Hybrid localization based on frequency dependent propagation effects

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a server device may obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a transmit-receive point (TRP), a positioning procedure for a user equipment being performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel. The server device may determine a first frequency scaled filter distance by applying a frequency scaled filter distance model based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, the first filter distance, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP. In an aspect, the first frequency-scaled filtered distance indicates that one or more recorded positions based on one or more access points (APs) are within the first frequency-scaled filtered distance from the TRP, the one or more recorded positions of the one or more APs being usable in a positioning procedure for the user equipment.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Technical Field Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to wireless technology.

[0002] 2. Related technical descriptions Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless phone services, second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone services (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third- generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless services and fourth- generation (4G) communications from the next generation (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are numerous types of wireless communication systems in current use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) and others.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, greater numbers of connections, and better coverage than previous standards. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, 5G technology should provide bitrates on the order of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to one gigabit per second (Gbps), with reduced latency and increased efficiency, compared to previous standards, to enable a wide range of new applications and services. To achieve these goals, 5G technology should introduce improvements in efficiency, density, latency, and coverage relative to previous standards. SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be considered to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

[0005] In an aspect, a method of operating a server device includes obtaining a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT), a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determining a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0006] In an aspect, a server device includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are configured to: obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT), a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determine a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0007] In an aspect, a server device includes: means for obtaining a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT) for which a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and means for determining a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0008] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer- executable instructions that, when executed by a server device, cause the server device to: obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT) for which a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determine a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0009] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and are not intended to limit the aspects in any way.

[0011] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system in accordance with aspects of the disclosure is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C An example wireless network structure in accordance with aspects of the disclosure is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that can be employed in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0014] Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) are illustrated, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5 Examples of a positioning procedure for user equipment based on wireless local area network technology access points (APs) are illustrated, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6 Examples of a hybrid positioning procedure for user equipment are illustrated, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 7 is a dataflow diagram illustrating a method of operating a server device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating different stages of a method of operating a server device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a server device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure, related to those components that are explicitly shown or described, can not be described in detail or will be omitted wholly in this description.

[0021] Various aspects generally relate to filtering out access points (APs) with erroneous logged positions in consideration of frequency-dependent propagation effects. In some examples, the frequency-dependent propagation effects can be considered in the form of one or more frequency-scaled filtered distances, which can be determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtered distance model that is based at least on a channel frequency used by a positioning procedure.

[0022] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by considering frequency-dependent propagation effects in the form of one or more frequency-scaled filtered distances, the described techniques can be used to better determine a range of APs to be included in a hybrid positioning procedure for a user device, and the accuracy of the hybrid positioning procedure can be improved due to better selected APs.

[0023] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0024] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular applications, embodiments, and / or technologies involved. Further, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both.

[0025] Moreover, many aspects described herein are described in sequences. Those skilled in the art will recognize that sequences can be performed in many different ways. For example, the order of execution two sequences can be interchanged, or two sequences can be executed at the same time or overlapping, or a sequence can be broken into sub-sequences to be executed at the same time or overlapping. Thus, claims directed to sequences should not be interpreted as performing the acts in the order presented in the claims. Additionally, those skilled in the art will recognize that the sequences described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both, and that the disclosure describes software that enables machines to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0026] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset-positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be referred to 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 device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station,” or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with one another directly, e.g., using a device-to-device (D2D) protocol, e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi Direct, LTE D2D, etc. UEs can also communicate with other devices, e.g., servers, using wired or wireless communication protocols.

[0027] A base station can operate according to one of a number of RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which they are deployed, and can be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), network node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), and / or the like. Base stations can be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station can provide only edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it can provide additional control and / or network management functionality. UEs can communicate with each other using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol, e.g., Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, LTE D2D, etc. A UE can also communicate with other devices, e.g., servers, using wired or wireless communication protocols.

[0028] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that can or can not be co-located. For example, where the term “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or cell sector) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point from or to which the base station sends and receives wireless signals, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood to refer to particular TRPs of the base station.

[0029] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station can not support wireless access by a UE (e.g., can not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but can instead transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or can receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station can be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., where it transmits signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., where it receives and measures signals from the UE).

[0030] An “RF signal” comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter can transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals over multi-path channels, the receiver can receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multi-path” RF signal. As used herein, where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal, an RF signal can also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal.”

[0031] Figure 1An example wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communications system 100, which can also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WW AN), can include various base stations 102, labeled “BS” and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station can include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations can include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, and the like.

[0032] The base stations 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 (e.g., SI, X2, etc. interfaces), and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The location server 172 can be part of the core network 170 or can be external to the core network 170. The location server 172 can be integrated with the base stations 102. The UEs 104 can communicate directly with the location server 172, either directly or indirectly via the base stations 102. For example, the UEs 104 can communicate with the location server 172 via a base station 102 that is currently serving the UE 104. The UEs 104 can also communicate with the location server 172 through another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. The communication between the UEs 104 and the location server 172 can be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through the core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128) for signaling purposes, with intermediate nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagrams for the sake of clarity.

[0033] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104 under the control of the core network 170 using various generations of wireless communication technologies, such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technologies, e.g., cdmaOne, CDMA2000, etc., Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, 5G NR, etc. A CDMA network can utilize two-way radio frequency communications links between base stations and mobile devices, which allow mobile devices to communicate voice and / or data signals with a local base station. A CDMA network can use spread-spectrum modulation to allow multiple mobile devices to share the same frequency band. The spread spectrum modulation can spread the data over a much wider band than the data would occupy if it were untangled. In a CDMA network, a mobile device can transmit in the uplink at the same time as another mobile device, with each mobile device's transmitted signal distinguishable from the other mobile device's transmitted signal at the base station. In a CDMA network, each base station can serve thousands of mobile devices. The base stations 102 can also support other wireless technologies, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11), and the like. The base stations 102 can support similar or different wireless technologies depending on the particular design

[0034] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more of the cells can be supported by the base station 102 in each of the geographic coverage areas 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication to a base station, e.g., through a certain frequency bandwidth, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc. and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), enhanced cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) used to distinguish cells of the same or different carrier frequencies that are operated by the same or different base stations. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs, such as machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types. Since a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of a logical communication entity and a base station supporting the logical communication entity depending on context. Also, since a TRP is typically a physical transmission point of a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” can also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector) as well, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within the geographic coverage area 110.

[0035] While the geographic coverage area 110 of a macro cell base station 102 can overlap with one or more other geographic coverage areas 110 of other macro cell base stations 102 (e.g., in an urban deployment), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 can substantially overlap with geographic coverage areas 110' of small cell base stations 102' (e.g., in a heterogeneous deployment). For example, a small cell base station 102' with a less powerful transmitter than a macro cell base station 102 can be deployed to provide indoor coverage to a domain such as a

[0036] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or less carriers can be allocated for downlink than for uplink).

[0037] The wireless communications system 100 can also include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 can perform clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedures to ensure the channel is available prior to communicating.

[0038] The small cell base stations 102' can operate in a licensed or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base stations 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base stations 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can boost coverage of the access network and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire ® .

[0039] The wireless communications system 100 can also include millimeter wave (mmW) base stations 180 that can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UEs 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the part of the radio frequency spectrum that lies between 30 GHz and 300 GHz. It lies just beyond the band of microwaves; hence, the name. Waves in this band are short and high frequency, which leads to the term millimeter wave. Near mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as the centimeter wave band. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band have extremely high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base stations 180 and the UEs 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over mmW communication links 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it should be appreciated that in an alternative configuration one or more base stations 102 can also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Thus, it should be appreciated that the foregoing illustrative example is only exemplary and should not be taken as limiting upon the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0040] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus the RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts a RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omni-directionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate) for the receiving device. To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a “phased array” or “antenna array”), which in effect does not move the antennas, but the RF waves themselves are caused to move by the relative phase shift difference law of cosines. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase the radiation in a desired direction, while cancelling one another in the other directions.

[0041] Transmit beams can be quasi co-located, which means that they appear to have the same parameters at the receiver (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the network node’s own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, then the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, then the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, then the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, then the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial receive parameter of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0042] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase a gain setting and / or adjust a phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify RF signals received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamformed in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for RF signals received from that direction.

[0043] The transmit beams and receive beams can be spatially related. Spatially related means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on parameters of the receive beam.

[0044] Note that depending on the entity forming the “downlink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam to receive a downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the “uplink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if a UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0045] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based on frequency / wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, etc. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 to 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the “millimeter wave” frequencies (e.g., 30 GHz to 300 GHz) allocated for wireless communications by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set a new wireless communication service, called Citizens Broadband Service (CBS), to be deployed in the Television White Space (TVWS) band (54-698 MHz). The TVWS band is a portion of the spectrum that was originally allocated for television broadcast but is no longer used in many geographic regions. The TVWS band is an example of a spectrum that is shared between multiple wireless communication services.® Extremely High Frequency (EHF) bands (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as “millimeter wave” bands.

[0046] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Moreover, higher bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher bands falls within the EHF bands.

[0047] With the above aspects in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if used herein, can broadly represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, can broadly represent frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or can be within the EHF bands.

[0048] In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell" and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates a RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier can contain only necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., those that are UE-specific can not be present in the secondary carrier since both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a UE 104 / 182 communicates with a certain base station, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0049] For example, still referring to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 can be the anchor carrier (or "PCell") and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). The simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate and / or data reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) as compared to the data rate obtained with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0050] The wireless communications system 100 can also include UE 164 that can be in communication with macro cell base station 102 through communication link 120 and / or mmW base station 180 through mmW communication link 184. For example, macro cell base station 102 can support PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0051] In some cases, UEs 164 and 182 can be capable of sidelink communications. Sidelink-capable UEs (SL-UEs) can communicate with base station 102 using a Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between a UE and a base station) through communication link 120. SL-UEs (e.g., UEs 164, 182) can also communicate with one another directly via wireless sidelink 160 using a PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). The wireless sidelink (or “sidelink” for short) is an adaptation of the core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows for direct communication between two or more UEs without the need to communicate through a base station. Sidelink communications can be unicast or multicast, and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of the SL-UEs in a group utilizing sidelink communications can be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group can be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 102, or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from base station 102. In some cases, groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communications can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, base station 102 facilitates scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications are performed between SL-UEs without the involvement of base station 102.

[0052] In an aspect, the sidelink 160 can operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other wireless communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs. A "medium" can include one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In an aspect, the medium of interest can correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed band that is shared between various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by a government entity such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended operations into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, most notably the IEEE 802.1 lx WLAN technologies commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi." Example systems of this type include different variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, etc.

[0053] Note that while Figure 1 Only two of these UEs are illustrated as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), but any of the illustrated UEs can be SL-UEs. Further, while only UE 182 is described as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs, including UE 164, can be capable of beamforming. Where the SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they can beamform toward one another (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward base stations (e.g., base station 102, base station 180, small cell 102', access point 150), etc. Thus, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming over sidelink 160.

[0054] In Figure 1 the illustrated UEs (for simplicity, in Figure 1Any of the UEs 104 (shown as a single UE 104) can receive signals 124 from one or more Earth orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112, such as satellites. In an aspect, the SVs 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that UEs 104 can use as a standalone source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned in orbit about the Earth that enable receivers (e.g., UEs 104) to determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. While typically located in SVs 112, transmitters can sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UEs 104 can include one or more specialized receivers designed specifically for receiving signals 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SVs 112.

[0055] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which can be associated with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems or which can otherwise enable the use of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, an SBAS can include augmentation systems such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), and / or the like. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system can include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0056] In an aspect, the SVs 112 additionally or alternatively can be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SVs 112 connect to an Earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in the 5GC. This element in turn will provide access to other elements in the 5G network, and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user equipment. In this way, the UEs 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signals 124) from the SVs 112 as an alternative or supplement to communication signals from terrestrial base stations 102.

[0057] The wireless communications system 100 can also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). In Figure 1 In an example, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., with which the UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (with which the UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192, 194 can be supported with any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WI-FI DIRECT (e.g., Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH®, Bluetooth ® ® etc.).

[0058] Figure 2A An example wireless network structure 200 is illustrated. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally

[0059] ​Another optional aspect can include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternately can be external to the core network (e.g., a third party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0060] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is illustrated. A 5GC 260 (which can be the same as or similar to the 5GC 210) and a RAN 264 (which can be the same as or similar to the RAN 204) can interface with one another over an NG2 interface 262. The 5GC 260 can also interface with a 5G-EPC 266 (which can be the same as or similar to the EPC 218) over an NG3 interface 265. Figure 2AThe core network 260 (or "CN" 260) can include a 5G core network 210 (or "5GC" 210) and / or a 4G core network 212 (or "EPC" 212). The 5GC 210 can include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264, other AMFs 265, a Session Management Function (SMF) 266, and an User Plane Function (UPF) 262. The EPC 212 can include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 213, other MMEs 214, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 215, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) 216, and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 217. The AMF 264 can provide a control plane function for 5G registration management, mobility management, and the like for UEs 204 that have a 5G SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) (not shown) and / or a 5G Universal Subscriber Identity Module (not shown). The MME 213 can provide a control plane function for 4G registration management, mobility management, and the like for UEs 204 that have a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) (not shown). The AMF 264 and the MME 213 can interact with the HSS 217 for authentication and authorization. ®

[0061] ​Functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point (when applicable) for intra- / inter-RAT mobility, acting as a external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and transmitting and forwarding of one or more “end markers.” The UPF 262 can also support transfer of location services messages between the UE 204 and a location server, such as the SLP 272, over the user plane.

[0062] Functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF 262 for proper

[0063] Another optional aspect can include an LMF 270, which can be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). The SLP 272 can support similar functions as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UEs 204 over the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to transfer signaling messages, rather than voice or data), the SLP 272 can communicate with UEs 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) over the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0064] Yet another optional aspect can include a third party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, the SLP 272, the 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or the UPF 262), the NG-RAN 220, and / or the UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) for the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third party server 274 can be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or an external client. The third party server 274 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively can each correspond to a single server.

[0065] The user plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and in particular the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, while the interface between gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate with one another directly via backhaul connections 223, referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 over a wireless interface referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0066] The functions of the gNB 222 are divided among a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions other than those specifically assigned to the gNB-DUs 228, including transfer of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DUs 228 are logical nodes that typically host the radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Their operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and the one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the “F1” interface. The physical (PHY) layer functions of the gNB 222 are typically hosted by one or more standalone gNB-RUs 229 that perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the “Fx” interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC layer, the SDAP layer, and the PDCP layer, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC layer and the MAC layer, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0067] Deployment of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, can be arranged in a variety of ways with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, network entity, mobility element of a network, RAN node, core network node, network element, or network equipment, such as a base station or one or more elements (or one or more components) performing base station functions, can be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station, such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR base station, a 5G NB, an AP, a TRP, a cell, etc., can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as a standalone base station or a monolithic base station) or a disaggregated base station.

[0068] A disaggregated base station can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack integrated physically or logically within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station can be configured to utilize a protocol stack distributed physically or logically between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU can be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs can be co-located with the CU or, alternatively, can be geographically distributed or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. The DUs can be implemented to be in communication with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU can also be implemented as virtual units, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), virtual distributed unit (VDU), or virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0069] Base station type operations or network designs can take into account the disaggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station can be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as the network configuration by the O-RAN Alliance ® Disaggregation can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0070] Figure 2C An example disaggregated base station architecture 250 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 can include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226) that can communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link or a non-RT RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both. The CUs 280 can communicate with one or more DUs 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via respective fronthaul links, such as an Fl interface. The DUs 285 can communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via respective front-haul links. The RUs 287 can communicate with respective UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 can be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 287.

[0071] Each of the units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO framework 255) can include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of these units, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission media. For example, the units can include wired interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units over a wired transmission medium. In addition, the units can include wireless interfaces, which can include receivers, transmitters, or transceivers (such as RF transceivers) configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units over a wireless transmission medium, or both.

[0072] In some aspects, CU 280 can host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include RRC, PDCP, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and the like. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 280. CU 280 can be configured to handle user plane functions (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, CU 280 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bi-directionally with the CU-CP units via an interface, such as an El interface. CU 280 can be implemented to communicate with DU 285 as needed for network control and signaling.

[0073] DU 285 can correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, DU 285 can host one or more of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and one or more high PHY layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, and the like) in accordance with a functional split, such as a functional split defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP ® ) in some aspects, DU 285 can further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 285 or with control functions hosted by CU 280.

[0074] Lower layer functions can be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, RUs 287 controlled by a DU 285 can correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) or both based at least in part on a functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, RUs 287 can be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of communicating with the control and user planes of RUs 287 can be controlled by a corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable DUs 285 and CUs 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0075] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to support deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operations and maintenance interface, such as an Ol interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform, such as an Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269 to perform network element lifecycle management, such as to instantiate a virtualized network element, via a cloud computing platform interface, such as an 02 interface. Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 280, DUs 285, RUs 287, and near-RT RICs 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate with hardware aspects of a 4G RAN, such as an Open eNB (O-eNB) 261, via an Ol interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via an Ol interface. The SMO framework 255 can also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functions of the SMO framework 255.

[0076] The non-RT RIC 257 can be configured to include logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows or policy-based steering of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 can be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259, such as via an Al interface. The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logical functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions by way of an interface, such as via an E2 interface, that connects one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, as well as O-eNBs, with the near-RT RIC 259.

[0077] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and can be received at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 can monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions by way of the SMO framework 255, such as via reconfiguration of Ol, or via creation of RAN management policies, such as Al policies.

[0078] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Illustrated are UE 302 (which can correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which can correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which can correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively can be independent of any of the network functions described herein). The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can each include memory, processing, and / or interface components as described herein. Figure 2A and Figure 2BA number of example components (represented by corresponding blocks) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a dedicated network) depicted in FIG. 3 are illustrated to support operations as described herein. It is contemplated that these components can be implemented in different embodiments in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in SoCs, etc.) and / or combined in different combinations than depicted. The illustrated components also can be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in a system can include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. In addition, a given device can contain one or more of the components. For example, a device can include multiple transceiver components enabling the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0079] The UE 302 and the base stations 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, that provide the components for communicating (e.g., components for transmitting, for receiving, for measuring, for tuning, for refraining from transmitting, etc.) via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and / or the like. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via the wireless communication medium (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum) according to at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, and / or the like), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and

[0080] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. Short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE Direct, Bluetooth). ® ZIGBEE ® Z-WAVE ® Components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) that enable communication between PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra Wideband (UWB), etc.) and other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.). Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 each include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively; and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As a specific example, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be Wi-Fi transceivers, Bluetooth transceivers, etc. ® Transceiver, Zigbee ® and / or Z-WAVE ® Transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0081] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal interfaces 330 and 370, each satellite signal interface including one or more satellite signal receivers 332 and 372, and optionally including one or more satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374, respectively. In some cases, base station 304 may be a terrestrial base station that can communicate with a spacecraft (e.g., spacecraft 112) via satellite signal interface 370. In other cases, base station 304 may be a spacecraft (or other non-terrestrial entity) that uses satellite signal interface 370 to communicate with terrestrial networks and / or other spacecraft.

[0082] Satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Where satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) signals, etc. Where satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) sourced from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 can request appropriate information and operations from other systems, and, at least in some cases, perform calculations using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to determine the location of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0083] Optional satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374, when present, can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide components for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Where satellite signal transmitter 374 is a satellite positioning system transmitter, satellite positioning / communication signals 378 can be GPS signals, GLONASS signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, NAVIC, QZSS signals, etc. Where satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 are NTN transmitters, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) sourced from a 5G network. Satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 can request appropriate information and operations from other systems. ®

[0084] ​The base stations 304 and network entities 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and network transceivers 390 that provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, a base station 304 can employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, a network entity 306 can employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0085] Transceivers can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. Transceivers, whether wired or wireless, include transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or can be implemented in other manners in other implementations. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and network transceivers 390 in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry can share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective apparatus can only receive or transmit at a given time, not both at the same time. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and WWAN transceivers 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and short-range wireless transceivers 360) can also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0086] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some implementations, as well as network transceiver 380 and network transceiver 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceiver 380 and network transceiver 390 in some implementations) can generally be referred to as “transceivers,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0087] The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entities 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entities 306 each include one or more processors 342, 384, and 394, for providing functionality

[0088] The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memory 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., including a memory device, respectively) to maintain information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Accordingly, the memory 340, 386, and 396 can provide a means for storing, a means for retrieving, a means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 can each include a positioning component 348, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning component 348, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuits that are part of, or coupled to, the processors 342, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, cause the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning component 348, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 342, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning component 348, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memory 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 342, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.) cause the UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 348 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 342, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations for the positioning component 388 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the memory 386, the one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, the memory 396, the one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0089] The UE 302 can include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 342 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information unrelated to motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal interface 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 can include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical- mechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensors 344 can include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs in order to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 can use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate positioning in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0090] Moreover, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon the user actuating a sensing device, such as a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 can also include user interfaces.

[0091] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 can be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 can implement functionality for the RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 can provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0092] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer- 1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to a orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams if multiple spatial streams are

[0093] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 342. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement Layer- 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 342, which implement Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0094] In the downlink, one or more processors 342 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 342 are also responsible for error detection.

[0095] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 342 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transmission channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0096] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antenna 316. The transmitter 314 can modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0097] The uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives information from its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 384.

[0098] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0099] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe example shown herein includes various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionalities in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A-3C Various components are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In certain cases, specific implementations of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, personal computers (PCs), or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth). ® (e.g., cellular only, but without cellular capability), or the short-range wireless transceiver 320 can be omitted (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite signal interface 330 can be omitted, or the sensor 344 can be omitted, etc. For example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, specific implementations of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0100] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via data buses 308, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 308, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interfaces of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, in cases where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functions integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 308, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between these different logical entities.

[0101] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components of the network entity 306 can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as for example one or more processors and / or ASICs (which can include one or more processors). Here, each circuit can use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the base station 304, e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component. Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the network entity 306, e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component. For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed by a UE, a base station, a network entity, etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, the base station 304, the network entity 306, etc., such as the processors 342, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memories 340, 386, and 396, the positioning components 348, 388, and 398, etc.

[0102] In some designs, the network entity 306 can be implemented as a component of a core network. In other designs, the network entity 306 can be distinct from the operation of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independent of the base station 304 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link such as Wi-Fi).

[0103] NR supports multiple cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. Figure 4Examples of various positioning methods in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure illustrated in scenario 410, a UE measures the differences between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)) received from pairs of base stations (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurements) and reports these differences to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives the identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the location of the UE.

[0104] For DL-AoD positioning illustrated in scenario 420, the positioning entity determines the angles between the UE and the transmitting base stations using the measurement reports from the UE of received signal strength measurements for multiple downlink transmit beams. The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angles and the known locations of the transmitting base stations.

[0105] Uplink-based positioning methods include Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA) and Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., Sounding Reference Signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE transmits one or more uplink reference signals, which are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of reception of the reference signal (referred to as Relative Time of Arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the locations and relative timings of the involved base stations. Based on the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known locations of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE using TDOA.

[0106] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity determines the angles between the UE and the base stations using the signal strength measurements and the angles of the receive beams. Based on the determined angles and the known locations of the base stations, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0107] Downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as “multi-cell RTT” and “multi-RTT”). In an RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), which transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be made or adjusted to include only the time difference between the closest time slot boundaries of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities can then communicate their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which computes the round trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can communicate its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then computes the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined from the RTT and the known speed of signals (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning illustrated by scenario 430, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable determination of the position of the first entity based on distances to the second entities and known positions of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve position accuracy, as illustrated by scenario 440.

[0108] E-CID positioning methods are based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, a UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers of detected neighbor base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE’s position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0109] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can provide assistance data to a UE. For example, the assistance data can include identifiers of base stations (or cells / TRPs of base stations) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., including a number of consecutive time slots comprising a PRS, a periodicity of consecutive time slots comprising a PRS, a muting sequence, a frequency hopping sequence, a reference signal identifier, a reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data can originate directly from the base stations themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcasted overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, a UE can be able to detect neighboring network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0110] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data can also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD can have a value range of + / - 500 microseconds (ps). In some cases, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD can have a value range of + / - 32 ps when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1. In other cases, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD can have a value range of + / - 8 ps when all of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2.

[0111] A location estimate can be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or can be civic and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of a location. A location estimate can be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be with some specified or default confidence level).

[0112] In some aspects, APs of wireless local area network technologies can also be used to determine a position of a user equipment (e.g., UE). Figure 5 An example of a positioning procedure for a user equipment 510 using APs 520 and 530 of wireless local area network technologies is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the wireless local area network technologies can be Wi-Fi networks based on, for example, IEEE 802.1 lx, BLUETOOTH ® networks, or wireless personal area networks based on, for example, IEEE 802.15x.

[0113] In some aspects, the positioning procedure for user equipment 510 based on APs 520 and 530 can be based on the time of arrival and / or the angle of arrival of various signals 522 between user equipment 510 and AP 520 and / or various signals 532 between user equipment 510 and AP 530. For example, AP 520 and AP 530 can assume the roles of the base stations illustrated, and can transmit or receive beacon signals or positioning reference signals. In some aspects, the positioning procedure for user equipment 510 can be based on one or a combination of ToA, TDOA, DL-AoD, RTT, and AoA, as referenced in the positioning methods illustrated in FIG. 2. Figure 4 Similarly illustrated. Figure 4 Similarly illustrated.

[0114] In some aspects, the positioning procedure for user equipment 510 based on APs 520 and 530 can be based on the signal strength of various signals. In one example, the distance between user equipment 510 and AP 520 can be estimated based on the signal strength of signals from AP 520 and a propagation model of the signals, and the position of user equipment 510 can be determined based on the recorded position of AP 520 and the estimated distance. In another example, the signal strength of various signals from AP 520 and AP 530 can be measured as a fingerprint of the received signals, and the position of user equipment 510 can be determined based on the fingerprint. In yet another example, user equipment 510 can simply use the recorded position of a target AP (e.g., one of observable APs 520 and 530 corresponding to the strongest received signal strength or best received signal quality) as the estimated position of user equipment 510. In some aspects, the signal strength or signal quality of signals from the target AP can be used to provide a level of certainty of the estimated position of user equipment 510.

[0115] In some aspects, one or more of the positioning methods illustrated can be based on the reference signals illustrated in FIG. 3. Figure 4 In some aspects, one or more of the positioning methods illustrated can be based on the reference signals illustrated in FIG. 3. Figure 5 In some aspects, one or more of the positioning methods illustrated can be based on the reference signals illustrated in FIG. 3. Figure 4 In some aspects, the estimated position based on signals of two different RATs can be referred to as a hybrid positioning procedure. In one example, the estimated position based on signals of NR and WLAN can be refined according to the estimated position and / or measurements based on signals of NR. Figure 5 In another example, ambiguities regarding the estimated position based on signals of NR can be resolved according to the estimated position and / or measurements based on signals of WLAN. Figure 5 In another example, ambiguities regarding the estimated position based on signals of NR can be resolved according to the estimated position and / or measurements based on signals of WLAN. Figure 4 In another example, ambiguities regarding the estimated position based on signals of NR can be resolved according to the estimated position and / or measurements based on signals of WLAN.

[0116] Figure 6 An example of a hybrid positioning procedure for user equipment 610 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6, user equipment 610 can be positioned based on signals of NR and WLAN. Figure 6As shown, user device 610 can be capable of receiving signals from TRP 622 and TRP 624 of a first RAT, and can be capable of receiving signals from APs 632, 634, and 636 of a second RAT. In some aspects, the first RAT can be a cellular communication technology based on, for example, 5G NR. In some aspects, the second RAT can be a Wi-Fi network based on, for example, IEEE 802.1 lx, a BLUETOOTH® network, or a wireless personal area network based on, for example, IEEE 802.15x. ® In some aspects, user device 610 can be capable of receiving signals from TRP 622 and TRP 624 of a first RAT, and can be capable of receiving signals from APs 632, 634, and 636 of a second RAT. In some aspects, the first RAT can be a cellular communication technology based on, for example, 5G NR. In some aspects, the second RAT can be a Wi-Fi network based on, for example, IEEE 802.1 lx, a BLUETOOTH

[0117] In some aspects, user device 610 can be communicatively coupled with a server device 650, which can be a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) or an over-the-top server. In some aspects, user device 610 can be communicatively coupled with server device 650 via one or more of TRPs 622, APs 632, 634, and 636 and / or another wired or wireless communication pathway. In some aspects, server device 650 can obtain recorded positions of TRP 622 and TRP 624 and recorded positions of APs 632, 634, and 636. In some aspects, server device 650 can perform a positioning procedure to determine an estimated position of user device 610 based on measurements reported by one or more of user device 610, TRP 622, TRP 624, AP 632, AP 634, and / or AP 636. In some aspects, server device 650 can configure TRP 622 or user device 610 to perform a positioning procedure to determine an estimated position of user device 610 based on measurements reported by one or more of user device 610, TRP 622, TRP 624, AP 632, AP 634, or AP 636.

[0118] In some aspects, the estimated position of user device 610 can be based directly or indirectly on the recorded positions of TRP 622 and TRP 624 and the recorded positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 as anchor points and / or reference points. In some aspects, when the estimated position is based on an AP or TRP whose recorded position is inaccurate or suspect, the accuracy or confidence level of the estimated position of user device 610 can be negatively impacted.

[0119] In some aspects, the positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and the positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 can be estimated based on crowdsourcing (CS) observations of signals from TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636. In some aspects, recorded CS observation points can provide information about where TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 are generally located when signals from these TRPs and APs are observed (i.e., CS observed) by various user devices. In some aspects, these estimated positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 can represent respective coverage centroids (e.g., based on where devices have been seen in the past). In some aspects, these estimated positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 can be recorded for use in a positioning process for determining an estimated position of user device 610.

[0120] In some aspects, APs 632, 634, and 636 can be fixed or mobile (e.g., mobile APs or APs installed on mobile platforms such as trains, ships, or airplanes), so recorded positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 that can be obtained by a server device can change over time and can not always be up to date. In some aspects, recorded positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 can not be accurate enough due to one or more factors such as: mobile / mobile APs (as exemplified above), inaccuracy of CS observations used to bind measurements (CS observed) to location “ground truth” in a database (e.g., estimated positions determined based on GNSS measurements or other positioning methods with higher accuracy), difference in update rates of cached AP measurements and GNSS measurements for fast moving user devices, CS bias resulting from redundant measurements (e.g., camping at locations with repeated reporting), and / or other factors such as ambiguity or uncertainty in positioning of APs based on CS only information.

[0121] In some aspects, the positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and the positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 can be estimated based on crowdsourcing (CS) observations of signals from TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636. In some aspects, recorded CS observation points can provide information about where TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 are generally located when signals from these TRPs and APs are observed (i.e., CS observed) by various user devices. In some aspects, these estimated positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 can represent respective coverage centroids (e.g., based on where devices have been seen in the past). In some aspects, these estimated positions of TRPs 622 and 624 and APs 632, 634, and 636 can be recorded for use in a positioning process for determining an estimated position of user device 610. Figure 6In one example shown, TRP 622 can serve user device 610, or user device 610 can observe a signal strength of a signal from TRP 622 that is greater than a signal strength of a signal from TRP 624. User device 610 can observe signals from APs 632, 634, and 636. However, in this example, the recorded position 640 of AP 632 can be significantly off from the actual position of AP 632. In some aspects, the recorded position 640 of AP 632 can not be used in a positioning procedure to determine an estimated position of user device 610 because calculating a distance or angle of user device 610 from AP 632 based on inaccurate position 640 would also be inaccurate.

[0122] In some aspects, without knowing whether the recorded positions of APs 632, 634, and 636 are too erroneous to be used in a positioning procedure, one method for discarding outlier APs from a positioning procedure can be based on a distance between an AP (based on the recorded position of the AP) and TRP 622 (which serves user device 610 or has the strongest signal strength compared to other TRPs that can be observed by the user device). For example, given a transmit power level designed for a first RAT, if user device 610 is served by TRP 622, it can not be reasonable to look for user device 610 that is beyond a certain range from TRP 622. Also, if a user device 610 can observe a signal from an AP, based on a transmit power level designed for a second RAT, the AP can not be too far away from the user device 610. Thus, since the position of user device 610 is unknown (hence the positioning procedure is to be performed), it can be assumed that if an AP is observable by user device 610, the recorded position of the AP can be within a certain range from TRP 622. Thus, a filtering region defined based on the position of serving TRP 622 and a filtering distance can be used to filter out APs with recorded positions that are deemed to be less likely to be accurate.

[0123] In some aspects, server device 650 may filter APs based on a first filtering distance D1 and (optionally) a second filtering distance D2. In some aspects, server device 650 may first identify any AP with a recorded location within the first filtering distance D1 from TRP 622 as usable in the positioning process for user device 610. In some aspects, based on the absence of any AP identified as usable using the first filtering distance D1, server device 650 may subsequently identify any AP with a recorded location within the second filtering distance D2 from TRP 622 as usable in the positioning process for user device 610. In some aspects, any AP with a recorded location exceeding the second filtering distance D2 from TRP 622 may be considered to have an inaccurate recorded location and therefore may not be usable in the positioning process for user device 610.

[0124] In some aspects, the first filtering distance D1 and the second filtering distance D2 can be associated with the nominal frequency of TRP 622 (e.g., a nominal frequency derived based on measurements of signals from TRP 622, or a nominal frequency applicable to the TRP set and applicable to TRP 622) without considering variations caused by the difference between the nominal frequency of TRP 622 and the channel frequency of the channel actually used by TRP 622 for the positioning process of user equipment 610. In some aspects, this application discloses a solution that further considers frequency-dependent propagation effects by adjusting the first filtering distance D1 and the second filtering distance D2 to a first frequency-scaled filtering distance D1' and a second frequency-scaled filtering distance D2'. Based on the frequency-scaled filtering distance, taking into account the variation in propagation distance due to the difference between the channel frequency and the nominal frequency of TRP 622, the range of APs to be included in the positioning process of user equipment 610 can be better determined.

[0125] Figure 7 This illustrates the operation of server equipment (e.g., according to various aspects of this disclosure) Figure 6 The data flow diagram of method 700 (server device 650 in the middle). In some aspects, method 700 may include AP filtering process 710, filtering distance determination process 720 and frequency-scaled filtering distance determination process 730.

[0126] In some aspects, the AP filtering process 710 can receive the AP information 712, the AP observations 714, the TRP information 716, the TRP observations 718, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the AP filtering process 710 can further receive, from the filtered distance determination process 720, one or more frequency-scaled filtered distances for a TRP of the first RAT. In some aspects, based on some or all of the information 712 and the information 716, the observations 714 and the observations 718, and the one or more frequency-scaled filtered distances, the AP filtering process 710 can output filtered APs 740 for the second RAT with respect to the TRP.

[0127] For example, a positioning process for a user device (e.g., the user device 610) in a network (e.g., the network 600) can be performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from a TRP (e.g., the TRP 622) in the network (e.g., the network 600) in a first RAT (e.g., 5G NR) through a channel of the TRP. Figure 6 Figure 6 In some aspects, the filtered APs 740 can correspond to one or more APs of a second RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi) that can be usable in the positioning process with the one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP.

[0128] In some aspects, the AP information 712 can include a recorded position of an AP identified in the AP information 712. In some aspects, the AP information 712 can further include an AP identifier, a frequency band, a channel, a supported RAT, a coverage range, or an AP density, or any combination thereof, of the AP identified in the AP information 712. In some aspects, the recorded position of the AP indicated by the AP information 712 can be based at least in part on a crowdsourced position of some or all of the AP. In some aspects, a portion of the recorded position of the AP can be based on predetermined position information or predetermined trajectory information provided by the corresponding AP or an operator of the corresponding AP.

[0129] In some aspects, the AP observations 714 can include measurements of signals from at least the AP identified in the AP information 712. In some aspects, the measurements can include a signal strength, a signal quality, a signal frequency, or any combination thereof. In some aspects, the AP observations 714 can further include communication statistics of wireless communications with the AP identified in the AP information 712. In some aspects, the communication statistics can include an amount of data transmitted, a rate of data transmitted, a number of connected user devices, or any combination thereof.

[0130] ​In some aspects, TRP information 716 may include the recorded location of the TRP identified in TRP information 716. In some aspects, TRP information 716 may also include the TRP identifier, frequency band, channel, supported RAT, coverage area, or TRP density, or any combination thereof, of the TRP identified in TRP information 716. In some aspects, the recorded location of the TRP indicated by TRP information 716 may be at least partially based on some or all of the crowdsourced location of the TRP. In some aspects, the portion of the recorded location of the TRP may be based on predetermined location information or predetermined trajectory information provided by the corresponding TRP or the operator of the corresponding TRP.

[0131] In some aspects, TRP observation 718 may include measurements of signals from at least the TRP identified in TRP information 716. In some aspects, the measurements may include signal strength, signal quality, signal frequency, or any combination thereof. In some aspects, TRP observation 718 may also include communication statistics for wireless communication with the TRP identified in TRP information 716. In some aspects, the communication statistics may include data transmission volume, data transmission rate, number of connected user equipment, or any combination thereof.

[0132] In some respects, for a specific TRP of the first RAT (e.g., Figure 6 In TRP 622, a first frequency-scaled filtering distance and a second frequency-scaled filtering distance can be used to filter APs. In some aspects, the first frequency-scaled filtering distance can indicate that one or more first recorded locations of one or more first APs based on a second RAT are within a first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more first recorded locations of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning process for a user equipment. In some aspects, the second frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more second recorded locations of one or more second APs based on a second RAT, where one or more first APs do not exist, are within a second frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning process for a user equipment.

[0133] In some aspects, the second frequency-scaled filtering distance can be greater than the first frequency-scaled filtering distance. In some aspects, the second filtering distance can be 8 to 12 times the first filtering distance. In some aspects, the second filtering distance can be up to 100 times the first filtering distance. In some examples, the first filtering distance can be in the range of 4 to 6 kilometers, and the second filtering distance can be in the range of 40 to 60 kilometers.

[0134] In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can determine one or more filtered distances (e.g., the first filtered distance and / or the second filtered distance discussed above) associated with a nominal frequency of a TRP. In some aspects, the frequency- scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can determine one or more frequency- scaled filtered distances based at least on the one or more filtered distances and a channel frequency.

[0135] In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can receive TRP information 722, which can include a cell density, a cell observation count, a cell range, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the TRP information 722 can include or be based on the TRP information 716 and / or the TRP observations 718. In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can further receive information regarding APs observed within a coverage area of a TRP that can be identified by the user equipment in the TRP information 722, which can include or be based on the AP information 712 and / or the AP observations 714.

[0136] In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can receive first data based on observations of TRPs of a first RAT, second data based on observations of one or more APs of a second RAT, third data indicating one or more logged positions of the one or more APs, and / or fourth data indicating a historical positioning error associated with the one or more APs. In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can determine the first filtered distance and / or the second filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, the fourth data, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can determine the one or more filtered distances based on values assigned by a network operator, by user input, and / or a preconfigured lookup table. Further, in some aspects, the filtered distance determination process 720 can determine a nominal frequency of a TRP based on an average of observed channel frequencies, a weighted average of observed channel frequencies, a median of observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP, which can be based on the first data.

[0137] In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can obtain frequency information 732 indicating a channel frequency of a channel of the TRP of the first RAT, where a positioning procedure for the user equipment can be performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel. In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can determine a first frequency-scaled filtered distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtered distance model based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtered distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP. In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can further determine a second frequency-scaled filtered distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtered distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtered distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter.

[0138] In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance model can be based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p). In some aspects, f represents the channel frequency, fn represents the nominal frequency, and p represents the attenuation parameter. In some aspects, where dn represents the first filtered distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtered distance. In some aspects, where dn represents the second filtered distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the second frequency-scaled filtered distance.

[0139] In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can further obtain measurements 734 of signals from the TRP (e.g., based on the TRP observations 718). In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730 can determine a path loss model of the TRP based on the measurements 734 of the signals from the TRP, where the attenuation parameter can be based on the path loss model of the TRP.

[0140] In some aspects, the path loss model can be based on the following equation: PL = C · F^2 / D^p. In some aspects, F represents a frequency of a modeled signal (e.g., the channel frequency or the nominal frequency), D represents a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL represents a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents a modeled constant. In some aspects, the attenuation parameter p can be derived based on the path loss model.

[0141] Figure 8 is an example of an operations server device (e.g., a location server) that Figure 6FIG. 8 illustrates a functional block diagram of different stages of a method 800 of modeling a TRP (e.g., the server device 650 of FIG. 7). In some aspects, the method 800 can correspond to portions of the method 700 and is illustrated from a functional block perspective. In some aspects, the method 800 can include a modeling stage (also referred to as an offline stage) and an application stage (also referred to as a real-time stage). In some aspects, as Figure 8 one or more stages in the modeling stage can actually be performed during the application stage.

[0142] In some aspects, during the modeling stage, the method 800 can determine a nominal frequency for the TRP at block 810 and can determine one or more filtered distances associated with the nominal frequency at block 820. In some aspects, blocks 810 and 820 can be performed based on operations illustrated with respect to Figure 7 the filtered distance determination process 720). In some aspects, blocks 810 and 820 can be performed once in any order. In some aspects, blocks 810 and 820 can proceed in an iterative manner until a stopping condition is met (e.g., a predetermined number of iterations or a change in iterations is less than a predetermined threshold). In some aspects, the one or more filtered distances can not depend on individual channel frequencies of the TRP.

[0143] For example, when blocks 810 and 820 are performed in an iterative manner, at block 820, a filtered distance can be determined based on analyzing the AP information, AP observations, TRP formations, and / or TRP observations as Figure 7 depicted with respect to the nominal frequency determined at block 810. Further, at block 810, a nominal frequency can be determined or adjusted based on analyzing the AP information, AP observations, TRP formations, and / or TRP observations as Figure 7 depicted with respect to the filtered distance determined at block 820.

[0144] In some aspects, during the modeling stage, the method 800 can further determine a path loss model for the TRP at block 830. In some aspects, block 830 can be performed based on operations illustrated with respect to Figure 7 the frequency-scaled filtered distance determination process 730). In some aspects, block 830 can determine the path loss model based on the equation PL = C · F2 / Dp, as explained above. In some aspects, block 830 can be based on the TRP information 722 and can be an empirical path loss model based on power measurements of signals from the TRP.

[0145] In some aspects, during the modeling stage, the method 800 can further determine a decay parameter p at block 840 based on the path loss model for the TRP determined at block 830 and / or the nominal frequency from block 810 or the filtered distance from block 820. In some aspects, block 840 can be based on operations illustrated with respect toFigure 7 The illustrated operations (e.g., by the frequency-scaled filter distance determination process 730) are performed. In some aspects, block 840 can determine different attenuation parameters associated with different channel frequencies of the TRP. In some aspects, block 840 can determine an attenuation parameter associated with the nominal frequency and deemed applicable to different channel frequencies of the TRP.

[0146] In some aspects, during the application phase, the method 800 can determine one or more frequency-scaled filter distances at block 850 by applying a frequency-scaled filter distance model based at least on the nominal frequency from block 810, the one or more filtered distances from block 820, the attenuation parameter from block 840, and the determined channel frequency associated with the one or more frequency-scaled filter distances. In some aspects, block 850 can determine the one or more frequency-scaled filter distances based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), as discussed above. In some aspects, the resulting frequency-scaled filter distances will be frequency-dependent (i.e., can vary with channel frequency f). Figure 7 The illustrated operations (e.g., by the frequency-scaled filter distance determination process 730) are performed. In some aspects, at block 850, the channel frequency can be determined based on a cell identifier of the TRP and a channel identifier used to perform the positioning procedure. In some aspects, block 850 can determine the one or more frequency-scaled filter distances based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), as discussed above. In some aspects, the resulting frequency-scaled filter distances will be frequency-dependent (i.e., can vary with channel frequency f).

[0147] In some aspects, the method 800 can model the frequency-scaled filter distances based on the impact of path loss with frequency dependence. In some aspects, block 810, block 820, block 830, and / or block 840 can be based on empirical path models, such that block 850 can determine optimal frequency-scaled filter distances with realistic path loss ranges taking into account frequency-dependent propagation effects. In some aspects, the parameters obtained at block 810, block 820, block 830, and / or block 840 can be subject to further adjustment and / or validation based on field data in order to improve or ensure the accuracy of these parameters.

[0148] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method 900 of operating a server device in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the server device in method 900 can be the server device in method 800. Figure 6The server device 650 in the system 600. In some aspects, the server device can be a location server or an over-the-top server. In some aspects, the method 900 can be performed by a server device such as any of the location servers, LMFs, SLPs, proprietary servers, or any servers described herein. In an aspect, the method 900 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered means for performing one or more of the following operations of the method 900.

[0149] At operation 910, the server device can obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a TRP of a first RAT. In some aspects, a positioning procedure for a user equipment can be performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel. In some aspects, operation 910 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered means for performing operation 910.

[0150] At operation 920, the server device can determine a first frequency- scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP. In some aspects, the first frequency-scaled filtering distance can indicate that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first APs based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs being usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment. In some aspects, operation 920 can be performed by the one or more network transceivers 390, the one or more processors 394, the memory 396, and / or the positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered means for performing operation 920.

[0151] In some aspects, the method 900 can further include determining a second frequency- scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter. In some aspects, the second frequency-scaled filtering distance can indicate that one or more second recorded positions of one or more second APs based on an absence of the one or more first APs and based on the second RAT are within the second frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more second recorded positions of the one or more second APs being usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment. In some aspects, the second filtering distance can be 8 to 12 times the first filtering distance.

[0152] In some aspects, the frequency-scaled filtered distance model can be based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p). In some aspects, f denotes a channel frequency, fn denotes a nominal frequency, and p denotes an attenuation parameter. In some aspects, where dn denotes a first filtered distance associated with a nominal frequency, d denotes a first frequency-scaled filtered distance. In some aspects, where dn denotes a second filtered distance associated with a nominal frequency, d denotes a second frequency-scaled filtered distance.

[0153] In some aspects, the method 900 can further include obtaining a measurement of a signal from the TRP, and determining a path loss model of the TRP based on the measurement of the signal from the TRP. In some aspects, the attenuation parameter can be based on the path loss model of the TRP. In some aspects, the path loss model can be based on the following equation: PL = C · F^2 / D^p. In some aspects, F denotes a frequency of a modeled signal, D denotes a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL denotes a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C denotes a modeled constant.

[0154] In some aspects, the method 900 can further include receiving first data based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT, receiving second data based on the observation of the one or more third APs of the second RAT, receiving third data indicating one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs, and determining the first filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the method 900 can further include receiving fourth data indicating a historical positioning error associated with the one or more third APs. In some aspects, determining the first filtered distance can be further based on the fourth data.

[0155] In some aspects, the one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs can be based at least in part on a crowdsourced position of some or all of the one or more third APs.

[0156] In some aspects, the method 900 can include receiving first data based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT, and determining a nominal frequency of the TRP based on an average of observed channel frequencies, a weighted average of observed channel frequencies, a median of observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP that can be identified based on the first data.

[0157] In some aspects, the first RAT can be a cellular communication technology, and the second RAT can be a wireless local area network technology. In some aspects, the first RAT is 5G NR, and the second RAT is Wi-Fi. In some aspects, the one or more first APs can be Wi-Fi APs.

[0158] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of the method 900 is that APs with erroneously logged positions are filtered out taking into account frequency-dependent propagation effects. In some aspects, the frequency-dependent propagation effects can be modeled based on frequency-scaled filtered distance models, and can be taken into account by using one or more frequency-scaled filtered distances, which can be determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtered distance model that is based at least on a channel frequency. Thus, taking into account frequency-dependent propagation effects, the range of APs to be included in a hybrid positioning procedure for a user device can be better determined, and the accuracy of the hybrid positioning procedure can be improved due to better selected APs. Moreover, the APs that are not selected can correspond to incorrect data, or can not improve positioning accuracy in a meaningful way. By allocating processing resources on the selected APs and skipping the non-selected APs, processing complexity and processing latency can also be reduced.

[0159] In the detailed description above, various features are grouped together in examples. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses are to be taken exclusively, such that only a specific combination of features is considered. Rather, various aspects of the disclosure can include fewer than all features of an individual example clause. Therefore, the following clauses should be taken to be incorporated into the description as if each clause were individually recited, with the understanding that each clause is also to be taken independently as an independent example. Although each dependent clause can refer to a particular combination of features in a clause, aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to the specific combination. It is to be appreciated that other example clauses can also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein expressly contemplate these combinations unless expressly expressed or readily inferable that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). Further, it is also contemplated that aspects of a clause can be included in any other independent clause even if the clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0160] Various implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. A method of operating a server device, the method comprising: obtaining a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT), for a positioning procedure of a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determining a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0161] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, further comprising: determining a second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying the filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter, wherein the second frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more second recorded positions of one or more second APs based on an absence of the one or more first APs and based on the second RAT are within the second frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more second recorded positions of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0162] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the second filtering distance is 8 times to 12 times the first filtering distance.

[0163] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), where f denotes the channel frequency, fn denotes the nominal frequency, where dn denotes the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d denotes the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p denotes the attenuation parameter.

[0164] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising: obtaining a measurement of a signal from the TRP; and determining a path loss model of the TRP based on the measurement of the signal from the TRP, wherein the attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP.

[0165] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C - F2 / Dp, where F represents a frequency of a modeled signal, D represents a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL represents a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that is observable at the modeled observation point, and C represents a modeled constant.

[0166] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1-6, further comprising: receiving first data based on observations of the TRP of the first RAT; receiving second data based on observations of one or more third APs of the second RAT; receiving third data indicating one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs; and determining the first filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof.

[0167] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, further comprising: receiving fourth data indicating historical positioning errors associated with the one or more third APs, wherein determining the first filtered distance is further based on the fourth data.

[0168] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 7-8, wherein the one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs are based at least in part on crowd-sourced positions of some or all of the one or more third APs.

[0169] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1-9, further comprising: receiving first data based on observations of the TRP of the first RAT; and determining the nominal frequency of the TRP based on: an average of observed channel frequencies that are identifiable based on the first data, a weighted average of the observed channel frequencies, a median of the observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP.

[0170] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1-10, wherein: the first RAT is a cellular communication technology, and the second RAT is a wireless local area network technology.

[0171] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein: the first RAT is 5G NR, and the second RAT is Wi-Fi.

[0172] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 11-12, wherein the one or more first APs are Wi-Fi APs.

[0173] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 1-13, wherein the server device is a location server or an over-the-top server.

[0174] Clause 15. A server device, the server device comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, individually or in combination, configured to: obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT), a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determine a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0175] Clause 16. The server device of clause 15, wherein the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: determine a second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying the frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter, wherein the second frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more second recorded positions of one or more second APs based on an absence of the one or more first APs and based on the second RAT are within the second frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more second recorded positions of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0176] Clause 17. The server device of clause 16, wherein the second filtering distance is 8 to 12 times the first filtering distance.

[0177] Clause 18. The server device of any of clauses 15-17, wherein the frequency- scaled filtered distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency, fn represents the nominal frequency, where dn represents the first filtered distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtered distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

[0178] Clause 19. The server device of any of clauses 15-18, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further configured to: obtain measurements of signals from the TRPs; and determine a path loss model for the TRPs based on the measurements of the signals from the TRPs, wherein the attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model for the TRPs.

[0179] Clause 20. The server device of clause 19, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C · F^2 / D^p, where F represents a frequency of a modeled signal, D represents a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL represents a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents a modeled constant.

[0180] Clause 21. The server device of any of clauses 15-20, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, first data based on observations of the TRPs of the first RAT; receive, via the one or more transceivers, second data based on observations of one or more third APs of the second RAT; receive, via the one or more transceivers, third data indicating one or more third recorded positions of the one or more third APs; and determine the first filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof.

[0181] Clause 22. The server device of clause 21, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, fourth data indicating historical positioning errors associated with the one or more third APs, wherein determining the first filtered distance is further based on the fourth data.

[0182] Clause 23. The server device of any of clauses 21-22, wherein the one or more third recorded positions of the one or more third APs are based at least in part on crowd-sourced positions of some or all of the one or more third APs.

[0183] Clause 24. The server device of any of clauses 15 to 23, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, first data based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT; and determine the nominal frequency of the TRP based on: an average of observed channel frequencies that can be identified based on the first data, a weighted average of the observed channel frequencies, a median of the observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP.

[0184] Clause 25. The server device of any of clauses 15 to 24, wherein: the first RAT is a cellular communication technology, and the second RAT is a wireless local area network technology.

[0185] Clause 26. The server device of clause 25, wherein: the first RAT is 5G NR, and the second RAT is Wi-Fi.

[0186] Clause 27. The server device of any of clauses 25 to 26, wherein the one or more first APs are Wi-Fi APs.

[0187] Clause 28. The server device of any of clauses 15 to 27, wherein the server device is a location server or an over-the-top server.

[0188] Clause 29. A server device comprising: means for obtaining a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT), for which a positioning procedure for a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and means for determining a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and a decay parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0189] Clause 30. The server device of clause 29, further comprising: means for determining a second frequency-scaled filter distance for the channel frequency by applying the filter distance model that is based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filter distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter, wherein the second frequency-scaled filter distance indicates that one or more second recorded positions of one or more second APs of the second RAT are within the second frequency-scaled filter distance from the TRP based on an absence of the one or more first APs and based on the one or more second recorded positions of the one or more second APs being usable in the positioning procedure for the user device.

[0190] Clause 31. The server device of clause 30, wherein the second filter distance is 8 to 12 times the first filter distance.

[0191] Clause 32. The server device of any one of clauses 29 to 31, wherein the filter distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency, fn represents the nominal frequency, where dn represents the first filter distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filter distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

[0192] Clause 33. The server device of any one of clauses 29 to 32, further comprising: means for obtaining a measurement of a signal from the TRP; and means for determining a path loss model of the TRP based on the measurement of the signal from the TRP, wherein the attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP.

[0193] Clause 34. The server device of clause 33, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C · F^2 / D^p, where F represents a frequency of a modeled signal, D represents a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL represents a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that is observable at the modeled observation point, and C represents a modeled constant.

[0194] Clause 35. The server device of any of clauses 29-34, the server device further comprising: means for receiving first data based on observations of the TRP of the first RAT; means for receiving second data based on observations of one or more third APs of the second RAT; means for receiving third data indicating one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs; and means for determining the first filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof.

[0195] Clause 36. The server device of clause 35, the server device further comprising: means for receiving fourth data indicating a historical positioning error associated with the one or more third APs, wherein determining the first filtered distance is further based on the fourth data.

[0196] Clause 37. The server device of any of clauses 35-36, wherein the one or more third logged positions of the one or more third APs are based at least in part on crowd-sourced positions of some or all of the one or more third APs.

[0197] Clause 38. The server device of any of clauses 29-37, the server device further comprising: means for receiving first data based on observations of the TRP of the first RAT; and means for determining the nominal frequency of the TRP based on: a mean value of observed channel frequencies that can be identified based on the first data, a weighted mean value of the observed channel frequencies, a median value of the observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP.

[0198] Clause 39. The server device of any of clauses 29-38, wherein: the first RAT is a cellular communication technology, and the second RAT is a wireless local area network technology.

[0199] Clause 40. The server device of clause 39, wherein: the first RAT is 5G NR, and the second RAT is Wi-Fi.

[0200] Clause 41. The server device of any of clauses 39-40, wherein the one or more first APs are Wi-Fi APs.

[0201] Clause 42. The server device of any of clauses 29-41, wherein the server device is a location server or an over-the-top server.

[0202] Clause 43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a server device, cause the server device to: obtain a channel frequency of a channel of a transmission-reception point (TRP) of a first radio access technology (RAT) for which a positioning procedure of a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP over the channel; and determine a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, a nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and an attenuation parameter of the TRP, wherein: the first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded positions of one or more first access points (APs) based on a second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more first recorded positions of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0203] Clause 44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 43, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: determine a second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying the frequency-scaled filtering distance model that is based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter, wherein the second frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more second recorded positions of one or more second APs based on an absence of the one or more first APs and based on the second RAT are within the second frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, the one or more second recorded positions of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning procedure for the user equipment.

[0204] Clause 45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 44, wherein the second filtering distance is 8 to 12 times the first filtering distance.

[0205] Clause 46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 43 to 45, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn · (fn / f)^(2 / p), where f denotes the channel frequency, fn denotes the nominal frequency, where dn denotes the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d denotes the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p denotes the attenuation parameter.

[0206] Clause 47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-46, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: obtain measurements of signals from the TRPs; and determine a path loss model for the TRPs based on the measurements of the signals from the TRPs, wherein the attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model for the TRPs.

[0207] Clause 48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 47, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C · F2 / Dp, where F represents a frequency of a modeled signal, D represents a distance from a modeled observation point to a source of the modeled signal, PL represents a power loss ratio of the modeled signal that is observable at the modeled observation point, and C represents a modeled constant.

[0208] Clause 49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-48, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: receive first data based on observations of the TRPs of the first RAT; receive second data based on observations of one or more third APs of the second RAT; receive third data indicating one or more third recorded positions of the one or more third APs; and determine the first filtered distance based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof.

[0209] Clause 50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 49, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: receive fourth data indicating historical positioning errors associated with the one or more third APs, wherein determining the first filtered distance is further based on the fourth data.

[0210] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 49-50, wherein the one or more third recorded positions of the one or more third APs are based at least in part on crowd-sourced positions of some or all of the one or more third APs.

[0211] Clause 52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-51, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: receive first data based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT; and determine the nominal frequency of the TRP based on: an average of observed channel frequencies that can be identified based on the first data, a weighted average of the observed channel frequencies, a median of the observed channel frequencies, or a predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP.

[0212] Clause 53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-52, wherein: the first RAT is a cellular communication technology, and the second RAT is a wireless local area network technology.

[0213] Clause 54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 53, wherein: the first RAT is 5G NR, and the second RAT is Wi-Fi.

[0214] Clause 55. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 53-54, wherein the one or more first APs are Wi-Fi APs.

[0215] Clause 56. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-55, wherein the server device is a location server or an over-the-top server.

[0216] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0217] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0218] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an ASIC, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0219] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., an UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0220] In one or more example aspects, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0221] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, the functions, steps and / or actions of the methods described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the disclosure described or claimed herein can be described or claimed in particular combinations, one or more features from a combination can be excised from the combination and still provide useable partial aspects of embodiments of the disclosure. In addition, any component, function, action, or element described or claimed herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use herein of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “fronting,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising,” “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “decomprising

Claims

1. A method for operating a server device, the method comprising: The channel frequency of the channel of the Transmit-Receive Point (TRP) of the first radio access technology (RAT) is obtained, and the positioning process for the user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP via the channel; as well as The first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter of the TRP. in: The first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first locations of one or more first access points (APs) based on the second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more first recorded locations of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, the second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter. The second frequency-scaled filter distance indication is based on the absence of the one or more first APs and one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs based on the second RAT being within the second frequency-scaled filter distance from the TRP, wherein the one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second filtering distance is 8 to 12 times the first filtering distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn·(fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency. fn represents the nominal frequency. Where dn represents the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Measurement of the signal obtained from the TRP; as well as The path loss model of the TRP is determined based on the measurements of the signal from the TRP. The attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C·F^2 / D^p, where F represents the frequency of the modeled signal. D represents the distance from the modeled observation point to the source of the modeled signal. PL represents the power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents the modeled constant.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first data is received based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT; The second data is received based on observations of one or more third APs of the second RAT; Receive one or more third recorded location data indicating the location of the one or more third APs; as well as The first filtering distance is determined based on the first data, the second data, the third data, or a combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: Receive fourth data indicating historical positioning errors associated with the one or more third APs. The determination of the first filtering distance is further based on the fourth data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more third recorded locations of the one or more third APs are at least partially based on some or all of the crowdsourced locations of the one or more third APs.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first data is received based on the observation of the TRP of the first RAT; as well as The nominal frequency of the TRP is determined based on the following: The average value of the observed channel frequencies that can be identified based on the first data. The weighted average of the observed channel frequencies, The median of the observed channel frequencies, or A predetermined frequency assigned to the TRP.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein: The first RAT is cellular communication technology, and The second RAT is wireless local area network technology.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The first RAT is 5G NR, and The second RAT is Wi-Fi.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more first APs are Wi-Fi APs.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the server device is a location server or an overhead server.

15. A server device, the server device comprising: One or more memory units; One or more transceivers; and One or more processors, communicatively coupled to one or more memories and one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more processors are configured individually or in combination to: The channel frequency of the channel of the Transmit-Receive Point (TRP) of the first radio access technology (RAT) is obtained, and the positioning process for the user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP via the channel; as well as The first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter of the TRP. in: The first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded locations of one or more first access points (APs) based on the second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more first recorded locations of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

16. The server device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: The second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, the second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter. The second frequency-scaled filter distance indication is based on the absence of the one or more first APs and one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs based on the second RAT being within the second frequency-scaled filter distance from the TRP, wherein the one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

17. The server device of claim 15, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn·(fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency. fn represents the nominal frequency. Where dn represents the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

18. The server device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: Measurement of the signal obtained from the TRP; and The path loss model of the TRP is determined based on the measurements of the signal from the TRP. The attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP.

19. The server device of claim 18, wherein the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C·F^2 / D^p, where F represents the frequency of the modeled signal. D represents the distance from the modeled observation point to the source of the modeled signal. PL represents the power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents the modeled constant.

20. The server device according to claim 15, wherein: The first RAT is cellular communication technology, and The second RAT is wireless local area network technology.

21. A server device, the server device comprising: A component for obtaining the channel frequency of a transmit-receive point (TRP) channel of a first radio access technology (RAT), wherein the positioning process of a user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP via said channel; and A component for determining a first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter of the TRP. in: The first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded locations of one or more first access points (APs) based on the second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more first recorded locations of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

22. The server device according to claim 21, further comprising: A component for determining a second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter. The second frequency-scaled filter distance indication is based on the absence of the one or more first APs and one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs based on the second RAT being within the second frequency-scaled filter distance from the TRP, wherein the one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

23. The server device of claim 21, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn·(fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency. fn represents the nominal frequency. Where dn represents the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

24. The server device according to claim 21, further comprising: Components for obtaining measurements of signals from the TRP; and Components for determining the path loss model of the TRP based on the measurements from the signal received by the TRP. The attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP, and the path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C·F^2 / D^p, where F represents the frequency of the modeled signal. D represents the distance from the modeled observation point to the source of the modeled signal. PL represents the power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents the modeled constant.

25. The server device according to claim 21, wherein: The first RAT is cellular communication technology, and The second RAT is wireless local area network technology.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a server device, cause the server device to: The channel frequency of the channel of the Transmitter-Receiver Point (TRP) of the first radio access technology (RAT) is obtained, and the positioning process for the user equipment is performed based on one or more positioning reference signals from the TRP via said channel; and The first frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, a first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter of the TRP. in: The first frequency-scaled filtering distance indicates that one or more first recorded locations of one or more first access points (APs) based on the second RAT are within the first frequency-scaled filtering distance from the TRP, and the one or more first recorded locations of the one or more first APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: The second frequency-scaled filtering distance for the channel frequency is determined by applying a frequency-scaled filtering distance model based on the channel frequency, the nominal frequency of the TRP, the second filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, and the attenuation parameter. The second frequency-scaled filter distance indication is based on the absence of the one or more first APs and one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs based on the second RAT being within the second frequency-scaled filter distance from the TRP, wherein the one or more second recorded locations of the one or more second APs are usable in the positioning process for the user equipment.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the frequency-scaled filtering distance model is based on the following equation: d = dn·(fn / f)^(2 / p), where f represents the channel frequency. fn represents the nominal frequency. Where dn represents the first filtering distance associated with the nominal frequency, d represents the first frequency-scaled filtering distance, and p represents the attenuation parameter.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the server device, cause the server device to: Measurement of the signal obtained from the TRP; and The path loss model of the TRP is determined based on the measurements of the signal from the TRP. The attenuation parameter is based on the path loss model of the TRP, and The path loss model is based on the following equation: PL = C·F^2 / D^p, where F represents the frequency of the modeled signal. D represents the distance from the modeled observation point to the source of the modeled signal. PL represents the power loss ratio of the modeled signal that can be observed at the modeled observation point, and C represents the modeled constant.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein: The first RAT is cellular communication technology, and The second RAT is wireless local area network technology.

Images