Locating target object using wireless ranging and user equipment location

Abstract

A method for locating a target object includes determining a plurality of location-distance values, each location-distance value of the plurality of location-distance values including: a location of a user equipment with respect to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance between the location of the user equipment and the target object, measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, where the user equipment is different at each location of the plurality of location-distance values; and calculating a location of the target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to the reference location.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 340,350, filed June 23, 2023, entitled “LOCATION OF TARGET OBJECT USINGWIRELESS RANGING AND USER EQUIPMENT POSITIONS”, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background Technology

[0003] Locating a lost object using wireless signals between the user equipment and the lost object typically relies on the availability of multiple antennas for determining angle of arrival (AoA) information. Including AoA antennas on the equipment requires additional components, printed circuit board space, and special calibration. Without multiple antennas, AoA information cannot be used to locate the object. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one implementation, a method for locating a target object includes: determining a plurality of location-distance values ​​by one or more processors, each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​including: a location of a user equipment relative to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance being between the location of the user equipment and the target object, which is measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the location of the user equipment in each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​is different; and calculating the location of the target object by one or more processors using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to the reference location.

[0005] In another embodiment, a computing device includes: components for determining a plurality of location-distance values, each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​including: a location of a user equipment relative to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance being between the location of the user equipment and a target object, measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the location of the user equipment in each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​is different; and components for calculating the location of a target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to a reference location.

[0006] In another embodiment, a user equipment includes: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to: determine a plurality of location-distance values, each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​including: a location of the user equipment relative to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance between the location of the user equipment and a target object, measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the location of the user equipment in each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​is different; and calculate the location of the target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to a reference location.

[0007] In another embodiment, a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors to: determine a plurality of location-distance values, each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​including: a location of a user equipment relative to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance between the location of the user equipment and a target object, measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the location of the user equipment in each of the plurality of location-distance values ​​is different; and calculate the location of the target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to a reference location. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 It is a simplified diagram of an example system that includes user equipment and the target object to be found.

[0009] Figure 2A An example of user equipment is shown.

[0010] Figure 2B It shows Figure 2A A block diagram of the components of an example of user equipment shown.

[0011] Figure 3 An example of the target object is shown.

[0012] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown for a method used to determine the location of a target object.

[0013] Figure 5 An example information flow is shown for determining and indicating the location of a target object.

[0014] Figure 6 A graphical representation of the calculation for locating the target object is shown.

[0015] Figure 7 An example of a calculation of a position of a target object is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for updating a reference position in a calculation of a position of a target object is shown.

[0017] Figure 9 An example user experience in locating a target object is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 10 A flowchart of a method for selectively providing directional information to a user is shown.

[0019] Figure 11 A flowchart of a method for calculating an absolute precision of a position of a target object is shown.

[0020] Figure 12 An example precision ellipsoid centered on a position of a target object is illustrated.

[0021] Figure 13 An example precision ellipse of a position of a target object in an arbitrary direction is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 14 An example display of a position of a target object with a representation of a precision ellipsoid or precision ellipse is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 15 An example angular precision of a position of a target object is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 16 A flowchart of a method for calculating an angular precision of a position of a target object is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Techniques for determining a location of a target object using positioning of a user equipment (UE) and wireless ranging signals are discussed herein. For example, the UE and the target object are each configured to support wireless communications using one or more wireless signals that support wireless ranging techniques. To locate the target object, the UE is moved to different locations within an environment. At each location, a position of the UE is calculated using information from components of the UE, such as sensors. Also at each location, a distance between the position and the target object is measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the UE and the target object. The position and the distance at each location form a position-distance value. Using a combination of the different position-distance values, a position of the target object is calculated. Directional information can be displayed to a user based on the position of the target object. For example, the directional information can direct the user in a certain direction for a certain distance. Such directional information provides the user with an estimated area in which the target object can be located. As the user continues to move the UE, the position of the target object can be updated, and updated directional information can be provided to the user.

[0026] The items and / or techniques described herein can provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. Positioning of a target object can be computed without using angle of arrival (AoA) information. A UE can be able to locate a target object without including or requiring multiple antennas to determine AoA. Since multiple antennas add cost to a UE, the functionality of finding a lost object can be provided without incurring the additional cost of multiple antennas. Locating a target object on a UE without multiple antennas is possible. Other capabilities can be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any or all of the capabilities discussed.

[0027] The description herein can refer to a sequence of acts to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. The various acts described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by programmatic instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of acts described herein can be embodied within a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, various examples described herein can be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the disclosure, including claimed subject matter.

[0028] Figure 1is a simplified diagram of an example system that includes a user equipment and a target object to be found. Generally, the user equipment (UE) 105 can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer asset tracking device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). The UE 105 can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times). As used herein, the term “UE” can be referred to interchangeably 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 terminal,” a “mobile station,” a “mobile device,” or variations thereof. The UE 105 can be embodied by any of a number of devices including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wireline phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The UE 105 can include and / or can be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, or some other name. Moreover, the UE 105 can correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a PDA, a consumer asset tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, a virtual reality headset, an augmented reality glasses, or some other portable or moveable device. The UE 105 supports wireless communication with the target object 102 using one or more radio access technologies (RATs) that can be used by wireless ranging techniques, such as IEEE 802.11 WiFi ® (also known as Wi-Fi ® ), Bluetooth ® (BT), Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), etc.

[0029] The target object 102 can be another UE. The target object can be any of a variety of devices, such as a set of earbuds (or an earbud), an earbud charger, a set of headphones, a smart tag, or any other device capable of wireless communication with the UE 105 using one or more of the RATs that can be used for wireless ranging.

[0030] Referring to Figure 1 , to locate the target object 102 according to example embodiments, the UE 105 moves to different locations. The UE 105 communicates with the target object 102 using signals of one or more RATs. The location of the UE 105 at each location is determined, as well as the distance between the location of the UE 105 and the target object 102, as described further below. The combination of the location-distance values at the different locations is used to calculate the location of the target object 102, as described further below with reference to FIGS. 2 through Figure 10 .

[0031] A position of the UE 105 can be referred to as a position estimate or a position fix and can be geographic, e.g., location coordinates of the UE 105 in a three-dimensional space. The position of the UE 105 can be represented as a region or volume within which the UE 105 is expected to lie with some probability or level of confidence (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The position of the UE 105 can be represented as a relative position comprising, e.g., a distance and direction relative to a reference position. The relative position can be represented as relative coordinates defined relative to a reference position (e.g., ΔΧ, ΔΥ, and ΔΖ coordinates). In the description contained herein, use of the term “position” can include any of these variants, unless otherwise indicated.

[0032] Figure 2A An example user equipment 200 is illustrated. The UE 200 can be an example of the UE 105. The UE 200 can include one or more processors 210, one or more memories 211 including software (SW) 212, and one or more wireless transceivers 240, although any of these devices can be referred to in the singular (e.g., the processor 210) while including one or more of the corresponding device. The one or more processors 210 and the one or more memories 211 can be communicatively coupled by a bus 220, which can be configured for optical and / or electrical communication, for example. The transceiver 240 is configured for wireless communication using one or more RATs.

[0033] Figure 2B An example user equipment 280 is illustrated. The UE 280 can be an example of the UE 105. Figure 2AThe UE 280 can include a computing platform that includes one or more processors 210, one or more memories 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 including a wireless transceiver 240, a user interface 216, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The one or more processors 210, the one or more memories 211, the one or more sensors 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus 220, which can be configured for, e.g., optical and / or electrical communication. The one or more processors 210 can include one or more intelligent hardware devices, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), one or more microcontrollers, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The one or more processors 210 can include multiple processors included in a one or more general-purpose / application processors 230, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 231, one or more modem processors 232, one or more video processors 233, and / or one or more sensor processors 234. For example, the sensor processor 234 can include a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (where transmitted one or more wireless signals and reflections are used to identify, map, and / or track objects) and / or ultrasound, etc. The one or more modem processors 232 can support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) can be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and another SIM can be used by an end user of the UE 280 to obtain connectivity. The one or more memories 211 can be one or more non-transitory storage mediums that can include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disc memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The one or more memories 211 can store software 212 that can be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that can be configured to, when executed, cause the one or more processors 210 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software 212 can not be directly executable by the one or more processors 210 but can be configured to, for example, cause the one or more processors 210 to perform functions when compiled and executed. The descriptions herein can refer to the one or more processors 210 performing various functions, but this includes other implementations such as where the one or more processors 210 execute software and / or firmware. The descriptions herein can refer to the one or more processors 210 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more of the processors 230-234 performing the functions. The descriptions herein can refer to the UE 280 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE 280 performing the functions.The functionality of the one or more processors 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0034] Figure 2B The configuration of the UE 280 shown in FIG. 2 is an example and not limiting of the present disclosure (including claims) and other configurations can be used. For example, an example configuration of the UE 280 includes one or more of the processors 230-234 in the processor(s) 210, the memory 211, the wireless transceiver, and one or more of the sensors 213, the user interface 216, the camera 218, and / or the PD 219.

[0035] The UE 280 can include a modem processor 232, which can be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received by and to be transmitted by the transceiver 215. The modem processor 232 can perform such baseband processing for signals

[0036] The UE 280 can include sensors 213, which can include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 270, one or more magnetometers 271, and / or one or more environmental sensors 272. The IMU 270 can include, for example, one or more accelerometers 273 (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of the UE 280 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes). The sensors 213 can include one or more magnetometers 271 (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic and / or true north), which can be used for any of a variety of purposes, such as to support one or more compass applications. The environmental sensors 272 can include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, among others. The sensors 213 can generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which can be stored in the memory 211 and processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general-purpose / application-specific processor(s) 230 to support one or more applications, such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations. The sensors 213 can include one or more of other various types of sensors, such as one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors, among others.

[0037] Sensor 213 can be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by sensor 213 can be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. Sensor 213 can be used to determine whether UE 280 is stationary (stationary) or mobile. For example, for relative positioning information, a sensor / IMU can be used to determine an angle and / or orientation of another device relative to UE 280, etc.

[0038] IMU 270 can be configured to provide measurements regarding a direction of motion and / or a speed of motion of UE 280, which can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 273 and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 of IMU 270 can detect linear acceleration and rotational velocity of UE 280, respectively. Linear acceleration measurements and rotational velocity measurements of UE 280 can be integrated over time to determine an instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of UE 280. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track a position of UE 280. For example, a reference position of UE 280 at a certain time can be determined, and measurements obtained from accelerometers 273 and gyroscopes 274 after that time can be used (e.g., in dead reckoning) to determine a current position of UE 280 based on movement (direction and distance) of UE 280 relative to the reference position.

[0039] Magnetometer 271 can determine magnetic field strength in different directions, which can be used to determine an orientation of UE 280. For example, the orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for UE 280. A magnetometer can include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Magnetometer 271 can include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. Magnetometer 271 can provide a means for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, e.g., to one or more processors 210.

[0040] The transceiver 215 can include a wireless transceiver 240 configured to communicate with other devices through wireless connections. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 can include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals 248 and converting the signals from and to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals. The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 can include multiple transmitters, which can be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 can include multiple receivers, which can be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 can be configured to communicate signals according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11az), WiFi ® , WiFi ® Direct (WiFi ® -D), Bluetooth ® , Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) (including 802.15.4), etc. As used herein, a “radio” refers to a wireless transmitter and / or a wireless receiver configured to communicate signals according to a particular RAT. The transceiver 215 can be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, e.g., through optical and / or electrical connections. The transceiver interface 214 can be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244, and / or the antenna 246 can include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals.

[0041] The user interface 216 can include one or more of a number of devices such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like. The user interface 216 can include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface 216 can be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 280. For example, the user interface 216 can store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the one or more memories 211 in response to actions from a user or requests from applications to be processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general-purpose / application processor 230. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE 280 can store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the one or more memories 211 to present output signals to a user. The user interface 216 can include audio input / output (I / O) devices comprising, for example, a speaker, a microphone, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, amplifiers, and / or gain control circuitry, including more than one of any of these devices. Other configurations of audio I / O devices can be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 can include one or more touch sensors that respond to touches and / or pressures on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216.

[0042] The UE 280 can include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. The camera 218 can include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, and the like. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images can be performed by the general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, a video processor 233 can perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. The video processor 233 can decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of the user interface 216).

[0043] A positioning device (PD) 219 can be configured to determine a position of the UE 280, a motion of the UE 280, and / or a relative position of the UE 280, and / or a time. The PD 219 can work in conjunction with the one or more processors 210 and the one or more memories 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, where appropriate, although the description herein can refer to the PD 219 being configured to perform or performing in accordance with a positioning method. The PD 219 can additionally or alternatively be configured to determine a location of the UE 280 using trilateration with terrestrial-based signals (e.g., at least some of the wireless signals 248). The PD 219 can be configured to determine a location of the UE 280 using one or more images from the camera 218 in conjunction with image recognition of known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks such as mountains and / or man-made landmarks such as buildings, bridges, streets, etc.). The PD 219 can be configured to determine a relative motion or orientation of the UE 280 by comparing multiple images captured by the camera 218 and tracking how a common "point of interest" within the images moves between the images. The PD 219 can be configured to determine a location of the UE 280 using one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on a UE's self-reported location (e.g., as part of a positioning beacon of the UE)), and can determine a location of the UE 280 using a combination of techniques (e.g., satellite and terrestrial positioning signals). The PD 219 can include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, etc.) that can sense an orientation and / or motion of the UE 280 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or motion, which one or more processors 210 (e.g., general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231) can be configured to use to determine a motion (e.g., a velocity vector and / or an acceleration vector) of the UE 280. The PD 219 can be configured to provide an indication of an uncertainty and / or error of a determined position and / or motion. The functionality of the PD 219 can be provided in a variety of ways and / or configurations, for example, by the general-purpose / application processor 230, the transceiver 215, and / or another component of the UE 280, and can be provided through hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0044] Figure 3An example target object 300 is illustrated. The target object 300 can be an example of the target object 102. The target object 300 can include one or more processors 310, one or more memories 330 (possibly including SW 312), and one or more wireless transceivers 320, although any of these devices can be referred to in the singular (e.g., the processor 310) while including one or more of the respective device. The one or more processors 310 and the one or more memories 330 can be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus 340, which can be configured for optical and / or electrical communication, for example. The transceiver 320 can be configured for wireless communication using one or more RATs. For example, the transceiver 320 can be configured to wirelessly communicate with the transceiver 240 of the UE 200 using one or more RATs.

[0045] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example method 400 for determining a location of a target object 102. The method 400 includes receiving a request to locate the target object 102 (block 410). For example, a user input requesting to locate the object is received through a user interface of the UE 105. The one or more processors 210, possibly in combination with the one or more memories 211, in combination with the user interface 216, can include means for receiving the request. The method 400 includes determining a plurality of location-distance values (block 420). In an example implementation, messages are communicated through the user interface 216 to instruct a user of the UE 105 to move the UE 105 to different locations. Each of the location-distance values can include a location of the UE 105 relative to a reference location, and a distance corresponding to the location of the UE 105. The reference location can be, for example, a location of the UE 105, a location of another object or device, or a coordinate in a three-dimensional space. The distance is between the location of the UE 105 and the target object 102, and is measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the UE 105 and the target object 102. The location of the UE 105 in each of the location-distance values is different. The different locations can be a subset of some but not all of the measured locations for the UE 105. For example, the measured locations can include some of the same measured locations and some different measured locations. The one or more processors 210, in combination with the one or more memories 211, can include means for determining the locations of the UE 105. As used herein, an exchange of “wireless ranging signals” refers to an exchange of radio signals that support a capability to determine a distance between two transceivers (e.g., the transceiver 240 of the UE 105 and the transceiver 320 of the target object 102). For example, the wireless transceivers 240, 320 can exchange wireless ranging signals according to IEEE 802.1 1 az, WiFi ® , Bluetooth ®Or, UWB protocol signal exchange. For example, the time-of-flight (TOF) of the wireless ranging signal between transceivers 240 and 320 can be used to measure the distance between UE 105 and target object 102. As another example, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the wireless ranging signal can be used to measure the distance between UE 105 and target object 102. Yet another example is phase-based ranging (e.g., Bluetooth) that measures the signal phase delay in the exchange of wireless ranging signals between transceivers 240 and 215. ® Channel detection can be used to measure the distance between UE 105 and target object 102. One or more processors 210, combined with one or more memories 211 and transceivers 240, 320, may include components for determining the location of UE 105 and the distance between target object 102.

[0046] Method 400 includes calculating the location of a target object 102 using multiple location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object 102 is relative to a reference location (box 430). One or more processors 210, combined with one or more memories 211, may include components for calculating the location of the target object 102.

[0047] For example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 Location of target object 102 It is unknown, that is, target object 102 is "lost". In response to receiving a request for locating target object 102, one or more processors 210 establish wireless communication between the radio transceiver 240 of UE 105 and the radio transceiver 320 of target object 102, wherein one or more radio ranging signals are exchanged according to one or more RATs. The location of UE 105 The location (x1, y1, z1) of UE 105 is calculated corresponding to time t1. This location can be set as a reference location. At time t1, the distance r1 between UE 105 and target object 102 is measured using the wireless ranging signal between UE 105 and target object 102. The distance r1 and the location-distance value based on time t1 are correlated with each other. UE 105 location The calculation corresponds to time t2, and the distance r2 is measured, where This, along with r2, forms a second location-distance value based on time t2. (UE105 location) The calculation corresponds to time t3, and the distance r3 is measured, where and r3 form a third position-distance value based on time t3. As the UE 105 moves to different positions, the computation of the position of the UE 105 and the measurement of the corresponding distance from the UE 105 to the target object 102 are repeated. The position of the UE 105 corresponding to time t N is computed, and the distance r N is measured. Each position in the sequence of positions of the UE 105 and r N form an Nth position-distance value based on time t N . The position of the UE 105 Each position in the sequence of positions of the UE 105 can be determined relative to a reference position (xl, yl, zl). The position of the UE 105 . Each position in the sequence of positions of the UE 105 can be determined by the PD 219, as described above with reference to The positions of the target object 102 can be computed using the position-distance values (e.g., by the processor 210). Figure 2B

[0048] Figure 5 An example information flow for positioning a target object is illustrated. Dead reckoning positions 530 of the UE 105 relative to a reference position can be computed by the PD 219 in combination with the one or more processors 210 and the one or more memories 211 using information from the sensors 213. Images can be captured by the camera 218, and information obtained from processing of these images can be used in combination with information from the sensors 213 to determine positions of the UE 105, which can provide higher accuracy than not using images from the camera 218. Information determined from measuring wireless ranging signals (e.g., UWB, 802.11az, BT channel sounding signals) exchanged between the UE 105 and the target object 102 can be used to measure distances 510 between the UE 105 and the target object 102. Each distance 510 and position 530 correspond to each other according to a common time base 520, and together form a position-distance value. A plurality of position-distance values can be processed according to the method 400 (e.g., by the processor 210) to compute a position of the target object 102 relative to the reference position. The processor 210 can use the position of the target object 102, together with a current position and orientation of the UE 105, to determine a direction of the target object relative to the UE 105. The processor 210 can determine direction information, e.g., a direction and distance of the target object 102 relative to the UE 105, and provide the direction information to a UE user interface 540 (e.g., the user interface 216). The UE user interface 540 can provide one or more indications (e.g., one or more visual indications and / or one or more verbal indications) regarding the direction and distance of the target object 102 relative to the UE 105. ​​

[0049] In one example embodiment, one or more processors on the UE 105 execute instructions / code stored in one or more memories 211 to implement the method 400. In another example embodiment, the UE 105 transmits the position-distance values to a network computing device over a network connection for processing, where one or more processors of the network computing device execute instructions / code stored on one or more memories of the network computing device to implement the method 400. In another example embodiment, the UE 105 transmits the position-distance values to a local computing device, such as over a device-to-device wired or wireless connection, where one or more processors of the local computing device execute instructions / code stored on one or more memories of the local computing device to implement the method 400. The one or more processors implementing the method 400 can return the position of the target object 102 to the UE 105.

[0050] Figure 6 Graphical representations are shown of using the determined position-distance values to compute the position of the target object 102. For each position-distance value, a sphere representing a three-dimensional space can be derived, where the position of the UE 105 is the center of the sphere and the corresponding distance is the radius of the sphere. For example, for the position and distance r1, sphere 610 represents the corresponding three-dimensional space, where Figure 6 is the plane that passes through sphere 610 (and other spheres discussed herein). For the position and distance r2, sphere 620 represents the corresponding three-dimensional space. For the position and distance r3, sphere 630 represents the corresponding three-dimensional space. For the position and distance r N , sphere 640 represents the corresponding three-dimensional space. Because the position and distance can not be exact (e.g., have some error), the boundary of each sphere 610, 620, 630, 640 can have a “thickness,” i.e., the boundary can be a range of values. The intersection of the spheres 610, 620, 630, 640 provides a three-dimensional space 650 within which the target object 102 is estimated to be located. As additional position-distance values are determined, and more spheres representing corresponding three-dimensional spaces are added, the size of the space 650 can become smaller, and thus the position estimate of the target object 102 can become more accurate.

[0051] Figure 7 An example is illustrated of the computation of the position of the target object 102. Referring to Figure 7 The illustrated computation can be an example of the computation illustrated in block 430 of Figure 4 One or more processors 210 can compute N positions of the UE 105 (i.e., the position of the UE 105 at N different times), and N distances to the target object 102. The one or more processors 210 can compute the position of the target object 102 using the N positions of the UE 105 and the N distances to the target object 102. i = { , , , ..., } wherein i with respect to a reference position. Each position i represents a position of the UE 105 in three-dimensional space (e.g., i = (p xi , p yi , p zi ) The one or more processors 210 can measure a position of the UE 105 using one or more wireless ranging signals communicated between the UE 105 and the target object 102 i from the target object 102 (i.e., r i = {r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , …, r n } Each distance r i corresponds to a position i and a time or time period (i.e., t i = {t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , …, t n } Each corresponding position i and distance r i forms a position-distance value s i = {t i , i, r i } .like Figure 7 As illustrated, one or more processors 210 can use location-distance values s i To construct the loss function λ( ) As an array of N samples (box 710): s i = { t i , i, r i}in i {1, …, N}, Where s i The elements are as follows: t i =UE 105 is in positioning i and the distance from the target object 102 r i Time spent i =UE 105 in time t i Position relative to reference position r i =At time t i Distance between UE 105 and target object 102 One or more processors 210 accept candidate localizations as a loss function λ( ) (Box 720) Find candidate locations that produce the lowest output value of the loss function. (Box 730) (i.e., minimizing the loss function) and determining candidate localization. Positioning of target object 102 relative to a reference position (box 740). This indicates the location of the target object 102 in three-dimensional space (i.e., = (x, y, z) For example, gradient descent can be used to optimize the loss function. λ( ) Minimize to compute The value of gradient descent. Gradient descent is an iterative process that calculates the location of the target object 102. A series of approximations are derived, each approximation gradually approaching the solution. Each approximation is calculated based on a previous approximation. For time... t i The positioning of UE 105 is p i = (p x , p y , p z ) And the positioning of target object 102 yes (x, y, z) Distance ρ i It can be given by the following formula: (Equation 1) Then we can construct a loss function for a single location-distance value: (Equation 2) The loss function for N location-distance values ​​can be derived from Equation 2: (Equation 3) In the example implementation, different weights can be applied to certain components of the loss function. When applying weights... q i In this case, the loss function can be modified as follows: (Equation 4) One example weight is based on radio type. Different wireless ranging signals provide different levels of accuracy in measuring the distance between UE 105 and target object 102. For example, a signal from a UWB radio can provide a higher level of accuracy than one from Bluetooth. ® Higher accuracy measurements of radio signals. When measuring different distances using different radio types, distances measured using signals from higher-accuracy radio types can be assigned a greater weight than distances measured using signals from lower-accuracy radio types. Weighting q i The standard deviation can be modeled based on the measurement error for each type of radio. σ For example, if the i-th measurement is performed using UWB radio, and Bluetooth is used... ® Radio performs the j-th measurement, where σ i <σ j Then it can be calculated q isuch that a larger weight is applied to the ith measurement compared to the jth measurement.

[0052] Standard deviation for a specific transceiver type σ may be pre-computed, possibly in combination with other operational parameters such as frequency. Below is an example lookup table with exemplary values of s for transceiver types and operational parameters:

[0053] For the localization of the target object , the loss function is redefined as , ρ i the difference between r i is normalized by the standard deviation of r r i : (Equation 5) In this example, . The relative contribution of the UWB measurements to the loss function will be larger than the Bluetooth ® measurements. Applying weights in this way allows for a combination of measurements from different radio types with different levels of accuracy. For example, a first radio type with a longer range can be used initially, and a change to a second radio type with a shorter range can occur later. By applying weights as described above, it is not necessary to discard previous distance measurements using the first radio type. Measurements from both the first and second radio types can be used.

[0054] Different weights can also be applied to different distance measurements made by the same radio type based on one or more other parameters. For example, different measurements from the same radio type can have different standard deviations σ where the greater the distance between the UE 105 and the target object 102, the greater the value of the standard deviation σ . The weight q i may be computed such that a smaller weight is applied to measurements made at larger distances compared to measurements made at smaller distances. For example, σ the value of s can be applied using a lookup table, or can be computed as a function of r as follows: σ = f(r) , (Equation 6) where the function f() varies depending on the specific operational parameter of the radio type.

[0055] Another example of weight dependency is based on measurement time. Measurements performed by components of the UE 105 (such as the IMU 270, camera 218, etc.) contain errors that may gradually increase over time. The greater the time difference between the location measurement time and the reference location time, the less accurate the location measurement is likely to be, and can be assumed to be less accurate. Therefore, the standard deviation of the error... σ It can increase with time difference. Weights can be calculated. q i This results in smaller weights being applied to later measurements compared to earlier measurements. Weights q i The formula can be based on a model of the error sources in the measurement. For example, when the standard deviation of the error... σ When it increases exponentially with time, q i Possible equations could be: (Equation 7) Where τ is the derived time constant. When the positioning error accumulates rapidly, τ will have a smaller value than when the positioning error accumulates more slowly.

[0056] Another example of weight dependency is based on the movement speed of UE 105. UE 105 can move at varying speeds. For example, some measurements can be taken when UE 105 is nearly stationary, while others can be taken when UE 105 is moving (e.g., being shaken). The movement speed of UE 105 can affect UE positioning. i Accuracy. Weighting q i Can be based on location i Standard deviation of measurement σ This is calculated so that measurements taken at the faster moving speed of the UE 105 are given a smaller weight than measurements taken at the slower moving speed of the UE 105. For example, the standard deviation of the UE positioning measurements... σ It can be proportional to the instantaneous velocity of the UE 105 during the measurement. Weighting q i A specific example implementation could be: (Equation 8) in σ r It is the standard deviation of the TOF measurement, and σ v With UE 105 in time t i The speed at that point is proportional.

[0057] Another example weight dependency is based on movement of the target object 102. For example, if the target object 102 is capable of detecting movement of the target object 102, such as being configured with a sensor similar to the sensor 213, information of the movement (e.g., from the sensor) can be used to compute the weight q i . For example, if after a measurement of the initial positioning-distance value, the target object 102 detects that the target object 102 has moved, the target object 102 can transmit a signal to the UE 105 to indicate the movement. In response, a smaller weight q i may be applied to measurements made prior to the movement. Measurements made prior to the movement can be discarded by applying a weight q i = 0.

[0058] Another example weight dependency is based on wireless ranging signal strength. The radio can be configured with one or more mechanisms for determining the accuracy of measurements made by the radio. For example, the radio can be configured with a mechanism for measuring the extent of signal multipath in the physical environment. This information can be used to estimate the standard deviation σ i of measurements made by the radio. For another example, the transceiver can be configured to use a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) to perform an estimate of σ i . The weight q i may be computed such that a smaller weight is applied to signals with a larger σ i . For example, the weight q i may be computed as: (Equation 9) In another embodiment, the weight q i is based on a combination of one or more factors, where the standard deviation q i of the factors are combined in the computation of the weight σ . For example, each measurement can include multiple sources of uncertainty, such as the variance of the TOF measurement, the variance of the positioning of the UE 105, the time delay, etc. These effects can be combined to compute the weight q i as follows: (Equation 10) In one example, the weight q iThe values ​​are pre-calculated and used as input along with the location-distance values ​​during the execution of method 400. In another example, operating parameter values ​​such as radio type, frequency, etc., are used as input to method 400, and weights are... q i Calculated during the execution of method 400 (e.g., by processor 210).

[0059] In one example implementation, the location of target object 102 is calculated ( Figure 4 In box 430), the reference location can be updated, such as to a closer UE location. Updating the reference location to a closer UE location can result in a more accurate determination of the location of the target object 102. For example, after calculating a first location of the target object 102 in the first iteration of boxes 420 and 430 of method 400, one or more processors 210 can calculate a second location of the target object 102 in the second iteration of boxes 420 and 430. In the second iteration, one or more processors 210 can update the reference location to a closer UE location (e.g., the location reached by UE 105 after calculating the first location) and use the closer UE location to calculate the second location of the target object 102, such as the reference location. Figure 8 As described.

[0060] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method 800 for updating a reference location in the calculation of the location of a target object 102 is shown. One or more processors 210 may determine an updated reference location of a UE 105 (block 810). One or more processors 210 may update one or more locations of the UE 105 among a plurality of location-distance values ​​relative to the updated reference location (block 820). One or more processors 210 may use a plurality of location-distance values ​​including one or more updated locations to calculate the location of the target object 102, wherein the location of the target object 102 is relative to the updated reference location (block 830). One or more processors 210, combined with one or more memories 211, may include components for implementing blocks 810 to 830.

[0061] One or more processors 210 can update the location of UE 105 at various times. The current location of UE 105 can be... The method outputs the location of the target object 102 at the time of positioning. Method 800 includes updating the reference location to the current location of the UE 105. and recalculate one or more locations. i With relative to the newer reference positioning Location of target object 102 Method 400 can be used, including updates. i of the sample s i where the position of the target object 102 is computed relative to .

[0062] Figure 9 An example user experience in locating a target object 102 is illustrated using, for example, an embodiment of the method 400. In this example, the UE 105 is a mobile device having one or more processors (e.g., the processor 210) that execute an application (e.g., the software 212) stored in one or more memories (e.g., the memory 211). The user of the UE 105 executes the application and the application displays an image 910 on the user interface of the UE 105 that provides a list of items that support wireless ranging signals. The user selects one of the items as the target object 102. In response to receiving the selection of the target object 102, the application executing on the UE 105 causes a communication link between the transceiver of the UE 105 and the transceiver of the target object 102 (e.g., between the transceivers 240, 320) to be established. The application displays an image 920 on the user interface with instructions for the user to move the UE 105. As the UE 105 moves to different locations, the application performs the method 400 as described above, including computing the position of the target object 102. The application causes direction information to be displayed on the user interface as an image 930 based on the position of the target object 102 and the orientation of the UE 105. As the user continues to move the UE 105, the position of the target object 102 is updated. The application displays updated direction information in an image 940 based on the updated position of the target object 102 and the updated orientation of the UE 105.

[0063] In an example embodiment, the method 400 includes determining whether the estimated position of the target object 102 is reliable enough to provide direction information to the user. As described above with reference to Figure 6 , the position and distance in the position-distance value can not be accurate. As more position-distance values are determined, the position of the target object 102 can become more precise. For example, each distance r may have a known standard deviation σ . Figure 10A flowchart of a method 1000 for selectively providing directional information to a user is shown. The method 1000 can include computing a precision of a position of a target object 102 (block 1010). Examples of the computation of the precision are described further below. The method 1000 can include comparing the precision to a threshold (block 1020). The threshold represents a desired precision of the position of the target object 102. If the precision exceeds (block 1025) the threshold, the method 1000 can include outputting directional information based on the position of the target object 102 (block 1030) (e.g., the images 930, 940). For example, the directional information can be communicated from the UE 105 to another entity (e.g., a server), can be passed from one portion of the UE 105 to another portion of the UE 105, and / or provided to the user interface 216 and output to the user therefrom as one or more visual cues and / or one or more audible cues. If the threshold is not exceeded, blocks 420 and 430 are repeated (block 1040) to compute a next position of the target object, at least until the threshold is exceeded or another condition is met, e.g., a number of position-distance values is determined or a time period expires. Figure 4

[0064] Two example measures of the precision of the determined position of the target object 102 include absolute precision and directional precision. As used herein, absolute precision refers to the precision determined for individual coordinates of the position of the target object 102. As used herein, directional precision refers to the precision determined for an angle of orientation from the UE 105 to the target object 102. Figure 11 A flowchart of a method 1100 for computing the absolute precision of the position of the target object 102 is shown. The method 1100 can include a computation of a precision ellipsoid centered on the position of the target object 102 (block 1110), where the position of the target object 102 is computed as described above with reference to blocks 420 and 430 of the method 1000. Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 1200 for computing the directional precision of the position of the target object 102 is shown. The method 1200 can include a computation of a precision cone centered on the position of the target object 102 (block 1210), where the position of the target object 102 is computed as described above with reference to blocks 420 and 430 of the method 1000. Figure 12 An example precision cone 1202 centered on the position of the target object 102 is illustrated.

[0065] The size of the precision cone in each direction indicates the confidence of the position in each respective direction. The smaller the precision cone, the higher the confidence of the position . Returning to Figure 11 ​​Method 1100 may include comparing the dimensions of a precision ellipsoid in one or more directions with one or more corresponding thresholds (box 1120). For example, the thresholds may be configured as 1 meter along the x-axis, 4 meters along the y-axis, and 10 meters along the z-axis. If the dimensions of the precision ellipsoid in a direction are lower than the corresponding thresholds (as determined in box 1125), orientation information based on the positioning of the target object 102 may be output (box 1130). If the dimensions of the precision ellipsoid in a direction are not lower than the corresponding thresholds, the calculation of the next positioning of the target object 102 is repeated (as described above). Figure 4 (As described in boxes 420 and 430), calculation of the accuracy of the next positioning, and comparison of the dimensions of the accuracy ellipsoid (as described in reference boxes 1110 and 1120). One or more processors 210, combined with one or more memories 211, may include components for implementing boxes 1110, 1120, 1125, 1130, and 1140.

[0066] Refer again Figure 12 An example is given of a loss function that operates in three dimensions. (i.e., three-dimensional loss function) Example accuracy ellipsoid 1201. 3D loss function centered on target localization. The drawing will require drawing in four dimensions. Instead of attempting to represent precision using four-dimensional drawing, it will use the positioning of the target object 102. The positioning is represented by a three-dimensional drawing of the centered precision ellipsoid 1201. The accuracy. The shape of the accuracy ellipsoid 1201 can be determined by a three-dimensional loss function. Haisen λ The eigenvectors / eigenvalues ​​are given as follows: (Equation 11) In this example, Heisenberg λ It has three vertical normalized eigenvectors. , and They have eigenvalues ​​α1, α2, and α3, respectively. The semi-axis of the precision ellipsoid 1201 is determined by the eigenvectors. , and The direction is given. The location of target object 102. Nearby loss function λ( ) The behavior can be used by Heisenberg λ To estimate. Any point. Nearby loss function λ( ) The Taylor expansion of f around the location (Eq. 12) The loss function λ( ) is minimized At the location where the gradient of the three-dimensional loss function λ( ) The behavior around the location can be given by the following: (Eq. 13) The loss function λ( ) The behavior around the location can be understood by analyzing the Hessian λ As a result of the analysis, the precision σ1 in the direction of the eigenvector can be given by the following: (Eq. 14) Similarly, the precisions σ2 and σ3 in the directions of the eigenvectors and can be given by the following, respectively: (Eq. 15) and (Eq. 16) Geometrically, the precision ellipsoid 1201 centered at the location can be characterized as having semi-axes given by σ1, σ2, and σ3. Directions with larger σ values (i.e., the ellipsoid is “wider”) have lower precision compared to directions with smaller σ values (i.e., the ellipsoid is “narrower”). In example implementations, the directional information output by each block 1130 can include a graphical representation of the precision ellipsoid. Referring to Figure 13 , the precision of the location (Eq. 17) in an arbitrary direction can be determined using the following:

[0067] = where (Eq. 17)

[0068] As Figure 14As illustrated, an application running on UE 105 can display a map 1400 with an indication 1401 of the calculated location of the target object 102 and a representation 1402 of an accuracy ellipsoid 1201 or an accuracy ellipse 1301. Optionally, an indication 1403 of the location of UE 105 can also be displayed.

[0069] refer to Figure 15 any direction (For example, the horizontal direction in the XY plane) The direction or angle accuracy on the direction can be used. absolute precision To determine. Figure 16 A flowchart of a method 1600 for calculating the angular accuracy of the positioning of a target object 102 is shown. To calculate the angular accuracy in any direction, method 1600 may include determining the positioning perpendicular to the UE 105. Positioning relative to target object 102 The target vector between And the normal vector perpendicular to the unit vector in the vertical direction [0,0,1]. (Box 1610). Method 1600 may include determining a direction that can be determined as described above. Absolute precision on (box 1620), and by using absolute precision Divide by the target vector || The absolute value of || is used to calculate the angular accuracy σ. θ (Box 1630). Used for angular accuracy. σ θ The example equation is as follows: (Equation 18) Method 1600 may include angular accuracy σ θ Compare with a threshold (box 1640), for example If the angle accuracy σ θ If the value exceeds a threshold (e.g., 60°) (as determined at box 1645), the positioning based on target object 102 can be output. The orientation information (box 1650). If the angle accuracy fails to exceed the threshold (as determined at box 1645), the calculation for the next positioning of the target object 102 can be repeated (as referenced above). Figure 4 (as described in boxes 420 and 430) and the calculation of the angular accuracy of the positioning and the comparison with a threshold (as described in reference boxes 1610 to 1640). One or more processors 210, combined with one or more memories 211, may include components for implementing boxes 1610 to 1660.

[0070] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] Clause 1. A method for positioning a target object, the method comprising: determining, by one or more processors, a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of a user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and the target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment is different in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values; and computing, by the one or more processors, a position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

[0072] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the computing of the position of the target object comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, an updated reference position; updating, by the one or more processors, one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values to be relative to the updated reference position; and computing, by the one or more processors, the position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

[0073] Clause 3. The method of clause 1, wherein in the computing of the position of the target object, the method comprises: applying a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

[0074] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances in the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

[0075] Clause 5. The method of clause 1, wherein calculating the position of the target object comprises: constructing a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and determining the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

[0076] Clause 6. The method of clause 1, wherein the method further comprises: calculating a precision of the position of the target object; comparing the precision to a threshold value; and outputting directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

[0077] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the calculating of the precision comprises: calculating a precision ellipsoid centered at the position of the target object; comparing one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and outputting the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

[0078] Clause 8. The method of clause 6, wherein the calculating of the precision comprises: for a direction, determining a normal vector that is perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; calculating an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; calculating an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; comparing the angular precision to the threshold; and outputting the direction information based on the position of the target object based on the angular precision exceeding the threshold.

[0079] Clause 9. A computing device, the computing device comprising: means for determining a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of a user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and a target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and means for calculating a position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

[0080] Clause 10. The computing device of clause 9, wherein the means for calculating the position of the target object comprises: means for determining an updated reference position; means for updating one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values relative to the updated reference position; and means for calculating the position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

[0081] Clause 11. The computing device of clause 9, wherein in the means for calculating the position of the target object, the computing device comprises: means for applying a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

[0082] Clause 12. The computing device of clause 11, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

[0083] Clause 13. The computing device of clause 9, wherein the means for computing the position of the target object comprises: means for constructing a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and means for determining the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

[0084] Clause 14. The computing device of clause 9, further comprising: means for computing a precision of the position of the target object; means for comparing the precision to a threshold value; and means for outputting directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

[0085] Clause 15. The computing device of clause 14, wherein the means for computing the precision comprises: means for computing a precision ellipsoid centered at the position of the target object; means for comparing one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and means for outputting the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

[0086] Clause 16. The computing device of clause 14, wherein the means for computing the precision comprises: for a direction, means for determining a normal vector that is perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; means for computing an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; means for computing an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; means for comparing the angular precision to the threshold; and means for outputting the direction information based on the position of the target object based on the angular precision exceeding the threshold.

[0087] Clause 17. A user equipment comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to: determine a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of the user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and a target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and compute a position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

[0088] Clause 18. The user equipment of clause 17, wherein in the computing of the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: determine an updated reference position; update one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values to be relative to the updated reference position; and compute the position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

[0089] Clause 19. The user equipment of clause 17, wherein in the computing of the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: apply a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

[0090] Clause 20. The user equipment of clause 19, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

[0091] Clause 21. The user equipment of clause 17, wherein in calculating the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: construct a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and determine the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

[0092] Clause 22. The user equipment of clause 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: calculate a precision of the position of the target object; compare the precision to a threshold value; and output directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

[0093] Clause 23. The user equipment of clause 22, wherein in the calculation of the precision, the one or more processors are configured to: calculate a precision ellipsoid centered on the position of the target object; compare one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and output the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

[0094] Clause 24. The user equipment of clause 22, wherein in the calculating of the precision, the one or more processors are configured to: for a direction, determine a normal vector that is perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; calculate an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; calculate an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; compare the angular precision to the threshold; and output the direction information based on the position of the target object based on the angular precision exceeding the threshold.

[0095] Clause 25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors to: determine a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of a user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and a target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and calculate a position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

[0096] Clause 26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 25, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to: determine an updated reference position; update one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values to be relative to the updated reference position; and calculate the position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

[0097] Clause 27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 17, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to: apply a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

[0098] Clause 28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 27, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on a wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

[0099] Clause 29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 25, wherein the processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: construct a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and determine the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

[0100] Clause 30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: calculate a precision of the position of the target object; compare the precision to a threshold value; and output directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

[0101] Clause 31. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 30, wherein the processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to calculate the precision comprise processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: calculate a precision ellipsoid centered on the position of the target object; compare one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and output the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

[0102] Clause 32. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of clause 30, wherein the processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to calculate the precision comprise processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: for a direction, determine a normal vector that is perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; calculate an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; calculate an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; compare the angular precision to the threshold; and output the direction information based on the position of the target object based on the angular precision exceeding the threshold.

[0103] Clause 33. A user equipment comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to: receive a request for a location of a target object; transmit or receive first wireless ranging signals to or from the target object, the user equipment being in a first position; transmit or receive second wireless ranging signals to or from the target object, the user equipment being in a second position different from the first position; transmit or receive third wireless ranging signals to or from the target object, the user equipment being in a third position different from the first position and the second position; and based on transmitting or receiving the first wireless ranging signals, the second wireless ranging signals, and the third wireless ranging signals to or from the target object, display direction information to the location of the target object.

[0104] OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

[0105] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, many of the elements that are described above can be implemented using software executing on a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions can also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0106] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a device" includes one or more devices, reference to "the device" includes one or more devices, and so forth. As used herein, the term "includes" means includes without limitation, and the term "including" means including, but not necessarily limited to. As used herein, the term "exemplary" means serving as an example, instance or illustration, and not necessarily as preferred or advantageous. The terms "or" and "and" as used herein may mean "and / or" unless specifically stated otherwise. As used herein, the term "about" means approximately or nearly as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used herein, the term "comprises" means includes without limitation, and the term "comprising" means including, but not necessarily limited to.

[0107] Also, as used herein, “or” as used in a list of items prefaced by “at least one of’ or prefaced by “one or more of’ indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” or a list of “one or more of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or any combination thereof (e.g., A and B together), or A or B together or C, or A and C together or B, and so forth, subject to any stated or implied conditions or dependencies. Thus, for example, a recitation of “a processor configured to perform a function based on at least one of A or B” or a recitation of “a processor configured to perform function A or function B” means that the processor can be configured to perform the function based on A, or can be configured to perform the function based on B, or can be configured to perform the function based on both A and B. As another example, a recitation of a means for measuring at least one of A or B includes a means for measuring A (which can or can not be capable of measuring B), or a means for measuring B (and which can or can not be capable of measuring A), or a means for measuring A and B (which can be capable of selecting which of A and B to measure, or of measuring both). As another example, a recitation of an item (e.g., a processor) configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y means that the item can be configured to perform function X, or can be configured to perform function Y, or can be configured to perform both function X and function Y. For example, the phrase “a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y” means that the processor can be configured to measure X (and can or can not be configured to measure Y), or can be configured to measure Y (and can or can not be configured to measure X), or can be configured to measure both X and Y (and can be configured to select which of X and Y to measure, or to measure both).

[0108] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, a recitation that a function or operation is “based on” one or more items or conditions means that the function or operation is based on those items or conditions that are recited, and can be based on one or more items and / or conditions that are not recited.

[0109] Substantial variability can be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used, and / or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input / output devices can be employed. Unless otherwise noted, components shown in the figures and / or discussed as being connected or communicating with each other are communicatively coupled. That is, they can be connected directly or indirectly to enable communication between them.

[0110] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations can omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, features described with respect to certain configurations can be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations can be combined in a similar manner. Also, technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

[0111] A wireless communication system is a system in which communication is transmitted wirelessly between wireless communication devices, i.e., by electromagnetic and / or sonic waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than by wire or other physical connection. A wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless communication system or wireless communication network) can not have all communication transmitted wirelessly, but is configured to have at least some communication transmitted wirelessly. Also, the term "wireless communication device" or similar term does not require that the functionality of the device be exclusively or even primarily for communication, that communication using the wireless communication device be exclusively or even primarily wireless, or that the device be a mobile device, but indicates that the device includes wireless communication capability (one-way or two-way), e.g., includes at least one radio (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0112] The description herein of the description makes specific reference to the illustrative configurations including specific embodiments along with examples of features and operations. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the hardware and software configurations can be designed to perform the described functions in a manner far different from that described herein. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail in order to avoid obscuring the configurations. The descriptions provided herein are presented solely for purposes of illustration and to provide examples of configurations that fulfill the requirements of the described technology. The scope of the claims is not limited to the features recited in the description or in the claims. Rather, the previous description of the configurations is provided for describing the technology. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of elements.

[0113] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. In the use of a computing platform, various processor-readable media can involve providing instructions / code to a processor for execution, and / or can be used to store and / or transport such instructions / code (e.g., as a signal). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, for example, dynamic memory.

[0114] Having described several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents can be used. For example, the above elements can be components of a larger system, wherein other rules can take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the concepts described herein. Also, a number of operations can be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0115] “About” and / or “approximately” as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a time duration, and the like, encompasses variations that can exist in the values that are preparatory, in the context of a system, device, circuit, method, and other implementation described herein, as would be suitable. Unless otherwise indicated, “substantially” as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a time duration, a physical property (such as frequency), and the like, encompasses variations in the value that can arise from the use of an approximation or from the context in which the value is being used, as would be suitable.

[0116] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than a first threshold (or is within or below the first threshold) is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

Claims

1. A method for locating a target object, the method comprising: determining, by one or more processors, a plurality of location-distance values, each location-distance value of the plurality of location-distance values comprising: a location of a user equipment relative to a reference location; and a distance corresponding to the location of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the location of the user equipment and the target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the location of the user equipment in each location-distance value of the plurality of location-distance values is different; and calculating, by the one or more processors, a location of the target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to the reference location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the location of the target object comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, an updated reference location; updating, by the one or more processors, one or more locations of the user equipment in the plurality of location-distance values relative to the updated reference location; and calculating, by the one or more processors, the location of the target object using the plurality of location-distance values, wherein the location of the target object is relative to the updated reference location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the calculating of the location of the target object, the method comprises: applying a weight to one or more location-distance values of the plurality of location-distance values based on one or more parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of location-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement made by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement made with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference location is weighted less than a third measurement made with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference location; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement made with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement made with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement made before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement made after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the location of the target object comprises: constructing a loss function using the plurality of location-distance values; and calculating the location of the target object using the loss function. ​ determining the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: computing a precision of the position of the target object; comparing the precision to a threshold value; and outputting directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing of the precision comprises: computing a precision ellipsoid centered at the position of the target object; comparing one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and outputting the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing of the precision comprises: for a direction, determining a normal vector perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; computing an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; computing an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; comparing the angular precision to the threshold value; and outputting the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the angular precision exceeding the threshold value.

9. A computing device, the computing device comprising: means for determining a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of a user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and a target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and means for computing a position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the means for computing the position of the target object comprises: means for determining an updated reference position; means for updating one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values relative to the updated reference position; and means for computing the position of the target object using the plurality of position-distance values, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein in the means for computing the position of the target object, the computing device comprises: means for applying a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters. ​ 12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on a wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the means for computing the position of the target object comprises: means for constructing a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and means for determining the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

14. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising: means for computing a precision of the position of the target object; means for comparing the precision to a threshold value; and means for outputting directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the means for computing the precision comprises: means for computing a precision ellipsoid centered at the position of the target object; means for comparing one or more dimensions of the precision ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and means for outputting the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the means for computing the precision comprises: for a direction, means for determining a normal vector perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; means for computing an absolute precision of the position of the target object in the direction; means for computing an angular precision by dividing the absolute precision by an absolute value of the target vector; means for comparing the angular precision to the threshold value; and means for outputting, based on the angle accuracy exceeding the threshold, the direction information based on the positioning of the target object.

17. A user equipment comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to: determine a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: a position of the user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured between the position of the user equipment and a target object using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and the target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and use the plurality of position-distance values to calculate a position of the target object, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein in the calculation of the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: determine an updated reference position; update one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values to be relative to the updated reference position; and use the plurality of position-distance values to calculate the position of the target object, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

19. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein in the calculation of the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: apply a weight to one or more position-distance values of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances in the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on a wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

21. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein in calculating the position of the target object, the one or more processors are configured to: use the plurality of position-distance values to construct a loss function; and determine the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

22. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: calculate an accuracy of the position of the target object; compare the accuracy to a threshold value; and output directional information based on the position of the target object based on the accuracy exceeding the threshold value.

23. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein in the calculation of the accuracy, the one or more processors are configured to: calculate an accuracy ellipsoid centered at the position of the target object; compare one or more dimensions of the accuracy ellipsoid to one or more corresponding threshold values; and output the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the one or more dimensions being below the one or more corresponding threshold values.

24. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein in the calculation of the accuracy, the one or more processors are configured to: for a direction, determine a normal vector perpendicular to a target vector between the position of the user equipment and the position of the target object and perpendicular to a vertical vector; calculate an absolute accuracy of the position of the target object in the direction; calculate an angular accuracy by dividing the absolute accuracy by an absolute value of the target vector; compare the angular accuracy to the threshold value; and output the directional information based on the position of the target object based on the angular accuracy exceeding the threshold value.

25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors to: determining a plurality of position-distance values, each position-distance value of the plurality of position-distance values comprising: determine a position of a user equipment relative to a reference position; and a distance corresponding to the position of the user equipment, the distance being measured using one or more wireless ranging signals between the user equipment and a target object, wherein the position of the user equipment in each of the plurality of position-distance values is different; and use the plurality of position-distance values to calculate a position of the target object, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the reference position.

26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to: determine an updated reference position; update one or more positions of the user equipment in the plurality of position-distance values to be relative to the updated reference position; and use the plurality of position-distance values to calculate the position of the target object, wherein the position of the target object is relative to the updated reference position.

27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the one or more processors to: apply a weight to one or more of the plurality of position-distance values based on one or more parameters.

28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from the group consisting of: a radio type associated with one or more distances of the plurality of position-distance values, wherein a first radio type having a lower accuracy is weighted less than a second radio type having a higher accuracy; a distance measurement by a same radio type, wherein a first distance measurement from a larger distance is weighted less than a second distance measurement from a smaller distance; a time of measurement, wherein a second measurement taken with a larger time difference from a time of a first measurement corresponding to the reference position is weighted less than a third measurement taken with a smaller time difference from the time of the first measurement corresponding to the reference position; a speed of movement of the user equipment, wherein a measurement taken with a faster user equipment speed is weighted less than a measurement taken with a slower user equipment speed; a movement of the target object, wherein a measurement taken before the movement of the target object is weighted less than a measurement taken after the movement of the target object; and a standard deviation of a measurement based on wireless ranging signal strength, wherein a first wireless ranging signal is weighted less than a second wireless ranging signal having a smaller standard deviation than the first wireless ranging signal.

29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to calculate the position of the target object comprise processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: construct a loss function using the plurality of position-distance values; and determine the position of the target object by minimizing the loss function.

30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising processor-readable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: calculate a precision of the position of the target object; compare the precision to a threshold value; and output directional information based on the position of the target object based on the precision exceeding the threshold value.

Images