Signal source mobility state classification

Abstract

A signal source mobility state method includes obtaining, at an apparatus, at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source configured to transmit a wireless signal, and a mobility state of the signal source being unknown to the apparatus; and determining, at the apparatus, whether an expected mobility state of the signal source is moving or stationary based on the at least one identifier.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. application No. 17 / 987,027, filed on November 15, 2022, entitled “SIGNAL SOURCE MOBILITY STATUS CLASSIFICATION,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this document for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), fifth-generation (5G) services, and the like. Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), a Global System for Mobile Access (GSM) TDMA variant, and the like.

[0004] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard calls for higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. 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, with a data rate of 1 gigabit per second being provided to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0005] It is often desirable to determine a location estimate for a mobile device based on signals from the signal sources. Determining a location estimate may be complicated by introducing and observing new signal sources (e.g., access points) in situations where the mobile device (and / or possibly another entity, such as a server for mobile assisted positioning) does not know whether the new signal is stationary (and therefore has a reliable reference position) or mobile (and therefore has an unreliable reference position). For some signal sources, many observations may be required before the crowdsourced mobility state of the signal source will be reliable. A newly observed signal source may have limited crowdsourced information from which the mobility state of the signal source may be determined. If the observations of the signal source are insufficient to reliably determine the mobility state of the signal source, the mobile signal source may be used as if it were stationary, which may add unacceptable error to the location estimate determined using signals from the mobile signal source. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An example apparatus includes an interface comprising a receiver or a transmitter or a combination thereof; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the interface and configured to: obtain at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, and a mobility state of the signal source unknown to the apparatus; and determine, based on the at least one identifier, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0007] An example signal source mobility state method includes: obtaining, at an apparatus, at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source being configured to transmit wireless signals and the mobility state of the signal source being unknown to the apparatus; and determining, at the apparatus, based on the at least one identifier, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0008] Another example apparatus includes: means for obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, and a mobility state of the signal source unknown to the apparatus; and means for determining, based on the at least one identifier, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0009] An example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions for causing a processor to: obtain at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source being configured to transmit wireless signals and a mobility state of the signal source being unknown to the apparatus; and determine, based on the at least one identifier, whether an expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of components of an example user equipment is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the components of an example send / receive point.

[0013] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the components of a server, various examples of which are shown in Figure 1 Shown in.

[0014] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an example mobile device.

[0015] 6 is a diagram of an example positioning environment.

[0016] Figure 7 is a timing diagram of the signaling and processing flow for measuring signals from a newly observed signal source, determining a positioning estimate, and updating one or more mobility state relations.

[0017] Figure 8 is an example of a mobility relation message that provides information associated with one or more identifiers and corresponding information indicating the mobility status of one or more corresponding signal sources.

[0018] Figure 9 is another example of a mobility relation message.

[0019] Figure 10 is another example of a mobility relation message.

[0020] Figure 11 is an example of a mobility relation table.

[0021] Figure 12 is another example of a mobility relation message.

[0022] Figure 13 is another example of a mobility relation message.

[0023] Figure 14 is another example of a mobility relation table.

[0024] Figure 15 is an example of a filtered table indicating resident devices.

[0025] Figure 16 It is a flowchart of a signal source mobility state method.

[0026] Figure 17 Can be added to Figure 16A block diagram of the stages of the flow diagram shown in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] This document discusses techniques for determining the expected mobility state of wireless signal sources that can be used to determine a location estimate for a mobile device. For example, a device's mobility can be classified based on its MAC address, which can inform whether the device is used for WiFi AP positioning. As another example, one or more identifiers of a newly observed signal source (e.g., an access point) can be used to predict the mobility state of the signal source, e.g., whether the newly observed signal source is mobile or stationary. This prediction can have a correct level of certainty or probability. Based on the predicted mobility state, one or more signals from the signal source may or may not be used to determine a location estimate for the mobile device. Even if one or more signals from the signal source are used to determine a location estimate for the mobile device, that location estimate may not be used to report the determined position of the one or more signal sources used to determine the location estimate. A location estimate with a high confidence level (e.g., based on the fact that there are few (if any) mobile signal sources or that the use of mobile signal sources has little impact on the determined location estimate) can be used to update the position of one or more of the signal sources observed by the mobile device and corresponding to the determined location estimate, and possibly, in turn, to update the mobility state. However, other techniques may be used.

[0028] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. The confidence in a positioning estimate for a mobile device may be improved. The reliability of crowdsourced mobility states used to determine signal sources for a positioning estimate may be improved. The use of low-confidence positioning estimates may be limited to uses where high-confidence positioning estimates are not required. The use of low-confidence positioning estimates for purposes where high-confidence positioning estimates are required may be avoided. Spectral efficiency may be improved (e.g., where less data is sent and / or received). Power consumption may be reduced (e.g., due to less data being sent and / or received, and / or due to less searching for signals and / or fewer signal measurements being used for positioning estimates). For example, lower positioning latency may be achieved because fewer signal sources (e.g., access points) are identified and used to determine a positioning estimate. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure necessarily provides any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed.

[0029] Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be used for many applications, including, for example, emergency calling, personal navigation, consumer asset tracking, locating friends or family members, etc. Existing positioning methods include those based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities, including satellite vehicles (SVs) and terrestrial radio sources such as base stations and access points in wireless networks. It is expected that standardization for 5G wireless networks will include support for various positioning methods that can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations for positioning determination in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently utilize positioning reference signals (PRS) and / or cell-specific reference signals (CRS).

[0030] This specification may refer to a sequence of actions to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. Each action described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects described herein may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of this disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0031] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. Generally speaking, such a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer asset tracking device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber equipment," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," "mobile device," or variations thereof. Generally speaking, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a WiFi network (eg, based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0032] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with a UE. Examples of base stations include an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), or a generalized NodeB (gNodeB, gNB). Furthermore, in some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control functions and / or network management functions.

[0033] The UE may be implemented by any of several types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired phone, a smartphone, a tablet device, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which the UE can transmit signals to the RAN is referred to as an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the RAN can transmit signals to the UE is referred to as a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0034] As used herein, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of a plurality of cells of a base station or to the base station itself, depending on the context. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish between adjacent cells operating via the same carrier or different carriers (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0035] refer to Figure 1, an example of a communication system 100 includes a UE 105, a UE 106, a radio access network (RAN) (here, a fifth generation (5G) next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), a 5G core network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, bus, boat, etc.), or another device. A 5G network may also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; NG-RAN 135 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5GC 140 may be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is underway within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may comply with current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. NG-RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, or the like. UE 106 may be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to transmit and / or receive signals to and / or from similar other entities in system 100, but for simplicity of the drawing, the UE 106 is shown in FIG. Figure 1 1. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on the UE 105. The communication system 100 may utilize information from a constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou, or some other local or regional SPS, such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0036] like Figure 1As shown, NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeBs (gNBs) 110a and 110b and a next-generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC 140 includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, a session management function (SMF) 117, a location management function (LMF) 120, and a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125. gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to one another and are each configured for bidirectional wireless communication with a UE 105. They are also communicatively coupled to AMF 115 and are configured for bidirectional communication with the AMF. gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs). AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to one another, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as the initial contact point for a service control function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. A base station (such as gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be a macro cell (e.g., a high-power cellular base station) or a small cell (e.g., a low-power cellular base station) or an access point (e.g., a short-range base station configured to operate with a short-range technology such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), One or more base stations (e.g., one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to communicate with UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cell). Each cell may be divided into multiple sectors based on base station antennas.

[0037] Figure 1A generalized illustration of various components is provided, wherein any or all components may be utilized as appropriate, and each component may be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although a single UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, tens, millions, etc.) may be utilized in communication system 100. Similarly, communication system 100 may include a greater (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or less than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external clients 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting various components in communication 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 the desired functionality.

[0038] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is illustrated, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (which may be used for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure the directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to the UE 105 (via the GMLC 125 or other location server), and / or calculate the position of the UE 105 at a device with positioning capabilities (such as the UE 105, gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurements received at the UE 105 for such directionally transmitted signals. The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114 and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functionalities and / or base station functionalities in various embodiments.

[0039] System 100 is capable of wireless communication because the various components of system 100 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (at least sometimes using wireless connections), for example, via gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs 114, and / or 5GCs 140 (and / or one or more other devices (not shown), such as one or more other base transceiver stations). For indirect communication, the communication may be modified during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change header information, alter the format of a data packet, etc. UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communication device, but may communicate both wirelessly and via wired connections. UE 105 may be any of a variety of devices, such as a smartphone, tablet, or vehicle-based device, but these are merely examples, as UE 105 need not be in any of these configurations, and other configurations of UEs may be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices). Other UEs, whether currently existing or developed in the future, may also be used. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) may be implemented within the system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs 114, 5GCs 140, and / or external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The 5GC 140 may communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow the external client 130 (e.g., via the GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105.

[0040] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle to Vehicle, e.g., V2P (vehicle to pedestrian), V2I (vehicle to infrastructure), V2V (vehicle to vehicle), etc.), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). V2X communication can be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connection)). System 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can simultaneously transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilots, overhead information, data, etc. UE 105, 106 can communicate with each other through UE-to-UE sidelink communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink (SL) channels, such as a physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). Direct wireless device-to-wireless device communication (not through a network) can generally be referred to as sidelink communication, without limiting the communication to a specific protocol.

[0041] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a secure user plane location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a PDA, a consumer asset tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or movable device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to support wireless communications, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. UE 105 may use a wireless local area network (WLAN) to support wireless communications, which may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 ( Figure 1 125), or possibly via the GMLC 125) to communicate with the external client 130 and / or allow the external client 130 to receive location information about the UE 105 (eg, via the GMLC 125).

[0042] UE 105 may comprise a single entity or may comprise multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. The estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix and may be geographic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE 105 may be represented as an area or volume (geographically or civically defined) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a relative location, comprising, for example, a distance and a direction relative to a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, municipally, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, 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 for, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., in terms of latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0043] The UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. The UE 105 may be configured to connect indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. The D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Etc. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within the geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP), such as one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within the geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0044] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NR Node Bs, referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. Each pair of gNBs 110a and 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communications between the UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b. These gNBs may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE 105 using 5G. Figure 1 , it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may serve as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0045] Figure 1The illustrated base station (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 may include an ng-eNB 114, also known as a next-generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105 but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs.

[0046] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of a BS may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., a shared processor but with separate antennas). The system 100 may include only macro TRPs, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro TRPs, pico TRPs, and / or femto TRPs. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with the femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a home).

[0047] Each of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). For example, gNB 110b includes RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113. RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113 divide the functionality of gNB 110b. Although gNB 110b is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, a gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between CU 113 and DU 112 is referred to as the F1 interface. RU 111 is configured to perform digital front-end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmit / receive) and digital beamforming) and includes a portion of the physical (PHY) layer. RU 111 may use massive multiple-input / multiple-output (MIMO) to perform DFE and may be integrated with one or more antennas of gNB 110b. DU 112 hosts the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical layers of gNB 110b. A DU can support one or more cells, with each cell supported by a single DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., although some functions are assigned only to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110b. UE 105 can communicate with CU 113 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with DU 112 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and with RU 111 via the PHY layer.

[0048] As mentioned, although Figure 1 Nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an IEEE 802.11x protocol, may also be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) that provides LTE radio access to a UE 105, the RAN may include an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to Figure 1 The NG-RAN 135 in the figure and the EPC correspond to the 5GC 140 in the figure.

[0049] gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with AMF 115; for positioning functionality, the AMF communicates with LMF 120. AMF 115 may support mobility of UE 105, including cell change and handover, and may participate in supporting signaling connections with UE 105 and possibly data and voice bearers for UE 105. LMF 120 may communicate directly with UE 105, or directly with gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, for example, via wireless communications. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135 and may support various positioning procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., downlink (DL) OTDOA or uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), multi-cell RTT, Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 may process location service requests for the UE 105, for example, received from the AMF 115 or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a Commercial LMF (CLMF), or a Value-Added LMF (VLMF). A node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals sent by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or assistance data provided to UE 105 by LMF 120, for example). AMF 115 may serve as a control node for handling signaling between UE 105 and 5GC 140, and may provide QoS (Quality of Service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support the mobility of UE 105 (including cell change and handover) and may participate in supporting signaling connections with UE 105.

[0050] The server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain a location estimate for the UE 105 and provide it to the external client 130. The server 150 may, for example, be configured to run a microservice / service that obtains a location estimate for the UE 105. The server 150 may, for example, obtain the location estimate from (e.g., by transmitting a location request) the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the ng-eNB 114, and / or the LMF 120. As another example, the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the LMF 120 may push the location estimate for the UE 105 to the server 150.

[0051] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 via the server 150 and may forward the location requests to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location requests directly to the LMF 120. A location response (e.g., containing a location estimate for the UE 105) from the LMF 120 may be returned to the GMLC 125 directly or via the AMF 115, and the GMLC 125 may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client 130 via the server 150. The GMLC 125 is shown as being connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but in some implementations may not be connected to either the AMF 115 or the LMF 120.

[0052] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, LMF 120 may communicate with gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 using a new radio positioning protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, wherein NRPPa messages are transmitted between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and LMF 120 via AMF 115. Figure 1By way of further example, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. Alternatively or in addition, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be transmitted between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the UE 105's serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114. For example, the LPP and / or NPP messages may be transmitted between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and may be transmitted between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods, such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using network-based positioning methods, such as E-CID (e.g., when used with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional SS or PRS transmissions from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0053] Using UE-assisted positioning methods, UE 105 may obtain location measurements and transmit these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN APs. The location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudoranges, code phases, and / or carrier phases of SVs 190-193.

[0054] Using the UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain position measurements (e.g., which can be the same as or similar to the position measurements of the UE-assisted positioning method) and can calculate the position of UE 105 (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server (such as LMF120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base station or AP).

[0055] With network-based positioning methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals sent by UE 105) and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105. The one or more base stations or APs may transmit the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in computing a position estimate for UE 105.

[0056] The information provided by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 to LMF 120 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS or PRS transmission, as well as location coordinates. LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0057] The LPP or NPP message transmitted from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to perform any of a variety of tasks, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE 105 may transmit these measurement parameters back to the LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0058] As noted, while the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) for supporting and interacting with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the 5GC 140 may use the Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF) in the 5GC 140 to control the 5G network. Figure 1 115). In these other embodiments, positioning of UE 105 using directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, with the difference that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may in some cases be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0059] As noted, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented, at least in part, using directional SS or PRS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) that are located at the UE (e.g., Figure 1 In some instances, the UE may calculate its positioning using directional SS beams or directional PRS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.).

[0060] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105 and 106 and includes a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 (the transceiver including a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, the memory 211, the sensor 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (the bus can be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., the camera 218, the positioning device 219, and / or one or more of the sensors 213) can be omitted from UE 200. Processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like. Processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of processors 230 through 234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, sensor processor 234 may include a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (where one or more transmitted (cellular) wireless signals and reflections are used to identify, map, and / or track objects) and / or ultrasound. Modem processor 232 may support dual SIM cards / dual connectivity (or even more SIM cards). For example, one SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module or Subscriber Identity Module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM card may be used by the end user of UE 200 for connectivity. Memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause processor 210 to perform the various functions described herein. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured to cause processor 210 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as where processor 210 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of processors 230 to 234 performing that function.This specification may refer to UE 200 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing that function. Processor 210 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 211. The functionality of processor 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0061] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown in the figure is an example and does not limit the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations can be used. For example, the example configuration of UE includes one or more processors of processors 230 to 234 of processor 210, memory 211 and wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations include one or more processors of processors 230 to 234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver and one or more of the following: sensor 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219 and / or wired transceiver.

[0062] The UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 215 and / or the SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processing may be performed by the general / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform the baseband processing.

[0063] UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include, for example, one or more sensors of various types, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., a three-dimensional gyroscope). Sensors 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., a three-dimensional magnetometer) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes, such as to support one or more compass applications. Environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones. Sensors 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or general / application processor 230 to support one or more applications, such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations.

[0064] Sensors 213 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, and the like. Information detected by sensors 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. Sensors 213 may be used to determine whether UE 200 is stationary (stationary) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of UE 200 to LMF 120. For example, based on information obtained / measured by sensors 213, UE 200 may notify / report to LMF 120 that UE 200 has detected movement or that UE 200 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by sensors 213, sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, sensors / IMUs may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to UE 200.

[0065] The IMU can be configured to provide measurements of the direction and / or speed of motion of the UE 200, which can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU can detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE 200, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of the UE 200 can be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of the UE 200. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track the position of the UE 200. For example, a reference position of the UE 200 at a certain moment can be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from the accelerometers and gyroscopes after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference position.

[0066] The magnetometer can determine the strength of the magnetic field in different directions, which can be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, the orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The magnetometer can include a two-dimensional magnetometer that is configured to detect and provide an indication of the strength of the magnetic field in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer can also include a three-dimensional magnetometer that is configured to detect and provide an indication of the strength of the magnetic field in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer can provide a component for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to the processor 210.

[0067] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248 and converting signals from wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and vice versa. The wireless transmitter 242 includes appropriate components (e.g., a power amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter). The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 may be configured to operate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with a TRP and / or one or more other devices). The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or frequencies below 6 GHz. The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to the NG-RAN 135 and receive communications from the NG-RAN. The wired transmitter 252 may include a plurality of transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include a plurality of receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, for example, via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242 , the wireless receiver 244 , and / or the antenna 246 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals, respectively.

[0068] The user interface 216 may include one or more of a number of devices, such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like. The user interface 216 may include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 in response to actions from the user for processing by the DSP 231 and / or the general / application processor 230. Similarly, applications hosted on the UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, including, for example, a speaker, a microphone, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, an amplifier, and / or a gain control circuit (including more than one of any of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216 .

[0069] The SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals 260 via an SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signals 260 from wireless signals to wired signals (e.g., electrical signals or optical signals) and may be integrated with the antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signals 260 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the position of the UE 200 by performing trilateration using the SPS signals 260. The general / application processor 230, the memory 211, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signals in whole or in part and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 200. The memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signals 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 240) for use in performing positioning operations. The general / application processor 230, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or the memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for processing the measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0070] The UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. The camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by the general / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. The video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of the user interface 216).

[0071] Positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the motion of UE 200, and / or the relative location of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with SPS receiver 217 and / or include some or all of the SPS receiver. PD 219 may cooperate with processor 210 and memory 211 as appropriate to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may only refer to PD 219 being configured to perform or performing according to a positioning method. PD 219 may additionally or alternatively be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using trilateration using ground-based signals (e.g., at least some wireless signals 248), assisted acquisition, and the use of SPS signals 260, or both. PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the cell of a serving base station (e.g., cell center) and / or another technique (such as E-CID). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more images from the camera 218 and image recognition combined with known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks such as mountains and / or artificial landmarks such as buildings, bridges, streets, etc.). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., as part of the UE's location beacon)), and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and terrestrial positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.) that can sense the orientation and / or motion of the UE 200 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or motion, which the processor 210 (e.g., general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use to determine the motion of the UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). The PD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion. The functionality of the PD 219 may be provided in various ways and / or configurations, such as by the general / application processor 230, the transceiver 215, the SPS receiver 217, and / or another component of the UE 200, and may be provided by hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0072] Also refer to Figure 3, an example of a TRP 300 for gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 includes: a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, the memory 311, and the transceiver 315 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which can be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless transceiver) can be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 can include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 can include multiple processors (e.g., including Figure 2 ). Memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured to cause processor 310 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed.

[0073] This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as where processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing that function. This specification may refer to TRP 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) of TRP 300 (and thus one of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) performing that function. Processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0074] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. Thus, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to operate in accordance with a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, such as a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to, for example, the LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities and receive communications from the LMF and / or the one or more other network entities. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0075] Figure 3 The configuration of the TRP 300 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, this specification discusses that the TRP 300 is configured to perform several functions or that the TRP performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0076] Also refer to Figure 4 , the server 400 (LMF 120 is an example of the server) includes: a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and an interface 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the interface 415 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (the bus can be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless transceiver) can be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may include a plurality of processors (e.g., including a general / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, such as Figure 2 ). Memory 411 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured to cause the processor 410 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as specific implementations in which the processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more processors included in the processor 410 performing the function. This specification may refer to the server 400 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing the function. The processor 410 may include a memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or alternative to the memory 411. The functionality of the processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0077] The interface 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and vice versa. Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to operate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit and receive communications to, for example, the TRP 300 and / or one or more other network entities. The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0078] This specification may refer to processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as where processor 410 executes software and / or firmware (stored in memory 411). This specification may refer to server 400 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411) performing that function.

[0079] Figure 4The configuration of server 400 shown is an example and does not limit the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, the description herein discusses that server 400 is configured to perform several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by TRP 300 and / or UE 200 (i.e., TRP 300 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0080] Positioning technology

[0081] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in cellular networks, techniques such as Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) and Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a "UE-assisted" mode, where measurements of reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) transmitted by base stations are acquired by the UE and then provided to a location server. The location server then calculates the UE's position based on the measurements and the known positions of the base stations. Because these techniques use a location server (rather than the UE itself) to calculate the UE's position, these positioning techniques are not frequently used in applications such as automotive or cell phone navigation, which instead typically rely on satellite-based positioning.

[0082] UEs can use a satellite positioning system (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) to perform high-accuracy positioning using Precise Point Positioning (PPP) or Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) techniques. These techniques use assistance data, such as measurements from ground-based stations. LTE Release 15 allows data to be encrypted so that only UEs subscribed to the service can read the information. This assistance data changes over time. As a result, a UE subscribed to the service may not be able to easily "break the encryption" for other UEs by passing the data to other UEs that have not paid for the subscription. This transfer needs to be repeated each time the assistance data changes.

[0083] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE transmits measurements (e.g., TDOA, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc.) to a positioning server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The positioning server has a base station almanac (BSA) that contains multiple "entries" or "records," one per cell, where each record contains the geographic cell location but may also include other data. An identifier for a "record" among the multiple "records" in the BSA can be referenced. The BSA and the measurements from the UE can be used to calculate the UE's position.

[0084] In conventional UE-based positioning, the UE calculates its own position, avoiding the need to transmit measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which in turn improves latency and scalability. The UE uses the associated BSA record information from the network (e.g., the location of the gNB (and more broadly, base stations)). The BSA information can be encrypted. However, because BSA information changes much less frequently than, for example, the PPP or RTK assistance data described above, it may be easier to make BSA information available to UEs that are not subscribed and do not pay for decryption keys (compared to PPP or RTK information). The gNB's transmission of reference signals makes the BSA information potentially accessible to crowdsourcing or driving attacks, essentially enabling BSA information to be generated based on in-the-field and / or over-the-top observations.

[0085] Positioning techniques can be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria, such as positioning determination accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between the event that triggers the determination of positioning-related data and the availability of that data at a positioning system interface (e.g., the interface of LMF 120). Upon positioning system initialization, the latency for the availability of positioning-related data is called the time to first fix (TTFF) and is greater than the latency after the TTFF. The inverse of the time elapsed between two consecutive positioning-related data availability is called the update rate, i.e., the rate at which positioning-related data is generated after the first fix. Latency may depend on the processing capability (e.g., of the UE). For example, assuming a 272 PRB (Physical Resource Block) allocation, the UE may report its processing capability as the duration (in time units (e.g., milliseconds)) of a DL PRS symbol that the UE can process per T amount of time (e.g., T ms). Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency are the number of TRPs from which the UE can process PRSs, the number of PRSs that the UE can process, and the UE's bandwidth.

[0086] One or more of many different positioning techniques (also known as positioning methods) can be used to determine the location of an entity (such as one of UEs 105, 106). For example, known positioning determination techniques include RTT, multi-RTT, OTDOA (also known as TDOA and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), enhanced cell identification (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the distance between the two entities. This distance, combined with the known position of a first one of the entities and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities, can be used to determine the position of a second one of the entities. In multi-RTT (also known as multi-cell RTT), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., a UE) to other entities (e.g., TRPs) and the known positions of the other entities can be used to determine the position of the one entity. In TDOA techniques, the difference in travel time between one entity and the other entities can be used to determine the relative distance to the other entities, and this relative distance, combined with the known positions of the other entities, can be used to determine the position of the one entity. The angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or angle of departure of a signal combined with the distance between devices (distance determined using the signal (e.g., the travel time of the signal, the received power of the signal, etc.)) and the known position of one of the devices can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be an azimuth relative to a reference direction (such as true north). The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be the zenith angle relative to directly upward from the entity (i.e., relative to radially outward from the center of the earth). E-CID uses the identity of the serving cell, the timing advance (i.e., the difference between the reception time and the transmission time at the UE), the estimated timing and power of the detected neighbor cell signals, and possible angles of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of the signal from the base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. In TDOA, the difference in the arrival times of signals from different sources at a receiving device, together with the known positions of those sources and the known offsets in the transmission times from those sources, are used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0087] In network-centric RTT estimation, a serving base station instructs a UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on serving cells of two or more neighboring base stations (and typically a serving base station, since at least three base stations are required). The one or more base stations transmit RTT measurement signals on low reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to transmit system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server, such as LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also known as reception time, received time, received time, or time of arrival (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the current downlink timing of the UE (e.g., as derived by the UE from the DL signal received from its serving base station), and (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station) transmits a common or individual RTT response message (e.g., an SRS (sounding reference signal) for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to the one or more base stations, and may use the time difference T between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response message as the time difference. Rx→Tx (i.e., UE T Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx ) is included in the payload of each RTT response message. The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. By comparing the difference T between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station Tx→Rx Time difference T with UE report Rx→Tx , the base station can infer the propagation time between the base station and the UE, from which the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station by assuming the speed of light during the propagation time.

[0088] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to the network-based approach, except that the UE sends an uplink RTT measurement signal (e.g., when instructed by the serving base station), which is received by multiple base stations in the vicinity of the UE. Each of the involved base stations responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in the RTT response message payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the time the RTT response message was sent from the base station.

[0089] For both network-centric and UE-centric procedures, the side performing the RTT calculation (the network or the UE) typically (but not always) sends a first message or signal (e.g., an RTT measurement signal), and the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of the first message or signal and the sending time of the RTT response message or signal.

[0090] Multi-RTT technology can be used to determine positioning. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) can transmit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and multiple second entities (e.g., other TSPs, such as base stations and / or UEs) can receive the signals from the first entity and respond to the received signals. The first entity receives responses from the multiple second entities. The first entity (or another entity, such as an LMF) can use the responses from the second entities to determine the distance to the second entity, and can use the multiple distances and the known positions of the second entities to determine the position of the first entity through trilateration.

[0091] In some instances, additional information in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) may be obtained, which defines a straight line direction (e.g., which may be in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., of the UE as seen from the base station's location). The intersection of the two directions may provide another estimate of the UE's position.

[0092] For positioning techniques (e.g., TDOA and RTT) that use PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) signals, the PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured, and the arrival times of these signals, the known transmission times, and the known locations of the TRPs are used to determine the distance from the UE to the TRPs. For example, RSTD (Reference Signal Time Difference) can be determined for PRS signals received from multiple TRPs, and used in TDOA techniques to determine the location (position) of the UE. Positioning reference signals may be referred to as PRS or PRS signals. PRS signals are typically transmitted using the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, so that PRS signals from farther TRPs may be drowned out by PRS signals from closer TRPs, so that signals from farther TRPs may not be detected. PRS muting can be used to help reduce interference by muting some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, for example, to zero and thereby not transmitting the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect (at the UE) a weaker PRS signal without a stronger PRS signal interfering with the weaker PRS signal. The term RS and its variants (e.g., PRS, SRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information - Reference Signal)) may refer to one reference signal or more than one reference signal.

[0093] Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) include downlink PRS (DL PRS, often referred to as PRS for short) and uplink PRS (UL PRS) (the uplink PRS may be referred to as SRS (Sounding Reference Signal) for positioning). The PRS may include a PN code (pseudo-random number) or be generated using a PN code (e.g., by modulating a carrier signal with a PN code) so that the source of the PRS can be used as a pseudo-satellite. The PN code may be unique to the PRS source (at least within a specified area, so that the same PRS from different PRS sources do not overlap). The PRS may include PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets of a frequency layer. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply a frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, where the PRS resources have common parameters configured by higher-layer parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL PRS resource set and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resource set and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. A common resource block is a set of resource blocks that occupies the channel bandwidth. A bandwidth part (BWP) is a set of consecutive common resource blocks and may include all common resource blocks within the channel bandwidth or a subset of the common resource blocks. In addition, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of that resource block), where DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. Frequency layers also have the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of PRS resource elements per symbol, such that for comb-N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by the antenna panel of the base station. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with an omnidirectional signal and / or associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station can transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and as such, a PRS resource (or simply a resource) can also be referred to as a beam. This does not imply that the base station and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0094] The TRP can be configured, for example, by instructions received from a server and / or by software in the TRP, to transmit DL PRS on a schedule. According to the schedule, the TRP can intermittently (e.g., periodically at consistent intervals from the initial transmission) transmit DL PRS. The TRP can be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP, where the resources have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across time slots. Each PRS resource set in a PRS resource set includes multiple PRS resources, where each PRS resource includes multiple OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) resource elements (REs), which can be in multiple resource blocks (RBs) within N (one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot. PRS resources (or generally, reference signal (RS) resources) can be referred to as OFDM PRS resources (or OFDM RS resources). An RB is a set of REs that spans a certain number of one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and a certain number (12 for 5G RBs) of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a slot offset, a symbol offset within a slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within a slot. The RE offset defines the starting RE offset in frequency for the first symbol within the DL PRS resource. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within the DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset. The slot offset is the starting slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the corresponding resource set slot offset. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting slot. The transmitted REs may be repeated across slots, with each transmission being referred to as a repetition, such that there may be multiple repetitions in a PRS resource. The DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource ID in a DL PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although a TRP may transmit one or more beams).

[0095] PRS resources can also be defined by quasi-co-location parameters and starting PRB parameters. Quasi-co-location (QCL) parameters can define any quasi-co-location information of DLPRS resources and other reference signals. DL PRS can be configured to be QCL type D with DL PRS or SS / PBCH (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel) blocks from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. DL PRS can be configured to be QCL type C with SS / PBCH blocks from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DLPRS resource with respect to reference point A. The starting PRB index has a granularity of one PRB and can have a minimum value of 0 PRBs and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs.

[0096] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same periodicity, the same muting pattern configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across slots. Each time all repetitions of all PRS resources in a PRS resource set are configured for transmission is referred to as an "instance." Thus, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources within the PRS resource set, such that the instance is complete once the specified number of repetitions has been transmitted for each of the specified number of PRS resources. An instance may also be referred to as an "occasion." A DL PRS configuration including a DL PRS transmission schedule may be provided to a UE to facilitate (or even enable) the UE to measure DL PRS.

[0097] Multiple frequency layers of a PRS can be aggregated to provide an effective bandwidth that is larger than any of the bandwidths of the individual layers. Multiple frequency layers belonging to component carriers (which can be contiguous and / or separate) and meeting criteria such as quasi-co-location (QCL) and having the same antenna port can be spliced ​​to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for DL ​​PRS and UL PRS), thereby improving the accuracy of arrival time measurements. Splicing involves combining PRS measurements on various bandwidth segments into a unified segment so that the spliced ​​PRS can be considered to be taken from a single measurement. In the case of quasi-co-location, different frequency layers behave similarly, so that splicing of PRSs results in a larger effective bandwidth. The larger effective bandwidth (which can be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated PRS or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated PRS) provides better time domain resolution (e.g., TDOA resolution). The aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources, and each PRS resource in the aggregated PRS can be referred to as a PRS component, and each PRS component can be sent on a different component carrier, frequency band, or frequency layer, or on a different portion of the same frequency band.

[0098] RTT positioning is an active positioning technology because RTT uses positioning signals transmitted by the TRP to the UE and positioning signals transmitted by the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP can transmit a DL-PRS signal received by the UE, and the UE can transmit an SRS (sounding reference signal) signal received by multiple TRPs. The sounding reference signal may be referred to as an SRS or an SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning can be used, in which the UE transmits a single UL-SRS for positioning received by multiple TRPs, instead of transmitting a separate UL-SRS for positioning for each TRP. A TRP participating in multi-RTT will typically search for UEs currently residing on the TRP (served UEs, where the TRP is the serving TRP) and also search for UEs residing on adjacent TRPs (neighbor UEs). A neighbor TRP can be the TRP of a single BTS (base transceiver station) (e.g., a gNB), or it can be the TRP of one BTS and the TRP of a separate BTS. For RTT positioning (including multi-RTT positioning), the DL-PRS signal and the UL-SRS positioning signal in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair used to determine the RTT (and thereby the distance between the UE and the TRP) may occur close in time to each other so that errors due to UE motion and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair may be sent from the TRP and the UE, respectively, within approximately 10 ms of each other. Where the SRS for positioning is being transmitted by the UE and the PRS and the SRS for positioning are delivered close in time to each other, it has been found that radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may result in excessive noise, etc.) may result (especially if many UEs are attempting positioning concurrently) and / or computational congestion may result at the TRP where many UEs are attempting to measure concurrently.

[0099] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding distance to each TRP in TRP 300, and determines the position of UE 200 based on the distance to TRP 300 and the known location of TRP 300. In UE-assisted RTT, UE 200 measures positioning signals and provides measurement information to TRP 300, and TRP 300 determines RTT and distance. TRP 300 provides the distance to a location server (e.g., server 400), and the server determines the position of UE 200 based on, for example, the distance to different TRPs 300. RTT and / or distance can be determined by the TRP 300 receiving signals from UE 200, by the TRP 300 in combination with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRPs 300 and / or server 400), or by one or more devices other than the TRP 300 receiving signals from UE 200.

[0100] 5G NR supports various positioning technologies. NR-native positioning methods supported in 5G NR include DL-only positioning, UL-only positioning, and DL+UL positioning. Downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Combined DL+UL-based positioning methods include RTT with one base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0101] A position estimate (e.g., for a UE) may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, a position, a fix, a position fix, a fix, etc. A position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, a postal address, or some other textual description of the location. A position estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default confidence level).

[0102] Signal source category prediction, determination and use

[0103] refer to Figure 5 , the mobile device 500 includes a processor 510, an interface 520, a memory 530, and optionally one or more sensors 540, which are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 550. The device 500 may take any of a variety of forms, such as a mobile device (such as a smartphone), a vehicle user equipment (VUE), etc. The device 500 may include Figure 5The components shown in and may include one or more other components, such as Figure 2 , so that UE 200 may be an example of device 500. For example, processor 510 may include one or more of the components of processor 210. Interface 520 may include a receiver and may include a transmitter, for example, may include one or more of the components of transceiver 215, such as wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246, or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246, or wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244, and antenna 246. Additionally or alternatively, interface 520 may include a wired transmitter 252 and / or a wired receiver 254. Memory 530 may be configured similarly to memory 211, for example, including software having processor-readable instructions configured to cause processor 510 to perform functions.

[0104] This description may refer to processor 510 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as an implementation in which processor 510 executes software (stored in memory 530) and / or firmware. This description may refer to device 500 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of device 500 (e.g., processor 510 and memory 530) performing that function. Processor 510 (possibly in conjunction with memory 530 and, where appropriate, transceiver 520) may include a mobility state unit 560 and a positioning engine 570. Mobility state unit 560 and positioning engine 570 are discussed further below, and this description may refer generally to processor 510 as, or device 500 as, performing any of the functions of mobility state unit 560 and / or positioning engine 560, where device 500 is configured to perform those functions.

[0105] 6 , positioning environment 600 includes mobile device 610 and wireless communication devices 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, and 630. Mobile device 600 may be an example of mobile device 500. Wireless communication devices 621 through 630 may be configured to provide signals that may be measured by mobile device 610 for use in determining a positioning estimate for mobile device 610. For example, a PRS or other signal (e.g., a communication signal) may be wirelessly transmitted and measured by mobile device 610 to determine one or more positioning measurements (measurements that may be used to determine a positioning estimate for mobile device 610), such as time of arrival, received signal strength (e.g., RSSI), and the like. Any of wireless communication devices 621 through 630 may or may not be configured for two-way communication. In this example, wireless communication devices 621, 628 are vehicles or parts thereof, wireless communication devices 623, 625 are smartphones or tablet computers, wireless communication devices 624, 627 are parts of security cameras, wireless communication devices 622, 626, 630 are generally stationary access points, and wireless communication device 629 is an RSU (Roadside Unit). RSU 612 can be configured similarly to TRP 300, but may have less functionality and / or a shorter range than a base station-based TRP. Mobile device 610 can communicate with any of wireless communication devices 621-630, but for clarity of the drawing, only communication between mobile device 610 and wireless communication devices 621, 623, 624 is indicated. Mobile device 610 (e.g., positioning engine 570) can be configured to determine a location estimate for mobile device 610 based on signals received from and / or transmitted to wireless communication devices 621-630.

[0106] The environment 600 may change, for example, as devices enter and / or exit the environment 600. Devices that have not been previously seen may be added to the environment 600. The mobile device 610 and / or another device (e.g., a server that may receive measurements from the mobile device 610) may determine a mobility state of the newly observed wireless communication device, which may help determine whether and / or how to use positioning measurements from the newly observed wireless communication device.

[0107] refer to Figure 7 And further reference Figure 3Referring to FIG6 , a signaling and processing flow 700 for measuring signals from a newly observed signal source, determining a location estimate, and updating one or more mobility state relationships includes the illustrated stages. Flow 700 involves actions and / or signaling between an observer UE 701 (e.g., mobile device 600), a mobile signal source 702 (mobile SS, e.g., a mobile access point), a stationary signal source 703 (e.g., a stationary access point), a server 400, a chip manufacturer 704 (e.g., a chip manufacturer's server), and a device manufacturer 705 (e.g., a device manufacturer's server). Other flows are possible, for example, omitting one or more illustrated stages, adding one or more stages, and / or modifying one or more illustrated stages. For example, stage 710 may be performed after stage 720, e.g., in response to a request. As another example, at least a portion of stage 710 may be performed before stage 720, and at least a portion of stage 710 may be performed after stage 720. Other modifications of flow 700 may also be implemented.

[0108] At stage 710, mobility relationship information is obtained by the observer UE 701 and / or by the server 400. The mobility relationship information may be provided by the chip manufacturer 704 in one or more of the mobility relationship messages 711 and 712, and / or may be provided by the device manufacturer 705 in one or more of the mobility relationship messages 713 and 714. The mobility relationship information may provide an indication of products capable of providing signals for determining a positioning estimate for the observer UE 701, as well as corresponding information regarding the mobility states of the products and, therefore, the relationship between the products and the mobility states. For example, one or more of the messages 711 and 712 may include information from a component vendor database (e.g., to a WiFi database) indicating a pattern of component identifications and mobility states (e.g., a pattern of component identifications corresponding to mobile products). As another example, one or more of the messages 713 and 714 may include information from a device vendor database (e.g., to a WiFi database) indicating a pattern of device identifications and mobility states (e.g., a pattern of device identifications corresponding to mobile products).

[0109] Also refer to Figures 8 to 10, the mobility information may include an explicit indication and / or an implicit indication that, in the absence of contradictory information, the product should be considered (or at least assumed to be) mobile, or that, in the absence of contradictory information, the product should be considered (or at least assumed to be) stationary. For example, messages 800, 900, 1000 (each of which may be an example of a mobility relation message 711) may include an identifier field 810, a device type field 820, a mobility field 830, a purchaser field 840, and a manufacturer field 850. The identifier field 810 may include one or more indications of one or more identifier types, such as a network identifier (e.g., an SSID (Security Set Identifier for WiFi) and / or a device identifier (e.g., a MAC address, an EUI (Extended Unique Identifier)), etc.). The device type field 820 may indicate the type of device corresponding to the identifier and / or the type of device into which the device corresponding to the identifier will be incorporated. The mobility field 830 may include an explicit indication of the mobility state (e.g., a possible mobility state or a default mobility state) of the device corresponding to the identifier, such as whether the device is mobile or stationary. For example, The mobility field 830 in the message 800 explicitly indicates that the corresponding device is mobile, and the mobility field 830 in the message 900 explicitly indicates that the corresponding device is. The purchaser field 840 may indicate the purchaser of the device indicated by the identifier. The manufacturer field 850 may indicate the manufacturer of the device indicated by the identifier (e.g., an entity that manufactured the device and / or an entity that does not manufacture the device but is responsible for manufacturing the device). The device type field 820, the purchaser field 840, and / or the manufacturer field 850 may provide one or more implicit indications of the mobility state of the device corresponding to the identifier. For example, in the message 1000, the device type of the router, buyers and The manufacturer of implicitly indicates that the device is a router that is easily movable and, once installed and set up, will not typically be moved frequently, thus implying that the device is stationary. As another example, The manufacturer of a device may not alone imply a mobility state, so other information may be used (in place of or in addition to the manufacturer) to determine the mobility state. The identifier field 810 may also imply the mobility state of the device corresponding to the identifier. For example, in message 800, a network identifier in the range FordExplorerXX (i.e., FordExplorer00 to FordExplorer99) may imply (because is a vehicle manufacturer) the equipment will be mobile.

[0110] The mobility relation messages 713, 714 may convey mobility information similar to the mobility relation messages 711, 712. For example, the mobility relation messages 713, 714 may be similar to any of the messages 800, 900, 1000, but with a manufacturer field 850 populated (if populated) with an indication of the manufacturer of the device. For example, the manufacturer may be a cellular telephone manufacturer, and the purchaser may be a cellular telephone service provider. In this case, the mobility field 830 may explicitly indicate the mobility state of the mobile device, and / or the purchaser field 840 and / or one or more other fields may implicitly indicate that the device corresponding to the identifier is mobile.

[0111] The mobility relationship information may be provided from the server 400 to the observer UE 701 in a mobility relationship message 715. For example, the mobility relationship message 715 may include one or both of the mobility relationship messages 712 and 714. As another example, the mobility relationship message 715 may include an accumulation of information from the mobility relationship messages 711 and 713 and / or mobility relationship information determined by the server 400, for example, based on observation results (e.g., as discussed at least with respect to stage 780 discussed below). The server 400 may filter out indications of mobile devices and provide indications of stationary devices, for example, as in message 900. For example, the indicated stationary devices may be devices approved for positioning, such that the observer UE 701 will not use other devices (not indicated in message 715 and which may be mobile) for positioning (e.g., determining a positioning estimate for the observer UE 701 and / or providing information used to determine such a positioning estimate).

[0112] The mobility relationship information may be accumulated by the watcher UE 701 and / or the server 400. For example, see also Figure 11, the table 1100 of mobility relationship information may include multiple entries, each of which has corresponding information for one or more of fields 820, 830, 840, 850 and field 810. Table 1100 may be generated by the observer UE 701 (e.g., the mobility state unit 560) and / or by the server 400 (e.g., by the processor 410). Table 1100 may, for example, include mobility relationship information for signal sources near the observer UE 701, and the mobility relationship information is provided to the observer UE 701 by the server 400 based on the rough location of the observer UE 701 (e.g., based on the E-CID). Table 1100 may have one or more patterns corresponding to corresponding mobility states. For example, a series of identifiers may be associated with a mobile device or a stationary device. As another example, a portion of an identifier (e.g., indicating a manufacturer or user) may correspond to a specific mobility state. For example, as a specific manufacturer name (e.g., or ) or a specific username (e.g. ) may correspond to a mobility state of "mobile" or a mobility state of "stationed".

[0113] At stage 720, observer UE 701 may observe signal sources including mobile signal source 702 and stationary signal source 703 and may report the observed signal sources. Observer UE 701 may receive one or more signals (e.g., PRS and / or communication signals) from each of signal sources 702, 703 and one or more other signal sources. One or more of the signal sources (including either or both of signal sources 702, 703) may be newly observed, wherein observer UE 701 does not have observed information (e.g., signal measurements and corresponding locations) indicating whether the mobility state of the newly observed signal sources is mobile or stationary (i.e., stationary / not moving).

[0114] At stage 730, the observer UE 701 may report the signal sources (SSs) seen by the observer UE 701, and in response, the server 400 may provide mobility relationship information. The observer UE 701 may transmit a signal source report 732 indicating the observed signal sources, and may indicate to the observer UE 701 which of the observed SSs is a newly observed SS. The indication of the newly observed SS may be an implicit request for mobility relationship information for the newly observed SS. Additionally or alternatively, the observer UE 701 may transmit an explicit request for mobility relationship information for the newly observed SS. The explicit and / or implicit request may include one or more identifiers, such as one or more network identifiers and / or one or more device identifiers for each of the newly observed signal sources. The network identifier and / or device identifier may be signaling technology specific (e.g., for WiFi (e.g., SSID) or etc.), and the observer UE 701 may be able to use the mobility state information provided for the signal source based on one signaling technology (e.g., not used by the observer UE 701 to determine positioning measurements) and apply the mobility state to the signal source for a different technology (e.g., used by the observer UE 701 to determine positioning measurements).

[0115] The server 400 may respond to the signal source report 732 by transmitting a mobility relation message 734. The mobility relation message 734 may provide mobility relation information (e.g., mobility state indications) for one or more of the signal sources indicated in the signal source report 732 (e.g., one or more signal sources indicated in the signal source report 732 to be newly observed and / or one or more signal sources determined by the server 400 to be newly observed). The mobility relation message 734 may provide mobility relation information that the observer UE 701 may be able to use to determine the mobility state of the one or more observed signal sources.

[0116] At stage 740, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may determine an expected mobility state for one or more signal sources. For example, the mobility state unit 560 and / or the processor 410 may use a priori knowledge about the mobility state of the signal sources (e.g., from either or both manufacturers 704, 705, and / or from one or more other entities, and / or from one or more observations) to determine the expected mobility state for the observed signal sources. For example, patterns in identifiers corresponding to the signal sources (e.g., SSIDs, MAC addresses, EUIs, etc.) may be used to predict whether a signal source without observed information is mobile or stationary, and may also be used to predict a level of certainty in a mobility / stationary assessment. At sub-stage 742, the mobility state unit 560 may analyze identifier information for one or more (e.g., each) of the observed signal sources to determine the expected mobility state. The mobility state unit 560 may compare one or more identifiers for the observed signal source with the collected mobility relationship information (e.g., one or more patterns in the identifiers and corresponding mobility states (explicit or implicit)) to determine the expected mobility state of the observed signal source (e.g., moving, stationary, possibly moving, possibly stationary, moving with a percentage level of certainty, stationary with a percentage level of certainty, a continuum from confident moving to confident stationary, etc.). For example, the mobility state unit 560 may compare the MAC address of the observed signal source with the table 1100, find that the MAC address is within the range of device identifiers indicated in the identifier field 810 for entry 1110, and infer that the observed signal source is stationary. Similarly, the mobility state unit 560 may compare the SSID of the observed signal source with the table 1100, find that the SSID is within the range of network identifiers indicated in the identifier field 810 for entry 1120, and infer that the observed signal source is mobile. As another example, the mobility state unit 560 may apply the identifier or a portion thereof to a model (such as an artificial intelligence model) to determine the corresponding expected mobility state. The model may return a corresponding expected mobility state (e.g., if the mobility state can be determined with at least a threshold level of confidence) or return an indication that the expected mobility state is uncertain. At sub-stage 744, server 400 (e.g., processor 410, possibly in conjunction with memory 411) may determine the expected mobility state similarly to mobility state unit 560 at sub-stage 742. Either sub-stage 742 or 744 may be omitted from process 700.

[0117] If the expectation is based on unobserved information (e.g., assigned identifier, device type, purchaser and / or manufacturer, etc.), the expected mobility state can be referred to as a predicted mobility state. The predicted mobility state can be used when there is no observed history of the signal source that would affect how measurements collected from the signal from the signal source are used. For example, when determining a positioning estimate for the observer UE 701, measurements from mobile signal sources can be downweighted or ignored, at least for positioning estimates that require high accuracy and / or high confidence. In this way, poor and / or unreliable positioning estimates can be avoided, and thus inappropriate consequences based on such positioning estimates (e.g., using self-driving functionality in an area where such functionality is not allowed because an unreliable positioning estimate indicates that the vehicle is in an area where self-driving is allowed) can be avoided. As another example, a low-precision positioning estimate and / or a low-confidence positioning estimate can be obtained based on one or more mobile signal sources where such positioning estimates are acceptable (e.g., determining the country in which the observer UE 701 is located). Thus, instead of returning a positioning estimate that would prevent a corresponding action (e.g., allowing a phone call), a positioning estimate may be provided, possibly along with an indication that the positioning estimate has low accuracy and / or low confidence (e.g., low confidence that the positioning estimate is accurate (e.g., within a threshold accuracy such as a threshold radius)).

[0118] The expected mobility state can be based at least in part on observed information, such as one or more received signals indicating one or more identifiers of observed signal sources and the time and location of the observations. As discussed further below, mobility relationship information can be developed through observations, such as generating mobility relationship information for devices for which such information is not available, and / or updating / revising previous mobility relationship information for a device (e.g., supplied by one or more entities and / or developed through observations).

[0119] The expected mobility state can be determined based on information other than identifier information, including information in addition to or in lieu of the device type, purchaser, and / or manufacturer as discussed above. For example, the mobility state unit 560 and / or server 400 can evaluate the geographic region when determining the mobility state. For example, for a particular network identifier and a device identifier within a particular range, the mobility state can be stationary for one geographic region, but mobile or indeterminate for another geographic region. As another example of a mobility state that varies depending on the combination of information, a purchaser can produce both mobile and stationary signal sources, and a manufacturer can produce both signal sources for mobile devices and for stationary devices, but can only sell signal sources for mobile devices to the purchaser. Thus, the manufacturer, in conjunction with the purchaser, can narrow the mobility state, in this example to mobile.

[0120] At stage 750, one or more positioning estimates for observer UE 701 may be determined. Observer UE 701 may receive positioning signals (signals from which a positioning estimate may be determined, e.g., signals that may be measured to determine the distance between observer UE 701 and a signal source), e.g., PRS 751 from stationary SS 703 and PRS 752 from mobile SS 702. At sub-stage 754, observer UE 701 (e.g., positioning engine 570) measures the positioning signals (e.g., PRS 751, 752) to determine the range to the signal source and uses the location of the signal source to determine a positioning estimate for observer UE 701. The positioning estimate may be based on one or more signals from one or more mobile signal sources, which may affect the reliability and / or accuracy of the positioning estimate. Observer UE 701 may transmit a report 756 to server 400. The report 756 may include positioning information, such as one or more positioning signal measurements, one or more ranges (and corresponding signal sources and / or transmission locations of the positioning signals), and / or one or more positioning estimates for the observer UE 701. At sub-stage 758, the server 400 (e.g., the processor 410, possibly in conjunction with the memory 411) may use the positioning information in the report 756 to determine one or more positioning estimates for the observer UE 701.

[0121] At stage 760, the positioning estimate may be determined to have low confidence and marked as such. For example, the positioning engine 570 of the observer UE 701 and / or the processor 410 of the server 400 may determine a positioning estimate based only on positioning signals from observed signal sources whose mobility state is stationary, where possible, and determine one or more positioning estimates based on positioning signals from signal sources including at least one signal source whose expected mobility state is mobile (which may include a level of certainty of the mobility state). If the positioning estimate can only be achieved using one or more positioning signals from signal sources having a mobility state of the mobile device with a mobility state confidence exceeding a threshold confidence level (e.g., 60%), or if the positioning estimate based on at least one mobile signal source is significantly different from the positioning estimate based only on the stationary signal source (e.g., differing by more than a threshold distance), the positioning estimate based on the one or more mobile signal sources may be marked as having low confidence. Other techniques for determining low-confidence positioning estimates may be used. For example, a positioning estimate may be determined using all signal sources, and one or more positioning estimates may be determined without using one or more mobile signal sources (e.g., signal sources having an expected mobility state of "mobile" and having at least a threshold confidence level in the accuracy of the expected mobility state). Different positioning estimates may be compared to determine whether any particular positioning estimate is a low confidence positioning estimate (e.g., due to being more than a threshold distance away from another one of the positioning estimates (e.g., a positioning estimate based only on stationary signal sources (e.g., signal sources having an expected mobility state of "stationary" and having at least a threshold confidence level in the accuracy of the expected mobility state)).

[0122] The location estimate may be determined to be a high confidence location estimate at stage 770. For example, a location estimate based on one or more mobile signal sources may be labeled as high confidence if the location estimate based on the one or more mobile signal sources is within a threshold (e.g., distance) of a location estimate based only on stationary signal sources.

[0123] Experiments have shown that low-confidence and high-confidence labels determined according to the techniques discussed herein are reliable. For example, experiments have shown that over 90% of the location estimates marked as low confidence are more than 1 km away from the true location of the observer UE 701, and 50% of the location estimates are more than 12 km away from the true location. Furthermore, experiments have shown that most signal sources with the expected mobility of the mobile device are observed at least once at a distance greater than 1 km from the calculated location of the signal source. Furthermore, experiments have shown that location estimates marked as high confidence (e.g., due to being within a threshold distance for location estimates based solely on stationary signal sources) are almost always an improvement over location estimates based solely on stationary signal sources.

[0124] The location application may restrict the use of low-confidence position estimates. For example, the location application may not report a low-confidence position estimate to the location requester. As another example, the location application may report a low-confidence position estimate to the location requester, but may make a disclaimer regarding the low confidence of the position estimate (e.g., indicating that a high-confidence position estimate is not achievable). As another example, the location application may only report a low-confidence position estimate based on the location requester (implicitly or explicitly) indicating that a low-confidence position estimate is acceptable.

[0125] At stage 780, mobility relationship information may be generated. The observer UE 701 (e.g., mobility state unit 560) and / or the server 400 (e.g., processor 410) may generate mobility relationship information for a device without prior mobility relationship information (at least such information known to the observer UE 701 and / or server 400). For example, a high-confidence location estimate may be stored in association with information associated with the signal source (e.g., a network identifier, a device identifier, etc.). The location of the signal source may be provided and stored, for example, based on a determined location for the observer UE and a distance between the observer UE 701 and the signal source (e.g., based on one or more measurements, such as received signal strength, round-trip time, etc.). In the absence of further observations and corresponding high-confidence location estimates, a mobility state may or may not be associated with the signal source. Additionally or alternatively, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may update the mobility relationship information. For example, one or more high-confidence position estimates corresponding to observations of a signal source may be stored as part of the mobility relationship information and / or may be used to determine an expected mobility state for the corresponding signal source.

[0126] The mobility relationship information may be used to form one or more models (e.g., algorithms) for determining an expected mobility state (i.e., an expected mobility state model). For example, the model may be capable of determining the expected mobility state based on one or more identifiers. For example, the model may be capable of determining the expected mobility state based on a network identifier (SSID). As another example, the model may be capable of determining the expected mobility state based on a device identifier (e.g., a MAC address). As another example, the model may be capable of determining the expected mobility state based on a combination of a network identifier and a device identifier. Other examples of implementations of the expected mobility state model may also be used. The expected mobility state model may, for example, be a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network) for determining the expected mobility state based on one or more identifiers. As another example, the mobility state model may include a database of mobility relationship information (such as table 1100), the database including one or more identifiers (e.g., a network identifier and / or a device identifier) ​​and information indicating a mobility state (e.g., an explicit mobility state indication and / or an implicit mobility state indication).

[0127] Also refer to Figure 12 and Figure 13The determined mobility relationship information may include one or more mobility state inferences and / or information from which the mobility state can be determined. For example, the observer UE 701 may transmit a mobility relationship message 1200 indicating one or more identifiers of the signal source and the mobility state of the signal source to the server 400. Alternatively, the observer UE 701 may determine the content of the message 1200 but not transmit the message 1200, for example, store the content of the message 1200 and / or use the content to update the mobility relationship information (for example, as discussed below). The observer UE 701 may determine the mobility state based on one or more observation results of the signal source. For example, the observer UE 701 may infer that the signal source is mobile based on determining a high-confidence location for the observer UE 701 and a corresponding location of the signal source that is significantly different from the stored location of the signal source. As another example, the observer UE 701 may infer that the signal source is stationary based on determining multiple high-confidence locations for the observer UE 701 over multiple corresponding times and corresponding locations of the signal source that do not change significantly over multiple times. As another example, the observer UE 701 may transmit information to the server 400 based on which mobility relationship information may be determined. For example, the observer UE 701 may transmit a signal source information message 1300 including information in an identifier field 1310, a location field 1320, and a time field 1330. The location field 1320 may include a location (e.g., latitude and longitude) for a signal source corresponding to a high-confidence location determined for the observer UE 701, and a time corresponding to when the signal source was at the indicated location. If the indicated location (which is reliable) differs significantly from a previously determined location for the signal source, a single such message may be used to infer that the mobility state of the signal source is mobile, wherein the mobility state is changed from stationary to mobile when appropriate. Multiple messages 1300 indicating similar locations (e.g., within a threshold distance of the location) over time (e.g., for at least a threshold amount of time and / or a threshold number of samples) may be used to determine that the mobility state of the signal source is stationary, thereby changing the mobility state when appropriate. Patterns of expected mobility states may be identified and mobility relationship information generated accordingly. For example, a pattern of identifiers (e.g., recurring portions of identifiers, whether these identifiers are network identifiers and / or device identifiers) may be determined to be associated with a particular mobility state, and an expected mobility state for the pattern of identifiers may be established.

[0128] Also refer to Figure 14, the determined mobility state may be used to update the stored mobility relationship information. For example, the determined mobility state information may be used to change a stored expected mobility state, such as a stored mobility state type of a signal source (from mobile to stationary or from stationary to mobile), or to change a confidence level for the same mobility state type of a signal source. The mobility state information may be updated based on a pattern of mobility states identified by observed data or a combination of observed data and provided data (e.g., from a manufacturer or other entity). Updating the mobility relationship information may, for example, remove one or more identifiers from an association with a particular mobility state or change the mobility state associated with one or more identifiers. As another example, updating the mobility relationship information may add one or more identifiers and corresponding mobility states to the stored mobility relationship information. For example, table 1400 is similar to table 1100, but is updated based on the information in messages 1200, 1300. Entry 1401 is similar to entry 1110, but the range of MAC addresses indicated does not include the MAC address in entry 1403, which is now determined to be associated with a mobile signal source. Similarly, entry 1402 is similar to entry 1130, but has been modified to remove the MAC address indicated in message 1300. In this example, further observations of the signal source identified in message 1300 have been made over time, resulting in the signal source (e.g., by observer UE 701 and / or server 400) being determined to be stationary, as indicated in entry 1404. Table 1400 represents updated information, in this example, representing mobility relationship information provided by one or more manufacturers and mobility relationship information determined through observations (where the observations may have been made by different entities, such as different observer UEs). Table 1400 can be used by the server 400 and / or the observer UE 701 to determine the expected mobility state of the signal source and / or to determine whether the determined positioning estimate for the observer UE 701 has low confidence, so that one or more appropriate responses can be taken accordingly. In this way, signal sources that change mobility state can be counted, for example, to increase the confidence of positioning estimates determined using stationary signal sources (even if the signal source was previously mobile or expected to be mobile). As another example, positioning estimates determined using signal sources with the expected mobility state of the mobile device can be ignored, downweighted and / or marked as having low confidence, which can help avoid using poor quality positioning estimates for decision making (e.g., using self-driving functionality in areas where such functionality is not allowed). Updated mobility relationship information can be used in future positioning estimate determinations.

[0129] Also refer to Figure 15, the determined mobility state may be used to transmit assistance data to the observer UE 701 and / or to one or more other devices. Table 1500 may be transmitted by the server 400 to the observer UE 701, wherein information regarding devices (e.g., UEs, APs, etc.) that are determined, indicated, or presumed to be mobile is filtered out, so that only devices (e.g., UEs, APs, etc.) that are expected, indicated (e.g., by another server or other device), or determined to be stationary are indicated to the observer UE 701 (e.g., in this example, table 1500 is table 1400 with mobile device information filtered out). In this way, the observer UE 701 can confidently use the indicated devices for positioning. Table 1500 may be transmitted at stage 780 and / or stage 710, for example, as a mobility relation message 715. By transmitting a reduced set of information (excluding information about mobile devices), overhead and processing power may be reduced relative to transmitting information including an indication of a mobile device.

[0130] Signal sources that are determined to be moving may be isolated. Signals from the isolated signal sources may not be used to determine a positioning estimate for the observer UE 701, or may be used to determine a positioning estimate, but result in the positioning estimate being identified as having low confidence and / or being limited in use (e.g., for applications where low-accuracy positioning estimates are acceptable). If appropriate, the isolated signal source may be released from isolation, for example, if multiple observations over time indicate that the isolated signal source has not moved. This may help improve positioning estimate accuracy, for example, by using a signal source to help determine a positioning estimate, where the signal source would be ignored if the isolation were permanent.

[0131] Additionally, the determination (including updates) of the mobility state of a signal source using one technology (e.g., WiFi) may be used to determine the mobility state of a signal source for one or more other technologies (e.g., UWB, As a result, it is now possible to determine signal sources whose mobility states may have been previously unknown to a particular technology, which can help improve positioning accuracy and / or identify low-confidence positioning estimates, thereby avoiding the negative consequences of relying on low-confidence positioning estimates.

[0132] refer to Figure 16 And further reference Figures 1 to 14 , signal source mobility state method 1600 includes the stages shown. However, method 1600 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1600 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing one or more stages concurrently, and / or by splitting one or more stages into multiple stages.

[0133] At stage 1610, method 1600 includes obtaining, at the device, at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source, the signal source being configured to transmit wireless signals, and the mobility state of the signal source being unknown to the device. For example, at stage 720, observer UE 701 may observe one or more signal sources (e.g., access points) and obtain one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more signal sources. As another example, at stage 730, server 400 may obtain one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more signal sources by receiving signal source reports 732. The at least one identifier may include, for example, one or more network identifiers (e.g., SSIDs for WiFi signal sources) and / or one or more device identifiers (e.g., MAC addresses and / or EUIs). Processor 510, which may be in combination with memory 530 and interface 520 (e.g., a wireless receiver and antenna, such as wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246), may include components for obtaining the at least one identifier. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, possibly in combination with the memory 411, in combination with the interface 420 (eg, the wireless receiver 444 and antenna 446 and / or the wired receiver 454), may include means for obtaining at least one identifier.

[0134] At stage 1620, method 1600 includes determining, at the device, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary based on the at least one identifier. For example, at sub-stage 742, observer UE 701 may determine the expected mobility state of the signal source, for example, by looking up the at least one identifier in a database such as table 1100 or by applying the at least one identifier to a model (e.g., a machine learning model) that relates identifiers to mobility states. As another example, at sub-stage 744, server 400 may determine the expected mobility state using one or more of these same techniques. Processor 510, possibly in combination with memory 530, may include means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary. Additionally or alternatively, processor 410, possibly in combination with memory 411, may include means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0135] Implementations of method 1600 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the at least one identifier includes a network identifier, and determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary includes using the network identifier in a model that correlates the network identifier with the corresponding expected mobility state. For example, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may input the at least one identifier into a machine learning algorithm, which may determine whether the at least one identifier matches a pattern of identifiers (and possibly other information, such as device type, geographic region, chip manufacturer, device manufacturer, and / or purchaser, etc.), and if so, use the corresponding mobility state as the mobility state of the signal source. As another example, the watcher UE 701 and / or the server 400 may compare the at least one identifier with database information, such as in table 1100, to determine whether the at least one identifier matches a pattern for a corresponding mobility state (e.g., is within a range of identifiers, or shares a core identifier portion (e.g., "Ford" or other manufacturer name or user name). In another example implementation, the at least one identifier comprises a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises comparing the device identifier with a first model that correlates the device identifier with the corresponding expected mobility state. For example, similar to the discussion above, the watcher UE 701 and / or the server 400 may determine the mobility state of the signal source using a model having the device identifier. In another example implementation, the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises comparing the network identifier with a second model that correlates the network identifier with the corresponding expected mobility state. For example, the watcher UE 701 and / or the server 400 may determine the mobility state of the signal source using a combination of the network identifier and the device identifier in the model.

[0136] Additionally or alternatively, a specific implementation of method 1600 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, method 1600 includes: collecting one or more observations regarding a mobility state of a signal source; and updating one or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to an expected mobility state of the signal source based on the one or more observations regarding the mobility state of the signal source. For example, at stage 750, observer UE 701 may observe the signal source, e.g., to measure PRS 751 and / or PRS 752. The observations may indicate that the signal source is mobile, e.g., because different observed locations of the signal source differ significantly, or the observed location of the signal source is at a location significantly different from a historical location of the signal source. Alternatively, an observed signal source location similar to a historical location of the signal source, or multiple similar observed signal source locations, may help determine or confirm the stationary mobility state of the signal source. Server 400 may collect the one or more observations by receiving a report 756 regarding the observations of observer UE 701. At stage 780, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may update a model (e.g., a machine learning algorithm and / or a database, such as table 1100, to be converted into table 1400, for example) based on observations corresponding to high confidence positioning estimates. The processor 510, which may be combined with the memory 530 and the interface 520 (e.g., a wireless receiver and antenna, such as wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246), may include components for collecting one or more observations. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be combined with the memory 411 and the interface 420 (e.g., wireless receiver 444 and antenna 446 and / or wired receiver 454), may include components for collecting one or more observations. The processor 510, which may be combined with the memory 530, may include components for updating one or more models. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be combined with the memory 411, may include components for updating one or more models. In another example implementation, method 1600 includes: collecting one or more observations indicating that an actual mobility state of a signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and providing an indication to not use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile. For example, one or more observations made by the observer UE 701 (and possibly provided to the server 400) may indicate that the signal source is mobile (e.g., as discussed above). The observer UE 701 may indicate not to use the signal source to determine a location estimate for the observer UE 701 based on the signal source being mobile. For example, a portion of the processor 510 may indicate to another portion of the processor 510 not to use one or more signal (e.g., PRS) measurements to determine a location estimate for the observer UE 701.As another example, the observer UE 701 may send an indication to the server 400 for the server 400 to not use a signal source to determine a location estimate for the observer UE 701 based on the signal source being mobile. The server 400 may provide an indication (e.g., internally within the server 400 or externally to the observer UE 701 and / or another entity) to not use a signal source to determine a location estimate for the observer UE 701 based on the signal source being mobile. The processor 510, which may be in combination with the memory 530 and the interface 520 (e.g., a wireless receiver and antenna, such as the wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246), may include components for collecting one or more observations. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be in combination with the memory 411 and the interface 420 (e.g., the wireless receiver 444 and antenna 446 and / or the wired receiver 454), may include components for collecting one or more observations. The processor 510, which may be in combination with the memory 530, may be in combination with the interface 520 (e.g., a wireless transmitter and antenna, such as the wireless transmitter 242 and the antenna 246), may include components for providing an indication that a signal source is not used to determine the location of the mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be in combination with the memory 411, may be in combination with the interface 420 (e.g., the wireless transmitter 442 and the antenna 446 and / or the wired transmitter 452), may include components for providing an indication that a signal source is not used to determine the location of the mobile device.

[0137] Additionally or alternatively, an implementation of method 1600 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, method 1600 includes determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state for the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state for the mobile device; and indicating a low confidence level in the first location estimate based on the first location estimate differing by more than the threshold amount from the second location estimate. For example, at stage 750, observer UE 701 (e.g., positioning engine 570) and / or server 400 may determine a location estimate for observer UE 701 using one or more signal sources (e.g., mobile SS 702) with an expected mobility state for the mobile device and using fewer than all of such signal sources. At stage 760, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may determine that the confidence of a positioning estimate made using one or more mobile signal sources is low and indicate this (e.g., within the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400, from the observer UE 701 to another entity such as the server 400, and / or from the server 400 to another entity such as the observer UE 701). In this way, low confidence positioning estimates may be identified so that they can be used or ignored as appropriate, which may help provide acceptable positioning estimates that would not be possible without the use of at least one mobile signal source and / or may help avoid the use of unreliable positioning estimates that may improve any number of applications (e.g., helping to appropriately decide whether to use autonomous driving). The processor 510, which may be in conjunction with the memory 530, may include means for determining whether the first positioning estimate differs from the second positioning estimate by more than a threshold amount. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be in conjunction with the memory 411, may include means for determining whether the first positioning estimate differs from the second positioning estimate by more than a threshold amount. The processor 510, which may be in combination with the memory 530, may be in combination with the interface 520 (e.g., a wireless transmitter and antenna, such as the wireless transmitter 242 and the antenna 246), may include means for indicating that the confidence level of the first positioning estimate is low. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be in combination with the memory 411, may be in combination with the interface 420 (e.g., the wireless transmitter 442 and the antenna 446 and / or the wired transmitter 452), may include means for indicating that the confidence level of the first positioning estimate is low. In another example implementation, the method 1600 further includes, based on the first positioning estimate having low confidence, avoiding updating a model that associates at least one identifier with an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate. For example, the observer UE 701 and / or the server 400 may not update mobility relationship information for a signal source for which the positioning estimate for the observer UE 701 has low confidence.This can help avoid erroneously changing the expected mobility state of the signal source, which can help avoid relying on mobile signal sources for positioning or losing potential positioning estimate accuracy by ignoring stationary signal sources used to determine the positioning estimate. The processor 510, which may be in conjunction with the memory 530, may include components for avoiding updating the model. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 410, which may be in conjunction with the memory 411, may include components for avoiding updating the model.

[0138] Also refer to Figure 17 , which may be added to stage 1700 of method 1600 (e.g., before stage 1610 and / or after stage 1620) include providing mobility information or assistance data while filtering out mobile devices. For example, server 400 may filter out information about devices that server 400 has determined to be mobile (or likely to be so) and / or that another device (e.g., another server) has indicated as being mobile (or likely to be so), and only provide (e.g., in table 1500, e.g., at stage 780 and / or in message 715 at stage 710) information / assistance data for stationary devices (e.g., UEs, APs, etc.) so that observer UE 701 may use the information / data to determine which other devices to interact with for positioning (e.g., to determine a positioning estimate for observer UE 701 and / or to provide information to another device for use in determining a positioning estimate for observer UE 701).

[0139] Specific implementation examples

[0140] Specific implementation examples are provided in the following numbered clauses.

[0141] Clause 1. An apparatus comprising:

[0142] an interface, said interface comprising a receiver or a transmitter or a combination thereof;

[0143] Memory; and

[0144] a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the interface and configured to:

[0145] obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and

[0146] A determination is made based on the at least one identifier as to whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0147] Clause 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is configured to use the network identifier in a model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0148] Clause 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one identifier includes a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein in order to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is configured to use the device identifier in a first model that associates device identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0149] Clause 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is further configured to use the network identifier in a second model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0150] Clause 5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0151] collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source;

[0152] and

[0153] One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

[0154] Clause 6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0155] collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and

[0156] An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

[0157] Clause 7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0158] determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and

[0159] A confidence level in the first location estimate is indicated to be low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

[0160] Clause 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to refrain from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate, based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

[0161] Clause 9. A signal source mobility status method, the method comprising:

[0162] obtaining, at an apparatus, at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and

[0163] A determination is made at the apparatus as to whether an expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary based on the at least one identifier.

[0164] Clause 10. The signal source mobility state method of claim 9, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises using the network identifier in a model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0165] Clause 11. A signal source mobility state method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one identifier includes a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary includes using the device identifier in a first model that associates device identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0166] Clause 12. The signal source mobility state method of claim 11, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises using the network identifier in a second model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0167] Clause 13. The signal source mobility status method according to claim 9, further comprising:

[0168] collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source;

[0169] as well as

[0170] One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

[0171] Clause 14. The signal source mobility status method according to claim 9, further comprising:

[0172] collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and

[0173] An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

[0174] Clause 15. The signal source mobility status method according to claim 9, further comprising:

[0175] determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and

[0176] A confidence level in the first location estimate is indicated to be low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

[0177] Clause 16. The signal source mobility state method of claim 15, further comprising refraining from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

[0178] Clause 17. An apparatus comprising:

[0179] means for obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the mobility state of the signal source being unknown to the apparatus; and

[0180] Means for determining, based on the at least one identifier, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0181] Clause 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises means for using the network identifier in a model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0182] Clause 19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one identifier includes a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary includes means for using the device identifier in a first model that relates device identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0183] Clause 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises means for using the network identifier in a second model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0184] Clause 21. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

[0185] means for collecting one or more observations about said mobility state of said signal source; and

[0186] Means for updating one or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source based on the one or more observations regarding the mobility state of the signal source.

[0187] Clause 22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

[0188] means for collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and

[0189] Means for providing an indication not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

[0190] Clause 23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

[0191] means for determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and

[0192] Means for indicating that a confidence level in the first location estimate is low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

[0193] Clause 24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for refraining from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate, based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

[0194] Clause 25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing a processor to:

[0195] obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and

[0196] A determination is made based on the at least one identifier as to whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

[0197] Clause 26. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the at least one identifier includes a network identifier, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary include processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to use the network identifier in a model that associates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0198] Clause 27. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the at least one identifier includes a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary include processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to use the device identifier in a first model that associates device identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

[0199] Clause 28. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the at least one identifier includes a network identifier, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary include using the network identifier in a second model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

[0200] Clause 29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to:

[0201] collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source;

[0202] as well as

[0203] One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

[0204] Clause 30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to:

[0205] collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and

[0206] An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

[0207] Clause 31. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to:

[0208] determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and

[0209] A confidence level in the first location estimate is indicated to be low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

[0210] 32. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 31 , further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to: avoid updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate, based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

[0211] Other considerations

[0212] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0213] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprise," "include," and "include" specify the presence of recited features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0214] Likewise, as used herein, “or” used in a list of items (possibly followed by “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, the list “at least one of A, B, or C,” or the list “one or more of A, B, or C,” or the list “A or B or C” means A or B or C or AB (A and B) or AC (A and C) or BC (B and C) or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or a statement that an item is configured to perform function A or function B, means that the item can be configured to perform the function with respect to A, or can be configured to perform the function with respect to B, or can be configured to perform the functions with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and B (and may be configured to select which one or both of A and B to measure). Similarly, a statement about a component for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a component for measuring A (which may or may not be able to measure B), or a component for measuring B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or a component for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which one or both of A and B to measure). As another example, a statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to select which one or both of X and Y to measure).

[0215] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a recitation that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the recited item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the recited item or condition.

[0216] Substantial changes may be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, in software executed by a processor (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or in both. In addition, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed. Unless otherwise indicated, components (functional or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein as being connected or communicating with each other are communicatively coupled. That is, these components may be connected directly or indirectly to enable communication therebetween.

[0217] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in similar ways. Furthermore, technology is constantly evolving, and therefore many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0218] A wireless communication system is a system in which communications are transmitted wirelessly between wireless communication devices (also called wireless communication devices), that is, by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through air space rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication system (also called a wireless communication system, a wireless communication network, or a wireless communication network) may not have all communications transmitted wirelessly, but may be configured to have at least some communications transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device be exclusively or even primarily used for communication, nor does it require that communications using the wireless communication device be exclusively or even primarily wireless, nor does it require that the device be a mobile device. Instead, it indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio component (each radio component being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0219] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including specific implementations). However, configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This specification provides example configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. On the contrary, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the described technology. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements.

[0220] As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to a processor for execution, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many specific implementations, processor-readable media is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0221] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents can be used. For example, the above elements can be components of a larger system, wherein other rules can take precedence over the application of the present disclosure or otherwise modify the application of the present disclosure. In addition, several operations can be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0222] Unless otherwise indicated, “approximately” and / or “about” as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, etc.) encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. Unless otherwise indicated, “substantially” as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) also encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0223] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly less than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: an interface, said interface comprising a receiver or a transmitter or a combination thereof; Memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the interface and configured to: obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and A determination is made based on the at least one identifier as to whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is configured to use the network identifier in a model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one identifier comprises a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is configured to use the device identifier in a first model that correlates device identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary, the processor is further configured to use the network identifier in a second model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source; and One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and A confidence level in the first location estimate is indicated to be low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to refrain from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate, based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

9. A method for determining a signal source mobility state, the method comprising: obtaining, at an apparatus, at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; as well as A determination is made at the apparatus as to whether an expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary based on the at least one identifier.

10. The signal source mobility state method of claim 9, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises using the network identifier in a model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

11. The signal source mobility state method of claim 9, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises using the device identifier in a first model that relates device identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

12. The signal source mobility state method of claim 11, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises using the network identifier in a second model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

13. The signal source mobility state method according to claim 9, further comprising: collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source; as well as One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

14. The signal source mobility state method according to claim 9, further comprising: collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; as well as An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

15. The signal source mobility state method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; as well as A confidence level in the first location estimate is indicated to be low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

16. The signal source mobility state method of claim 15, further comprising refraining from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first location estimate having a low confidence level.

17. A device comprising: means for obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and Means for determining, based on the at least one identifier, whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises means for using the network identifier in a model that relates network identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one identifier comprises a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises means for using the device identifier in a first model that relates device identifiers to corresponding expected mobility states.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the means for determining whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprises means for using the network identifier in a second model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: means for collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source; and Means for updating one or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source based on the one or more observations regarding the mobility state of the signal source.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: means for collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and Means for providing an indication not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

23. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: means for determining whether a first location estimate determined using one or more signal sources expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device differs by more than a threshold amount from a second location estimate determined using at least one of the one or more signal sources not expected to have a corresponding mobility state of the mobile device; and Means for indicating that a confidence level in the first location estimate is low based on the first location estimate differing from the second location estimate by more than the threshold amount.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for refraining from updating a model relating the at least one identifier to an expected mobility state based on the first positioning estimate, based on the first positioning estimate having a low confidence level.

25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing a processor to: obtaining at least one identifier associated with one or more devices including a signal source configured to transmit wireless signals, the signal source having a mobility state unknown to the apparatus; and A determination is made based on the at least one identifier as to whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary.

26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to use the network identifier in a model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

27. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the at least one identifier includes a device identifier for the signal source, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary include processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to use the device identifier in a first model that associates device identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the at least one identifier comprises a network identifier, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the expected mobility state of the signal source is mobile or stationary comprise using the network identifier in a second model that correlates network identifiers with corresponding expected mobility states.

29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to: collecting one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source; and One or more models relating values ​​of at least one identifier type to the expected mobility state of the signal source are updated based on the one or more observations about the mobility state of the signal source.

30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to: collecting one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile; and An indication is provided not to use the signal source to determine a location of a mobile device based on the one or more observations indicating that the actual mobility state of the signal source is that the signal source is mobile.

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