Signal path separation for positioning enhancement

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, there is at least one method and apparatus to perform sending by a first network entity to a second network entity of a communication network, or receiving by the second network entity from the first network entity, first information for determining a cluster of related channel taps, and second information for characterizing propagation paths corresponding to the clusters of channel taps; positioning measurement information is received from the second network entity or transmitted by the first network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing a number of propagation paths corresponding to clusters of a respective number of channel taps, where the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and where the number of propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Teachings in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally relate to resolving ambiguity in device positioning, and more specifically, to resolving ambiguity in device positioning using a signaling framework to determine and report independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context for the invention described in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that can be explored, but not necessarily concepts that have been previously conceived or explored. Therefore, unless otherwise stated herein, the content described in this section is not prior art for the description and claims in this application, and is not considered prior art by being included in this section.

[0003] Certain abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined herein as follows: AOA Angle of Arrival CMD cluster average latency CMP Cluster Average Power CRMS Cluster Root Mean Square (RMS) Delay Spread CRMSA Cluster Root Mean Square (RMS) Angle of Arrival (AOA) Spread CS cluster sparsity gNB 5G base station LOS Line of Sight LPP LTE Positioning Protocol LMC Local Location Management Component LMF Location Management Function N-CRMS Cluster Normalized Delay Spread N-CS cluster normalized sparsity NLOS Non Line of Sight NR New Radio (5G) NRPPa New Radiolocation Protocol A PRS Positioning Reference Signal RMS root mean square RTT Round Trip Time TRP Transmit Receiving Point UE User Equipment

[0004] Wireless communication systems have been developed through generations. The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, called New Radio (NR), requires at least higher data transmission speeds, a higher number of connections, and improved coverage. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, and can support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. As a result, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly enhanced and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current 4G standard.

[0005] A wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations or network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communications for multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE). A wireless communication network is required to implement techniques for tracking the location of UEs in the wireless communication network.

[0006] Example embodiments of the present invention are directed at at least improving positioning operations, including resolving multipath ambiguity issues with respect to positioning. Summary of the invention

[0007] This section contains examples of possible implementations and is not meant to be limiting.

[0008] In an exemplary aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, such as a first network entity device of a communication network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-volatile memory, comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform: sending first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps to a second network entity of the communication network; receiving positioning measurement information from the second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to clusters of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0009] In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: sending, by a first network entity of a communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps to a second network entity of the communication network; receiving, by the first network entity, positioning measurement information from the second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to clusters of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0010] Another example embodiment is an apparatus and method, comprising the apparatus and method of the preceding paragraphs, wherein third information is sent by a first network entity to a second network entity of a communication network, the third information indicating the number of propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity, and / or wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay spectrum, and / or wherein a classification algorithm is performed by the first network entity based on positioning measurement information to classify the propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm, and / or wherein the characterization of the propagation paths comprises selecting a single channel tap in a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path, and / or wherein the selection of the single channel tap comprises selecting one of the strongest channel tap in the cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in the cluster of channel taps, and the channel tap in the cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps, and / or wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths, and / or wherein the first information comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths from a location management system associated with the first network entity. The method comprises: receiving auxiliary data of a location management function, and / or wherein the auxiliary data relates to at least one of the following: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters and how to determine the boundaries of the clusters, and / or wherein in response to receiving, estimating the position of a user equipment is performed by a first network entity, and / or wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: a time difference threshold (or time slot) between channel taps, an angle difference threshold between channel taps, a correlation threshold in a time window, a power difference threshold (or power gap) between channel taps, and a phase difference threshold between channel taps, and / or wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing the cluster distribution in at least one of the following: a time domain, a delay domain and a spatial domain, and / or wherein the set of metrics comprises at least one of the following: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution, and / or wherein based on the positioning measurement information, the method comprises: sending a request by the first network entity to another network entity of the communication network to characterize and report additional independent paths, and / or wherein the first network entity comprises a radio access network RAN ​​node or a network entity hosting a location management function, and wherein the second network entity comprises a RAN node or a user equipment.

[0011] A non-transitory computer readable medium stores program code, wherein the program code is executed by at least one processor to perform at least the method as described in the above paragraphs.

[0012] In another example aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, such as a first network entity device of a communication network, comprising: a component for sending first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps to a second network entity of the communication network; a component for receiving positioning measurement information from the second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to a corresponding number of clusters of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0013] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, at least means for sending, receiving, characterizing, determining and completing include a network interface and a computer program code stored on a computer readable medium and executed by at least one processor.

[0014] In another example aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, such as a second network entity device of a communication network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-volatile memory, including computer program code, wherein the at least one non-volatile memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform: receiving first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps from a first network entity of the communication network; and sending positioning measurement information by the second network entity to the first network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to the cluster of the corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0015] In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: receiving, by a second network entity of a communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps from a first network entity of the communication network; and sending, by the second network entity, positioning measurement information to the first network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to the cluster of channel taps of a corresponding number, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0016] Another example embodiment is an apparatus and method, comprising the apparatus and method of the preceding paragraphs, wherein third information is received from a first network entity of a communication network, the third information indicating the number of propagation paths to be characterized by a second network entity, and / or wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay spectrum, and / or wherein a classification algorithm is used based on positioning measurement information to classify the propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm, and / or wherein the characterization of the propagation paths comprises selecting a single channel tap in a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path, and / or wherein the selection of the single channel tap comprises selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in the cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in the cluster of channel taps, and the channel tap in the cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps, and / or wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths, and / or wherein the first information comprises auxiliary data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, and / or wherein the auxiliary data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters and how to determine the boundaries of the clusters, and / or wherein in response to the transmission, the position of the user equipment is estimated, and / or wherein the first information comprises at least one of: a time difference threshold (or time slot) between channel taps, an angle difference threshold between channel taps, a correlation threshold in a time window, a power difference threshold (or power gap) between channel taps, and a phase difference threshold between channel taps, and / or wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing the cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain and a spatial domain, and / or wherein the set of metrics comprises at least one of: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution, and / or wherein the second network entity comprises a radio access network RAN ​​node or a user equipment, and wherein the first network entity comprises a RAN node or a network entity hosting the location management function.

[0017] A non-transitory computer readable medium stores program code, wherein the program code is executed by at least one processor to perform at least the method as described in the above paragraphs.

[0018] In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, such as a second network entity device of a communication network, comprising: a component for receiving first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps from a first network entity of the communication network; and a component for sending positioning measurement information to the first network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to the cluster of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined based on the first information, and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized based on the second information.

[0019] A communication system includes an apparatus for performing the operations described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other aspects, features and benefits of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to represent the same or equivalent elements. The accompanying drawings are shown for a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 shows an example problem of multiple paths reported for a single true (or propagated) path;

[0022] Figure 2 shows the overall signaling flow of the operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 shows high-level block diagrams of various devices used to perform various aspects of the present invention; and

[0024] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Each shows a method that can be performed by an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is proposed to resolve the ambiguity problem in device positioning using a signaling framework to determine and report independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

[0026] A Rel-16 work item was initiated in 3GPP for native positioning support in New Radio (NR). As a result of this work, the following positioning solutions were specified for NR Rel-16: - Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA); - Uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA); - Downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD); - Uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA); and -Multi-cell round trip time (multi-RTT).

[0027] One of the biggest sources of error in positioning systems is the presence of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) or multipath components. As part of the Rel-17 Enhanced Positioning WID, the following objectives were accomplished: ● Study and specify (if agreed) enhancements to information reporting from UE and gNB for multipath / NLOS mitigation.

[0028] It is decided by the standard that up to 8 paths are supported for path selection which is left to the UE implementation. This means that when the UE reports 8 paths, the LMF has no knowledge of how these paths were selected or whether these paths are independent. Similarly, the measurement of UL SRS for the gNB is also up to the gNB implementation, so the LMF may not know whether the "gNB Rx-Tx measurement" and the "UE Rx-Tx measurement" for the nth path are aligned. In other words, the LMF does not know whether the nth path for the gNB and the UE corresponds to the same physical reflection. Additionally, this is problematic for the first path detection as well.

[0029] In Rel-18, further SI / WI enhancements for positioning were agreed and studied as part of SI carrier phase positioning: ● Research solutions for improving the accuracy of NR-based carrier phase measurements: ■ Reference signals, physical layer measurements, physical layer procedures to enable NR carrier phase measurement based positioning for both UE-based positioning and UE-assisted positioning;

[0030] Carrier phase positioning relies on the UE to measure the phase of the DL signal and report it to the network. For good performance it is crucial that the UE can correctly determine the first arrival path so that the phase is meaningful.

[0031] In Rel-16, additional timing paths (up to 2) are supported for RSTD, RTOA and UE / gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements. Reporting these paths is entirely up to the UE / TRP implementation and they may be included in the measurement reports defined in the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) and New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa).

[0032] In Rel-17, the LMF may use additional paths to run outlier rejection and / or NLOS identification methods before performing the final position estimate. One such method that the LMF may run is to compare the timing / power / angle (if available) with different channel characteristics and then classify the links as LoS / NLoS. One problem in the current state of the art is that there is no method for the LMF to request a specific number of independent paths from the UE / TRP. Independent paths are paths that correspond to physical reflections, i.e., the routes that a wireless signal follows from the source to the destination.

[0033] A related issue is that how to define independent paths is still an unresolved issue in Rel-18, which affects the following research points: -LOS identification; -SL positioning measurement acquisition; and -Carrier phase extraction.

[0034] Ideally, the receiver reports the LoS path as the primary path and other paths corresponding to independent physical reflections as additional paths. Figure 1 , we can see that the true delay of the received signal for the LoS path (or the delay associated with the propagation path) does not map directly to just one received sample. When in fact multiple samples correspond to a single propagation arrival path, Figure 1 The receiver on the right might report these multiple samples as different paths. This can be extended to multiple paths arriving at the receiver, some of which are LoS paths and some of which are NLoS paths. The multiple taps around a single path are not independent, and the cluster of multiple taps actually represents a single reflector.

[0035] Under NLOS conditions, the shadow fading in the positioning measurements seems similar to the low frequency band, while the measurements show higher shadow fading (>10 dB). This is attributed to the larger dynamic range allowed and the loss in some ray tracing experiments, which makes the trend of the signal with frequency somewhat uncertain over a wide range of frequencies.

[0036] In general, due to sampling limitations and other RX processing artifacts, a single independent propagation path can appear as a cluster of interdependent (correlated) taps. However, in current technology, the positioning receiver is likely to report taps of the same cluster (i.e., correlated taps) as independent paths.

[0037] This is problematic for the following situations: -Multipath based positioning in NR positioning for both UL and DL; -LOS detection; and -RTT positioning when both UE and gNB are requested to report N paths: In this case, for example, the UE may report paths that may partially / fully correlate with each other but mismatch with those reported by the gNB, hindering the LMF task of correctly identifying reflection and direct paths.

[0038] Since there is no clear definition of what is an independent path, there is ambiguity regarding how / which of the following should be standardized and / or implemented: - First path detection and additional path reporting as supported in current LLP; -Carrier phase positioning method; and -Positioning measurement acquisition in SL positioning.

[0039] Figure 1 An example problem of multiple paths reported for a single true path is shown.

[0040] Example embodiments of the present invention are directed to resolving the current ambiguity problem of independent multipaths and include a signaling framework that helps a positioning receiver determine and report independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths, such as wireless or fixed propagation paths.

[0041] Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention, Figure 3 , for the purpose of illustrating simplified block diagrams of various electronic devices that are suitable for use in practicing the example embodiments of this invention.

[0042] Figure 3 A block diagram of one possible and non-limiting exemplary system in which the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be practiced is shown. Figure 3 In the embodiment, a user equipment (UE) 10 and a wireless network 1 or a network 1 (such as Figure 3 As shown) for wireless communication. Figure 3 The wireless network 1 or network 1 in the present invention may include a communication network such as a mobile network (e.g., mobile network 1 or a first mobile network as disclosed herein). Figure 3 Any reference to wireless network 1 in the specification may be considered a reference to any wireless network as disclosed herein. Figure 3 The wireless network 1 in the embodiment may also include hard-wired features that may be required by the communication network. A UE is a wireless, typical mobile device that can access a wireless network. A UE may be, for example, a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and / or a computer with mobile terminal functions. For example, a UE or mobile terminal may also be a portable, pocket, handheld, computer-embedded or vehicle-mounted mobile device, and performs voice signaling and / or data exchange with the RAN.

[0043] UE 10 comprises one or more processors DP 10A, one or more memories MEM 10B, and one or more transceivers TRANS10D, which are interconnected via one or more buses. Each transceiver in the one or more transceivers TRANS10D comprises a receiver and a transmitter. The one or more buses may be address, data or control buses, and may comprise any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication devices, etc. The one or more transceivers TRANS10D can be optionally connected to one or more antennas, respectively, for communicating with NN 12 and NN 13. The one or more memories MEM 10B comprise computer program code PROG 10C. UE 10 communicates with NN 12 and / or NN 13 via wireless links 11 or 16.

[0044] NN 12 (NR / 5G Node B, evolved NB or LTE equipment) is a network node such as a primary node base station or a secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE long term evolution), which is connected to a network node such as Figure 3 NN 12 provides access to wireless devices such as UE 10 to the wireless network 1. NN 12 includes one or more processors DP 12A, one or more memories MEM 12B, and one or more transceivers TRANS12D, which are interconnected via one or more buses. According to an example embodiment, these TRANS12D may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing example embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS12D includes a receiver and a transmitter. One or more transceivers TRANS12D can optionally be connected to one or more antennas for communicating with UE 10 via at least link 11. One or more memories MEM 12B and computer program code PROG 12C are configured to, together with one or more processors DP12A, cause NN 12 to perform one or more operations as described herein. NN 12 can communicate with another gNB or eNB or a device such as NN 13, such as via link 16. In addition, link 11, link 16 and / or any other link may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an X2 or Xn interface. In addition, link 11 and / or link 16 may be connected through other network devices, such as but not limited to, Figure 3 The NN 12 may include NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14 devices. The NN 12 may perform functionality of an MME (Mobility Management Entity) or an SGW (Serving Gateway), such as user plane functionality and / or access management functionality for LTE and similar functionality for 5G.

[0045] NN 13 may be associated with a mobility function device such as AMF or SMF, and may further include a NR / 5G Node B, or possibly an evolved NB, a base station such as a primary node base station or a secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE long term evolution), which communicates with devices such as NN 12 and / or UE 10 and / or wireless network 1. NN 13 includes one or more processors DP 13A, one or more memories MEM 13B, one or more network interfaces, and one or more transceivers TRANS13D, which are interconnected via one or more buses. According to an exemplary embodiment, these network interfaces of NN 13 may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS13D includes a receiver and a transmitter, which can optionally be connected to one or more antennas. One or more memories MEM 13B include computer program code PROG 13C. For example, one or more memories MEM 13B and computer program code PROG 13C are configured to, together with one or more processors DP 13A, cause NN 13 to perform one or more operations as described herein. NN 13 may communicate with another mobility function device and / or eNB (such as NN 12) and UE 10 or any other device using, for example, link 11 or link 16 or another link. Figure 3 The link 16 shown may be used for communication between NN 12 and NN 13. These links may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an X2 or Xn interface. In addition, as described above, link 11 and / or link 16 may pass through other network devices, such as but not limited to NCE / MME / SGW devices, such as Figure 3 NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14.

[0046] Figure 3 The one or more buses of the devices may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, an optical fiber or other optical communication device, a wireless channel, etc. For example, one or more transceivers TRANS12D, TRANS13D, and / or TRANS10D may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH), while other elements of the NN 12 are physically located at a different location from the RRH, and the devices may include one or more buses that may be partially implemented as fiber optic cables to connect the other elements of the NN 12 to the RRH.

[0047] Note that although Figure 3Network nodes such as NN 12 and NN 13 are shown, but any of these nodes may be incorporated or incorporated into an eNodeB or eNB or gNB, such as for LTE and NR, and will still be configurable to perform the example embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] It should also be noted that the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs a function, but it should be clear that the gNB and / or user equipment and / or mobility management function device forming the cell performs the function. In addition, a cell constitutes part of a gNB, and each gNB can have multiple cells.

[0049] The wireless network 1 or any network it may represent may or may not include NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14, which may include (NCE) network control element functionality, MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality, and / or Serving Gateway (SGW), and / or MME (Mobility Management Entity) and / or SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality, and / or User Data Management Functionality (UDM), and / or PCF (Policy Control) functionality, and / or Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) functionality, and / or Session Management (SMF) functionality, and / or Location Management Function (LMF) and / or Authentication Server (AUSF) functionality, and which provides connectivity with another network (such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet)), and is configured to perform any 5G and / or NR operations as an addition or alternative to other standard operations at the time of application. NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14 may be configured to perform operations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in any of LTE, NR, 5G and / or any standard-based communication technology implemented or discussed at the time of this application. In addition, it should be noted that operations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as performed by NN 12 and / or NN 13 may also be performed at NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14.

[0050] The NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14 includes one or more processors DP 14A, one or more memories MEM 14B and one or more network interfaces ((multiple) N / WI / F), which are interconnected via one or more buses coupled to the link 13 and / or the link 16. According to an exemplary embodiment, these network interfaces may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The one or more memories MEM 14B include computer program code PROG 14C. The one or more memories MEM 14B and the computer program code PROG 14C are configured to, together with the one or more processors DP 14A, cause the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF 14 to perform one or more operations that may be required to support operations according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] It should be noted that NN 12 and / or NN 13 and / or UE 10 may be configured (e.g., based on standard implementations, etc.) to perform location management function (LMF) functionality. LMF functionality may be embodied in any one of content consumer A, content consumer B, Dash server and / or content provider, or may be part of these network devices or other devices associated with these devices. In addition, LMF (such as Figure 3 The MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMF / SMF / LMF14 of the UE 10 may be co-located with the UE 10, such as with Figure 3 NN 12 and / or NN 13 are separated for performing operations according to the example embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0052] The wireless network 1 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based management entity, namely a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, which is usually combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is classified as external virtualization or internal virtualization, and external virtualization combines many networks or parts of networks into virtual units, while internal virtualization provides network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities obtained by network virtualization are still implemented using hardware to some extent, such as processors DP 10, DP 12A, DP 13A and / or DP 14A and memories MEM 10B, MEM 12B, MEM 13B and / or MEM 14B, and such virtualized entities also create technical effects.

[0053] The computer readable memory MEM 12B, MEM 13B and MEM 14B may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memory MEM 12B, MEM 13B and MEM 14B may be components for performing storage functions. As non-limiting examples, the processors DP 10, DP 12A, DP 13A and DP 14A may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The processors DP 10, DP 12A, DP 13A and DP 14A may be components for performing functions, such as controlling UE 10, NN 12, NN 13 and other functions described herein.

[0054] As described above, example embodiments of the present invention are directed to resolving the current ambiguity problem of independent multipaths, including a signaling framework that assists a positioning receiver in determining and reporting independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

[0055] The present invention proposes an enhanced multipath reporting that resolves the ambiguity about independent path discovery described in Section 3. The method proposes a new IE that enables the positioning receiver (TRP in UL, UE in DL positioning) to distinguish between independent propagation paths (i.e., paths corresponding to different physical reflections) by aggregating relevant taps into clusters, where each cluster is mapped to an independent propagation path.

[0056] New IE elements for the current LPP include: A. IE in the assistance data from LMF to UE / TRP. The data involves information related to at least the following: ○ How to aggregate channel taps into clusters, ○ How to determine the cluster boundaries and ○ How to extract information characterizing the propagation paths corresponding to the clusters; and B. LPP measurement report from UE / TRP to LMF. The report consists of measurements of the X most relevant independent clusters, where the cluster measurements consist of a set of metrics (e.g., first-order moments, second-order moments, and higher-order moments of positioning measurements) that describe: ○ The shape of the cluster in the following domains: ■TX-beam. ■RX-beam. ■Delay. ■Angle of arrival. ■Power. Phase, ○The physical propagation path from which the cluster originates. ○ In addition, to specifically implement measurement collection of B, a method for cluster determination is described that is independent of RX beams, TX beams, or TX-RX beam pairs as reported implementations.

[0057] Position measurement report acquisition is performed and used in position estimation and non-line-of-sight classification algorithms by comparing more than one path with typical non-line-of-sight channel characteristics to determine whether the reported position measurement of the representative path matches the non-line-of-sight or line-of-sight channel characteristics. The number of independent paths to be reported can be based on an outlier rejection algorithm or a non-line-of-sight identification method, wherein the outlier rejection algorithm uses at least one of path, angle, or power to determine whether a link is an outlier.

[0058] The present invention proposes a method for enhanced multipath request / reporting so that a minimum number of independent paths / clusters are available at the LMF. Figure 2 The entire signaling process is shown: UE / TRP participates in the positioning session; The LMF requests a specific number of independent paths reported from the UE / TRP performing positioning measurements: A. The request may be included as part of the assistance data sent to the UE / TRP. For example, as part of the LPP message NR-DL-TDOA-RequestLocationInformation for the UE and / or the NRPPa message for the TRP; B. The number of paths requested can be based on a number of factors, including: ■ The expected channel delay profile (i.e., the expected number of paths / taps and the relative powers of the taps); ■Number of paths required for NLOS classification algorithm: ● For example, the classification algorithm may compare 6 paths with typical NLOS channel characteristics to determine whether the reported path matches the NLOS (or LOS) channel characteristics. Therefore, the LMF will request 6 paths; ■Number of paths required for outlier rejection algorithm: ● For example, the outlier rejection algorithm may use 8 paths (and angle / power if available) to determine if the reported link is an outlier. Therefore, the LMF will request 8 paths; ■UE / TRP path report history: ● For example, if a UE in a particular area is reporting a large number of additional paths (e.g., 10), the LMF can request additional paths from UEs in similar areas to ensure that the channel characteristics are analyzed correctly; C. As another embodiment, the requested number of paths may be the total number of paths that the UE / TRP can identify: ■ For example, measurement reports on multiple paths depend on the UE and the TRP, so even if both the UE and the TRP identify the same number of paths, the number of paths reported from the UE and the TRP may be different. Therefore, from current and / or past information about measurement reports, it is difficult for the LMF to know how many paths the TRP and the UE can identify now; D. As another example, the requested number of paths may be the number of separate paths for a particular cluster (or each cluster): ■ In the case that it is difficult for the UE to decide the individual path for each cluster, the UE can report multiple individual paths for a specific cluster to the LMF. If the TRP reports the individual paths for the cluster, the LMF can know the individual paths for the cluster.

[0059] The LMF may also include assistance information for the UE on how to: A. Determine independent clusters. Information for determining independent clusters may include: ■ Minimum time gap between clusters (e.g., X ns); ■The time slot can be based on what the LMF thinks the channel should be like and / or the expected or known sampling time at the UE / TRP; ■ The angular difference between clusters (e.g., θ degrees); ■ This angle difference can allow the UE to determine that if multiple nearby paths come from the same or very similar angles, they are actually part of the same cluster; ■ Angle differences can allow the user device to determine that if multiple nearby paths come from the same or very similar angles, they are actually part of the same cluster; ■ Correlation information in a time window (i.e., highly correlated neighboring peaks, X% correlation window for a peak); ■ Maximum power gap between other nearby paths (e.g., if path 1 has a power of Y, another path within Z ns can be determined only if the correlator power between path 1 and the other path first drops below a certain threshold); ■ Phase differences between paths in a cluster; ■ Minimum power constraint (e.g., the power of an individual path should exceed a threshold power. The threshold power may be based on the individual path that exhibits the highest power) ■One or more options can be used in combination. For example, the minimum time gap between paths and related information can be combined as a criterion for determining individual clusters; ■ The time slot may be determined based on at least one of the following: a characteristic of the channel, or a known sampling time at the user equipment; B. Select and report a representative path for each cluster. Once a cluster is identified, a single path representative of the propagation path corresponding to that cluster can be selected as: ■The strongest tap in the cluster; ■The first tap of the cluster; ■ Its complex gain can be calculated as the tap of the linear combination of all paths in the cluster: where c(l) is the l-th tap in cluster c, and φ is a predetermined weighting function, such as a selected pulse shaping filter; UE / TRP determines independent clusters based on auxiliary information: A.UE / TRP can: ■Measurement of (multiple) beamformed positioning signals from a single source with multiple RX beams; ■ Extract the channel response for each RX beam; and ■Combining the beamformed channel responses into a single channel characterizing the link between the UE / gNB and the reference signal source. B. The combination may be achieved by, for example, superposition, averaging, or other linear combinations of partial (i.e., beamformed) responses; C. The combined channel response is then used to identify independent clusters between pos.RX and pos.TX. In this way, the reporting overhead generated by beam-based reporting is removed. ●UE / TRP reports independent clusters and / or representative paths per cluster; in the former case, the UE / TRP includes the cluster ID as part of the report to inform the LMF that some paths are not independent. UE / TRP can report on each individual cluster: a. Cluster shape in TX beam domain: ■ Cluster TX beam list, which contains the list of TX beams from which the paths of the cluster originate. This helps identify TX beam offset and / or TX beam sidelobe overlap; b. Cluster shape in RX beam domain: ■ Cluster RX beam list, which contains the list of RX beams for the paths to find the cluster. This helps identify RX beam offset and / or RX beam sidelobe overlap; c. Cluster shape in the delay domain: ■ Cluster sparsity (CS), which is defined as the average number of paths that have been identified as belonging to the cluster; ■ Cluster-normalized sparsity (N-CS), which is defined as CS normalized to the channel sparsity S; ■Cluster average delay CMD; ■Cluster RMS delay spread CRMS; ■ Cluster Normalized Delay Spread (N-CRMS), that is, normalizing the channel delay spread RMS, N-CRMS = CRMS / RMS; ■ Cluster normalized mean delay (N-CMD), that is, normalizing the channel average delay MD, N-CMD = CMD / MD d. Cluster shape in the arrival angle domain: ■Cluster mean angle of arrival CMA; ■Cluster RMS AOA extends CRMSA; ■ Cluster Normalized AOA Spread (N-CRMA), that is, normalizing the channel AOA spread RMSA, N-CRMSA = CRMSA / RMSA; ■ Cluster normalized average AOA (N-CMA), that is, normalizing the channel average AOA MA, N-CMA = CMA / MA; e. Cluster shape in the power domain: ■Cluster total power CTP; ■Cluster mean power CMP; ■Normalized cluster total power (N-CTP), that is, normalizing the total channel power TP, N-CTP = CTP / TP; ■Normalized cluster mean power (N-CMP), that is, normalizing the channel mean power MP, N-CMP = CMP / MP; f. Cluster shape in phase domain: ■Cluster average phase CMP; ■Cluster RMS Phase CRMSP.

[0060] Note that CRMSP and CMP are used by the LMF to assess how similar the phases of the taps of each cluster are: ideally, if the taps in a cluster are the result of RX processing limitations (and indeed they correspond to the same physical propagation taps), their phases are close to each other and the spread of the phases is very narrow:

[0061] In another embodiment, the UE / TRP may inform the LMF of its method for determining individual clusters without using assistance data; and

[0062] LMF uses the reported individual clusters to complete the positioning session.

[0063] Figure 2FIG. 2 shows the overall signaling flow of the operation according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown in step 210, the UE and LMF are communicating for the NR positioning process. Figure 2 As shown in step 220, LMF is determining the number of paths or clusters required. Figure 2 As shown in step 240 of , the LMF communicates with the UE to request a specific number of paths or clusters. Figure 2 As shown in step 250 of , the LMF communicates assistance information with the UE to determine a unique path or cluster. Figure 2 As shown in step 260 of , the UE determines the path or cluster during the positioning measurement. Figure 2 As shown in step 270 of , the UE communicates with the LMF to report the measurement with the additional path or cluster identification (ID). Then, as Figure 2 As shown in step 280, the LMF performs non-line-of-sight classification.

[0064] In multi-RTT, both the UE and the TRP are making positioning measurements and reporting to the LMF. In order to maximize the usefulness of this reporting at the LMF, there should be coordination in the number of paths reported. Additionally, if the UE reports a particular path and the TRP does not, this is very useful information at the LMF. However, this is only useful if the LMF knows that the TRP does not actually see that path (rather than simply choosing not to report for some other reason). Introducing the requested number of paths from the LMF to the TRP / UE can ensure that this situation does not occur later. For example, the LMF may request the same number of additional paths from the TRP and UE participating in the multi-RTT session.

[0065] In carrier phase, it is critical that the first path phase is the phase that is used to calculate the UE's position. The described method allows the UE to report more separate clusters, which helps the LMF understand which paths may be the first path and which paths are artifacts of the same path. The described method also helps to improve the integrity / reliability of the carrier phase technique by providing information if the same reported path is from the same cluster. This allows the LMF to check if the phase on these reported paths is the same, and therefore know that the phase value of the first path is further verified.

[0066] Figure 4A Operations that may be performed by the device are shown, such as, but not limited to, for example, Figure 3 NN 12 and / or NN 13 in the device. Figure 4A As shown in step 405, the first network entity sends first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to a corresponding cluster in at least one cluster to a second network entity of the communication network. Figure 4AAs shown in step 410, positioning measurement information is received from the second network entity, where the positioning measurement information represents the number of propagation paths corresponding to the corresponding number of clusters. Figure 4A As shown in step 415, the number of clusters is determined according to the first information. Figure 4A As shown in step 420, the number of propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

[0067] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, third information is sent by a first network entity to a second network entity of the communication network, the third information indicating the number of propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity.

[0068] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

[0069] According to the example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, based on the positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is performed by the first network entity to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

[0070] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the characterization of the propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap of the cluster of channel taps representing the propagation path.

[0071] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, selection of a single channel tap includes selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in a cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

[0072] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

[0073] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine cluster boundaries.

[0074] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, in response to receiving, estimating a position for the user equipment is performed by the first network entity.

[0075] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, the first information includes at least one of the following: a time difference threshold (or time slot) between channel taps, an angle difference threshold between channel taps, a correlation threshold in a time window, a power difference threshold (or power gap) between channel taps, and a phase difference threshold between channel taps.

[0076] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

[0077] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, the set of metrics includes at least one of the following: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution.

[0078] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein, based on the positioning measurement information, the method comprises: sending, by the first network entity, a request to another network entity of the communication network to characterize and report the additional independent path.

[0079] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the first network entity comprises a Radio Access Network RAN ​​node or a network entity hosting a location management function, and wherein the second network entity comprises a RAN node or a user equipment.

[0080] A non-transitory computer readable medium (MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B) storing program code (such as Figure 3 PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C in the processor), the program code is executed by at least one processor (such as Figure 3 Executed by DP 12A and / or DP 13A) in order to perform operations as at least described in the above paragraphs.

[0081] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, there is provided an apparatus, comprising: Figure 3 NN 12 and / or NN 13) to the communication network (such as Figure 3 The second network entity ( Figure 3 NN12 and / or NN 13) in the Figure 3 13A) for determining first information of a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information characterizing a propagation path corresponding to a corresponding cluster of at least one of the clusters; a component for receiving (TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) positioning measurement information from a second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing (e.g. Figure 3TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) in the first information and the number of propagation paths corresponding to the corresponding number of clusters, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A), and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized according to the second information (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A).

[0082] In an exemplary aspect of the invention according to the above paragraphs, wherein at least the means for sending, receiving, characterizing, determining and completing comprises utilizing a computer program [such as Figure 3 PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C] in a non-transitory computer readable medium [MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B], the computer program being executed by at least one processor [such as Figure 3 DP12A and / or DP 13A] in can be executed.

[0083] Figure 4B Operations that may be performed by the device are shown, such as, but not limited to, for example, Figure 3 NN 12 and / or NN 13 in the device. Figure 4B As shown in step 450, the second network entity receives first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to a corresponding cluster of the at least one cluster from the first network entity of the communication network. Figure 4B As shown in step 455, the second network entity sends positioning measurement information to the first network entity, where the positioning measurement information represents the number of propagation paths corresponding to a corresponding cluster of at least one cluster. Figure 4B As shown in step 460, the number of clusters is determined based on the first information. Then, Figure 4B As shown in step 465, the number of propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

[0084] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, third information is received from a first network entity of a communication network, the third information indicating a number of propagation paths to be characterized by a second network entity.

[0085] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

[0086] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, based on positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is used to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

[0087] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the characterization of the propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap of the cluster of channel taps representing the propagation path.

[0088] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, selection of a single channel tap includes selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in a cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

[0089] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

[0090] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine cluster boundaries.

[0091] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, in response to receiving, a position for the user equipment is estimated.

[0092] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, the first information includes at least one of the following: a time difference threshold (or time slot) between channel taps, an angle difference threshold between channel taps, a correlation threshold in a time window, a power difference threshold (or power gap) between channel taps, and a phase difference threshold between channel taps.

[0093] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

[0094] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the metric set includes at least one of the following: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution.

[0095] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the second network entity comprises a Radio Access Network RAN ​​node or a user equipment, and wherein the first network entity comprises a RAN node or a network entity hosting a location management function.

[0096] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, there is provided an apparatus, comprising: Figure 3 NN 12 and / or NN 13 in the communication network (such as Figure 3 The first network entity ( Figure 3 NN12 and / or NN 13) receive ( Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) are used to determine ( Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) in the first information of the cluster of related channel taps, and for characterizing ( Figure 3 and a component for sending, by the second network entity to the first network entity, positioning measurement information (TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) corresponding to a propagation path of at least one cluster; and a component for sending, by the second network entity to the first network entity, positioning measurement information (TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A), the positioning measurement information representing (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) and the number of propagation paths corresponding to the corresponding cluster of at least one cluster, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A), and wherein the number of propagation paths is characterized according to the second information (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A).

[0097] In an exemplary aspect of the invention according to the above paragraphs, wherein at least the means for sending, receiving, characterizing, determining and completing comprises utilizing a computer program [such as Figure 3 PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C] in a non-transitory computer readable medium [MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B], the computer program being executed by at least one processor [such as Figure 3 DP12A and / or DP 13A] in can be executed.

[0098] Advantages of example embodiments according to the present invention include: Robustness with respect to PRS bandwidth and noise, since artifacts due to sampling resolution and low SNR are removed; ● Improved NLOS classification; ● Improved outlier rejection; and ●Improved positioning accuracy.

[0099] In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a circuit system for performing operations according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is provided. The circuit system may include any type of circuit system, including content encoding circuit system, content decoding circuit system, processing circuit system, image generation circuit system, data analysis circuit system, etc. In addition, the circuit system may include a discrete circuit system, an application-specific integrated circuit system (ASIC) and / or a field programmable gate array circuit system (FPGA), etc., and a processor specifically configured by software to perform corresponding functions, or a dual-core processor with software and a corresponding digital signal processor, etc. In addition, the necessary inputs and outputs are provided to the circuit system, the functions performed by the circuit system, and the interconnection of the circuit system with other components that may include other circuit systems (possibly via inputs and outputs) to perform the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described herein.

[0100] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention disclosed in this application, the provided “circuitry system” may include at least one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware; and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, such as the functions or operations according to the example embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein); and (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required to operate.

[0101] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is suitable circuitry for performing at least the novel operations as disclosed in this application, as "circuitry" may be used herein to refer to at least the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog only and / or digital circuits); and (b) a combination of circuitry and software (and / or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) a processor or (ii) a combination of portions of processor(s) / software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions); and (c) to circuitry such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s) that requires software or firmware to operate, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

[0102] The definition of "circuitry" applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other network device.

[0103] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the invention is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0104] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design that is ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0105] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the invention, without limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0106] The above description provides a complete and informative description of the best method and apparatus presently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the present invention by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples. However, in view of the foregoing description, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will still fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0107] It should be noted that the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variations thereof, mean any connection or coupling, direct or indirect, between two or more elements, and may encompass the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" together. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination of both. As used herein, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" by the use of one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, and may also be achieved by the use of electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and optical (both visible and invisible) region, as a number of non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0108] Furthermore, some of the features of the preferred embodiments of the present invention may be used advantageously without being combined with other features. Therefore, the above description should be regarded as merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and not in limitation thereof.

Claims

1. A first network entity of a communication network, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first network entity to at least perform: sending, to a second network entity of the communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; receiving positioning measurement information from the second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing a number of propagation paths corresponding to a cluster of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

2. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory comprising the computer program code is configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first entity to further execute: Third information is sent to the second network entity, the third information indicating the number of the propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity.

3. The first network entity of claim 2, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

4. The first network entity according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory comprising the computer program code is configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first entity to further execute: Based on the positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is performed to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

5. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the characterization of a propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap from a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path.

6. The first network entity of claim 5, wherein the selection of the single channel tap comprises selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in a cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

7. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

8. A first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine the boundaries of the clusters.

9. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein in response to the receiving, the at least one non-transitory memory comprising the computer program code is configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first entity to further perform: estimating a location for a user equipment.

10. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: The time difference threshold between channel taps, The angle difference threshold between channel taps, correlation threshold in the time window, the power difference threshold between channel taps, and Phase difference threshold between channel taps.

11. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

12. The first network entity according to claim 11, wherein the set of metrics comprises at least one of the following: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution.

13. A first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-volatile memory comprising the computer program code is configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first entity to further execute: based on the positioning measurement information, sending a request to another network entity of the communication network to characterize and report additional independent paths.

14. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the first network entity comprises a Radio Access Network (RAN) node or a network entity hosting a location management function, and wherein the second network entity comprises a RAN node or a user equipment.

15. A first network entity of a communication network, comprising: means for sending, to a second network entity of said communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; means for receiving positioning measurement information from the second network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to clusters of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

16. A method comprising: Sending, by a first network entity of a communication network to a second network entity of the communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; receiving, by the first network entity from the second network entity, positioning measurement information characterizing a number of propagation paths corresponding to a cluster of a corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising: Third information is sent by the first network entity to a second network entity of the communication network, the third information indicating the number of the propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

19. The method according to any one of claims 17 or 18, comprising: Based on the positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is executed by the first network entity to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the characterization of a propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap from a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the selection of the single channel tap includes selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in the cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine cluster boundaries.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein: In response to the receiving, estimating a position for a user equipment is performed by the first network entity.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: The time difference threshold between channel taps, The angle difference threshold between channel taps, correlation threshold in the time window, the power difference threshold between channel taps, and Phase difference threshold between channel taps.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the set of metrics includes at least one of: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein: Based on the positioning measurement information, the method comprises: sending, by the first network entity, a request to another network entity of the communication network to characterize and report an additional independent path.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network entity comprises a Radio Access Network, RAN, node or a network entity hosting a location management function, and wherein the second network entity comprises a RAN node or a user equipment.

30. A second network entity of a communication network, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second network entity to at least perform: receiving, from a first network entity of the communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; as well as sending positioning measurement information to the first network entity, the positioning measurement information representing the number of propagation paths corresponding to the clusters of the corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

31. The second network entity according to claim 30, further comprising: Third information is received from the first network entity of the communication network, the third information indicating a number of the propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity.

32. The second network entity of claim 31 , wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

33. The second network entity according to any one of claims 31 or 32, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory comprising the computer program code is configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second entity to further execute: Based on the positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is used to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

34. The second network entity of claim 30, wherein the characterization of a propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap from a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path.

35. A second network entity according to claim 34, wherein the selection of the single channel tap comprises selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in the cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

36. The second network entity of claim 30, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

37. The second network entity of claim 30, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine cluster boundaries.

38. The second network entity according to claim 30, wherein: In response to the transmitting, a position is estimated for the user equipment.

39. The second network entity according to claim 30, wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: The time difference threshold between channel taps, The angle difference threshold between channel taps, correlation threshold in the time window, The power difference threshold between channel taps, or Phase difference threshold between channel taps.

40. The second network entity of claim 30, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

41. The second entity of claim 40, wherein the set of metrics comprises at least one of: a first moment and a second moment of the cluster distribution.

42. The second network entity of claim 30, wherein the second network entity comprises a Radio Access Network (RAN) node or a user equipment, and wherein the first network entity comprises a RAN node or a network entity hosting a location management function.

43. A second network entity of a communication network, comprising: means for receiving, from a first network entity of said communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps, and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; as well as means for sending positioning measurement information to the first network entity, the positioning measurement information characterizing the number of propagation paths corresponding to the clusters of the corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

44. A method comprising: Receiving, by a second network entity of the communication network from a first network entity of the communication network, first information for determining a cluster of relevant channel taps and second information for characterizing a propagation path corresponding to the cluster of channel taps; as well as The second network entity sends positioning measurement information to the first network entity, wherein the positioning measurement information represents the number of propagation paths corresponding to the clusters of the corresponding number of channel taps, wherein the number of clusters is determined according to the first information, and The number of the propagation paths is characterized according to the second information.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising: Third information is received by the second network entity from the first network entity, the third information indicating the number of the propagation paths to be characterized by the second network entity.

46. ​​The method of claim 45, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on an expected channel power delay profile.

47. A method according to any one of claims 45 or 46, comprising: Based on the positioning measurement information, a classification algorithm is used to classify propagation paths as line-of-sight paths or non-line-of-sight paths, wherein the number of propagation paths is based on the number of paths required by the classification algorithm.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the characterization of a propagation path comprises selecting a single channel tap from a cluster of channel taps that represents the propagation path.

49. A method according to claim 48, wherein the selection of the single channel tap includes selecting one of: the strongest channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, the first channel tap in a cluster of channel taps, and a channel tap in the cluster of channel taps whose complex gain can be calculated as a linear combination of the channel taps.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the number of clusters comprises a plurality of independent channel taps corresponding to different propagation paths.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the first information comprises assistance data from a location management function associated with the first network entity, wherein the assistance data relates to at least one of: how to aggregate channel taps into clusters, and how to determine cluster boundaries.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein: In response to the transmitting, a position is estimated for the user equipment.

53. The method according to claim 44, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: The time difference threshold between channel taps, The angle difference threshold between channel taps, correlation threshold in the time window, the power difference threshold between channel taps, and Phase difference threshold between channel taps.

54. The method of claim 44, wherein the positioning measurement information comprises a set of metrics representing cluster distribution in at least one of: a time domain, a delay domain, and a spatial domain.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the set of metrics comprises at least one of: a first-order moment and a second-order moment of the cluster distribution.

56. The method of claim 44, wherein the second network entity comprises a Radio Access Network, RAN, node or a user equipment, and wherein the first network entity comprises a RAN node or a network entity hosting a location management function.

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