Optimizing positioning performance for indoor and outdoor devices

Abstract

In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network node includes obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipments (UEs); and determining a positioning estimate for the target UE based on the RS measurements wherein at least one offset correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for offsets in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to wireless positioning. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless phone services, second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone services (including 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless services and fourth-generation (4G) communications systems, which provides higher data transfer speeds and capacity than previous networks.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, more capacity, and better coverage than previous standards. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, 5G technology should provide bitrates of tens of megabits per second, peak bitrates of gigabits per second, and system latencies of a few milliseconds. 5G should also be forward-compatible, with capabilities to support the next generation of mobile broadband as well as new, non-broadband use cases. SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be considered to identify key or essential elements relating to all contemplated aspects. The primary purpose of the following summary is instead to present some concepts relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description below. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein before the detailed description set forth below.

[0005] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network node includes obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs), and determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0006] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network node includes obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0007] In an aspect, a network node includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0008] In an aspect, a network node includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0009] In an aspect, a network node includes means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and means for determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0010] In an aspect, a network node includes means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and means for determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0011] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer- executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0012] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer- executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0013] In an aspect, certain types of RS measurements can be included in calculations by a positioning engine on a basis of an indoor / outdoor classification of a UE, or excluded from calculations by a positioning engine. In this way, a computational burden associated with providing a positioning estimate can be reduced, thereby saving power and reducing latency. In an aspect, different types of RS measurements for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs can be fused to enhance, reduce, or eliminate an impact of different types of RS measurements in a positioning estimate based on a classification of a UE. In an aspect, an accuracy of a positioning estimate for a target UE is improved through selective fusion of different types of RS measurements for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs. Additionally, a computational load and latency associated with determining a positioning estimate when different sets of RS measurement types are used for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs can be reduced. Further, a UE can consume less power using the disclosed aspects.

[0014] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0016] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C shows an example wireless network structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that can be employed in, and configured to support communications as taught herein, in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively.

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 shows examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR), in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 shows a multi-technology positioning engine (MTPE), in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 depicts a message flow between a network server and a UE during network-based indoor / outdoor classification of the UE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 depicts a message flow between a network server and a UE during network-based indoor / outdoor classification of the UE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 is an example method of wireless communication performed by a network node, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 10 is an example method of wireless communication performed by a network node, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Techniques for wireless positioning are disclosed. In an aspect, an inter-technology filtering block can receive a set of intra-technology inlier positioning anchors (e.g., anchors that provide measurements that are within a statistical range of measurements received from other anchors) of a respective technology type from each of a plurality of intra-technology filtering blocks of different technology types. The inter-technology filtering block can perform outlier rejection across all intra-technology positioning anchors together to produce a set of inter-technology inlier anchors. The inter-technology filtering block can determine a relative weight for each inter-technology inlier anchor. The inter-technology filtering block can provide feedback to at least one of the plurality of intra-technology filtering blocks based on at least one of the relative weights. The inter-technology filtering block and / or the intra-technology filtering blocks can be components of a user equipment, a base station, and / or a network entity.

[0027] Aspects of the disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure, or elements of the disclosure that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art, can not be described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The description provided herein is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, of the disclosure.

[0028] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will realize that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the description below can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular applications, the

[0030] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence(s) of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non- transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, would cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the disclosure can be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspects can be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.

[0031] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset-positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be referred to as an “access terminal” or “AT,” a “client device,” a “wireless device,” a “subscriber device,” a “subscriber terminal,” a “subscriber station,” a “user terminal” or “UT,” a “mobile device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station” or variations thereof, interchangeably. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can take part in communication with other UEs or with outside networks such as the Internet. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specifications), etc.

[0032] A base station can operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and can be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station can be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, the base station can provide pure edge node signaling functionality, whereas in other systems it can provide additional control and / or network management functionality. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) 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) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0033] The term“base station” can refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP), or to multiple physical TRPs that can or can not be co-located. For example, where the term“base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or cell sector) of the base station. Where the term“base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term“base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals as used herein, references to transmissions from or reception at a base station should be interpreted as references to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0034] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station can not support wireless access by UEs (e.g., can not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for UEs), but can instead transmit reference signals to UEs to be measured by the UEs, and / or can receive and measure signals transmitted by UEs. Such a base station can be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to UEs) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from UEs).

[0035] An “RF signal” comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter can send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver can receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, a RF signal can also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or a RF signal.

[0036] Figure 1 An example wireless communications system 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communications system 100, which can also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), can include various base stations 102, marked as “BS,” and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station can include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an LTE network) or gNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to a NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations can include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, and the like.

[0037] The base stations 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 (e.g., an SI interface), and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The location server(s) 172 can be part of the core network 170 or can be external to the core network 170. The location server 172 can be integrated with the base stations 102. The UEs 104 can communicate directly with the location server 172, either directly or indirectly. For example, a UE 104 can communicate with the location server 172 via a base station 102 that is currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 can also communicate with the location server 172 through another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network (such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below)), etc. For signaling purposes, the communication between the UE 104 and the location server 172 can be represented as either an indirect connection (e.g., through the core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intervening nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagrams for the sake of clarity.

[0038] In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 can perform functions related to one or more of: transfer of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with one another directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) over backhaul links 134, which can be wired or wireless.

[0039] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, a base station 102 can be referred to as a

[0040] While the geographic coverage area 110 for a macro cell base station 102 can overlap with the geographic coverage area 110 for other macro cell base stations 102 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1), the geographic coverage area 110 for a small cell base station 102' can be substantially overlapped with the geographic coverage area 110 for a macro cell base station 102. For example, a small cell base station 102' can be deployed in a home (e.g., home base station), in an enterprise (e.g., enterprise base station), and / or in a metro area (e.g., metro base station), to name a few examples. In such examples, the small cell base station 102' can provide service to a mobile device 104 in a local area, after a certain condition is met, such as a condition associated with a load on the macro cell base station 102 and / or the small cell base station 102'. In some cases, the small cell base station 102' can be co-located with a macro cell base station 102. In such cases, the small cell base station 102' can be associated with a different carrier than the macro cell base station 102. In some cases, the small cell base station 102' can be associated with a different operator than the macro cell base station 102. In some cases, the small cell base station 102' can be configured to handover a UE 104 from the macro cell base station 102 to the small cell base station 102' based on a load condition of the macro cell base station 102 and / or the small cell base station 102'.

[0041] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or less carriers can be allocated for downlink than for uplink).

[0042] Wireless communications system 100 can also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 can perform clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedures to ensure the channel is available before communicating.

[0043] Small cell base stations 102' can operate in a licensed spectrum and / or an unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, small cell base stations 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base stations 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0044] The wireless communications system 100 can also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies in communication with a UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over a mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 can also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Thus, it will be appreciated that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the various aspects, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0045] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing the RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omni-directionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to receiving device(s) in that particular direction. To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, a network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a “phased-array” or “antenna array”) that creates a beam of signals that can be “steered” to different directions, without

[0046] The transmit beams can be quasi-collocated, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., a UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node’s transmit antennas themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial receive parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0047] In receive beamforming, the receiver uses a receive beam to amplify a detected RF signal on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase a gain setting and / or adjust a phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) an RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when it is said that a receiver beamforms in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams that can be used by the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0048] The transmit beams and receive beams can be spatially related. Spatially related means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on parameters of the receive beam.

[0049] It is noted that a “downlink” beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam for transmitting a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an “uplink” beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0050] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided based on frequency / wavelength into various classes, bands, channels, and so on. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” (“Sub-6”) band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band.

[0051] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Moreover, even higher bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). Each of these higher bands falls within the EHF band.

[0052] With the above in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be appreciated that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if used herein, can broadly represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be appreciated that the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, can broadly represent frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or can be within the EHF frequency band.

[0053] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating at the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on which the UE 104 / 182 performs initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), can be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be a carrier that provides additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier can contain only necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., those that are UE-specific can not be present in the secondary carrier since both the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. This is also true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a “serving cell” (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier on which some base station is communicating, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0054] For example, still referring to Figure 1One of the frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system will theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0055] The wireless communications system 100 can also include UE 164 that can communicate with macrocell base station 102 on a communication link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 on a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 can support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0056] In some cases, the UEs 164 and the UE 182 can be capable of sidelink communications. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) can communicate with the base station 102 using a Uu interface (i.e., an air interface between a UE and a base station) over the communication link 120. SL-UEs (e.g., the UE 164, the UE 182) can also communicate with one another directly using a PC5 interface (i.e., an air interface between sidelink-capable UEs) over the wireless sidelink 160. Wireless sidelink (or just “sidelink”) is an adaptation of the core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without the need to communicate through a base station. Sidelink communications can be unicast or multicast, and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communications can be within the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group can be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 102, or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from base station 102. In some cases, groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communications can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, a base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications are carried out between SL-UEs without the involvement of a base station 102.

[0057] In an aspect, the sidelink 160 can operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other wireless communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs. The "medium" can consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In an aspect, the medium of interest can correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band that is shared among various RATs. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended operations into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies (most notably, the IEEE 802.1 lx WLAN technologies commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include different variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, etc.

[0058] Note that although Figure 1 Although only two of the UEs, UE 164 and 182, are shown as SL-UEs, any of the shown UEs can be SL-UEs. Further, although only UE 182 is described as being capable of beamforming, any of the shown UEs, including UE 164, can be capable of beamforming. Where the SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they can beamform toward one another (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward base stations (e.g., base stations 102, 180, small cell 102', access point 150), etc. Thus, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming over the sidelink 160.

[0059] In Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1, any of the shown UEs (for simplicity, only UE 182 is shown in Figure 1The UEs 104, which can be individually referred to as UE 104 or collectively as UEs 104, can receive signals 124 from one or more Earth orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112, such as satellites. In an aspect, the SVs 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system from which UEs 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned in orbit such that receivers (e.g., UEs 104) can determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on signals 124 received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals at L-band frequencies (about 1 GHz to about 2 GHz), S-band frequencies (about 2 GHz to about 4 GHz), C-band frequencies (about 4 GHz to about 8 GHz), or Ku-band frequencies (about 12 GHz to about 18 GHz), although other frequencies can also be used. While the transmitters are typically located in SVs 112, they can at times be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UEs 104 can include one or more dedicated receivers designed specifically to

[0060] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which can be associated with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems (e.g., the U.S. Space-Based

[0061] In an aspect, the SVs 112 can additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SVs 112 connect to an Earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in the 5GC. This element in turn will provide access to other elements in the 5G network, and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user equipment. In this way, instead of, or in addition to, communication signals from terrestrial base stations 102, UEs 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signals 124) from SVs 112.

[0062] The wireless communications system 100 can also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”) 195. In the example of FIG. 1, UE 1 and UE 2 establish a sidelink connection 195 over a communication link 195a, and UE 2 and UE 3 establish a sidelink connection 195 over a communication link 195b. In some examples, a UE can simultaneously have multiple sidelink connections established with other UEs. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., over which UE 190 can indirectly access a cellular network), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (over which UE 190 can indirectly access a WLAN-based Internet connection). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on.

[0063] Figure 2A An example wireless network structure 200 is shown. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP

[0064] Another optional aspect can include a location server 230, which can be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for UE(s) 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternately can be external to the core network (e.g., a third party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0065] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is illustrated. A 5GC 260 (which can correspond to the 5GC 210) is shown that includes an AMF 262, a UDM 264, and a location management function (LMF) 266. The AMF 262 can communicate with a base station 220 (which can correspond to the base stations 220a, 220b, 220c) via an N2 interface. The base station 220 can also exchange signals with a UE 204 directly (e.g., via an N1 interface) and / or exchange signals with the UE 204 via the 5GC 260 (e.g., via an N2 interface). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, user plane functions provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transfer of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and authorization, transfer of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of universal mobile

[0066] Functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra- / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic utilization reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more “end markers” to a source RAN node. The UPF 262 can also support transfer of location service messages over a user plane between the UE 204 and a location server, such as the SLP 272.

[0067] Functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF 262 to route traffic to the proper destination, control of part of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notifications. The interface over which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is referred to as the N11 interface.

[0068] Another optional aspect can include an LMF 270, which can be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 can support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UEs 204 on a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data), the SLP 272 can communicate with UEs 204 and external clients (e.g., third party servers 274) on a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0069] Yet another optional aspect can include a third party server 274, which can communicate with the LMF 270, the SLP 272, the 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or the UPF 262), the NG-RAN 220, and / or the UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) for the UE 204. As such, in some cases, the third party server 274 can be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or an external client. The third party server 274 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively can each correspond to a single server.

[0070] The user plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260 (and specifically the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively) to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, and the interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with one another via backhaul connection(s) 223, referred to as “Xn-C” interfaces. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 over a wireless interface, referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0071] The functionality of a gNB 222 can be divided between a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions of transferring user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for those functions specifically allocated to the gNB-DU(s) 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and the one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the “Fl” interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB 222 is typically hosted by one or more standalone gNB-RUs 229 that perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the “Fx” interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0072] Deployments of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, can be arranged in a variety of ways with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, network entity, mobility element of a network, RAN node, core network node, network element, or network device, such as a base station or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, can be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station, such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR base station, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), or a cell, etc., can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as a standalone base station or a monolithic base station) or a disaggregated base station.

[0073] A disaggregated base station can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), or one or more radio units (RU). In some aspects, the CU can be implemented within a RAN node, and the one or more DUs can be co-located with the CU or, alternatively, can be distributed geographically or virtually throughout one or more other RAN nodes. The DUs can be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU can also be implemented as virtual units, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0074] Base station type operations or network designs can take into account the disaggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station can be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as network configurations advocated by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also referred to as a cloud radio access network network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality for at least one unit, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0075] Figure 2CAn example disaggregated base station architecture 250 is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 can include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226) that can communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near-real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, or a non-RT RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both. The CUs 280 can communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via respective fronthaul links, such as Fl interfaces. The DUs 285 can communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via respective front-haul links. The RUs 287 can communicate with respective UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 can be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0076] Each of the units (i.e., the CUs 280, the DUs 285, the RUs 287, and the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257, and the SMO framework 255) can include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. An associated processor or controller of each of the units or the communication interface providing instructions to the unit can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission media. For example, a unit can include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to or from one or more of the other units. Also, the unit can include a wireless interface that can include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver, such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to or from one or more of the other units.

[0077] In some aspects, the CU 280 can host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented with interfaces configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 can be logically partitioned into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bi-directionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an El interface. The CU 280 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 for network control and signaling as needed.

[0078] The DU 285 can correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 can host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.), depending at least in part on a functional split such as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 285 can also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with interfaces configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285 or with control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0079] Lower layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, based at least in part on a functional split such as a lower layer functional split, the RUs 287 controlled by the DU 285 can correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc., or both. In such an architecture, the RU(s) 287 can be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU(s) 287 can be controlled by the respective DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable the DU(s) 285 and the CU 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture such as a vRAN architecture.

[0080] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to support deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operations and maintenance interface, such as an Ol interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform, such as an Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269, to perform network element lifecycle management, such as to instantiate virtualized network elements, via a cloud computing platform interface, such as an 02 interface. Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 280, DUs 285, RUs 287, and near-RT RICs 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate with hardware aspects of a 4G RAN, such as an Open eNB (O-eNB) 261, via an Ol interface. Further, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via an Ol interface. The SMO framework 255 can also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support functionality of the SMO framework 255.

[0081] The non-RT RIC 257 can be configured to include logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based steering of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 can be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259, such as via an Al interface. The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logical functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through interfaces connecting one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and the O-eNB to the near-RT RIC 259, such as via an E2 interface.

[0082] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259, or it can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 can monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance, and can employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 255 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0083] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The diagram shows that it can be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and Figure 2B The NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a private network) depicted herein includes several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) to support the operations described herein. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in different ways (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-a-chip (SoC), etc.) in different types of devices. The components shown can also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Additionally, a given device may contain one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0084] The UEs 302 and the base stations 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, providing a means for communicating over one or more wireless communication networks, such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and so on (not shown). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each, respectively, be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for transmitting and for receiving signals, such as messages, indications, information, and so on, over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, and so on) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), and so on. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0085] The UEs 302 and the base stations 304 each, at least in some cases, also include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can each be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide a means for communicating over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Zigbee (ZigBee®) PC5, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communications (NFC), ultra-wide band (UWB), etc.) to communicate with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.). The short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be variously configured according to the designated RATs for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and, conversely, for respectively receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for respectively receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceivers, and / or transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0086] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide means for respectively receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can request information and operations as needed from other systems, and, at least in some cases, use measurements obtained through any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to perform calculations to determine the location of the UE 302 and the base station 304, respectively.

[0087] The base stations 304 and network entities 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390 providing a means for communicating (e.g., a means for transmitting, a means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, a base station 304 can employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, a network entity 306 can employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 over one or more wired core network interfaces or wireless core network interfaces.

[0088] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver, whether wired or wireless, includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). The transceiver may, in some implementations, be an integrated device (e.g., embodying the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), may, in some implementations, include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or may, in other implementations, be embodied in other manners. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., the network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) can include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) (such as antenna arrays), which allows the respective apparatus (e.g., a UE 302, a base station 304) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) can include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) (such as antenna arrays), which allows the respective apparatus (e.g., a UE 302, a base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry can share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective apparatus can either receive or transmit at a given time, but not both at the same time. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) can also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0089] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and in some implementations network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be generally described as “transceivers,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” As such, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers will typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0090] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality

[0091] The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 each include memory circuitry to implement memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, including storage devices, to maintain information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and the like). Thus, the memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide a means for storing, a means for retrieving, a means for maintaining, and the like. In some cases, the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 can each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuits that are part of, or coupled to, the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that when executed cause the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.) cause the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A The positioning component 342 can be part of, or coupled to, the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or be standalone components. Figure 3B The positioning component 388 can be part of, or coupled to, the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the memory 386, the one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or be standalone components. Figure 3C The positioning component 398 can be part of, or coupled to, the one or more network transceivers 390, the memory 396, the one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or be standalone components.

[0092] The UE 302 can include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a unit for sensing or detecting motion and / or directional information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 can include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion-detecting sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 can include multiple different types of devices combined to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 can use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and directional sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0093] Further, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides a unit for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or receiving user input (e.g., upon the user actuating a sensing device such as a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, and the like). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 can also include user interfaces.

[0094] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 can be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 can implement functionality for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 can provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0095] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer-1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 processes the mapped signals using various signal modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to a subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel state information (CSI) feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can utilize a single antenna 356 or multiple antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can also include multiple transmitters 354 for each antenna 356, although this is not always necessary. A transmitter 354 can modulate a carrier with data for transmission.

[0096] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement Layer-1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 332, which implements Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0097] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0098] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0099] The transmitter 314 can use channel estimates to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can utilize each spatial stream to modulate a RF carrier signal for transmission.

[0100] At the base station 304, the uplink transmission is processed in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 384.

[0101] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0102] For convenience, the following description refers to elements of the system as being either "of" or "from" the UE 302, the base station 304, or the network 306, depending on the context. The system can include one or more of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network 306. Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the components shown may have different functionalities in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choices, cost, use of the equipment, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In certain cases, a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit (multiple) WWAN transceivers 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, PCs, or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but not cellular capabilities), or (multiple) short-range wireless transceivers 320 (e.g., cellular only), or (multiple) satellite signal receivers 330, or (multiple) sensors 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, a specific implementation of base station 304 may omit (multiple) WWAN transceivers 350 (e.g., Wi-Fi "hotspot" access points without cellular capabilities), or (multiple) short-range wireless transceivers 360 (e.g., cellular only), or (satellite signal receiver 370), etc. For the sake of brevity, this document does not provide a description of the various alternative configurations, but such descriptions will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0103] The various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interface between UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306. For example, when different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between them.

[0104] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Components can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components of UE 302 and / or base station 304 can be implemented in one or more circuits such as one or more processors and / or ASICs (which can include one or more processors), for example. Here, each circuit can employ at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component(s)). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component(s)). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 can be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component(s)). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed by “the UE,” “the base station,” “the network entity,” etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, the base station 304, the network entity 306, etc., such as the processors 332, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memories 340, 386, and 396, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0105] In some designs, network entity 306 can be implemented as a component of a core network. In other designs, network entity 306 can be distinct from the operations of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independent of base station 304 (e.g., through a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0106] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example frame structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example frame structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure can be a downlink frame structure or an uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0107] LTE (and in some cases, NR) utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR has an option of using OFDM on the uplink as well. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing of the adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can be dependent on the system bandwidth. The spacing of the subcarriers can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (called a

[0108] LTE supports a single digital scheme (numerology) (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple digital schemes (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or greater can be available. Within each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per time slot. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one time slot per subframe, 10 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two time slots per subframe, 20 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 100. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four time slots per subframe, 40 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.25ms, a symbol duration of 16.7μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 200. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight time slots per subframe, 80 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.125ms, a symbol duration of 8.33μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 400. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 800 with a 4K FFT size.

[0109] exist Figure 4 In the example, a 15kHz digital scheme is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4 In the diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0110] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to a symbol length in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4In the numerology of Figure 2, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, totaling 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, totaling 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE can depend on the modulation scheme.

[0111] Some of the REs can carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). The reference signals can include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 4 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled “R”) are shown.

[0112] Figure 5 Examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) are shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. NR supports a number of cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. Figure 5 Examples of various positioning methods are shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure shown by scenario 510, a UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from pairs of base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements) and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives the identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and a plurality of non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the location of the UE.

[0113] For DL-AoD positioning as illustrated by scenario 520, the positioning entity uses a measurement report from the UE of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine an angle(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station(s). The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the transmitting base station(s).

[0114] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE transmits one or more uplink reference signals that are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the received time of the reference signal(s) (called the relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the locations and relative timing of the involved base stations. Based on the received-to-received (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA at the reference base station and the reported RTOA at each non-reference base station, the known locations of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE using TDOA.

[0115] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle(s) of the receive beam(s) to determine an angle(s) between the UE and the base station(s). Based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the base station(s), the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0116] Downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and Multilateration Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as “Multi-Cell RTT” and “Multi-RTT”). In an RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or an SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), which transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or a PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be made or adjusted to include only the time difference between the closest time slot boundaries for the received and transmitted signals. Both entities can then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which computes the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then computes the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined from the RTT and the known speed of signal (e.g., the speed of light). For Multi-RTT positioning as illustrated by scenario 530, a first entity (e.g., a UE or a base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable determination of the location of the first entity based on distances to the second entities and known locations of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and Multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy, as illustrated by scenario 540.

[0117] E-CID positioning methods are based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, a UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighbor base stations. The location of the UE is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base station(s).

[0118] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can provide assistance data to a UE. For example, the assistance data can include identifiers of base stations (or cells / TRPs of a base station) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., including a number of consecutive time slots comprising PRS, a periodicity of consecutive time slots comprising PRS, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data can originate directly from the base stations themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcasted overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, a UE can be able to detect neighbor network nodes on its own without using assistance data.

[0119] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data can also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the value range for the expected RSTD can be + / - 500 microseconds (ps). In some cases, the value range for the uncertainty for the expected RSTD can be + / - 32 ps when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1. In other cases, the value range for the uncertainty for the expected RSTD can be + / - 8 ps when all of the positioning measurement(s) are in FR2.

[0120] A location estimate can be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, a location, a position, a position fix, a fix, etc. A location estimate can be geodetic, and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or can be civic, and include a street address, a postal address, or some other verbal description of a location. A location estimate can also be defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0121] When multiple sets of positioning measurements are available at the device, utilizing a subset of them can provide better performance than using all measurements to achieve positioning estimation. For example, if one of the measurements might be very noisy or associated with a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) channel, ignoring this measurement from the positioning estimation process will improve accuracy. In another example, while 5G transmit / receive points (TRPs) tend to have accurate ground facts, WiFi access points (WAPs) may not; using incorrect ground facts from such WAPs in the positioning process can adversely affect the accuracy of positioning estimation for the target node. Therefore, it is desirable to develop positioning engines that can fuse measurements across several technologies (cellular, WiFi, UWB, GNSS, etc.).

[0122] Therefore, this paper presents a Multi-Technology Localization Engine (MTPE). MTPE can be viewed as a set of intra-technology filter blocks, followed by inter-technology filter blocks that can fuse measurements across multiple technologies. Feedback from the inter-technology fusion blocks can help identify certain trends in the relative performance across various technologies. Furthermore, this paper presents strategies for optimizing the performance of MTPE within the required computational levels and associated latency and power costs.

[0123] Figure 6 The MTPE 600 is shown in light of some aspects of this disclosure. Figure 6 In the example shown, the MTPE600 includes two in-technology filter blocks 602, generally labeled "Technology A" and "Technology B," but it can represent any two technologies supporting location measurements, such as cellular, WiFi, UWB, GNSS, etc. Although Figure 6 Two intra-technical filter blocks 602 are shown, but the same concept can be applied to any number of inter-technical filter blocks. Figure 6 In the example shown, each intra-technical filtering block 602 performs a step of ranking and / or pruning anchors (e.g., UEs or other network devices that support the location of the target UE, for example, by sending and / or receiving reference signals for location, providing location-related information, etc.) based on quality criteria (box 604), and performs intra-technical anchor outlier rejection (box 606). This results in a so-called inner-layer anchor set, which may be referred to as inner-layer anchors or inner-layer set.

[0124] like Figure 6As further shown, MTPE 600 also includes an inter-technology filtering block 608, which cascades inner-layer anchors across technologies and performs outlier rejection by scanning the number of anchors included in the inner-layer set (block 610), and performs cost function error minimization, such as a weighted linear average of cost components across technologies and measurement types (block 612). In some aspects, cost function error minimization can be achieved using the following formula: in, This represents a set of measurements of different types, such as AoA, ToA. w A and w B Indicates weights, and It is a weighted cost function

[0125] like Figure 6 As further shown, the inter-technical filter block 608 provides feedback to the intra-technical filter block 602. In some aspects, the feedback from the inter-technical filter block 608 can trigger an update to the set of inner layers for a particular intra-technical filter block 602. In some aspects, this feedback can be in the form of a normalized set of weights, where each intra-technical filter block 602 is associated with a weight. For example, one intra-technical filter block 602 can be associated with a lower weight (compared to other weights), which in turn implies that the corresponding technique is less useful than others. This can trigger an update to the set of inner layers to improve performance. In some aspects, each intra-technical filter block 602 can be associated with its own weight threshold to trigger an update to its set of inner layers.

[0126] According to some aspects of this disclosure, methods for feedback-based decision-making in a multi-technology positioning engine may include determining that a technology provides little added value; for example, positioning information from that technology does not improve the accuracy of the location determined by the inter-technology filtering block 608. In some aspects, this may include determining that frequently triggering updates to the inner confines of a technology specific to a particular technology does not improve positioning accuracy. For example, a UE may be located within a building, tunnel, or other structure that obstructs the reception of GNSS or cellular signals, but the UE can still easily receive WiFi or UWB signals. In this case, the particular technology—i.e., GNSS and / or cellular—simply does not provide information that could improve positioning estimates. For the sake of brevity, a technology that cannot or does not provide information that could improve positioning estimates may be referred to herein as inferior. It will be understood that inferiority may be a temporary rather than permanent condition.

[0127] In some aspects, reliance on a technique can be reduced when the technique is inferior or becomes inferior. In some aspects, this involves defining a periodic time interval at which the intra-technique filtering block 602 executes the inlier update and provides the updated inlier list to the inter-technique filtering block 608. When a particular technique becomes inferior, e.g., when one or more of the weights assigned to that particular technique are lower than the weights assigned to other techniques, then the periodic time interval associated with that particular technique can be increased. That is, information from that particular technique filtering block is received and used less frequently. In some aspects, if the quality of the information from the inferior technique block improves over time, e.g., such that the technique block is no longer inferior, then the periodic time interval associated with that particular technique can be decreased, such that information from that particular technique filtering block is received and used more frequently.

[0128] In some aspects, the following algorithm can be used. Using technique block A as an example, the inter-technique filtering block 608 will generate a weight W for that block A In some aspects, a threshold V1 is defined such that if W A >V1, then data from the intra-technique filtering block 602 for technique A is always considered by the inter-technique filtering block 608. However, if W A ≤ V1, then data from the intra-technique filtering block 602 for technique A is only periodically considered by the inter-technique filtering block 608, e.g., with a periodicity P. In some aspects, a second threshold V2 is defined such that V2 < V1; if W A >V2, then the value of P is decreased (i.e., that particular technique is considered more frequently), and if W A ≤ V2, then the value of P is increased (i.e., that particular technique is considered less frequently). In some aspects, a third threshold V3 is defined such that V3 < V2; if W A <V3, then technique A is not used at all. In some aspects, the value of V1 (and the values of V2 and V3, if used) can be technique-specific, region-specific, or both. In some aspects, the value of P can be adjusted using an additive increase multiplicative decrease (AIMD) approach.

[0129] According to some aspects of the disclosure, a method for feedback-based decision making in a multi-technique positioning engine can include causing the intra-technique filtering block 602 to use the preferred anchor set A' identified by the inter-technique filtering block 608 as a starting point for the processes performed by blocks 604 and 606.

[0130] In some aspects, the preferred anchor set A' can be a subset of the inlier layer set previously provided by the intra-technology filtering block 602 to the inter-technology filtering block 608. For example, the intra-technology filtering block 602 can perform a random selection of anchors from all available anchors to create a subset of anchors that is then subjected to the ranking, pruning, and outlier rejection processes in blocks 604 and 606. This is typically done when there are a large number of anchors to choose from, and it is infeasible to go through all possible combinations of the anchor subset to determine the best candidates for inlier layer anchors. Furthermore, the new anchor set can be randomly selected from all available anchors each time the intra-technology filtering block 602 generates the inlier layer set provided to the inter-technology filtering block 608.

[0131] While such a random selection strategy can overcome processing or time limitations, it can miss some anchors that are known to be of high quality: that is, the random selection strategy by the intra-technology filtering block 602 can not include all anchors in the set A'. Furthermore, the inter-technology filtering block 608 can determine that some of the lower quality anchors for technology A are superior to some of the higher quality anchors in another technology, and thus can select for the set A' some anchors that the intra-technology filtering block 602 can have rejected due to insufficient quality.

[0132] In some aspects, the intra-technology filtering block 602 can start with the set A' received from the inter-technology filtering block 608, and then supplement this set by randomly selecting from the remaining candidate anchors to produce the inlier layer output from the intra-technology filtering block 602 to the inter-technology filtering block 608. This approach combines the advantages of starting the inlier layer selection process with at least some known good anchors, with the advantages of a random selection process that can find one or more anchors that are better or at least as good as the anchors currently included in the inlier layer list provided by the intra-technology filtering block 602.

[0133] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a method for feedback-based decision making in a multi-technology positioning engine can include adapting to the dependence on a particular anchor belonging to a particular technology. In this technique, the relative quality of one particular technology to another particular technology is measured, and an adjustment to the inlier layer selection process is made.

[0134] In some aspects, the bias metric is provided by the inter-technology filtering block 608 to the intra-technology filtering block 602. In some aspects, the bias metric for a particular technology A is defined as the distance between the positioning estimate obtained using only information from technology A and the average of the positioning estimates obtained using each of the other technologies. This can be computed according to the following formula: where N is the total number of technologies being mixed, and p i is the positioning estimate obtained using only technology i.

[0135] Although Technique A still improves performance after fusion (w A is not small), but it is possible that σ A is large. An example scenario is when the inner layer set of A includes anchors that collectively provide poor positioning estimates, but a subset of them improves performance when mixed with anchors of other techniques.

[0136] This feedback, along with the preferred anchor set of A, A', can help compensate and improve the performance of the intra-technique filtering block 602 corresponding to Technique A. In some aspects, the intra-technique filtering block 602 can simply retain the set A' as its inner layer output set, rather than performing computations to find an updated inner layer set. In some aspects, a threshold can be defined to decide whether to perform computations in the intra-technique filtering block 602. In some aspects, a periodicity and associated threshold can also be defined. In some aspects, the periodicity and / or associated threshold can be dynamically adjusted. A A threshold can be defined to decide whether to perform computations in the intra-technique filtering block 602. In some aspects, a periodicity and associated threshold can also be defined. In some aspects, the periodicity and / or associated threshold can be dynamically adjusted.

[0137] The positioning engine 600 disclosed herein can fuse measurements across several techniques (cellular, WiFi, UWB, GNSS, etc.). When various positioning measurements can be obtained from multiple techniques at a device, utilizing a subset of the measurements can provide better performance compared to utilizing all measurements to reach a positioning estimate. For example, certain measurements can be very noisy or associated with a non-line-of-sight (NLoS) channel. Eliminating noisy or NLoS channel measurements from the positioning estimation process can improve the accuracy of the positioning estimate. In another example, one of the anchor UEs can be associated with an incorrect ground truth, which in turn affects the positioning estimate accuracy of the target node. Ignoring the anchor UE with the remote ground truth can provide a better positioning estimate. Still further, a reduction in accuracy can be improved by using a subset of anchors across different techniques.

[0138] Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to positioning techniques and computations within a positioning engine, and how such techniques can be enhanced based on whether a UE is located in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a network node (e.g., a location server, a UE, a network server, etc.) can obtain reference signal (e.g., PRS) measurements associated with a plurality of UEs. The network node can determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on applying at least one bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs.

[0139] Certain positioning environments can include a combination of indoor UEs and outdoor UEs. In such mixed environments, a network node can limit application of bias correction factors to RS measurements associated with indoor UEs only, excluding application of any bias correction factors to RS measurements associated with outdoor UEs. Application of such bias correction factors using indoor UEs can improve performance compared to application of bias correction factors using a mix of indoor and outdoor UEs. Alternatively, a network node can apply a first set of one or more bias correction factors to RS measurements associated with indoor UEs and a second set of one or more bias correction factors to RS measurements associated with outdoor UEs.

[0140] Additionally or alternatively, a network node can obtain RS measurements associated with a plurality of UEs and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types. In such scenarios, the one or more RS measurement types fused for a given UE can be based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE. Fusing of RS measurement types can allow a positioning engine to exclude certain RS measurement types that can not increase the accuracy of a positioning estimate for a target UE. For example, fusing AoA measurements as part of a positioning determination can provide significant gains for indoor UEs, while there can be marginal improvement for fusing AoA measurements associated with outdoor UEs. As such, selective fusing of different measurement types can reduce the computational burden associated with RS measurements provided by outdoor UEs.

[0141] Positioning estimates disclosed herein can be obtained through different positioning modes. In a UE-assisted mode, a UE can provide RS measurements to a network server (e.g., location server, LMF, etc.) for computation of a positioning estimate by the network server. In this mode, the network server can provide assistance data to the UE to configure the UE for making RS measurements. In a UE-based mode, a UE can both obtain RS measurements and compute a corresponding positioning estimate based on the RS measurements. Assistance data for one or both of these functions can be provided by a network server to the UE. In a network-based mode, a serving base station of a public land mobile network (PLMN) can obtain RS measurements of signals transmitted by a UE and compute a positioning estimate. Transmission of signals for a network-based mode can be transparent or can not be transparent to the UE.

[0142] According to various aspects of the disclosure, whether a UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE can be used to determine how RS measurements associated with the UE are used in determining a positioning estimate for a target UE. In an aspect, classifying a UE as an indoor UE or an outdoor UE can be used to apply particular techniques in a positioning engine.

[0143] Classifying a UE as an indoor UE or an outdoor UE can be done in various ways. In an aspect, characteristics of the UE can be collected for indoor / outdoor classification. In a UE-based approach, the UE can independently classify itself as indoor / outdoor (e.g., perform a “hard” decision at the UE based on the collected characteristics). In an aspect, the UE can use visual information obtained from a camera or other image sensor to extract features of the UE’s environment, and determine whether the UE is inside or outside a building. Some features that can be used in this determination include ambient light conditions, edge detection of objects within the UE’s field of view, depth information associated with the visual information, etc. The UE can employ machine learning techniques to extract such features from the visual information and / or visual channel estimates. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can obtain sensor information (e.g., speed, direction, etc.) and / or RF sensing measurements (e.g., using WiFi, UWB, etc.) from which an indoor / outdoor classification can be determined.

[0144] Additionally or alternatively, the UE can output a soft decision indicating a probability of the UE being indoors and / or outdoors. In certain scenarios, a threshold can be applied to the effective probability (computed across time, across different estimates, etc.) to determine whether it is indoors or outdoors. In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, the UE can use and optimize its own positioning engine based on this classification. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can provide the classification to a network device and / or a target UE.

[0145] Characteristics of the UE can be collected for indoor / outdoor determination, and used in a network-based approach to classifying the UE. To this end, a network server (e.g., location server, LMF, etc.) can classify the UE based on characteristics reported by the UE to the network server (e.g., characteristics such as all or a subset of the characteristics used by the UE in a self-classification scenario). In certain scenarios, the classification can be assigned to the UE by the network server, rather than assigned based on a self-classification provided by the UE.

[0146] Figure 7Message flow 700 between network server 702 and UE 704 during network-based indoor / outdoor classification of UE 704 is depicted in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. At operation 706, network server 702 and UE 704 engage in configuration setup exchange. At operation 708, UE 704 provides its capability information. If indoor / outdoor classification is to be based at least in part on vision-based information, the UE can agree at operation 708 to use vision-based information by network server 702. At operation 710, the UE provides information to network server 702 for classification determination. In this example, the UE provides vision-based information as well as sensor information from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the UE. Network server 702 classifies the UE as an indoor UE / outdoor UE based on the characteristic information reported at operation 710. The network server's classification of the UE can be used locally at network server 702 to optimize positioning estimates made by network server 702 for the target UE. Additionally or alternatively, network server 702 can provide the classification to the UE at operation 712 in the form of a classification flag (e.g., in the case of a hard decision) or as a probability (e.g., in the case of a soft decision).

[0147] Figure 8 Message flow 800 between network server 802 and UE 804 during network-based indoor / outdoor classification of UE 804 is depicted in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. At operation 806, network server 802 and UE 804 engage in configuration setup exchange. At operation 808, UE 804 provides its capability information. If indoor / outdoor classification is to be based at least in part on vision-based information, the UE can agree at operation 808 to use vision-based information by network server 802. At operation 810, the UE communicates with a device that employs other positioning techniques 812 (e.g., a device integrated with the UE and / or a device separate from the UE), and at operation 814 provides measurements (e.g., signal measurements and / or positioning estimates obtained using the other positioning techniques) to network server 802 for classification determination. Network server 802 classifies the UE as an indoor UE / outdoor UE based on the measurements provided at operation 814 and, if available, characteristic information (e.g., vision information) reported by UE 804. The network server's classification of the UE can be used locally at network server 802 to optimize positioning estimates made by network server 802 for the target UE. Additionally or alternatively, network server 802 can provide the classification to the UE at operation 816 in the form of a classification flag (e.g., in the case of a hard decision) or as a probability (e.g., in the case of a soft decision).

[0148] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, classifying UEs as indoor UEs or outdoor UEs can be based on crowd-sourced UE characteristics at a network server (e.g., a dedicated server). To this end, UEs can provide information related to their classification to a remote server, which can be a dedicated server or a connected intelligent edge (CIE) server, among others. UEs can report their characteristics to the network server, along with some measurements that can be used to infer such characteristics. For example, a UE can provide camera measurements to the network server, along with an indication that it is an indoor UE. Additionally or alternatively, a UE can provide channel estimates to the server, which the network server / CIE uses to classify the UE as indoor / outdoor.

[0149] Using a crowd-sourced database, the server / CIE can in turn classify newer UEs and assist them in various ways. In a UE-based positioning mode, a UE can request its characteristics from the network server / CIE, and in turn optimize its own positioning engine. In a network-based positioning mode, a UE can directly request a positioning estimate from the server / CIE, which optimizes the positioning estimate based on applying a bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with indoor UEs.

[0150] The aforementioned approach can be region-specific (e.g., geographically specific, region-specific, etc.). To this end, each region can be associated with its own classification technique. In certain scenarios, the classification technique can take as input a coarse location (such as a serving cell location), and apply the appropriate classification technique to UEs within the coarse location.

[0151] In view of the above, the classification as to which UEs are indoor UEs can be obtained in various ways. Various ways of obtaining such classification can include: 1) receiving from a plurality of UEs a classification indicating that one or more of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE, 2) receiving from a plurality of UEs an indication of a probability that one or more of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE, 3) receiving from a plurality of UEs information regarding a network node used to determine that one or more of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE, 4) receiving from another network node a classification indicating that one or more of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE, 5) receiving from another network node an indication of a probability that one or more of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE, or 6) any combination thereof.

[0152] While the foregoing categorization techniques are discussed in the context of determining whether a UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE, it will be appreciated based on the teachings of this disclosure that a default categorization can be assigned to a UE and used in the categorization process. To this end, a default categorization that a UE is an outdoor UE can be used, in which case the categorization technique only needs to determine whether the UE is an indoor UE. Similarly, a default categorization of a UE being an indoor UE limits the categorization technique to determining whether the UE is an outdoor UE. Applying a default categorization to a UE can help reduce the processing load associated with the indoor UE / outdoor UE categorization operation.

[0153] Certain aspects of the present disclosure are implemented with an understanding that large-scale statistics of RS measurements on various UEs in a given area can help identify biases with respect to RS measurements (e.g., RTT measurements). In certain scenarios, this bias can be a result of RS measurement errors introduced by a large number of obstacles, a large number of non-line-of-sight paths, and / or a number of reflecting surfaces present in an indoor environment when compared to an outdoor environment. Thus, a bias correction factor corresponding to the amount of bias can be applied to the RS measurements to remove the bias and improve overall positioning estimation performance. The unit of the bias can be determined based on the type of RS measurement to be corrected. For example, if there is a bias associated with RTT measurements, the bias correction factor can be expressed as a time correction to the RTT measurements. If there is a bias associated with RS measurements used to obtain distance measurements, the bias correction factor can be expressed as a distance correction to the distance measurements.

[0154] However, certain aspects of the present disclosure are implemented with an appreciation that positioning estimation based on applying the same bias correction factor to RS measurements from a combination of indoor UEs and outdoor UEs can not necessarily correct the bias properly in an optimal manner. This is due to the fact that the overall bias computed for the combined indoor UEs and outdoor UEs can be substantially different from the bias computed for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs separately. This affects the performance gain typically obtained from applying bias correction. As such, different bias correction factors can be applied to indoor UEs and outdoor UEs in a manner that enhances positioning performance if it is known whether a UE is indoor or outdoor.

[0155] According to aspects of the present disclosure, determining a positioning estimate for a target UE is based on applying at least one bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with the indoor UE that were used in obtaining the positioning estimate. In a positioning environment that includes both indoor UEs and outdoor UEs, the bias correction factor can be limited to use with RS measurements of indoor UEs, as such measurements typically involve environmental conditions (e.g., NLoS conditions, etc.) that affect RS measurements from indoor UEs but remain harmless to outdoor UEs. In certain positioning scenarios involving both indoor UEs and outdoor UEs, it can not necessarily be required to apply a bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with outdoor UEs. However, in other positioning scenarios involving both indoor UEs and outdoor UEs, a further bias correction factor can be applied to RS measurements associated with outdoor UEs that is different from the bias correction factor applied to indoor UEs.

[0156] The application of bias correction factors can be taken in a probabilistic manner with respect to the probability that a UE is an indoor UE versus an outdoor UE. To this end, an indoor / outdoor probability can be used to determine a bias correction factor to apply to RS measurements from a given UE. For example, the bias correction factor to apply to a UE can be determined in the following manner: Calculated bias factor = Indoor probability * Indoor bias factor + (1 - Indoor probability) * Outdoor bias factor

[0157] Various types of measurements (e.g., RTT, AoA, etc.) can be combined to derive a positioning estimate (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 36.355, Section 7.5.2.2.2, “Positioning Methods”). Figure 6). When different types of measurements are used, the different types of measurements are considered "fused" for purposes of determining a position estimate. Additionally, when positioning measurements from different technology types are combined to determine a position estimate, the positioning measurements from different technology types are considered "fused" for purposes of determining a position estimate. Certain aspects of the present disclosure are implemented with the understanding that fusing all types of RS measurements from a UE in a combined indoor / outdoor positioning environment can not provide a significant gain in positioning estimate determination. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the set of measurement types that are fused for indoor UEs can be different than the set of measurement types that are fused for outdoor UEs. For example, indoor UEs are typically associated with lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to penetration loss or higher multipath, which in turn reduces the usefulness of RTT measurements. However, in such scenarios, AoA measurements provided by indoor UEs are indeed useful. As such, for indoor UEs, RS measurements of AoA can be used alone, or fused with one or more other types of RS measurements, while eliminating (or at least reducing) the use of RTT measurements that can be provided by indoor UEs. In the case of outdoor UEs, the fusion of RTT measurements with AoA measurements provides marginal or no positioning estimate performance gain. Thus, for outdoor UEs, RS measurements of RTT can be used alone, or fused with one or more other types of RS measurements, while eliminating (or at least reducing) the use of AoA measurements that can be provided by outdoor UEs.

[0158] In general, certain types of RS measurements can be included in, or excluded from calculations in, the positioning engine based on the indoor / outdoor classification of the UE. In this way, the computational burden associated with providing a position estimate can be reduced, thereby saving power and reducing latency.

[0159] A probabilistic approach can also be employed to determine the types of RS measurements in the fusion operation and their relative weights. For example, an indoor / outdoor probability can be included as part of the weights assigned to different types of RS measurements that are fused in determining a position estimate. One such probabilistic approach can be expressed in the following manner: Computed fusion factor = AoA weight factor * AoA measurement + RTT weight factor * RTT measurement where the AoA weight factor and the RTT weight factor are based on the probability that the UE can be classified as an indoor UE.

[0160] The foregoing formula is merely an example of a soft / probabilistic approach for the fusion operation. In an aspect, the "computed fusion factor" can be part of an optimization cost / objective function that is in turn used as part of a position estimate calculation.

[0161] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the type of fused RS measurements can be combined with measurements obtained using one or more different positioning techniques. Such positioning techniques can include 1) radio frequency fingerprinting, 2) global navigation satellite system technology, 3) one or more sensors associated with multiple UEs, 4) ultra-wideband positioning, 5) Bluetooth positioning, 6) Wi-Fi positioning, 7) enhanced cell identifier positioning, 8) wide area network positioning, 9) local area network positioning, or 10) any combination thereof.

[0162] Figure 9 An example method 900 of wireless communication performed by a network node, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, is shown. At operation 902, the network node obtains RS measurements associated with a plurality of UEs, which can include a mix of indoor UEs and outdoor UEs. In an aspect, operation 902 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, the memory 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 902 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more processors 384, the memory 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 902 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0163] At operation 904, the network node determines a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs. In an aspect, operation 904 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, the memory 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 904 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more processors 384, the memory 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 904 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0164] In some aspects, the network node comprises a location server, a UE, or a base station. In some aspects, the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by an environmental factor associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs. In some aspects, the bias correction factor is applied only to RS measurements associated with the indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE. In some aspects, the method comprises determining the positioning estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs. In some aspects, the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are anchor UEs. In some aspects, the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are mobile UEs. In some aspects, the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE is an indoor UE. In some aspects, the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements. In some aspects, the method comprises determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs. In some aspects, determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: receiving a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving information from another network node for use in determining that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving a classification from another network node indicating that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from another network node of a probability that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0165] Technical advantages of the method 900 include applying bias correction factors to RS measurements associated with indoor UEs to correct for bias associated with indoor UEs in a positioning environment. Accuracy of a positioning estimate for a target UE is improved by selectively applying bias correction factors to indoor UEs versus outdoor UEs in a mix of indoor and outdoor UEs.

[0166] Figure 10An example method 1000 of wireless communication performed by a network node, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, is shown. At operation 1002, the network node obtains RS measurements associated with a plurality of UEs. In an aspect, operation 1002 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, the memory 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 1002 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more processors 384, the memory 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 1002 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation.

[0167] At operation 1004, the network node determines a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, where for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, the RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE. In an aspect, operation 1004 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, the memory 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 1004 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more processors 384, the memory 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation. In an aspect, operation 1004 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation.

[0168] In some aspects, determining the positioning estimate for the target UE is further based on fusing one or more RS measurement types with positioning measurements associated with one or more different positioning techniques. In some aspects, the one or more different positioning techniques include: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with a plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof. In some aspects, the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types fused from the given UE include one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements. In some aspects, the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types fused from the given UE exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements. In some aspects, determining the positioning estimate for the target UE further includes weighting RS measurements of the given UE based on the RS measurement types fused for the given UE. In some aspects, the network node is a location server, a UE, or a base station. In some aspects, the method includes determining which UEs of a plurality of UEs are indoor UEs. In some aspects, determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs includes: receiving a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving information from the network node regarding the network node used to determine that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving a classification from another network node indicating that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from the another network node of a probability that one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0169] Technical advantages of the method 1000 include the fusion of different types of RS measurements for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs to enhance, reduce, or eliminate the impact of different types of RS measurements in the positioning estimate based on the classification of the UE. The accuracy of the positioning estimate for the target UE is improved through selective fusion of different types of RS measurements for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs. Additionally, the computational load and latency associated with determining the positioning estimate when using different sets of RS measurement types for indoor UEs and outdoor UEs can be reduced. Further, the UE can consume less power using the method.

[0170] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of the methods described herein is that techniques that provide lower quality positioning information are identified, and eliminating the lower quality positioning information from the positioning estimate calculation can improve the accuracy of the positioning estimate. Another technical advantage is that techniques that produce lower quality positioning information can be de-emphasized, e.g., by reducing the frequency with which outlier rejection / inner-enclosure layer detection procedures are performed, or reducing the impact of positioning information associated with those techniques on the overall positioning estimate calculation. Yet another technical advantage is that feedback can help reduce the computational burden, e.g., when a subset of anchors is always superior to others, which can save power, and reduce latency.

[0171] As can be seen in the detailed description above, different features are grouped together in examples. This manner of disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting the examples to the features expressly disclosed therein. Rather, the aspects of the disclosure are applicable to all examples wherever there can be described, by association with a specific aspect, a feature that is described in connection with another aspect. Thus, the following clauses are hereby expressly incorporated into the description of each aspect, as if each clause were individually and expressly included in the description of every aspect. Even though each dependent clause can refer to a specific combination of features, the aspect(s) of that dependent clause are not limited to the specific combination— even though that combination can be desirable. It is intended that the aspects of each dependent clause apply to every aspect disclosed herein, irrespective of whether the combination is specifically disclosed in the dependent clause. It is also intended that the aspects of each independent clause apply to all other independent clauses, even if that independent clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0172] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0173] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0174] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by environmental factors associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

[0175] Clause 3. The method of any of clauses 1-2, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

[0176] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1-3, wherein: one or more of the plurality of UEs is an outdoor UE.

[0177] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE.

[0178] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 4-5, further comprising: determining the positioning estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

[0179] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1-6, wherein: the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0180] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1-7, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

[0181] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1-8, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

[0182] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1-9, further comprising: determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0183] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: receiving a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving information from the network node regarding determining that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving a classification from another network node indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from another network node of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0184] Clause 12. A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0185] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

[0186] Clause 14. The method of clause 13, wherein the one or more different positioning technologies comprise: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

[0187] Clause 15. The method of any one of clauses 12 to 14, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusing comprise one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements for the given UE.

[0188] Clause 16. The method of any one of clauses 12 to 15, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusing exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements for the given UE.

[0189] Clause 17. The method of any one of clauses 12 to 16, wherein determining the positioning estimate for the target UE further comprises weighting RS measurements of the given UE for fusing based on the RS measurement types of the one or more different RS measurement types.

[0190] Clause 18. The method of any one of clauses 12 to 17, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0191] Clause 19. The method of any one of clauses 12 to 18, further comprising: determining which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0192] Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein determining which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: receiving, from the plurality of UEs, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from the plurality of UEs, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from the plurality of UEs, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from another network node, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from another network node, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0193] Clause 21. A network node comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0194] Clause 22. The network node of clause 21, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by environmental factors associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

[0195] Clause 23. The network node of any one of clauses 21 to 22, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

[0196] Clause 24. The network node of any one of clauses 21 to 23, wherein: one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are outdoor UEs.

[0197] Clause 25. The network node of clause 24, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE.

[0198] Clause 26. The network node of any one of clauses 24 to 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the positioning estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

[0199] Clause 27. The network node of any of clauses 21-26, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0200] Clause 28. The network node of any of clauses 21-27, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

[0201] Clause 29. The network node of any of clauses 21-28, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

[0202] Clause 30. The network node of any of clauses 21-29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0203] Clause 31. The network node of clause 30, wherein the at least one processor being configured to determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises the at least one processor being configured to: receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0204] Clause 32. A network node, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0205] Clause 33. The network node of clause 32, wherein the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

[0206] Clause 34. The network node of clause 33, wherein the one or more different positioning technologies comprise: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

[0207] Clause 35. The network node of any one of clauses 32 to 34, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusion for the given UE comprise one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements.

[0208] Clause 36. The network node of any one of clauses 32 to 35, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusion for the given UE exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements.

[0209] Clause 37. The network node of any one of clauses 32 to 36, wherein the at least one processor being configured to determine the positioning estimate for the target UE comprises the at least one processor being configured to: weight RS measurements of the given UE for fusion based on the RS measurement type of the one or more different RS measurement types.

[0210] Clause 38. The network node of any one of clauses 32 to 37, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0211] Clause 39. The network node of any one of clauses 32 to 38, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0212] Clause 40. The network node of Clause 39, wherein the at least one processor being configured to determine which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises the at least one processor being configured to: receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0213] Clause 41. A network node, comprising: means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and means for determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0214] Clause 42. The network node of Clause 41, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by environmental factors associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

[0215] Clause 43. The network node of any one of Clauses 41 to 42, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

[0216] Clause 44. The network node of any one of Clauses 41 to 43, wherein: the one or more of the plurality of UEs are outdoor UEs.

[0217] Clause 45. The network node of Clause 44, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE.

[0218] Clause 46, the network node of any of Clauses 44-45, further comprising: means for determining the position estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

[0219] Clause 47, the network node of any of Clauses 41-46, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0220] Clause 48, the network node of any of Clauses 41-47, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

[0221] Clause 49, the network node of any of Clauses 41-48, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

[0222] Clause 50, the network node of any of Clauses 41-49, further comprising: means for determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0223] Clause 51, the network node of Clause 50, wherein the means for determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from another network node, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from another network node, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0224] Clause 52, a network node comprising: means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UE); and means for determining a position estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0225] Clause 53, the network node of clause 52, wherein the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

[0226] Clause 54, the network node of clause 53, wherein the one or more different positioning technologies comprise: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

[0227] Clause 55, the network node of any of clauses 52 to 54, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusion for the given UE comprise one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements.

[0228] Clause 56, the network node of any of clauses 52 to 55, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusion for the given UE exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements.

[0229] Clause 57, the network node of any of clauses 52 to 56, wherein the means for determining the positioning estimate for the target UE further comprises: means for weighting RS measurements of the given UE for fusion based on the RS measurement types of the one or more different RS measurement types.

[0230] Clause 58, the network node of any of clauses 52 to 57, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0231] Clause 59, the network node of any of clauses 52 to 58, further comprising: means for determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0232] Clause 60. The network node of Clause 59, wherein the means for determining which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from the plurality of UEs, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from another network node, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; means for receiving, from another network node, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0233] Clause 61. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for a bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

[0234] Clause 62. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 61, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by environmental factors associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

[0235] Clause 63. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 61 to 62, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

[0236] Clause 64. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 61 to 63, wherein: one or more of the plurality of UEs are outdoor UEs.

[0237] Clause 65. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 64, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE.

[0238] Clause 66. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 64 to 65, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine the position estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

[0239] Clause 67. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 61 to 66, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0240] Clause 68. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 61 to 67, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

[0241] Clause 69. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 61 to 68, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

[0242] Clause 70. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 61 to 69, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0243] Clause 71. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 70, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: receive a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive information from the plurality of UEs regarding the network node to use to determine that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive a classification from another network node indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive an indication from another network node of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0244] Clause 72, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

[0245] Clause 73, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 72, wherein the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

[0246] Clause 74, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 73, wherein the one or more different positioning technologies comprise: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

[0247] Clause 75, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 72 to 74, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusing comprise one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements for the given UE.

[0248] Clause 76, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 72 to 75, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements for fusing exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements for the given UE.

[0249] Clause 77, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 72 to 76, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine the positioning estimate for the target UE comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: weight RS measurements of the given UE for fusing based on the RS measurement types of the one or more different RS measurement types.

[0250] Clause 78, the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Clauses 72 to 77, wherein the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

[0251] Clause 79. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 72 to 78, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

[0252] Clause 80. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 79, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to determine which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to receive a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive information from the plurality of UEs regarding the network node for determining that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive a classification from another network node indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive an indication from another network node of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

[0253] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0254] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0255] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an ASIC, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0256] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., an UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0257] In one or more example aspects, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0258] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims in accordance with the aspects of the disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the disclosure can be described or claimed in singular form, the plural can be assumed where appropriate.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, comprising: obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a position estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by environmental factors associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are outdoor UEs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs when determining the position estimate for the target UE.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: determining the position estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, Determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises: receiving a classification from the plurality of UEs indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from the plurality of UEs of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving information from the plurality of UEs regarding the network node to determine that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving a classification from another network node indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving an indication from another network node of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

12. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, comprising: obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a position estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs. determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on one or more different RS measurement types that fuse the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The one or more different positioning technologies include: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and for the given UE, the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements to fuse include one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and for the given UE, the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements to fuse exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein, determine the positioning estimate for the target UE further includes: weight RS measurements of the given UE for fusion based on the RS measurement type of the one or more different RS measurement types.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein, The network node includes: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, determining which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs includes: receiving, from the plurality of UEs, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from the plurality of UEs, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from the plurality of UEs, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from another network node, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receiving, from another network node, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

21. A network node, comprising: a memory: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

22. The network node of claim 21, wherein: ​ The at least one bias correction factor corresponds to an amount of positioning bias introduced by an environmental factor associated with an indoor environment of the one or more indoor UEs.

23. The network node of claim 21, wherein: the target UE is an indoor UE.

24. The network node of claim 21, wherein: one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are outdoor UEs.

25. The network node of claim 24, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is applied only to RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs in determining the positioning estimate for the target UE.

26. The network node of claim 24, wherein, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine the positioning estimate for the target UE based on applying at least one further bias correction factor to RS measurements associated with one or more outdoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more outdoor UEs.

27. The network node of claim 21, wherein, the network node comprises: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

28. The network node of claim 21, wherein: the at least one bias correction factor is based on a probability that a UE of the plurality of UEs is an indoor UE.

29. The network node of claim 21, wherein: the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs comprise round trip time (RTT) measurements; and the at least one bias correction factor is applied to the RTT measurements.

30. The network node of claim 21, wherein, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

31. The network node of claim 30, wherein, the at least one processor being configured to determine which UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs comprises the at least one processor being configured to: receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

32. A network node, comprising: a memory: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on one or more different RS measurement types that fuse the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, a RS measurement type is fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

33. The network node of claim 32, wherein, The one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements are associated with one or more different positioning technologies.

34. The network node of claim 33, wherein, The one or more different positioning technologies include: radio frequency fingerprinting; global navigation satellite system technology; one or more sensors associated with the plurality of UEs; ultra-wideband positioning; Bluetooth positioning; Wi-Fi positioning; enhanced cell identifier positioning; wide area network positioning; local area network positioning; or any combination thereof.

35. The network node of claim 32, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and for the given UE, the one or more different RS measurement types of RS measurements to fuse include one or more angle of arrival (AoA) measurements.

36. The network node of claim 32, wherein: the given UE is an indoor UE; and for the given UE, the one or more RS measurement types of RS measurements to fuse exclude round trip time (RTT) measurements.

37. The network node of claim 32, wherein, the at least one processor being configured to determine the positioning estimate for the target UE includes the at least one processor being configured to: weight RS measurements of the given UE for fusion based on the RS measurement types of the one or more different RS measurement types.

38. The network node of claim 32, wherein, The network node includes: a location server; a UE; or a base station.

39. The network node of claim 32, wherein, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs.

40. The network node of claim 39, wherein, the at least one processor being configured to determine which of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs includes the at least one processor being configured to: receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from the plurality of UEs via the at least one transceiver, information regarding the network node for determining that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, a classification indicating that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; receive, from another network node via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a probability that the one or more of the plurality of UEs are indoor UEs; or any combination thereof.

41. A network node, comprising: means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and and means for determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

42. A network node, comprising: means for obtaining reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and means for determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on fusing one or more different RS measurement types of the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, RS measurement types are fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determining a positioning estimate for a target UE based on the RS measurements, wherein, at least one bias correction factor is applied to a subset of the RS measurements associated with one or more indoor UEs of the plurality of UEs to correct for bias in the RS measurements associated with the one or more indoor UEs.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: obtain reference signal (RS) measurements associated with a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and determine a positioning estimate for a target UE based on one or more different RS measurement types that fuse the RS measurements associated with the plurality of UEs, wherein, for a given UE among the plurality of UEs, RS measurement types are fused based on whether the given UE is an indoor UE or an outdoor UE.

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