e.g., to enable services such as friend or relative locator, asset tracking, or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, external client 180 may obtain the location of UE 105 and provide it to emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0035] As previously mentioned, the example positioning system 100 can be implemented using a wireless communication network, such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network. 5G NR is a wireless RF interface being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G NR promises to provide enhanced functionality over its predecessor (LTE) technology (such as significantly faster and more responsive mobile broadband), enhanced conduction through Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more. Additionally, 5G NR implements new positioning technologies for UEs, including Angle of Arrival (AoA) / Angle of Departure (AoD) positioning, UE-based positioning, and multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) positioning. For RTT positioning, this involves performing RTT measurements between the UE and multiple base stations.

[0036] Figure 2 A diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200 is shown, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 can be configured to use access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to...) Figure 1 The 5G NR positioning system 200 implements one or more positioning methods to determine the location of the UE 105 using base station 120 and access point 130, and (optionally) LMF 220 (which may correspond to location server 160). Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 includes the UE 105 and various components of the 5G NR network, including a next-generation (NG) radio access network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G core network (5G CN) 240. The 5G network may also be referred to as an NR network; the NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and the 5G CN 240 may be referred to as an NG core network. Standardization of NG-RAN and 5G CN is underway in 3GPP. Accordingly, NG-RAN 235 and 5GCN 240 may comply with current or future standards for 5G support from 3GPP. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from GNSS systems (such as Global Positioning System (GPS)) or similar systems. The following describes additional components for the 5G NR positioning system 200. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or replacement components.

[0037] It should be noted that Figure 2This document provides only a general description of the various components, where any or all of them may be utilized appropriately, and each component may be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is described, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a larger (or smaller) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, Access and Mobility Functions (AMF) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The described connections linking the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0038] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Positioning Enabled (SUPL) terminal (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop device, tablet device, personal data assistant (PDA), tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11, etc. Bluetooth and microwave access are globally interoperable (WiMAX) TM 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240) etc.) can support wireless communication. UE105 can also use WLAN 216 (similar to one or more RATs, and as previously referenced) that can connect to other networks (such as the Internet) Figure 1 (As mentioned) to support wireless communication. Using one or more of these RATs allows UE 105 (e.g., via...) Figure 2 The 5G CN 240 (not shown) may communicate with the external client 230 via the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 and / or allow the external client 230 (e.g., via GMLC 225) to receive location information about the UE 105.

[0039] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network in which the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location lock, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location lock, and may be geodetic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., altitude; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or designation of a point or smaller area within a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The location of UE 105 may also be expressed as an area or volume within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.) (geodetically or municipally defined). The location of UE 105 may further be a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction defined relative to an origin at a known location, or relative to X, Y (and Z) coordinates, which may be defined geodetically, municipalally, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates are typically solved, and then, if necessary, the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and elevation above or below mean sea level).

[0040] Figure 2 The base station in the NG-RAN 235 shown can correspond to Figure 1 The base station 120 in the NG-RAN 235 may include NRB nodes (gNBs) 210-1 and 210-2 (generally referred to herein as gNB 210), and / or the antennas of the gNBs. Pairs of gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235 may be interconnected (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 2 (As shown in the diagram, a direct connection or an indirect connection via another gNB 210). Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more gNBs 210, which may use 5G NR to provide wireless communication access to the 5G CN 240 on behalf of UE 105. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. Figure 2In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 210-1, but other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) may act as serving gNBs or as secondary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105 if UE 105 moves to another location.

[0041] Figure 2 The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown may additionally or alternatively include next-generation evolved B nodes (also referred to as ng-eNBs) 214. The ng-eNB 214 may connect to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235—for example, directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 214 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. Figure 2 Some gNB 210s (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNB 214s can be configured to act as location-only beacons, which can transmit signals (e.g., location reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcast auxiliary data to assist in the location of UE 105, but may not receive signals from UE 105 or from other UEs. Note that although in Figure 2 The diagram shows only one ng-eNB 214, but some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations 210 and 214 may communicate directly with each other via the Xn communication interface. Alternatively, base stations 210 and 214 may communicate indirectly via another component of the 5G NR positioning system 200 (such as LMF 220).

[0042] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that can connect to the non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for UE 105 and may include one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., Figure 1(AP 130). Here, N3IWF 250 can connect to other components in 5G CN 240, such as AMF 215. In some embodiments, WLAN 216 can support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. N3IWF 250 can provide support for secure access of UE 105 to other components in 5G CN 240 and / or can support interoperability between one or more protocols used by WLAN 216 and UE 105 and one or more protocols used by other components of 5G CN 240 (such as AMF 215). For example, N3IWF 250 can support: establishing an IPSec tunnel with UE 105, terminating the IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with UE 105, terminating the N2 and N3 interfaces to 5G CN 240 for control plane and user plane respectively, and relaying uplink and downlink control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling across the N1 interface between UE 105 and AMF 215. In some other embodiments, WLAN 216 can be directly connected to components in the 5G CN240 (e.g., as provided by...). Figure 2 The dashed line in the diagram indicates AMF 215), without via N3IWF 250—for example, in the case where WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN for 5G CN 240. Note that although in Figure 2 Only one WLAN 216 is shown, but some embodiments may include multiple WLAN 216.

[0043] The access node may include any of a variety of network entities that enable communication between UE 105 and AMF 215. This may include gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, the access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities that enable communication with… Figure 2 The entity communicating with any of the various RATs (which may include non-cellular technologies) not described herein. Therefore, as used in the embodiments described below, the term "access node" may include, but is not limited to, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216.

[0044] In some embodiments, the access node (such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216) (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to, in response to a request for location information for a plurality of RATs received from LMF 220, measure one of the plurality of RATs (e.g., a measurement by UE 105) and / or obtain measurements from UE 105 that are transmitted to the access node using one or more of the plurality of RATs. As mentioned, although Figure 2 The description depicts access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively. However, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols can be used, such as, for example, a B node using the WCDMA protocol for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using the LTE protocol for Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or using the protocol for WLAN. The protocol's Bluetooth beacon station. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an E-UTRAN, which may include base stations containing eNBs supporting LTE radio access. The core network for the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Subsequently, the EPS may include an E-UTRAN plus an EPC, wherein... Figure 2 In this context, E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN 235 and EPC corresponds to 5G CN240. The methods and techniques described herein for UE 105 positioning using common or general positioning protocols can be applied to other networks of this type.

[0045] The gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 can communicate with the AMF 215, and for positioning functionality, the AMF 215 communicates with the LMF 220. The AMF 215 supports the mobility of UE 105, including cell changes and handovers from access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the first RAT to access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the second RAT. The AMF 215 can also participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and may support data and voice bearers for UE 105. LMF 220 supports location services for UE 105 when UE 105 is connected to NG-RAN 235 or WLAN 216, and supports various location protocols and methods, including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based protocols / methods, such as A-GNSS, Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (which may be referred to as Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) in NR), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), ECID, Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, and / or other location protocols and methods. LMF 220 can also process location service requests for UE 105 received, for example, from AMF 215 or GMLC 225. LMF 220 can be connected to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225. LMF 220 may be referred to by other names, such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). In some embodiments, nodes / systems implementing LMF 220 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as Evolved Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or Serving Location Protocol (SLP). Note that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the location functionality (including determining the location of the UE) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., by processing downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by radio nodes such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216) and / or using auxiliary data, for example, provided to UE 105 by LMF 220.

[0046] Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) 225 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 230, and can forward such location requests to AMF 215 for forwarding to LMF 220, or can forward the location request directly to LMF 220. A location response from LMF 220 (e.g., containing a location estimate for UE 105) can similarly be returned to GMLC 225 directly or via AMF 215, and GMLC 225 can then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to external client 230. GMLC 225 is shown connected to... Figure 2 Both AMF 215 and LMF 220 are available, but in some implementations, only one of these connections can be supported by 5G CN 240.

[0047] like Figure 2 Further explanation is provided: the LMF 220 can use the LPPa protocol (which may also be referred to as NRPPa or NPPa) to communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214. The LPPa protocol in NR can be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPPa protocol in LTE (related to the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP)), in which LPPa messages are transmitted via the AMF 215 between the gNB 210 and the LMF 2220, and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and the LMF 220. Figure 2As further explained, the LMF220 and UE 105 can communicate using the LPP protocol. The LMF220 and UE 105 can also, or alternatively, communicate using the LPP protocol (which is also referred to as NRPP or NPP in NR). Here, LPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and the LMF220 via the service gNB210-1 or service ng-eNB214 of the AMF215 and UE 105. For example, LPP and / or LPP messages can be transmitted between the LMF220 and AMF215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and can be transmitted between the AMF215 and UE 105 using the 5G NAS protocol. The LPP and / or LPP protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, and / or Enhanced Cellular ID (ECID)). The LPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods (such as ECID) (when used with measurements obtained by gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214) and / or can be used by LMF 220 to obtain location-related information from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as defining parameters of DL-PRS transmissions from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0048] In the case where UE 105 accesses WLAN 216, LMF 220 can use LPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 105 in a manner similar to that described just for UE 105 accessing gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Thus, LPPa messages can be transmitted between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based location of UE 105 and / or to transmit other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, LPPa messages can be transmitted between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based location of UE 105 based on location-related information and / or location measurements known or accessible to N3IWF 250 and transmitted from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using LPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215, N3IWF 250, and UE 105’s serving WLAN 216 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of UE 105 by LMF 220.

[0049] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105. Location measurements may include one or more of the following for one or more access points: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), RTT, Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Time of Arrival (TOA), AoA, Differential AoA (DAoA), AoD, or Timing Advance (TA). Location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of RAT-independent positioning methods, such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase with respect to GNSS satellite 110), WLAN, etc. Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to the location measurement of a UE-assisted positioning method), and can further calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 220) or broadcast by gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216). Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214), one or more APs (e.g., APs in WLAN 216), or N3IWF 250 may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AoA, or ToA) for signals transmitted by UE 105, and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105 or, in the case of N3IWF 250, by APs in WLAN 216, and may send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0050] In the 5G NR positioning system 200, some location measurements (e.g., AoA, AoD, ToA) performed by the UE 105 can use RF signals (reference signals) received from base stations 210 and 214. These signals may include PRS, which can be used, for example, to perform positioning of the UE 105 based on TDOA, AoD, and RTT. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning may include cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signals (SS)), etc. Furthermore, these signals may be transmitted in a Tx beam (e.g., using beamforming technology), which can affect angle measurements such as AoD.

[0051] Figure 3This is a simplified diagram illustrating the configuration of the positioning system, showing how positioning of UE 105 is performed without using RIS. Unlabeled arrows indicate communication links. Communication between UE 105 and location server 160 can occur via one or more of base stations 120 or via another communication link (not shown) between UE 105 and network 170. Here, each base station 120 (which may correspond to...) Figure 2 The gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214 transmit the corresponding RF signal 310 measured by the UE 105. The location server 160 can determine the type of positioning to be performed (e.g., OTDOA, AoD, RTT, etc.) and coordinate the transmission of the RF signal 310 by the base station 120 and the measurement of the RF signal 310 by the UE 105 via communication with the base station 120 and the UE 105. The type of measurement performed by the UE 105 can vary depending on the type of positioning being performed. Using the measurement of the RF signal 310 performed by the UE 105 and the known location of the base station 120, the location of the UE 105 can be geometrically determined, for example, using multi-point positioning and / or multi-angle measurement techniques. As previously mentioned, for UE-assisted positioning, this determination can be performed by the location server 160, in which case the measurement can be provided to the location server 160 by the UE 105. For UE-based positioning, this determination can be performed by the UE 105.

[0052] Figure 4 This is a simplified illustration of a configuration according to one embodiment, in which the UE 105 can be located with the assistance of a RIS 425. (As used herein, "RIS-assisted" location of the UE 105 refers to the location of the UE 105 using the RIS 425.) Figure 3 The configuration is similar, with location server 160 coordinating the location of UE 105 by using the transmission of RF signals 410 by base station 120 and the measurement of these signals by UE 105. However, here, obstruction 415 is located between the first base station 120-1 and UE 105. Therefore, UE 105 may be substantially in a “blind spot” of base station 120-1, where signals transmitted by base station 120-1 would otherwise not reach UE 105. However, RIS 425 can help mitigate the problems caused by obstruction 450.

[0053] RIS (also known as software-controlled metasurfaces, smart reflective surfaces, or reconfigurable reflective arrays / metasurfaces) have recently gained attention in wireless communication applications as a means of enabling the propagation path of RF signals around obstructions. Although the RIS 425 can be a passive device, it can include an array and therefore can use beamforming to redirect RF signals. Thus, the RIS 425 can extend the wireless coverage of base station 120 (or more broadly, the wireless network of base station 120) to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. The RIS 425 can do this by using software-controlled reflection / scattering profiles to redirect wireless signals to UE 105 in real time. Additionally or alternatively, the RIS 425 can act as a repeater by receiving signals transmitted by base station 120-1 and directing them to UE 105. (As used herein, "direction," "redirection," "reflection," and similar terms used when referring to the functionality of the RIS 425 can refer to the reflection and / or relay functionality of the RIS). The functionality of RIS 425 can be controlled by base station 120-1 using a control channel, although alternative embodiments may allow location server 160 and / or UE 105 to control RIS 425. In either case, this adds a controllable path to the channel between base station 120-1 and UE 105, which is useful in environments with severe obstructions 415. Therefore, for positioning purposes, RF signal 410-1 can be transmitted to RIS 425, enabling UE 105 to measure the reflected RF signal 420. Depending on various positioning techniques, [the following can be used]... Figure 3 A similar process is used in the configuration, but additional information about the location of the RIS 425 is used to locate the UE 105.

[0054] It can be noted that, Figure 4 The configuration described herein is provided simply as an example. In other configurations, multiple obstructions may be present, and multiple RISs may be used to facilitate communication with and / or localization of UE 105. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, localization using RIS 425 can also be performed without obstruction 415. That is, the beamforming capability and antenna sensitivity of RIS 425 may be advantageous for accurate localization of UE 105. Therefore, even without obstruction 415 that would otherwise prevent RF signals transmitted by base station 120-1 from reaching UE 105, RIS 425 can be used for localization of UE 105.

[0055] As previously indicated, the location of UE 105 (e.g., using...) Figure 3 or Figure 4The configuration shown typically assumes that UE 105 operates within the far-field operating range of base station 120 and RIS 425. While this may generally be the case for most base stations 120, it may not always be the case for RIS 425. As mentioned, RIS can often be used in buildings to reflect signals into rooms or other relatively small indoor areas. Furthermore, given the common dimensions of the RIS and the operating 5G NR frequency, the boundary between the near-field and far-field operating ranges of the RIS can be, for example, between 10 and 20 meters. Accordingly, UE 105 in a room or other indoor area served by the RIS may be within the near-field operating range of the RIS.

[0056] For an antenna or antenna array that is larger than half the wavelength of the radio waves it emits, the near field and far field can be defined according to the Fraunhofer distance:

[0057]

[0058] Where D is the maximum size of the radiator (or the diameter of the antenna or antenna array), and λ is the wavelength of the radio wave (e.g., the carrier frequency of the transmitted RF signal). If the receiving device (e.g., UE 105) is located at a distance less than the Fraunhofer distance from the antenna or antenna array (e.g., base station 120 or RIS 425 reflecting the RF signal), it can be considered to be within the near-field operating range of the antenna or antenna array. Otherwise, it is considered to be within the far-field operating range.

[0059] In near-field scenarios, the wavefront of the RF signal arriving at the receiving device has curvature. Therefore, this allows for different measurements for the purpose of locating the UE 105. For example, the unique coordinates of the UE 105 can be determined at least partially based on this curvature. However, in far-field scenarios, the wavefront has no curvature, so conventional measurements (e.g., TDOA, RTT, AoD, and AoA) can be used.

[0060] UE 105 may be capable of near-field measurements, far-field measurements, or both. Therefore, whether RIS 425 can be used to locate UE 105 depends not only on whether UE 105 is within the near-field or far-field operating range of RIS 425, but also on UE 105's ability to perform near-field or far-field measurements.

[0061] The embodiments described herein address these and other problems by: identifying whether the UE is within the near-field operating range of one or more RIS, determining the UE's capabilities and (optionally) preferences for near-field and / or far-field operation, and performing RIS-assisted localization of the UE based on this information. This can be applied to both UE-based localization and UE-assisted localization. The embodiments are described below and in... Figure 5 and Figure 6 Chinese explanation.

[0062] Figure 5 This is a call flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the RIS operation used for RIS-assisted localization determination of a UE. (This is in conjunction with other appendices provided herein.) Figure 1 Sample, Figure 5 Provided as a non-limiting example. As discussed in more detail below, alternative embodiments may perform certain functions in a different order, simultaneously, etc. It can be noted that... Figure 5 The arrow between UE 105 and location server 160 illustrates a message or information sent from one component to another. Furthermore (although in...) Figure 5 (Not explicitly indicated in the document), but these communications between location server 160 and UE 105 can occur via any number of intermediary components, which may include computer servers, base stations, RIS and / or other components or devices of the wireless communication network. As previously mentioned, communication between UE 105 and location server 160 within the 5G NR network can utilize the LPP protocol.

[0063] Figure 5 The process described herein may include UE-assisted positioning of UE 105. Therefore, the process may begin at block 505, where location server 160 receives a positioning request. As mentioned, the positioning request received by location server 160 may include a request from external client 180 or external client AF 230. Location server 160 may then initiate a positioning session with UE 105, as indicated by arrow 510. As part of the exchange between location server 160 and UE 105, UE 105 may provide its capabilities regarding near-field and far-field operations, and optionally, its preferences. This may be a response to a request for capabilities (and optionally preferences) made by location server 160.

[0064] The way a UE provides its capabilities can vary depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, because far-field functionality is already supported by legacy positioning systems, it can be assumed that the UE has far-field operation capabilities. In such embodiments, UE 105 may simply indicate whether it is capable of near-field measurement or positioning. However, according to other embodiments, UE 105 may indicate its capability for one or both of near-field and far-field operation.

[0065] Regarding preferences, if UE 105 is capable of both near-field and far-field measurements, it can provide a preferred positioning mode to indicate whether it prefers near-field or far-field measurements in certain situations. For example, if multiple RIS are available for positioning, positioning can be performed based on UE preference if the UE is within near-field operating distance to some RIS and far-field operating distance to other RIS. Near-field measurements, for example, can provide greater power savings, but fewer available RIS may result in less accurate positioning estimates for UE 105. On the other hand, far-field measurements can lead to higher accuracy / more available RIS, but may also result in greater power consumption. Therefore, for a given positioning session, UE 105 can indicate its preference based on the desired balance between accuracy and power consumption.

[0066] Because UE 105 can operate in different scenarios, this indication can be dynamic. For example, to save power, UE 105 may change its preferred positioning mode. In such instances, it may not be expected that the UE will continue ongoing positioning measurements / reports. Therefore, the preference indication may be sent by UE 105 as an early cessation of some scheduled reference signal transmissions and associated measurement reports. According to some embodiments, it can be signaled via downlink control information (DCI) or media access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0067] In box 515, this functionality includes obtaining a UE location estimate, which is used to identify nearby RIS. The manner in which the UE location estimate is obtained can vary depending on various factors. According to some embodiments, for example, location server 160 may have a recent location estimate for the UE, in which case this recent location estimate may be sufficient. For example, if a recent location estimate has been received within a threshold time period (e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc.), location server 160 may consider that the recent location estimate sufficient to determine nearby RIS. Alternatively, as... Figure 5As indicated in the diagram, location server 160 can request UE location from the UE (as indicated by arrow 520), and the UE can determine its location, as shown in box 525. Here, if UE 105 determines its location, the determined location can use non-RIS-assisted techniques, such as GNSS-based positioning, legacy network-based positioning, positioning partially based on inertial measurement unit (IMU) or similar motion detection, etc.

[0068] Once the UE location estimate is obtained, the location server 160 can then identify nearby RIS, as indicated in box 530. According to some embodiments, the locations of RIS used within the coverage area supported by the location server 160 can be stored by the location server 160 in a database, almanac, etc. Therefore, the location server 160 can easily identify nearby RIS by identifying RIS within a threshold distance of the UE location estimate.

[0069] In box 535, location server 160 then determines whether the UE is located in the near field or far field of each identified RIS. According to some embodiments, it may be assumed that the UE is located at a far field operating distance from each RIS, unless the UE is determined to be within the Fraunhofer distance of the RIS (e.g., as determined by equation (1)).

[0070] As mentioned, this determination can depend on the size of the RIS and the carrier frequency of the RF signal used for UE 105 positioning. Accordingly, location server 160 can make this determination based on known information about the size of the RIS (which can be maintained in the same manner and / or in the same database as the location of the RIS). Additionally, location server 160 can determine the carrier frequency that the base station will use to transmit the RF signal (e.g., the PRS signal) to determine the Fraunhofer distance.

[0071] As indicated by arrow 540, the location server can then send auxiliary data with RIS information to the UE 105, where the RIS information is based on the UE's capabilities and optional preferences. This auxiliary data may include, for example, the RIS ID and location of each RIS to be used in locating the UE 105. Furthermore, the auxiliary data may indicate whether the UE 105 is at near-field or far-field operating distance from each RIS. To reduce signaling overhead, a group-by-group indication of whether each RIS is near-field or far-field can be made. This allows the UE 105 to measure the RF signal reflected by each RIS in an appropriate manner by performing near-field or far-field measurements. Additionally or alternatively, as previously mentioned, the location server 160 may select to provide only auxiliary data for a subset of RISs based on the preferences provided by the UE 105 at arrow 510. If the UE is only capable of far-field measurements, according to some embodiments, the location server 160 may provide only auxiliary data regarding RISes for which its UE 105 is at far-field operating distance. Similarly, if the UE is only capable of near-field measurements, then according to some embodiments, the location server 160 may only provide auxiliary data about the RIS for its UE 105 at near-field operating distances.

[0072] In box 545, the location server can coordinate RF signal measurement / transmission. This may include configuring one or more base stations (not shown) to transmit RF signals for positioning (e.g., PRS), providing one or more RIS (not shown) with information about the location of UE 105 to allow the RIS to direct RF signals to UE 105, and / or providing UE 105 with information about when to perform RF signal measurements (e.g., by sending measurement configuration at arrow 550). According to some embodiments, the configuration sent at arrow 550 may be combined with auxiliary data provided to UE 105 at arrow 540.

[0073] In box 555, UE 105 measures the RF signals reflected from one or more RISs that receive auxiliary data for it. Again, the type of measurement performed may depend on the type of location (e.g., ToA-based, RTT-based, AoD-based, etc.), whether UE 105 is within the near-field operating distance of the RIS from which the measured RF signal is reflected, and / or other factors. These measurements may then be provided to location server 160 in a report, as indicated by arrow 560.

[0074] Finally, in box 565, location server 160 can determine RIS-assisted positioning of UE 105 based at least in part on measurements received in the measurement report at arrow 560. Similarly, this determination can be further based on the known locations of the base station and / or RIS, using positioning techniques such as multi-point positioning, multi-angle measurement, etc. Location server 160 can further provide RIS-assisted UE positioning, for example, to the requesting entity (e.g., the entity making the positioning request in box 505).

[0075] It can be noted that, for Figure 5 The process described herein can vary depending on the scenario. For example, if location server 160 cannot obtain a sufficient UE location estimate in block 515 to determine whether UE 105 is within the near-field operating distance of each of the one or more RISes (e.g., location server 160 does not have a previously performed UE location estimate within a threshold time amount), location server 160 may provide UE 105 with information about the one or more RISes to allow UE 105 to determine whether UE 105 is within the near-field operating distance of each of the one or more RISes. According to some embodiments, for example, the location server may obtain a coarse location of UE 105 based on a previous location estimate (e.g., performed before the threshold time amount), the identity of UE 105's serving base station, and a known location, etc. Based on this coarse location, the location server may identify nearby RISes (e.g., within the threshold distance, within the same cell served by the serving base station, etc.) and provide information about the RISes to allow UE 105 to determine whether UE 105 is within the near-field operating distance of each of the one or more RISes. Figure 6 The text explains similar functionality. Figure 6 The procedure for UE-based positioning is shown.

[0076] Figure 6 This is a call flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the process for determining the RIS operation used for RIS-assisted localization determination of the UE, similar to... Figure 5 However, here, location determination is performed by UE 105, and therefore RIS-assisted location determination can be considered UE-based. Thus, the process can begin at block 605, where UE 105 receives a location request. Here, the location request received by UE 105 may include requests from the user of UE 105, or from applications executed by UE 105 (e.g., web browsers, navigation applications, location applications, etc.).

[0077] UE 105 can then initiate a location session with location server 160, as indicated by arrow 610. According to some embodiments, the UE can provide some indication of capabilities or preferences, similar to... Figure 5 The process.

[0078] In box 615, location server 160 obtains a UE location estimate, which is used to identify nearby RIS. Because location server 160 does not perform near-field / far-field determination of the UE 105's location relative to the RIS, this location does not need to be compared with... Figure 5 The location is as accurate as that in box 515. That is, as mentioned above, location server 160 can obtain a rough estimate of the location of UE 105 based on previous location estimates (e.g., those performed before the threshold time amount), the identity of the serving base station of UE 105, and known locations. Optionally, as explained, location server 160 can request the location of UE 105, as illustrated by arrow 620, and UE 105 can provide a UE location estimate, which may involve determining the UE location, as shown in box 625. Because high accuracy may not be required at this time, UE 105 can determine the level of accuracy regarding the location estimate it provides to the location server. For example, this level of accuracy may accommodate the privacy settings or other preferences of the user of UE 105.

[0079] In box 630, this functionality includes identifying nearby RIS. Again, since near-field / far-field determination is performed by UE 105 rather than location server 160, the functionality of box 630 can simply be the determination of RIS within a threshold distance estimated by the UE's location, where this threshold distance is the distance that allows RIS to be used for far-field operations. Alternatively, as previously mentioned, these RIS can be identified based on whether they are located within or near a cell served by the serving base station of UE 105.

[0080] Location server 160 then sends auxiliary data about the identified RIS to UE 105, as indicated in box 635. Here, the auxiliary data includes information enabling UE 105 to determine whether the UE is within the near-field or far-field operating range of each RIS. For example, for each RIS, the auxiliary data may include an identifier (ID), location, and / or the diameter or maximum size of the RIS. In some embodiments, the auxiliary data may further include a carrier wavelength that can be used by a base station to transmit RF signals for positioning UE 105. This information allows UE 105 to determine the Fraunhofer distance of each RIS. Alternatively, location server 160 may determine the Fraunhofer distance of each RIS and include that Fraunhofer distance in the auxiliary data given to the UE. In any case, the UE can use the auxiliary data to determine whether it is within the near-field or far-field operating range of each RIS. By providing this information to UE 105 and allowing UE 105 to perform near-field / far-field determination, Figure 6The explained process allows UE 105 to retain the privacy of its location, since location server 160 may only be able to obtain a coarse location approximation for UE location estimation (in box 615).

[0081] Once the near / far field determination is performed in box 640, UE 105 can then report which RIS are near-field and which RIS are far-field, as indicated by arrow 645. In box 650, location server 160 can then report similarly to the previous statements regarding... Figure 5 The process described in box 545 coordinates RF signal measurements / transmissions. Specifically, based on UE capabilities and optional preferences, location server 160 can coordinate the transmission and measurement of RF signals using RIS according to the capabilities and preferences of UE 105. This process may include location server 160 sending measurement configurations to UE 105, as indicated by arrow 655. Alternatively, according to some embodiments, UE 105 may report near-field / far-field status of a subset of RIS based on UE capabilities / preferences. For example, if UE 105 is unable to form near-field measurements, it may only report RIS for which its UE is at far-field operating distance, while excluding RIS for which its UE is at near-field operating distance.

[0082] In box 660, this functionality includes UE 105 measuring RF signals reflected from one or more RISs according to a configuration provided by location server 160. The functionality of this box can be mapped to that previously described. Figure 5 The functionality of box 555. However, Figure 6 The process involves UE 105 determining RIS-assisted UE positioning (as indicated in box 665) instead of reporting measurement data back to location server 160. According to some embodiments, UE 105 may then provide the RIS-assisted UE positioning to location server 160, the user of UE 105, applications performed by UE 105 (e.g., from a lower functional layer of UE 105 determined in box 665), etc.

[0083] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method 700 for determining RIS operations for RIS-assisted positioning determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. It is used to perform... Figure 7 The functional means described in one or more of the boxes shown can be performed by hardware and / or software components of a mobile device (e.g., UE 105) or a computer system (e.g., location server 160). Figure 8 The example components for mobile devices are explained in the text. Figure 9 The example components of the computer system are explained below, which will be described in more detail.

[0084] In box 710, this functionality includes, for one or more RIS, determining whether a mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the RIS, at least in part, based on a determined near-field operating range of the RIS and a relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As explained in the process illustrated, this determination may depend on, for example, whether the UE positioning is UE-based or UE-assisted and performed by the UE or a location server. As explained in more detail below, the functionality of block 710 may vary depending on the device performing that functionality. The means for performing the functionality of block 710 may include, for example, Figure 8 The bus 805, (various) processing units 810, digital signal processor (DSP) 820, wireless communication interface 830, memory 860 and / or other components of the mobile device described herein; or as Figure 9 The bus 905, (various) processing units 910, communication subsystem 930, working memory 935 and / or other components of the computer system described herein.

[0085] In box 715, the functionality includes conducting a session, wherein (i) the positioning session includes measurements by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RISes, and (ii) the measurements by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of the at least one of the one or more RISes. The manner in which the positioning session is conducted in box 715 may depend on whether the functionality of box 715 is performed by the mobile device or by the service server. For a location server, conducting the positioning session may include coordinating RF signal measurements / transmissions, such as... Figure 5 The frame 545 and Figure 6 As indicated by box 650. For mobile devices, conducting a positioning session may include measuring the RF signal reflected from the at least one RIS, such as... Figure 5 The box 555 and Figure 6 As shown in box 660. The type of measurement performed by the mobile device can be near-field or far-field, depending on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RISes. Therefore, the measurement performed by the mobile device is based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RISes. The means for performing the functionality of box 715 may include, for example, Figure 8 The bus 805, (various) processing units 810, digital signal processor (DSP) 820, wireless communication interface 830, memory 860 and / or other components of the mobile device described herein; or as Figure 9The bus 905, (various) processing units 910, communication subsystem 930, working memory 935 and / or other components of the computer system described herein.

[0086] In block 720, the functionality includes determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on measurements made by the mobile device of RF signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RISs. As previously mentioned, the type of measurement performed may include ToA, power delay profile, etc., and may depend on the type of positioning (e.g., TDOA-based, RTT-based, or AoD-based positioning). Furthermore, the UE's ability to perform these measurements on the RF signals reflected from the RIS may depend on whether the UE is within the near-field or far-field operating range of the RIS, and whether the UE is capable of near-field and / or far-field measurements. Means for performing the functionality of block 720 may include, for example, Figure 8 The bus 805, (various) processing units 810, DSP 820, wireless communication interface 830, memory 860 and / or other components of the mobile device described herein; or as Figure 9 The bus 905, (various) processing units 910, communication subsystem 930, working memory 935 and / or other components of the computer system described herein.

[0087] At block 730, the functionality includes providing determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device. For an embodiment where method 700 is performed by the mobile device, providing determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device may include providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to a user of the mobile device or an application performed by the mobile device. For an embodiment where method 700 is performed by a location server, method 700 may further include receiving a request for the location of the mobile device from a requesting entity, and providing determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device may include providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to the requesting entity. Means for performing the functionality of block 730 may include, for example, Figure 8 The bus 805, (various) processing units 810, DSP 820, wireless communication interface 830, memory 860 and / or other components of the mobile device described herein; or as Figure 9 The bus 905, (various) processing units 910, communication subsystem 930, working memory 935 and / or other components of the computer system described herein.

[0088] As mentioned, alternative embodiments of method 700 may include additional functionality, depending on whether method 700 is performed by a mobile device acting as a location server or a computer system communicating with the mobile device. For example, in an embodiment where method 700 is performed by a computer system communicating with the mobile device, determining RIS-assisted positioning may include receiving measurements performed by the mobile device at the computer system. Figure 5 As indicated by box 515, for example, in such an embodiment, method 700 may further include obtaining an initial location estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial location estimate is received from the mobile device or determined based on previous location determinations of the mobile device. Figure 5 As indicated by box 530, method 700 may further include using a computer system to identify the one or more RIS, wherein identifying the one or more RIS includes determining that the one or more RIS are within a threshold distance of an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, such as Figure 5 As indicated by box 535, method 700 may further include, for each of the one or more RIS, determining the relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS using a computer system based on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS, and determining whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS using the computer system at least in part based on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the determined relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS. Some embodiments of method 700 may further include receiving an indication from the computer system regarding whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements for RIS-assisted positioning determination of the mobile device, and transmitting auxiliary data from the computer system to the mobile device. The auxiliary data may include information about the at least one RIS of the one or more RIS, and may be determined at least in part based on the indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements. According to some embodiments, for each of the at least one RIS, the auxiliary data may include the ID of the corresponding RIS, the position of the corresponding RIS, an indication regarding whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, or any combination thereof. Finally, according to some embodiments, method 700 may further include using a computer system to receive an indication of a mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements, wherein the at least one RIS is determined at least in part based on that preference.

[0089] For embodiments in which method 700 is performed by a mobile device, different functionalities can be implemented. For example, according to some embodiments, the mobile device can determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on RF signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the at least one RIS. Additionally or alternatively, method 700 may include receiving auxiliary data from a computer system, wherein, for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes the ID of the respective RIS, the location of the respective RIS, the diameter or maximum size of the respective RIS, the carrier wavelength, or the Fraunhofer distance of the RIS, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments of method 700 may further include determining the near-field operating distance of the RIS for each of the one or more RIS based at least in part on the auxiliary data. In such embodiments, the mobile device can determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device, and the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device may be determined using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device, an IMU of the mobile device, or a wireless network-based positioning technology without using one or more RIS, or any combination thereof. Finally, according to some embodiments, method 700 may further include sending an indication from the mobile device to the computer system regarding the mobile device's preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements.

[0090] Figure 8 An embodiment of the mobile device 800 has been described, which can be used as described above (e.g., with...). Figure 1-7 The associated UE 105 or mobile device described. For example, mobile device 800 can perform... Figure 7 The method shown has one or more functions. It should be noted that... Figure 8 This is merely intended to provide a general explanation of the various components, which may be appropriately utilized by any or all of them. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments can be derived from… Figure 8 To perform the operation, one or more of the hardware and / or software components shown are used.

[0091] Mobile device 800 is shown as including hardware elements electrically coupled (or otherwise communicative) via bus 805. The hardware elements may include processing units 810, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or means. Figure 8As shown, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 820 depending on the desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processing unit 810 and / or the wireless communication interface 830 (discussed below). The mobile device 800 may also include one or more input devices 870 and one or more output devices 815, the input devices 870 including, but not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dial pads, switches, etc.; the output devices 815 including, but not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0092] Mobile device 800 may also include wireless communication interface 830, which may include, but is not limited to, modems, network cards, infrared communication devices, wireless communication devices and / or chipsets (such as... The device 800 can communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments, including IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, WAN devices, and / or various cellular devices. The wireless communication interface 830 can permit the transmission (e.g., delivery and reception) of data and signaling through network base stations / TRPs (e.g., including eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs), access points, various base stations, and / or other access node types, and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices (UEs / mobile devices, etc.) communicatively coupled to a base station / TRP as described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 832 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 834. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antennas 832 may include a plurality of discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof.

[0093] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 830 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, to communicate with base stations / TRPs (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The mobile device 800 may communicate with various data networks, which may include a variety of network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and so on. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000, WCDMA, etc. CDMA2000 includes the IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. OFDMA networks can utilize LTE, LTE-Advanced, 5G NR, and more. 5G NR, LTE, LTE-Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. This is described in documentation from an organization called "3rd Generation Partnership Project X3" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documentation are publicly available. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can also be an IEEE 802.11x network, while a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) can be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The technologies described herein can also be used in any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0094] The mobile device 800 may further include sensors 840. Sensors 840 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain measurements and / or other information related to positioning.

[0095] Various embodiments of the mobile device 800 may also include a GNSS receiver 880 capable of receiving signals 884 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 882 (which may be the same as antenna 832). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 880 may use conventional techniques to extract the positioning of the mobile device 800 from GNSS satellites 110 of GNSS systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China. In addition, the GNSS receiver 880 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)) that can be associated with or otherwise enabled to be used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN).

[0096] It can be noted that, although in Figure 8 The GNSS receiver 880 is described herein as a distinct component, but embodiments are not limited thereto. As used herein, the term "GNSS receiver" can include hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Thus, in some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may include a measurement engine executed by one or more processing units (such as processing unit 810, DSP 820, and / or processing units within wireless communication interface 830 (e.g., in a modem)) (as software). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that can use GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the GNSS receiver's location using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processing units (such as processing unit 810 or DSP 820).

[0097] The mobile device 800 may further include a memory 860 and / or be in communication with the memory 860. The memory 860 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM)), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0098] The memory 860 of the mobile device 800 may also include software elements ( Figure 8 (Not shown in the text), these software elements include operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications). These software elements may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments, and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 860 executable by mobile device 800 (and / or processing units 810 or DSP 820 within mobile device 800). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0099] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system 900, which can be used, in whole or in part, to provide one or more network components as described in the various embodiments herein (e.g., Figure 1 and Figures 3-6 Location server 160 or Figure 2 The LMF (Leadership Function) function. For example, computer system 900 can perform... Figure 7 The method shown has one or more functions. It should be noted that... Figure 9 This is merely intended to provide a general explanation of the various components, which can be appropriately utilized by any or all of them. Therefore, Figure 9 It broadly explains how individual system components can be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated manner. Additionally, it can be noted that... Figure 9 The components of the explanation can be localized into a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that can be deployed in different geographical locations.

[0100] Computer system 900 is shown as including hardware elements electrically coupled (or otherwise communicatively connected) via bus 905. The hardware elements may include processing units 910, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or means configured to perform one or more methods described herein. Computer system 900 may also include: one or more input devices 915, which may include, but are not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc.; and one or more output devices 920, which may include, but are not limited to, display devices, printers, etc.

[0101] Computer system 900 may further include one or more non-transient storage devices 925 (and / or in communication with said one or more non-transient storage devices 925), which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, and / or may include, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data storage may include databases and / or other data structures for storing and managing messages and / or other information to be transmitted via a central hub to one or more devices, as described herein.

[0102] Computer system 900 may also include a communication subsystem 930, which may include wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by wireless communication interface 933, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communication, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). Wireless communication interface 933 may include one or more wireless transceivers that can transmit and receive wireless signals 955 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via wireless antennas 950. Thus, communication subsystem 930 may include modems, network interface cards (wireless or wired), infrared communication devices, wireless communication devices, and / or chipsets, etc., which enable computer system 900 to communicate with any device (including UE / mobile device, base station and / or other TRP, and / or any other electronic device described herein) on any or all of the communication networks described herein. Therefore, communication subsystem 930 can be used to receive and transmit data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0103] In many embodiments, the computer system 900 will further include working memory 935, which may include RAM or ROM devices as described above. Software elements shown to reside within working memory 935 may include operating system 940, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications 945), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or processing units within a computer); in one respect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0104] These sets of instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (such as storage device 925 described above). In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into a computer system (such as computer system 900). In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as an optical disc), and / or may be provided in an installation package so that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer storing the instructions / code. These instructions may take the form of executable code (which can be executed by computer system 900) and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code, which takes the form of executable code when compiled and / or installed on computer system 900 (e.g., using various general-purpose compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.).

[0105] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial modifications can be made to suit specific requirements. For example, custom hardware may be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connectivity to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) may be employed.

[0106] Referring to the accompanying drawings, components that may include memory may include non-transient machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to processing units and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example: magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or memory cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0107] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various procedures or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to the various embodiments. For example, features described with reference to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. Moreover, technology evolves, and therefore many elements are examples that do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those particular examples.

[0108] Primarily for reasons of common use, referring to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, items, quantities, numbers, etc., has proven convenient in some cases. However, it should be understood that all such terms, or similar terms, are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantity and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise specifically stated, as is apparent from the foregoing discussion, it should be understood that throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “identifying,” “ascertaining,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” “performing,” etc., refer to the actions or processes of a particular device (such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device). Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals of physical, electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities typically represented in the memory, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices of that dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0109] As used herein, the terms “and” and “or” can include a variety of meanings, which are also contemplated to depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, “or,” when used in relation to a list such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (in the inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (in the exclusive sense). Additionally, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in the singular form, or can be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or properties. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term “at least one of” when used in relation to a list such as A, B, or C can be interpreted as meaning any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0110] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, substitutions, constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, and other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Furthermore, several steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0111] In view of this specification, various embodiments may include different combinations of features. Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0112] A method for determining RIS operation for reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: determining, for one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating range of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS; conducting a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein: the positioning session includes measurements by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating range of the at least one of the one or more RIS; determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements by the mobile device; and providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0113] The method of Clause 1, wherein the method is performed by a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and wherein conducting the positioning session includes receiving measurements performed by the mobile device at the computer system.

[0114] The method of Clause 2 further includes: obtaining an initial location estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial location estimate is received from the mobile device or determined based on previous location determinations of the mobile device.

[0115] The method of Clause 3 further includes: using a computer system to identify the one or more RIS, wherein identifying the one or more RIS includes determining that the one or more RIS is within a threshold distance of the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

[0116] The method of Clause 3 or 4 further includes: for each of the one or more RIS, using a computer system to determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS based on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS; and using a computer system to determine whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS based at least in part on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the determined relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS.

[0117] The method of any of Clauses 3-5 further includes: receiving, using a computer system, an indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements for RIS-assisted positioning determination of the mobile device; and transmitting auxiliary data from the computer system to the mobile device, wherein: the auxiliary data includes information about at least one of the one or more RIS, and the at least one RIS is determined at least in part based on the indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements.

[0118] As in the method of Clause 6, wherein, for each of the at least one RIS, the auxiliary data includes: the identifier (ID) of the corresponding RIS, the location of the corresponding RIS, an indication of whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, or any combination thereof.

[0119] The method of Clause 7 further includes: using a computer system to receive an indication of the mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements, wherein the at least one RIS is further determined at least in part based on the preference.

[0120] The method of any of Clauses 7 or 8 further includes: receiving a request for the location of the mobile device from the requesting entity, and wherein providing the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device includes providing the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device to the requesting entity.

[0121] The method described in Clause 1, wherein the method is performed by a mobile device.

[0122] The method of Clause 10, wherein the mobile device determines the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the at least one RIS.

[0123] The method of any of Clauses 10 or 11 further includes: receiving auxiliary data from a computer system, wherein, for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes: an identifier (ID) of the corresponding RIS, the location of the corresponding RIS, the diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, the carrier wavelength, or the Fraunhofer distance of the RIS or any combination thereof.

[0124] The method of any of 10 to 12 further includes: for each of the one or more RIS, determining the near-field operating distance of the RIS based at least in part on the auxiliary data.

[0125] The method of any of Clauses 10 to 13, wherein the mobile device determines the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device is determined using: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or a wireless network-based positioning technology or any combination thereof that does not use the one or more RIS.

[0126] The method, as described in Clause 14, further includes: sending an instruction from the mobile device to a computer system regarding the mobile device's preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements.

[0127] The method of Clause 10, wherein providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device includes providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to the user of the mobile device or an application executed by the mobile device.

[0128] An apparatus for determining RIS operation for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: determine, for one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating distance of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS; perform a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein: the positioning session includes measurements by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of the at least one of the one or more RIS; determine RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements performed by the mobile device; and provide the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0129] The device, as described in Clause 17, includes a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and wherein, in order to conduct the positioning session, the one or more processing units are configured to receive measurements performed by the mobile device via the transceiver.

[0130] The device as described in Clause 18, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to: obtain an initial location estimate of the mobile device, and receive the initial location estimate from the mobile device or determine the initial location estimate based on a previous location determination of the mobile device.

[0131] As in the device of Clause 19, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to identify the one or more RIS, wherein in order to identify the one or more RIS, the one or more processing units are configured to determine that the one or more RIS is within a threshold distance of the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

[0132] The device as described in Clause 19 or 20, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to: for each of the one or more RIS, determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS based on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS, and determine whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS based at least in part on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the determined relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS.

[0133] The device, such as any of the provisions 19-21, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to: receive via the transceiver an indication as to whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements for RIS-assisted positioning determination of the mobile device; and transmit via the transceiver auxiliary data from a computer system to the mobile device, wherein the auxiliary data includes information about at least one of the one or more RIS, and the at least one RIS is determined at least in part based on the indication as to whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements.

[0134] As in the device of Clause 22, the auxiliary data for each of the at least one RIS includes: the identifier (ID) of the corresponding RIS, the location of the corresponding RIS, an indication of whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, or any combination thereof.

[0135] The device as described in Clause 23, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to receive, via the transceiver, an indication of the mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements, wherein the at least one RIS is further determined at least in part based on the preference.

[0136] The device is as described in any of Clauses 23 or 24, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to: receive a request for the location of the mobile device from the requesting entity, and wherein, in order to provide the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device, the one or more processing units are configured to provide the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device to the requesting entity.

[0137] The device, as in Clause 17, includes mobile devices.

[0138] The device as described in Clause 26, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the at least one RIS.

[0139] The device as described in Clause 26 or 27, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to receive auxiliary data from a computer system via the transceiver, wherein for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes: the identifier (ID) of the corresponding RIS, the location of the corresponding RIS, the diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, the carrier wavelength, or the Fraunhofer distance of the RIS or any combination thereof.

[0140] The device of any of Items 26 to 28, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to determine, at least in part, the near-field operating distance of each of the one or more RISs based on the auxiliary data.

[0141] The device of any of Items 26 to 29, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to: determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device, and wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to determine the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device using: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or a wireless network-based positioning technology or any combination thereof that does not use the one or more RIS.

[0142] The device, as described in Clause 30, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to send instructions to a computer system via the transceiver regarding the mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements.

[0143] As in the device of Clause 26, wherein, in order to provide determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device, the one or more processing units are configured to provide determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to a user of the mobile device or an application executed by the mobile device.

[0144] An apparatus for determining RIS operation for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: means for determining, for one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within a near-field operating distance of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating distance of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS; means for conducting a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein: the positioning session includes measurements made by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and the measurements made by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of the at least one of the one or more RIS; means for determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements made by the mobile device; and means for providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

[0145] The device, as described in Clause 33, includes a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and the means for conducting the positioning session includes means for receiving measurements performed by the mobile device at the computer system.

[0146] The device, as described in Clause 34, further includes: means for obtaining an initial location estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial location estimate is received from the mobile device or determined based on a previous location determination of the mobile device.

[0147] The device, as described in Clause 35, further includes means for identifying the one or more RIS using a computer system, wherein the means for identifying the one or more RIS includes means for determining that the one or more RIS are within a threshold distance of an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

[0148] The device, as described in Clause 35 or 36, further includes means for performing the following operations for each of the one or more RIS: determining a relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS based on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS, and determining whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS based at least in part on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the determined relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS.

[0149] The device of any of the terms 35 to 37, wherein the device includes mobile devices.

[0150] The device, as described in Clause 38, further includes: means for receiving auxiliary data from a computer system, wherein, for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes: an identifier (ID) of the corresponding RIS, the location of the corresponding RIS, the diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, the carrier wavelength, or the Fraunhofer distance of the RIS, or any combination thereof.

[0151] The device, as described in Clause 39, further includes means for determining the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on an initial positioning estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device is determined using: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or a wireless network-based positioning technology that does not use the one or more RIS, or any combination thereof.

[0152] A non-transient computer-readable medium storing instructions for determining RIS operations for determining reconfigurable smart surface (RIS)-assisted positioning of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the instructions comprising code for: determining, for one or more RISs, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the RIS based at least in part on: the determined near-field operating distance of the RIS, and the relative distance between the mobile device and the RIS; performing a positioning session of the mobile device, wherein: the positioning session includes measurements by the mobile device of radio frequency (RF) signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RISs, and the measurements by the mobile device are based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of the at least one of the one or more RISs; determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements performed by the mobile device; and providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for determining a reconfigurable smart surface RIS operation, the RIS operation being used for RIS-assisted localization determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: For each of one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the corresponding RIS is determined at least in part based on the following: The determined near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, and The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on at least one of the following: The initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the location of the corresponding RIS; or Radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the corresponding RIS; Establish a location session for the mobile device, wherein: The positioning session includes measurements performed by the mobile device on RF signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and The measurement performed by the mobile device is based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RIS; The RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device is determined based on the measurements performed by the mobile device; and Provides the determined RIS-assisted positioning for the mobile device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The method is performed by a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and the location session includes receiving the measurements performed by the mobile device at the computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: The initial location estimate of the mobile device is obtained, wherein the initial location estimate is received from the mobile device or determined based on previous location determinations of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: The computer system is used to identify the one or more RIS, wherein identifying the one or more RIS includes determining that the one or more RIS are within a threshold distance of the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: For each of the one or more RIS, The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined using a computer system based on the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS. The computer system uses at least part of the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and a determined relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS to determine whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: The computer system receives an indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements for the purpose of determining the RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device. as well as The computer system sends auxiliary data to the mobile device, wherein: The auxiliary data includes information about at least one of the one or more RIS, and The at least one RIS is determined at least in part based on the indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of near-field RF signal measurement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, For each of the at least one RIS, the auxiliary data includes: The corresponding RIS identifier ID, The corresponding RIS position, Indication regarding whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, or Any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: The computer system receives an indication of the mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements, wherein the at least one RIS is further determined at least in part based on the preference.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising: Receive a request for the location of the mobile device from the requesting entity, and wherein providing the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device includes providing the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device to the requesting entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method is performed by the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The mobile device determines the relative distance between itself and the at least one RIS based at least in part on RF signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the at least one RIS.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Receive auxiliary data from a computer system, wherein, for each of the one or more RISes, the auxiliary data includes: The corresponding RIS identifier ID, The location of the corresponding RIS. The diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, carrier wavelength, or The Fraunhofer distance of the RIS, or Any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: For each of the one or more RIS, the near-field operating distance of that RIS is determined at least in part based on the auxiliary data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, The mobile device determines the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on the initial location estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial location estimate of the mobile device is determined using the following: The mobile device's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, The inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or Location technologies based on wireless networks that do not use one or more of the aforementioned RIS, or Any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The mobile device sends an instruction to the computer system regarding its preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein, Providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device includes providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to the user of the mobile device or an application executed by the mobile device.

17. An apparatus for determining a reconfigurable smart surface RIS operation, the RIS operation being used for RIS-assisted localization determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: transceiver; Memory; as well as One or more processing units communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: For each of one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the corresponding RIS is determined at least in part based on the following: The determined near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, and The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on at least one of the following: The initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the location of the corresponding RIS; or Radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the corresponding RIS; Establish a location session for the mobile device, wherein: The positioning session includes measurements performed by the mobile device on RF signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and The measurement performed by the mobile device is based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RIS; The RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device is determined based on the measurements performed by the mobile device; and Provides the determined RIS-assisted positioning for the mobile device.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein, The device includes a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and wherein, in order to conduct the positioning session, the one or more processing units are configured to receive the measurements performed by the mobile device via the transceiver.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to: obtain the initial location estimate of the mobile device, and receive the initial location estimate from the mobile device or determine the initial location estimate based on a previous location determination of the mobile device.

20. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to identify the one or more RIS, wherein, in order to identify the one or more RIS, the one or more processing units are configured to determine that the one or more RIS are within a threshold distance of the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

21. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured such that, for each of the one or more RIS, The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS. Whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS is determined at least in part based on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS.

22. The device as claimed in claim 21, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to: The transceiver receives an indication of whether the mobile device is capable of performing near-field RF signal measurements for the purpose of determining the RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device. as well as Auxiliary data is transmitted from the computer system to the mobile device via the transceiver, wherein: The auxiliary data includes information about at least one of the one or more RIS, and The at least one RIS is determined at least in part based on the indication regarding whether the mobile device is capable of near-field RF signal measurement.

23. The device as claimed in claim 22, wherein, For each of the at least one RIS, the auxiliary data includes: The corresponding RIS identifier ID, The corresponding RIS position, Indication regarding whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, or Any combination thereof.

24. The device as claimed in claim 22, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to receive, via the transceiver, an indication of the mobile device’s preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements, wherein the at least one RIS is further determined at least in part based on the preference.

25. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to: receive a request for the location of the mobile device from a requesting entity, and wherein, in order to provide the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device to the requesting entity, the one or more processing units are configured to provide the determined RIS-assisted location of the mobile device.

26. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein, The device includes the mobile device.

27. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS, at least in part, based on RF signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the at least one RIS.

28. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to receive auxiliary data from the computer system via the transceiver, wherein for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes: The corresponding RIS identifier ID, The location of the corresponding RIS. The diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, carrier wavelength, or The Fraunhofer distance of the RIS, or Any combination thereof.

29. The device as claimed in claim 28, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to determine the near-field operating distance of each of the one or more RIS, at least in part, based on the auxiliary data.

30. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to: determine the relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS based at least in part on the initial location estimate of the mobile device, and wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to determine the initial location estimate of the mobile device using the following: The mobile device's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, The inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or Location technologies based on wireless networks that do not use one or more of the aforementioned RIS, or Any combination thereof.

31. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to send instructions to the computer system via the transceiver regarding the mobile device's preference for performing near-field RF signal measurements.

32. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein, In order to provide the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device, the one or more processing units are configured to provide the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device to a user of the mobile device or an application executed by the mobile device.

33. An apparatus for determining a reconfigurable smart surface RIS operation, the RIS operation being used for RIS-assisted localization determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: A means for determining, at least in part, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the respective RIS for each of one or more RISs: The determined near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, and The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on at least one of the following: The initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the location of the corresponding RIS; or Radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the corresponding RIS; A means for conducting a location session for the mobile device, wherein: The positioning session includes measurements performed by the mobile device on RF signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and The measurement performed by the mobile device is based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RIS; A means for determining RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device based on the measurements performed by the mobile device; and A means for providing the determined RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device.

34. The device as claimed in claim 33, wherein, The device includes a computer system in communication with the mobile device, and the means for conducting the positioning session includes means for receiving the measurements performed by the mobile device at the computer system.

35. The device of claim 34, further comprising: A means for obtaining the initial location estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial location estimate is received from the mobile device or determined based on a previous location determination of the mobile device.

36. The device of claim 35, further comprising means for identifying the one or more RIS using the computer system, wherein the means for identifying the one or more RIS includes means for determining that the one or more RIS are within a threshold distance of the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising means for performing the following operations for each of the one or more RIS: The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the position of the corresponding RIS. Whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS is determined at least in part based on the near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS and the relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS.

38. The device as claimed in claim 33, wherein, The device includes the mobile device.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising: A means for receiving auxiliary data from a computer system, wherein, for each of the one or more RIS, the auxiliary data includes: The corresponding RIS identifier ID, The location of the corresponding RIS. The diameter or maximum size of the corresponding RIS, carrier wavelength, or The Fraunhofer distance of the RIS, or Any combination thereof.

40. The device of claim 38, further comprising means for determining a relative distance between the mobile device and the at least one RIS, at least in part based on the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device, wherein the initial positioning estimate of the mobile device is determined using the following: The mobile device's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, The inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the mobile device, or Location technologies based on wireless networks that do not use one or more of the aforementioned RIS, or Any combination thereof.

41. A non-transient computer-readable medium storing instructions for determining RIS operations on a reconfigurable smart surface, the RIS operations being used for RIS-assisted localization determination of a mobile device in a wireless communication system, the instructions comprising code for the following operations: For each of one or more RIS, whether the mobile device is within the near-field operating range of the corresponding RIS is determined at least in part based on the following: The determined near-field operating distance of the corresponding RIS, and The relative distance between the mobile device and the corresponding RIS is determined based on at least one of the following: The initial positioning estimate of the mobile device and the location of the corresponding RIS; or Radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the mobile device and reflected from the corresponding RIS; Establish a location session for the mobile device, wherein: The positioning session includes measurements performed by the mobile device on RF signals reflected from at least one of the one or more RIS, and The measurement performed by the mobile device is based at least in part on whether the mobile device is within the corresponding near-field operating distance of at least one of the one or more RIS; The RIS-assisted positioning of the mobile device is determined based on the measurements performed by the mobile device. as well as Provides the determined RIS-assisted positioning for the mobile device.

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