Audio signal information integration for positioning and sensing

Abstract

Techniques for audio positioning are disclosed. In an aspect, a network entity can receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE). The network entity can determine to activate audio positioning of the UE based on one or more criteria. The network entity can transmit audio positioning configuration information to the UE. The network entity can receive positioning information of the UE in accordance with the audio positioning configuration information, the positioning information of the UE comprising audio measurement information or a position estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] All aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless technology.

[0003] 2. Related technical descriptions

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through many generations, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services with internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), as well as digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and others.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), delivers higher data transfer speeds, more connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on Positioning Reference Signals (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technological enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advancements in the PRS process and technology, and the high-density deployment of 5G, enable high-accuracy positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of the invention relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all conceived aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all conceived aspects or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method performed at a network entity includes: receiving radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); determining an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; sending audio location configuration information to the UE; and receiving location information of the UE based on the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0008] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication for a user equipment (UE) includes: obtaining one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; receiving audio location configuration information from a network entity; transmitting an audio signal, detecting an audio signal, or both, based on the audio location configuration information; and transmitting information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0009] In one aspect, a network entity 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 being individually or in combination configured to: receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; determine an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; transmit audio location configuration information to the UE via the one or more transceivers; and receive location information of the UE via the one or more transceivers based on the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0010] In one aspect, a user equipment 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 being configured individually or in combination to: acquire one or more measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals; receive audio location configuration information from a network entity via the one or more transceivers; transmit an audio signal, detect an audio signal, or both, via the one or more transceivers based on the audio location configuration information; and transmit information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both, to the network entity via the one or more transceivers.

[0011] In one aspect, a network entity includes: components for receiving radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); components for determining an audio location for activating the UE based on one or more criteria; components for sending audio location configuration information to the UE; and components for receiving location information of the UE according to the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0012] In one aspect, a user equipment includes: components for acquiring one or more measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals; components for receiving audio location configuration information from a network entity; components for transmitting an audio signal, detecting an audio signal, or both, based on the audio location configuration information; and components for transmitting information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); determine an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; send audio location configuration information to the UE; and receive location information of the UE according to the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0014] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment, cause the user equipment to: acquire one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; receive audio location configuration information from a network entity; transmit an audio signal, detect an audio signal, or both, based on the audio location configuration information; and transmit information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0015] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not to limit the aspects.

[0017] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0019] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C It is a simplified block diagram of several examples of components that can be used in user equipment (UE), base stations and network entities and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0020] Figure 4Examples of various positioning methods supported in new radios (NR) according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0021] Figure 5 Examples of Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) capability transfer processes, auxiliary data transfer processes, and location information transfer processes between a target device and a location server according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0022] Figure 6 Example environments in which RF positioning, visual positioning, and / or audio positioning can be deployed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0023] Figure 7 The functionality of a hybrid positioning engine according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 8 Example positioning methods based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0025] Figure 9A Example initialization methods according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0026] Figure 9B Example database formats based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0027] Figure 10 An example process for activating audio localization in response to one or more detected criteria, according to various aspects of this disclosure, is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 11 An audio positioning configuration and measurement system according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0029] Figure 12 An example method for performing audio localization is shown, based on various aspects of this disclosure, for example techniques in which the infrastructure and user audio devices are substantially synchronized.

[0030] Figure 13 Example methods of device-free positioning combined with audio positioning technology according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0031] Figure 14 and Figure 15 Example methods of communication according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0033] The overall scope involves the integration of audio / acoustic sensing technologies. Some aspects are more specifically about incorporating audio sensing into positioning. In some examples, audio positioning can be performed upon detection of one or more criteria. These criteria may include positioning performance criteria, radio frequency (RF) based criteria, location-based criteria, vision-based criteria, or other criteria. Depending on the aspect, these technologies may utilize infrastructure audio components already deployed on-site, as well as user equipment audio components available on some user equipment (UE).

[0034] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, better positioning can be obtained in an energy-efficient manner by activating audio positioning based on one or more criteria. Additionally, deployment costs can be reduced through the availability of audio components in existing infrastructure and / or user equipment. Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure can allow for accurate positioning in locations where vision-based positioning is restricted or prohibited for privacy reasons.

[0035] The terms “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 superior to or better than other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0036] Those skilled in the art will understand that any of a variety of different techniques and methods can be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0037] Furthermore, many aspects are described according to a sequence of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be entirely embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, any corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0038] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., 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., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). 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 interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT,” “Client Equipment,” “Wireless Equipment,” “Subscriber Equipment,” “Subscriber Terminal,” “Subscriber Station,” “User Terminal” or “UT,” “Mobile Equipment,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, etc.).

[0039] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, Node B, Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can transmit signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can transmit signals to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0040] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of a base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP can be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because, as used herein, a TRP is the point by which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0041] In some specific implementations supporting UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0042] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal” where the context clearly indicates that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0043] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base station may include an eNB and / or an ng-eNB (wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or a gNB (wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0044] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via core network 170. Location server 172 can be part of core network 170 or can be external to core network 170. Location server 172 can be integrated with base station 102. UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 via base station 102 currently serving UE 104. UE 104 can also communicate with location server 172 via another path, such as via application server (not shown), via another network, such as via wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 can be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., via core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), wherein intermediate nodes (if present) are omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0045] In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform functions associated with one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) on backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0046] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station in base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource, 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 operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the 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 the geographical coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., a sector), as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0047] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some areas within geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB) that can provide service to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0048] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) process before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0050] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MULTEFIRE. ® .

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0052] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using 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, thus providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that forms an RF beam that can be "manipulated" to be pointed in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the correct phase relationship, such that radio waves from the individual antennas add up in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0053] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) as having the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived based on information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0054] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is described as performing beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain 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.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0055] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about a first beam (e.g., receive or transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific 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 that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0056] It is important to note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving the downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0057] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6GHz" band. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although this differs from the designation used by the International Telecommunication Union. ® Extremely high frequency (EHF) bands (30 GHz to 300 GHz) are designated as “millimeter wave” bands.

[0058] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as intermediate frequency (IF) bands. Recent 5G NR studies have designated the operating bands for these IF bands as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to IF band frequencies. Additionally, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been designated as the 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 frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0059] In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "below 6 GHz" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or including intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "millimeter wave" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies that can include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or within the EHF band.

[0060] In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by UE 104 / 182 and the cell, where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, 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 UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, the UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0061] For example, still refer to Figure 1One of the frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20MHz carrier, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).

[0062] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 via communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0063] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may be able to communicate via sidelink. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) can also communicate directly with each other via radio sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). Radio sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standards that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without the need for communication through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be located within the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102. Other SL-UEs in this group may be outside the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102, or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 102 for other reasons. In some cases, the groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may 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 the scheduling of resources used for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the individual SL-UEs without involving base station 102.

[0064] On one hand, the sidelink 160 can operate via a wireless communication medium of interest that can be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs for wireless communication. "Medium" can include one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., covering one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communication between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. On another hand, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of unlicensed frequency bands shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently extended their operation to unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include various variants of CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and so on.

[0065] It should be noted that, although Figure 1 Only two of these UEs are exemplified as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), but any UE exemplified can be an SL-UE. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any UE exemplified (including UE 164) can be capable of beamforming. When SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they can beamform towards each other (i.e., towards other SL-UEs), towards other UEs (e.g., UE 104), towards base stations (e.g., base station 102, base station 180, small cell 102', access point 150), etc. Therefore, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0066] exist Figure 1 In the example, the UE shown (for simplicity, in) Figure 1Any UE (shown as a single UE 104) can receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that allows UE 104 to use as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that a receiver (e.g., UE 104) can determine its location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SV 112.

[0067] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise made capable of being used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlap Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted geographic augmentation navigation, or GPS and geographic augmentation navigation system (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0068] On one hand, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects 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 the modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or network nodes in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides 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. Thus, as a replacement or supplement to communication signals from the ground base station 102, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112.

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In one example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through this D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through this D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can utilize any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct). ® ,Bluetooth ® (etc.) to support.

[0070] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For instance, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which work together to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either or both of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0071] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple 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, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0072] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 240.5GC 260 is illustrated (which can be used with...). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 (corresponding to 5GC 210) can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of AMF 264 include: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and the Session Management Function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and Secure Anchoring Functionality (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204 and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204's authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) authentication, AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AMF. AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF and uses this key to derive an access network-specific key. AMF 264 functionality also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as location server 230), transmission of location service messages between NG-RAN 220 and LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for EPS interoperability, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF 264 also supports non-3GPP... ® (Third Generation Partner Program) Access network functionality.

[0073] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), acting as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnecting to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., strobing, redirection, traffic steering), lawful eavesdropping (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the 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 delivering and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the delivery of location service messages between UE 204 and location servers (such as SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0074] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, service orientation configuration at UPF 262 for routing services to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0075] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple 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, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). SLP 272 can support similar functions to LMF 270, but while LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to deliver signaling messages rather than voice or data), SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party server 274) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmit Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0076] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274, which can communicate with LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., location estimation) of UE 204. Therefore, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or an external client. The third-party server 274 may be implemented as multiple 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, each may correspond to a single server.

[0077] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260, and specifically connect UPF 262 and AMF 264 to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0078] The functionality of the gNB 222 is divided among the gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RU) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions other than those specifically allocated to the gNB-DU 228, including user data delivery, mobility control, radio access network sharing, location, session management, etc. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of gNB 222 is typically managed by one or more independent gNB-RU 229s, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between gNB-DU 228 and gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0079] The deployment of communication systems such as 5G NR systems can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, RAN nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment (such as base stations or one or more units (or components) performing base station functions) can be implemented in aggregated or decomposed architectures. For example, base stations (such as Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base stations, 5GNB, AP, TRP, cells, etc.) can be implemented as aggregated base stations (also known as standalone base stations or monolithic base stations) or decomposed base stations.

[0080] Aggregated base stations can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. Decentralized base stations can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across 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 respects, the CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CUs, DUs, and RUs may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0081] Base station type operation or network design can consider the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, decomposed base stations can be used in Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) networks, Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) (such as those developed by the O-RAN Alliance), and other similar networks. ® This can be used in proposed network configurations or virtualized radio access networks (vRAN, also known as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functionality across two or more units in various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which allows for flexibility in network design. Various units in a decomposed base station or decomposed RAN architecture can be configured to communicate wirelessly with at least one other unit.

[0082] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Several example components (represented by corresponding boxes) are illustrated, which can be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and Figure 2BThe NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructures depicted herein (such as dedicated networks) support the operations described herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different specific implementations in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in System-on-Chip (SoCs), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0083] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, which provide components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) for communication via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communication with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) through a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include: one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively; and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0084] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. Short-range wireless 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, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 each include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 respectively for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 respectively for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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. When 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 Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) signals, etc. When satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). 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 may request appropriate information and operations from other systems, and in at least some cases, use measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0087] Optional satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 (when present) can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can be provided with components for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. When satellite signal transmitter 374 is a satellite positioning system transmitter, the satellite positioning / communication signal 378 can be a GPS signal, GLONASS signal, etc. ® Signals include Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, NAVIC signals, and QZSS signals. When satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 are NTN transmitters, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). 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.

[0088] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, which provide components (e.g., transmitting components, receiving components, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may use one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. Similarly, network entity 306 may use one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0089] Transceivers can be configured to communicate via wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some embodiments it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other embodiments it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceiver 380 and network transceiver 390 in some embodiments) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device (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) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the corresponding device may perform only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0090] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some specific embodiments, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some specific embodiments) may generally be described as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Therefore, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers typically involves signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0091] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operation disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 342, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. Thus, processors 342, 384, and 394 may provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for transmitting, components for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 342, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0092] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide components for storage, retrieval, maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include positioning components 348, 388, and 398. Positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 342, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other respects, positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 342, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 342, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 348 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 342, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations for the positioning component 388 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.

[0093] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 342 to provide components for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal interfaces 330. By way of example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate positioning in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0094] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides components for providing instructions to a user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0095] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 can implement functionality for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), 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 (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation 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 processing, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0096] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include: error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation 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 decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal transmitted by UE 302 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0097] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 342. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. Then, data and control signals are provided to one or more processors 342, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0098] In the downlink, one or more processors 342 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 342 are also responsible for error detection.

[0099] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by base station 304, one or more processors 342 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0100] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0101] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 384.

[0102] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0103] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe document is shown as including 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 to 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). ® (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. In another 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 interface 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.

[0104] 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 functionality integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 308, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between these logical entities.

[0105] 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 can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or combine at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide that functionality. For example, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Moreover, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it should be understood that such operations, actions and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 342, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 348, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0106] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may operate differently from the network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as Wi-Fi).

[0107] NR supports various cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and positioning methods based on both downlink and uplink. 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 according to aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process illustrated in scenario 410, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurement) and reports these differences to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in auxiliary 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 base stations involved and the RSTD measurement, the positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the UE's location.

[0108] For the DL-AoD positioning illustrated in scenario 420, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding the received signal strength of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0109] 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 reception time of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the received-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known location of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use the TDOA to estimate the UE's location.

[0110] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurement and the angle of the receive beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0111] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT" and "Multi-RTT"). During RTT, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), which then sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., 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 time of transmission of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundary of the received signal and the transmitted signal. The two entities can then transmit their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip time (RTT) between the two entities based on these two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., calculated as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can transmit its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to another entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For the multi-RTT positioning illustrated in scenario 430, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning process with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known location of the second entities (e.g., using polygonal measurements). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy, as illustrated in scenario 440.

[0112] The E-CID positioning method is based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0113] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide auxiliary data to the UE. For example, auxiliary data may include: the identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., including the number of consecutive time slots of the PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots of the PRS, silence sequences, frequency hopping sequences, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, auxiliary data may be derived directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without using auxiliary data.

[0114] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, auxiliary data may also include the expected RSTD value and the associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (µs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements is in FR1, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 32 µs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 8 µs.

[0115] Location estimates can be referred to by other names, such as location estimation, location, positioning, fixed location, etc. Location estimates can be geodesic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible elevation), or they can be municipal and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of the location. Location estimates can be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible elevation). Location estimates can include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including the area or volume that the location is expected to include with a specified or default confidence level).

[0116] The Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) is used point-to-point between a location server (e.g., LMF 270) and a target device (e.g., UE) to locate the target device using positioning-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources (physical entities or portions of physical entities that provide signals measurable by the target device to obtain the location of the target device). An LPP session is used between the location server and the target device to obtain positioning-related measurements or location estimates, or to transfer auxiliary data. Currently, a single LPP session is used to support a single location request, and multiple LPP sessions can be used between the same endpoints to support multiple different location requests. Each LPP session includes one or more LPP transactions (or procedures), where each LPP transaction performs a single operation (capability exchange, auxiliary data transfer, or location information transfer). Each LPP transaction involves the exchange of one or more LPP messages between the location server and the target device. The general format of an LPP message consists of a set of common fields followed by a body. The body (which may be empty) contains information specific to a particular message type. Each message type contains information specific to one or more positioning methods and / or information common to all positioning methods.

[0117] An LPP session typically includes at least a capability transfer or instruction process, an auxiliary data transfer or delivery process, and a location information transfer or delivery process. Figure 5 Example LPP capability transfer process 510, LPP auxiliary data transfer process 530, and LPP location information transfer process 550 between a target device (labeled "target") and a location server (labeled "server") according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0118] The purpose of LPP capability transfer procedure 510 is to enable the transfer of capabilities from a target device (e.g., UE 204) to a location server (e.g., LMF 270). In this context, capabilities refer to location and protocol capabilities associated with LPP, as well as location methods supported by LPP. In LPP capability transfer procedure 510, the location server (e.g., LMF 270) indicates the type of capability required by the target device (e.g., UE 204) in an LPP request capability message. The target device responds with an LPP provide capability message. The capabilities included in the LPP provide capability message should correspond to any capability type specified in the LPP request capability message. Specifically, for each location method for which a capability request is included in the LPP request capability message, if the target device supports that location method, the target device includes its capabilities for the supported location methods in the LPP provide capability message. For the LPP capability indication procedure, the target device provides capabilities to the location server in the LPP provide capability message that were not requested (i.e., the LPP request capability message was not received).

[0119] The purpose of LPP Assisted Data Delivery Procedure 530 is to enable a target device to request assisted data from a location server for location assistance, and to enable the location server to deliver assisted data to the target device without a request. In LPP Assisted Data Delivery Procedure 530, the target device sends an LPP Request Assisted Data message to the location server. The location server responds to the target device with an LPP Provide Assisted Data message containing the assisted data. The delivered assisted data should match or be a subset of the assisted data requested in the LPP Request Assisted Data. The location server may also provide any unrequested information it deems useful to the target device. The location server may also send one or more additional LPP Provide Assisted Data messages to the target device containing further assisted data. For the LPP Assisted Data Delivery Procedure, the location server provides unrequested assisted data necessary for location. Assisted data may be provided periodically or non-periodically.

[0120] The purpose of LPP location information transmission procedure 550 is to enable a location server to request location measurement data and / or location estimates from a target device, and to enable the target device to transmit location measurement data and / or location estimates to the location server without a request. In LPP location information transmission procedure 550, the location server transmits an LPP request location information message to the target device to request location information, indicating the type of location information required and the potentially associated QoS. The target device responds to the location server with an LPP provide location information message to transmit the location information. Unless the location server explicitly allows additional location information, the transmitted location information should match or be a subset of the location information requested by the LPP request location information message. More specifically, if the requested information is compatible with the capabilities and configuration of the target device, the target device includes the requested information in the LPP provide location information message. Otherwise, if the target device does not support one or more of the requested positioning methods, the target device continues to process the message as if it only contains information about supported positioning methods, and handles the signaling content of unsupported positioning methods through LPP error detection. If requested by an LPP Request for Location Information message, the target device sends an Additional LPP Provide Location Information message to the location server to deliver additional location information. The LPP location information delivery process supports delivery based on location estimates from unrequested services.

[0121] LPP also defines procedures related to error indication when a receiving endpoint (target device or location server) receives erroneous or unexpected data or detects some data loss. Specifically, when a receiving endpoint determines that a received LPP message contains an error, it may return an error message indicating one or more errors to the sending endpoint and discard the received / erroneous message. If the receiving endpoint is able to determine that the erroneous LPP message is an LPP error or abort message, it discards the received message without returning an error message to the sending endpoint.

[0122] LPP also defines procedures associated with abort instructions to allow a target device or location server to abort an ongoing process due to an unexpected event (e.g., an LCS client canceling a location request). Abort procedures can also be used to stop ongoing processes (e.g., periodic location reports from a target device). During an abort procedure, the first endpoint determines that process P must be aborted and sends an abort message carrying the transaction ID of process P to the second endpoint. The second endpoint then aborts process P.

[0123] Location tracking for devices such as mobile phones has seen significant improvements over the past few years. For devices like smartphones, very accurate location tracking is possible when the device can receive signals from both terrestrial and non-terrestrial transmitters. However, locating people and objects in dense indoor environments such as shops, warehouses, factories, construction sites, industrial sites, museums, etc., can be challenging.

[0124] Some current indoor positioning and sensing technologies fuse information from RF and vision systems, but do not use acoustic information or use it in a limited way. While positioning using RF and vision systems can provide sufficient information in some cases, these systems may present performance challenges, privacy challenges, and may be energy-inefficient. Aspects of this disclosure provide on-demand audio positioning technologies for enhancing existing positioning systems and, in some cases, for achieving device-free positioning of people and objects.

[0125] For some currently deployed RF technologies, one challenge for RF systems is positioning accuracy. Electronic shelf label (ESL) systems typically use short-range Bluetooth. ®Low-power (BLE) beacons offer the ability to pinpoint objects precisely; for example, typical positioning accuracy is within a range of about one meter. WiFi-based positioning, using signal strength measurements such as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), typically provides a significantly coarser positioning estimate, with uncertainty in the range of several meters. Therefore, WiFi positioning using RSSI is generally used to locate the general area where a target asset is located, rather than its precise location. WiFi positioning using RTT determination provides even better positioning accuracy; for example, positioning accuracy of about two meters.

[0126] A potential challenge with RF positioning is cost. In some cases, the deployment cost of RF-based technologies constitutes the largest portion of the overall deployment cost. While ESL systems cost far less per item than smartphones, hundreds or even thousands of ESLs can be deployed across shelves and aisles in an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) site to provide significant coverage, requiring substantial investment for installation. Additionally, ESL systems can use batteries to power the units, which incurs maintenance and ongoing battery costs. However, if RF infrastructure is already deployed for existing systems (e.g., monitoring and surveillance systems), the additional costs of achieving RF positioning can be limited.

[0127] In some cases, vision systems are used to enhance RF capabilities. Vision-based localization is extremely accurate, with uncertainty in the range of a few centimeters for well-characterized targets. However, vision systems come with another set of challenges; for example, visual occlusion, privacy, energy efficiency, and the difficulty of matching RF localization information with visual localization information when combining RF and vision-based localization. Cost can be an issue for locations where no vision systems are deployed (or when coverage is insufficient for vision-based localization). However, for locations where vision infrastructure is already deployed as part of a legacy system, little or no additional cost may be incurred for vision-based localization. For example, some over-the-top (OTT) infrastructure used in monitoring and surveillance systems includes visual components such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and audio components such as speakers.

[0128] For indoor spaces with dense, maze-like aisles and shelving, obstruction can be a particular challenge. Numerous cameras may be needed to completely cover the space, and vision-based localization may be limited or unavailable in areas with partial or complete visual obstruction. For example, if a target carrying RF equipment (e.g., a customer or worker) is obstructed by shelves or walls, visual localization information cannot be extracted from infrastructure visual components (e.g., CCTV visual data / images). Even when the target is equipped with a smartphone that could theoretically provide additional visual localization information, cameras may be obstructed if the device is carried in a pocket or wallet or otherwise positioned in a way that prevents the camera from providing useful visual information.

[0129] Privacy concerns can be important in locations governed by privacy rules or regulations, which prevent location systems from extracting or manipulating any visual features or information beyond the identified Region of Interest (RoI) or bounding box. In some cases, vision-based location may be completely unavailable due to privacy concerns. For example, a location may completely prohibit cameras, or a portion of the location may be designated as a restricted area for vision-based location (e.g., bathrooms, changing areas, or other private areas).

[0130] Energy efficiency is a particular concern for mobile devices that cannot access an external power source when acquiring visual data. For example, the UE camera is often the biggest consumer of battery power (typically significantly greater than RF power consumption), and vision-based localization may require a significant amount of local processing by the UE.

[0131] When using RF-based and vision-based positioning in hybrid systems, matching visual positioning data with RF positioning data presents another challenge. For example, matching / fusion algorithms that integrate visual and RF data can be hampered by varying uncertainties in different types of RF measurements. A crucial algorithmic step in RF / vision hybrid positioning is associating visually detected objects with the correct targets (e.g., a person carrying a UE or an RF-enabled target asset). Techniques such as multi-target tracking can be used; however, accurate results may not be obtained when the underlying RF-based positioning information does not meet accuracy thresholds (e.g., in legacy WiFi-RSSI deployments that provide relatively coarse positioning estimates).

[0132] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to indoor positioning and sensing in challenging environments such as Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) environments by enabling the activation of audio positioning. For example, audio positioning can be activated in response to one or more criteria to achieve energy-efficient and privacy-preserving positioning in indoor environments. In hybrid positioning technologies, audio positioning can be used in conjunction with RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof.

[0133] Audio-based positioning offers additional degrees of freedom and helps alleviate some of the problems in current systems, while providing a reliable always-on hybrid positioning solution. In some respects, these technologies are energy-efficient and offer enhanced privacy by integrating location-related information from audio signals generated and sensed by audio systems in the infrastructure and devices associated with assets and people. It should be noted that the terms “acoustic” and “audio” are used herein to refer in general to sound-based signaling and detection, regardless of whether the frequency is within the audible range.

[0134] Audio-based positioning technologies use sound waves; for example, frequencies ranging from approximately 15 kHz to 25 kHz. Using frequencies at the high end of the audible range and extending just beyond it allows the use of devices with microphones and speakers that can sense / generate sound waves with frequencies within the audible range without modification. For example, if the sampling frequency, frequency selectivity, etc., are within the existing audio processing capabilities of the device, the infrastructure audio components and the UE with integrated microphones and speakers can process / generate sound signals extending beyond the audible range. Therefore, in some cases, audio positioning systems can be deployed with little or no hardware modification or additional hardware installation.

[0135] Audio-based localization can include range-based and device-free techniques. Range-based techniques can use indications of range, such as Time of Flight (ToF), Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA), and Round-Trip Time (RTT). Some device-free audio localization techniques (described in more detail below) use the round-trip time of flight of an audio signal. For example, information about the transmitted audio signal and information about the detected reflections are used to determine the ToF, which indicates the range to the object.

[0136] Audio-based positioning can utilize various signaling protocols. For example, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), frequency hopping, and orthogonal time division multiplexing (TDM) decoding protocols can be used in conjunction with audio signaling.

[0137] The accuracy of audio positioning depends on the environment and the technology used. For example, indoor range-based audio positioning systems using RTT or ToF ranging technology can provide positioning accuracy within a range of one to three meters in 80% to 90% of cases, which is comparable to positioning systems based on WiFi-RTT and ESL-BLE.

[0138] Some relative range-based techniques utilize the Doppler effect and phase shift of audio signals. For example, relative range-based audio localization systems have been successful in gesture tracking (i.e., tracking body parts such as hands and fingers, and their interactions with electronic devices). Gesture tracking systems report accuracy in the range of approximately a few centimeters.

[0139] Audio-based localization presents a variety of challenges. For example, both sound waves and audio processing can present latency and delay challenges. Sound waves propagate much slower than radio frequency (RF), and their propagation speed is significantly affected by variations based on environmental factors (although strict environmental controls can mitigate at least some of these variations). In another example, audio localization may not be energy-efficient when performed by a battery-powered device, such as a smartphone or other UE, especially when the device is used for purposes other than localization.

[0140] Audio-based positioning offers several advantages. For example, in environments that include legacy audio infrastructure such as legacy monitoring and surveillance systems, the additional infrastructure costs can be minimal. Furthermore, most modern UEs are equipped with speakers and microphones (and audio processing circuitry), thus avoiding additional deployment costs on the terminal equipment. As noted above, the audio components in existing infrastructure and the audio circuitry in the UE can generate and detect audio signals approaching and exceeding the upper limit of the audible frequency range without modification.

[0141] Compared to some other positioning technologies, audio-based positioning also offers performance advantages. For example, depending on the deployment, audio positioning can provide more reliable accuracy compared to some RF-based methods, such as WiFi-RSSI. As noted above, audio positioning using RTT or time-of-flight ranging technologies (e.g., audio-RTT) can provide positioning errors comparable to ESL-BLE and WiFi-RTT (within an accuracy range of one to three meters in 80% to 90% of cases).

[0142] A key advantage of audio-based localization compared to vision-based localization is privacy. This can be particularly advantageous in sensitive environments where vision-based localization is unavailable in at least some areas.

[0143] Hybrid positioning systems can include audio positioning as well as vision-based, RF-based, or both, depending on the context. For example, a network entity may determine to activate (or deactivate) audio positioning in response to one or more criteria. Criteria can be selected based on a specific implementation to balance energy efficiency, accuracy, privacy, and other factors according to the priorities of that implementation. More information on example criteria is outlined below. Depending on the circumstances, the system may be implemented to use existing infrastructure without interfering with the operation of legacy systems, such as monitoring and surveillance systems.

[0144] The aspects of this disclosure address various situations in industrial IoT settings, such as retail stores, that may present challenges to both RF-based and vision-based positioning, concerning positioning performance, system failures, privacy, and system limitations. These techniques can be used for reliable positioning in an energy-efficient manner, while balancing latency / proximity, privacy, and accuracy. In some aspects, audio positioning can be used for hybrid positioning when RF positioning accuracy / RF signaling is insufficient to match RF devices with visual detection.

[0145] Figure 6 An example environment 600 in which RF positioning, visual positioning, and / or audio positioning can be deployed according to some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Multiple targets 680 (such as customers, workers, assets, or combinations thereof) are distributed within environment 600. In some aspects, each target 680 may be associated with an RF device such as UE 615, so that the positioning estimate of UE 615 can be used as the positioning estimate of the associated target 680. Target 680 may use RF components, visual components, and audio components (e.g., Bluetooth) integrated with or connected to UE 615. ® (or WiFi accessories) and the use of infrastructure RF components, infrastructure vision components, and infrastructure audio components for positioning. Infrastructure RF components may include electronic shelf tag Bluetooth Low Energy (ESL-BLE) devices, radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and tags, and / or other infrastructure RF devices. Infrastructure vision component 620 may include shelf cameras or closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras 620-a and / or other infrastructure cameras. Infrastructure audio component 640 may include wall-mounted or shelf-mounted speakers 640-a, wall-mounted or shelf-mounted microphones 640-b, and / or other infrastructure audio devices.

[0146] Network entities such as server 610 include memory and processor circuitry for implementing the techniques described herein. In some examples, in addition to implementing the techniques described herein, server 610 may also manage algorithms for monitoring and surveillance systems (or other legacy systems) to provide additional functionality at the site. In some aspects of this disclosure, server 610 may host most or all of the algorithms (processing, positioning), maintain connectivity with UE 615 via an RF interface, and maintain connectivity to OTT infrastructure (e.g., maintaining control access to OTT vision systems for surveillance cameras and OTT audio systems for speakers).

[0147] One technique for locating people and objects in space is the use of RF components of UE 615, including RF components of devices such as smartphones, as well as passive and active radio frequency identification (RFID), dedicated RF devices, etc. In some aspects, the RF device can be carried by a person or attached to an asset. For example, a customer 680-a can use a proprietary application on user equipment (UE) 615-a such as a smartphone to navigate a location, and an employee 680-b can use an RFID reader to sense RFID tags 615-b to locate assets such as assets 680-c with RFID tags. Electromechanical intelligent devices such as robots, automated guided vehicles, smart carts, etc., can use one or more RF technologies with onboard RF capabilities to navigate space to find, place, or retrieve assets. In some implementations, each target 680 is associated with an RF device such as UE 615, which is configured to communicate with one or more devices in the RF infrastructure, such as access point 630. UE 615 does not need to be a complex device like a smartphone; in some respects, UE 615 can be an RF-capable device associated with target 680, which can communicate with infrastructure equipment using short-range RF protocols. Communication can use protocols such as WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy (ESL-BLE) for electronic shelf labels, RFID, etc. In some implementations, UE 615 maintains a connection with server 610 across one or more RF modes and technologies (e.g., WiFi-RSSI, WiFi-RTT, ESL-BLE, etc.) and measures / reports location-related information. UE 615 also communicates with server 610 to receive audio protocol information, instructions, and commands from server 610, and sends audio measurements and reports back to server 610.

[0148] Access point 630 and other components in environment 600 can communicate with server 610 using wired and / or wireless interfaces. According to various aspects of this disclosure, server 610 can manage the location of environment 600.

[0149] In the example, UE 615 in environment 600 communicates with server 610 via access point 630. UE 615-a can detect signals to implement RF-based positioning technologies such as WiFi-RSSI, WiFi-RTT, ESL-BLE, etc. UE 615-a can report measurements and other positioning-related parameters to server 610. UE 615-a can also obtain audio protocol information from server 610, such as configuration information and / or other instructions or commands. UE 615-a can also send audio measurements and reports to server 610.

[0150] The vision system can provide another modality for locating people and objects in environment 600 and interacting with them. For example, environment 600 may include vision components 620, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras 620-a, shelf cameras, or other types of infrastructure cameras. Vision components 620 may also include one or more user cameras, such as handheld cameras 620-b and / or one or more cameras integrated with UE 615. In some cases, in addition to enabling vision-based localization, infrastructure cameras may also be used for monitoring and surveillance systems. For example, vision components may include a network of CCTV cameras 620-a installed as part of a monitoring and surveillance infrastructure. When used for monitoring and surveillance, these vision components may primarily be static and passive nodes that collect security footage from an area, which can then be used for vision-based localization.

[0151] The audio system can provide another modality for locating and interacting with people and objects in environment 600. For example, environment 600 may include audio components 640, which include one or more speakers 640-a (audio transmitters) and microphones 640-b (audio receivers). In some implementations, infrastructure speakers 640-a and microphones 640-b may be deployed as part of a monitoring and surveillance system. UE 615 may include integrated speakers 640-a and microphones 640-b. In some aspects, infrastructure speakers 640-a transmit audio signals, and the microphones 640-b integrated with UE 615 perform audio localization. Infrastructure audio components 640 communicate with server 610 via wired or wireless connections, while user audio components 640 communicate with server 610 using an RF interface or by interacting with infrastructure audio components 640 through an audio interface.

[0152] Figure 7 The functionality of the hybrid positioning engine 710 is illustrated, which can be used in applications such as... Figure 6 Implemented in the network entity of server 610. Hybrid positioning engine 710 can utilize, for example... Figure 3C The circuit shown is implemented using a circuit, wherein the positioning component includes a vision processing component, an RF-based processing component, and an audio processing component.

[0153] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The hybrid positioning engine 710 receives visual input 711, RF input 713, and audio input 715 from the infrastructure and user RF components, audio components, and visual components. The hybrid positioning engine 710 also includes a visual processing component 717, an RF processing component 719, and an audio processing component 721.

[0154] Depending on some aspects, visual input 711 may be obtained from CCTV camera 620-a, shelf camera, handheld camera 620-b, and a camera integrated with UE 615, and is provided to visual processing component 717. RF input 713 may be obtained from UE 615, ESL-BLE devices, and other RF devices in environment 600, and is provided to RF processing component 719. If audio processing is not currently activated, hybrid localization engine 710 may execute an RF / visual fusion algorithm to localize one or more UE 615 / target 680 based on visual and RF inputs. The RF / visual fusion algorithm matches visual inputs with corresponding RF inputs and uses the fusion of inputs to estimate target localization.

[0155] When the audio component is activated, audio input 715 is available from infrastructure and user speakers 640-a, infrastructure and user microphones 640-b, and speakers and microphones integrated with the UE 615, and is provided to the audio processing component 721. If both RF-based localization and vision-based localization are active, the hybrid localization engine 710 performs an RF / vision / audio fusion algorithm to match inputs from all three modalities to estimate UE / target localization. If one or the other of RF-based localization or vision-based localization is inactive, the fusion algorithm matches data from the active input with the audio input to estimate the target object's localization. Example criteria for activating audio localization are described in more detail below.

[0156] Figure 8 An example positioning method 800 according to some aspects of this disclosure is shown. At 810, the UE initiates communication with a network entity such as a server; for example, in response to the UE entering a location. An example initialization process is described below. Figure 9A Examples are shown in the text and described below.

[0157] At 820, the server can use RF-based positioning and / or vision-based positioning to estimate the UE's location. RF-based positioning can use techniques such as WiFi-RTT, WiFi-RSSI positioning, ESL-BLE-based deployment positioning, and / or other RF-based technologies to obtain RF positioning information. Vision-based positioning techniques can use infrastructure cameras such as CCTV cameras and shelf cameras, and / or user cameras, to obtain visual positioning information. In hybrid technologies, visually detected objects are associated with the correct RF devices; for example, multi-object tracking is used. For example, RF-based positioning can be used to estimate the UE's location, and the estimated location can be used to obtain visual positioning data from one or more cameras.

[0158] At 830, the server and / or UE may detect one or more criteria to determine whether to activate audio positioning. These one or more criteria may include RF-based criteria (e.g., an indication of RF signal quality), vision-based criteria (e.g., an indication of partially or completely obstructed areas, an indication of visually limited areas), and criteria that may combine RF-based and vision-based criteria (such as positioning performance criteria (e.g., one or more positioning quality metrics, such as confidence or error parameters for positioning estimates that are at least partially based on RF and / or vision measurements)).

[0159] For example, key indicators such as positioning performance, RF signal quality indicators, and access to restricted areas can be monitored continuously. RF-based and / or vision-based positioning continues until one or more criteria are detected to initiate audio positioning. For example, if one or more key indicators exceed a pre-specified threshold, the server can activate audio processing and positioning. Figure 10 An example process for activating audio localization in response to one or more detected criteria, according to some aspects of this disclosure, is illustrated.

[0160] At 840, in response to the detection of one or more criteria to initiate audio localization, one or more audio localization techniques are executed. Figure 11 Audio signaling configuration and measurement are illustrated according to some aspects of this disclosure. Figure 12 An example process for audio localization based on some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0161] In another example, one or more guidelines indicate that deviceless audio localization should be performed. Figure 13 Example procedures for deviceless audio localization are illustrated according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0162] Audio-based positioning can be performed until an indication to disable audio positioning is detected at 850. For example, the server / UE can continue to monitor indicators such as positioning performance, RF signal quality indicators, and restricted area access indicators, and disable audio positioning when these indicators exceed thresholds indicating that audio positioning should be disabled. At 860, RF-based positioning and / or vision-based positioning can be used for positioning estimation until positioning is complete (e.g., the user leaves the location) or until audio positioning is indicated again.

[0163] Figure 9A An example initialization method 900 according to some aspects of this disclosure is shown. Initialization can be an important supporting function for hybrid positioning that includes at least some audio positioning.

[0164] Server 910 may have dedicated connections to infrastructure vision components 920 (e.g., CCTV cameras, shelf cameras, etc.) and infrastructure audio components 940 (e.g., speakers and microphones). At 912, audio component 940 may send audio connection information and audio data to server 910. At 914, video component 920 may send visual connection information and visual data to server 910. Connection information and data may be provided to server 910 in a continuous manner; for example, according to a schedule, in response to an event, according to one or more criteria, etc. In some cases, legacy systems such as monitoring and surveillance systems may request and receive audio data, visual data, or a combination thereof in parallel with the operation of the positioning techniques disclosed herein.

[0165] At 916, UE 915 uses RF component 915-a to send an initial access request to server 910. At 918, UE 915 sends additional device parameters and RF parameters to server 910. The initial access request may be included in the same message as the device parameters and RF parameters, or may be included separately. Server 910 may also obtain additional synchronization information for the audio positioning protocol (if not already provided via RF connection establishment). Example information included in connection establishment messaging and device parameter and RF parameter messaging may include UE / device battery status, device connectivity status, device audio processing and audio capabilities, audio positioning capabilities, device privacy preferences, environmental parameters, etc.

[0166] Device connectivity status indicates whether the UE / device is in an active call or otherwise in use (and may be held in the user's hand), or inactive and may be in a pocket or wallet. Device audio processing and audio capabilities may include audio sampling frequency capabilities, audio bandwidth range capabilities, microphone transmission capabilities (such as maximum transmit power), supported audio protocols (audio protocol capabilities), etc.

[0167] Device privacy preferences can be provided by the user via an app, website, or other means; for example, through an app or website associated with a store or other location. Privacy preferences may include audio privacy preferences, such as an indication of whether the user consents to the provision of audio information in response to a server request (“option-in”), and the user’s preferences for other privacy-related information (e.g., privacy aspects related to visual processing).

[0168] Environmental parameters may include parameters such as air temperature and humidity, which can affect sound propagation. Environmental parameters can be used to control environmental conditions at the location and / or to calibrate audio measurements.

[0169] Once initial RF connectivity is established and the audio capabilities of the devices are determined, the server can assign a unique audio identifier to each device at 922 and associate that audio identifier with a device / UE identifier (such as a MAC address) provided by the UE during initialization.

[0170] Audio IDs can be mapped to specific audio protocol information used for audio location protocols (e.g., audio access and protocol parameters, synchronization, etc.). In some cases, audio protocol information includes unique sound frequencies (pitch) or frequency ranges, frequency hopping modes, etc. Audio location protocol information / configuration can be determined when audio location is activated, or at least some audio location protocol information / configuration can be determined at different times. For example, once audio location is activated, the server can configure audio time and frequency resources for the audio location protocol.

[0171] The server can maintain a database of active UEs, where device parameters, audio parameters, etc., are associated with one or more UE identifiers. An example database format is shown in [link to database]. Figure 9B Examples are provided; however, different formats, identifiers, and parameters may be used depending on the specific implementation.

[0172] At 924, the server may send an audio identifier and / or other parameters to the UE 915; for example, to RF components 915-a, which at 926 may provide at least some of these parameters to audio components 915-b.

[0173] Figure 10 An example process 1000 for activating audio positioning in response to one or more detected criteria, according to aspects of this disclosure, is illustrated. Aspects of process 1000 can provide energy-efficient, latency-aware, and privacy-preserving positioning performance. UE 1015 may include RF components and audio processing components, as well as vision-based components (e.g., a camera for integration with UE 1015 or for communication with UE 1015 via short-range wireless connection). Server 1010 may also include vision processing components, RF processing components, and audio processing components, such as... Figure 7 As shown (reference) Figure 3C And as described above. The vision processing component processes visual positioning information (such as processed or unprocessed image data), while the RF processing component processes RF positioning information (RF signal measurement and / or detection), and the audio processing component processes audio-based positioning information (such as audio measurement and / or detection).

[0174] Server 1010 may have dedicated connections to infrastructure vision components 1020 (e.g., CCTV cameras, shelf cameras, etc.) and audio components 1040 (e.g., infrastructure speakers and microphones). Server 1010 prioritizes maintaining an RF connection with UE 1015 for communication, positioning, and other signaling purposes. Because UE 1015 has a limited battery, the integrated camera can be given low priority for positioning and sensing, and onboard processing can be managed for energy efficiency and low latency. In some implementations, if battery status permits the use of a handheld camera, such use may be limited to specific situations (e.g., security threats).

[0175] Server 1010 and UE 1015 perform initialization; for example, such as Figure 9A As shown and discussed above. For example, at 1012, server 1010 associates the audio identifier with the UE identifier and stores the information in, for example, a database.

[0176] Prior to the activation of the audio component 1040, positioning can be performed using visual data and / or RF data. For example, the visual component 1020 acquires image data at 1014 and optionally performs at least some processing, and sends the image data and / or processed image data to the server 1010 at 1016. At 1018, the UE 1015 sends RF measurements and reports to the server 1010. These measurements and reports may include RF positioning information and measurements indicating RF signal quality or other parameters that may indicate potential problems in the RF measurements.

[0177] At 1022, server 1010 processes RF and visual information and performs hybrid RF-visual localization. In some aspects, hybrid RF-visual localization involves matching RF data and visual data to estimate the location of UE 1015. Server 1010 may calculate confidence metrics and / or other quality metrics as part of the hybrid RF-visual processing.

[0178] At position 1024, server 1010 determines whether audio processing is activated. For example, server 1010 and / or UE 1015 monitor key indicators such as positioning performance, RF signal quality indicators, and restricted area access to determine whether one or more criteria are met. Examples of RF-based and / or vision-based criteria include one or more positioning performance criteria, one or more RF signal quality criteria, and one or more user location criteria. If no criteria are detected, server 1010 and UE 1015 continue performing RF-based and / or vision-based positioning.

[0179] Localization performance criteria can be determined based on RF-based localization parameters and / or vision-based localization parameters. For example, server 1010 can obtain and use RF reports and visual information (e.g., visual detection, bounding boxes) from infrastructure cameras such as CCTV cameras to obtain target localization estimates. Each localization estimate is associated with a certain confidence level (e.g., a confidence level associated with a localization estimate determined within a Bayesian estimation framework). One or more thresholds can be defined to indicate localization quality below which audio localization is activated; for example, one or more thresholds for localization confidence. Poor localization quality may be due to multiple factors, such as RF channel quality degradation due to fading, (complete or partial) visual occlusion, loss of connectivity to high-performance networks, and handover to the default network (e.g., handover from ESL-BLE to WiFi-RSSI).

[0180] RF signal quality criteria can be based on one or more RF connection parameters; for example, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), channel quality indicators, etc. If the RF signal quality deteriorates significantly, hybrid localization algorithms may struggle to reliably match RF localization information with visual detection. In another example, when both vision-based and RF-based localization have relatively poor quality, audio localization can be activated to improve accuracy. For instance, RF-based localization estimation can be used to roughly determine target localization (e.g., which approximate area), and then activation of audio localization can enable a subset of nearby speakers (audio transmitters) to perform localization without excessive latency.

[0181] User location criteria may be based on certain areas within a venue that are designated as having limited visual-related positioning (e.g., bathrooms or other private areas) and / or certain areas where RF signals are limited or unavailable for other reasons (e.g., poor coverage due to design). In some aspects, the indication for activating audio positioning based on user location criteria may be based on determining that the user is within a threshold distance of the boundary of a specific area.

[0182] In some cases, deviceless audio positioning can be activated in response to a triggering condition (one or more conditions or actions). For example, audio positioning can be activated in response to determining that the UE has not responded to a communication for a threshold time (e.g., an indication that the battery is depleted). Other examples include warnings for security reasons; such as a lost child or other person, lost assets, and security threats that trigger a warning (e.g., intruder intrusion). Deviceless audio positioning can also be activated to locate customers who require assistance in the absence of a device; for example, elderly customers.

[0183] At 1026, in response to the detection of one or more criteria, server 1010 may activate audio positioning. Server 1010 may provide at least some audio positioning configuration to UE 1015 before activation, or may provide audio positioning configuration to UE 1015 based on activation.

[0184] According to various aspects of this disclosure, multiple different audio positioning protocols can be configured and used, where frequencies are in or just outside the audible audio domain. According to various aspects of this disclosure, audio protocols can be selected to orthogonally separate UE signaling while maintaining a manageable latency distribution with relatively low synchronization-based issues. Network entities, such as servers, can configure audio frequency resources and audio time resources to one or more UEs and / or one or more infrastructure devices for audio signaling. For example, a server can configure different frequency resources (e.g., frequency resources for one or more voice tones, frequency resources for frequency hopping, etc.) and different time resources (e.g., time resources for one or more time slots / time ranges) to different UEs to achieve orthogonal communication and avoid or mitigate interference.

[0185] According to some aspects of this disclosure, network entities such as servers can implement centralized scheduling schemes for managing signaling and synchronization information. According to a first example, the acoustic spectrum and time domain can be organized into a time-frequency grid divided into frequency windows (bins) / carriers and time slots.

[0186] In another example, orthogonalization and time-division signaling schemes in the frequency domain can be used, such as... Figure 11 As shown and described below, the server assigns a unique tone to each microphone (audio receiver); the speaker (audio transmitter) then uses that tone in a time-division multiplexed manner to transmit a location beacon to the microphone.

[0187] In another example, orthogonalization via frequency hopping can be used in the code domain; for example, to accommodate a larger number of devices across a finite acoustic spectrum (e.g., due to sampling rate limitations of the end devices). In some cases, standard frequency hopping can be used via a unique orthogonal sequence assigned to each microphone (audio receiver).

[0188] The size of the spectrum used, the number of tones, the transmit power, the duration of the time slot, and / or other parameters can be selected depending on the specific implementation. For example, parameters can be selected to provide energy efficiency and acceptable latency for the system.

[0189] Figure 11An audio positioning configuration and measurement system 1100 according to some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Audio-based signaling can be subject to interference, which can be severe. To mitigate interference and achieve an energy-efficient design with reduced latency, multiple sound tones (audio frequencies at or above the audible range) can be defined and assigned in the device and / or transmission; for example, using the protocols discussed above and audio positioning techniques such as ToF, TDoA, and RTT.

[0190] exist Figure 11 In this configuration, a first UE 1115-a is associated with a first user, and a second UE 1115-b is associated with a second user. To locate the two users without harmful interference between audio signaling, the first UE 1115-a receives a configuration for performing audio positioning using an ultrasonic tone at frequency f1 and time resources including time slots 1 to 3, while the second UE 1115-b receives a configuration for performing audio positioning using an ultrasonic tone at frequency f2 and also time resources including time slots 1 to 3.

[0191] Infrastructure loudspeakers 1140-a, 1140-b, and 1140-c are configured to transmit downlink sound beacons (audio signals at frequencies f1 and f2) during time slots 1 to 3. These downlink sound beacons are received by microphones integrated with UEs 1115-a and 1115-b. UEs 1115-a and 1115-b can determine the time difference of arrival (TDoA) across the loudspeakers and send information related to the detection of the received signals to server 1110 for processing. Depending on UE capabilities and circumstances, the UE can use the audio information (in this example, TDoA information) to estimate its own location, or it can transmit audio information to server 1110 to estimate its location. Generally, the audio information may include measurement information such as audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio time difference of arrival measurement information, or combinations thereof.

[0192] For specific implementations that essentially maintain global synchronization between the speaker and microphone, the UE may transmit only the timestamp of the received sound tone. For example, UEs 1115-a and 1115-b may use the time difference of arrival relative to a reference time slot (e.g., time slot 1) to timestamp the detected signal.

[0193] On the other hand, a round-trip time (RTT) audio protocol can be used. For example, speakers 1140-a, 1140-b, and 1140-c transmit downlink sound beacons according to audio configuration, and microphones integrated with UEs 1115-a and 1115-b receive these downlink sound beacons and then transmit uplink sound beacons (e.g., using time division multiple access to transmit frequency tones). Microphones co-located with the speakers or located elsewhere in the site receive the uplink sound beacons and send audio information to server 1110 to determine the round-trip time, which is used for location estimation. According to various aspects of this disclosure, server 1110 uses audio location information in hybrid positioning processes; for example, using audio location information in conjunction with RF location information, visual location information, or both. It should be noted that RF location information, visual location information, or both may have other purposes; for example, monitoring and surveillance systems.

[0194] Figure 12 An example method 1200 for performing audio localization according to some aspects of this disclosure for example techniques in which the infrastructure and user audio devices are substantially synchronized is illustrated. Server 1210 may activate audio localization in response to one or more criteria (e.g., one or more of the criteria listed above). At 1211, server 1210 may distribute audio protocol parameters; for example, sending information such as time and / or frequency resources, protocol identifiers, etc., to the infrastructure audio devices 1240-1 to 1240-N (e.g., N audio transmitting speakers).

[0195] At 1213, server 1210 can transmit messages to RF component 1215-a of UE 1215 according to the audio protocol to activate audio component 1215-b for audio processing. The message transmission can also be configured with specific frequency scanning modes and other key audio processing parameters, such as transmission timing and time slots. For example, at 1217, one or more microphones (audio receiving microphones) integrated with or communicating with UE 1215 can be configured to receive audio signals from speakers 1240-1 to 1240-N.

[0196] To perform audio localization, infrastructure audio devices 1240-1 to 1240-N may transmit signals using orthogonal resources (e.g., time-division multiplexing or frequency-division multiplexing resources). For example, at 1219-1, device 1240-1 may transmit downlink audio signals (e.g., audio signals with a first frequency), which are detected by audio component 1215-b of UE 1215, and at 1221-1, a timestamp is generated by the audio component and / or other components of UE 1215. At 1223-1, the timestamp is provided to RF component 1215-a of UE 1215, which transmits the timestamp to server 1210 at 1223-1. Server 1210 estimates the time-of-flight range at 1227-1 based on the timestamp (and the known localization of audio device 1240-1).

[0197] At locations 1219-N, 1221-N, 1223-N, and 1227-N, this process is repeated for N infrastructure audio devices, based on the assigned time resources. At location 1229, server 1210 uses the estimated ToF / range values ​​for triangulation / polygonometric measurements to estimate the location of UE 1215.

[0198] As noted above, deviceless audio location can be performed in response to one or more triggering conditions. For example, audio location can be activated to locate a UE that has actively located a target but has not yet responded to communications (e.g., the battery is depleted). Other examples include warnings for security reasons; such as a lost child or other person, lost assets, and security threats that trigger the warning (e.g., intruder intrusion).

[0199] Locating unattended targets using standard RF technologies such as WiFi or ESL-BLE beacons can be challenging. Vision-based localization can be used if sufficient coverage is available in the area; however, it will fail if the unattended target is in an obstructed area. This is likely more common in dense, maze-like interior spaces. In some current systems, unattended audio localization is finding applications in gesture tracking and other proximity applications where speakers approach targets that are still operating within the same frequency range (although higher frequency ranges can be considered, such as in ultrasonic technology).

[0200] Figure 13An example method 1300 combining deviceless localization with audio localization techniques according to some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. According to some aspects of this disclosure, deviceless localization uses sound scanning within a frequency range close to or exceeding the upper limit of audible range. An audio transmitter 1340 (e.g., infrastructure speakers, speakers from cooperating UEs, and / or other field audio equipment) transmits sound patterns, and an audio receiver (e.g., infrastructure microphones, microphones from cooperating UEs, and / or other field audio equipment) detects echoes. In the example, speakers and microphones may be densely deployed on a shelf (e.g., as part of an ESL-BLE system), and audio localization is based on short-range transmission and reception. In some cases, infrastructure audio components may be strategically placed to provide coverage in areas that can be visually obstructed. For example, in some ESL-BLE deployments, speakers may be placed on the side of a shelf equipped with a shelf camera.

[0201] Deviceless location can be managed by a control center 1306, which can be integrated with a network entity such as server 1310, or can be implemented independently. Control center 1306 can receive information about trigger conditions for deviceless audio location of a target. Trigger conditions can be warnings related to security situations (such as a lost child or detection of an intruder), customer service trigger conditions (such as an indication that an elderly person needs assistance), or device-related trigger conditions (such as an indication that a UE that has been communicating with server 1310 has not communicated for a threshold period of time).

[0202] In response to a trigger condition for device-free location, control center 1306 may send a timestamped warning signal 1307 to server 1310. At 1309, server 1310 may determine the region of interest (ROI) for the relevant device-free target 1305. In some cases, the entire location may be the ROI, while in others, the ROI may be a portion of the location (e.g., near the last sighting of a lost child, near the area where a battery-depleted device was most recently located, etc.). In this example, the ROI may be based on a prediction of the target's location based on previous history just prior to a recent RF report or employee warning.

[0203] At 1311, server 1310 activates associated audio component 1320 (e.g., audio transmitter). The pool of associated audio components 1320 may include audio transmitters included in cooperating terminal devices (such as UEs and other devices that can generate and / or detect audio signals and can be located near a target).

[0204] Server 1310 can provide indication of the region of interest, configuration for the audio localization protocol, and / or other information. At 1313, audio component 1340 can generate audio signals to scan the region of interest following a specified transmission protocol (e.g., time-division, one at a time). In some aspects, audio component 1340 transmits audio patterns, including sound tones across the audio spectrum, at 1313-1, and measures the corresponding echo at 1317-1. At 1319-1, audio component 1340 transmits echo information to server 1310, which can calculate the range to the target object.

[0205] exist Figure 13 In this process, at points 1313-N, 1317-N, and 1319-N, the process is repeated N times. In some respects, server 1310 determines the number of repetitions required to accurately locate the device-less target 1305. At point 1321, server 1310 uses the estimated range and triangulation / polygonometric measurements to estimate the location of target device 1305.

[0206] In some cases, multiple possible detections / candidates may exist. Server 1310 can use information from other active devices in the area to eliminate irrelevant candidates. For example, at 1323, server 1310 can ping / activate an infrastructure camera (if available) and receive camera output at 1327 to eliminate other candidates at 1329 (or refine the location of target 1305).

[0207] Figure 14 Example method 1400 of communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, method 1400 may be performed by a network entity (e.g., any network entity described herein).

[0208] At 1410, a network entity, such as a server, receives radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE). In one aspect, if the network entity is a server, operation 1410 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning components 398, any one or all of which may be considered as components (structures) for performing the operation.

[0209] At 1420, the network entity determines the audio location of the activated UE based on one or more criteria. In one aspect, if the network entity is a server, operation 1420 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or location component 398, any one or all of which may be considered as components (structures) for performing the operation.

[0210] At 1430, the network entity sends audio positioning configuration information to the UE. In one aspect, if the network entity is a server, operation 1430 can be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning components 398, any one or all of which can be considered as components (structures) for performing the operation.

[0211] At 1440, the network entity receives the UE's location information based on the audio location configuration information. The UE's location information includes audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0212] It should be understood that the technical advantage of method 1400 lies in its ability to obtain accurate location estimates in an energy-efficient manner. Additionally, deployment costs can be reduced through the availability of audio components in existing infrastructure and / or user equipment. Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure may allow for accurate location in locations where vision-based positioning is restricted or prohibited for privacy reasons.

[0213] Figure 15 Example method 1500 of communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, method 1500 may be performed by user equipment (e.g., any user equipment described herein).

[0214] At 1510, the user equipment acquires one or more measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals. In some specific implementations, operation 1510 may be performed, for example, using the WWAN transceiver 310, short-range transceiver 320, processor 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342 of UE 302, which can be considered as components (structures) for performing operation 1510.

[0215] At 1520, the user equipment receives audio positioning configuration information from the network entity. In some specific implementations, operation 1520 may be performed, for example, using the WWAN transceiver 310, short-range transceiver 320, processor 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342 of UE 302, which can be considered as components (structures) for performing operation 1520.

[0216] At 1530, the user equipment transmits an audio signal, detects an audio signal, or both, based on the audio positioning configuration information. In some specific implementations, operation 1530 may be performed, for example, using the WWAN transceiver 310, short-range transceiver 320, processor 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342 of the UE 302, which can be considered as components (structures) for performing operation 1530.

[0217] At 1540, the user equipment sends information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both. In some specific implementations, operation 1540 may be performed, for example, using the WWAN transceiver 310, short-range transceiver 320, processor 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342 of UE 302, which can be considered as components (structures) for performing operation 1540.

[0218] It should be understood that the technical advantage of method 1500 is that it can accurately locate user equipment in an energy-efficient manner, because audio positioning can consume less energy compared to, for example, vision-based positioning. Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure may allow for accurate positioning in locations where vision-based positioning is restricted or prohibited for privacy reasons.

[0219] As can be seen in the detailed description above, different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as an intention to have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, the various aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those in the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be regarded accordingly as incorporated into the description, where each clause may serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in the clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspect of that dependent clause is not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of a dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or combinations of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations unless explicitly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended for use (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). Furthermore, it is contemplated that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0220] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. A method performed at a network entity, the method comprising: receiving radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); determining an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; sending audio location configuration information to the UE; and receiving location information of the UE according to the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0221] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the one or more criteria include one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

[0222] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 2, wherein the one or more vision-based criteria, the one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof comprises: RF signal quality; indication of partial or complete visual occlusion; indication of visually restricted areas; indication of positioning quality based on RF measurements, visual information, or both; or a combination thereof.

[0223] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein receiving the RF signaling from the UE includes receiving UE audio positioning capability, UE battery status, UE connectivity status, UE audio sampling frequency capability, UE audio bandwidth range capability, UE microphone transmission capability, UE audio protocol capability, or a combination thereof.

[0224] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes a configuration of audio frequency resources for obtaining audio positioning information, wherein the network entity is configured to schedule audio positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, and the method further includes: sending different audio positioning configuration information to different UEs included in the plurality of UEs; wherein the different audio positioning configuration information of the different UEs includes a configuration of different audio frequency resources for obtaining audio positioning information, and wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are orthogonal.

[0225] Clause 6. The method according to Clause 5, wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are included in the frequency range of 15 kHz to 30 kHz.

[0226] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the positioning information of the UE comprises: audio measurement information received from the UE, audio measurement information received from one or more audio devices separate from the UE, or both; and RF positioning information or visual positioning information, or both, wherein the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both are received from the UE, from one or more visual devices separate from the UE, from one or more RF devices separate from the UE, or a combination thereof.

[0227] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 7, further comprising: estimating the location of the UE based on the audio measurement information and further based on the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both.

[0228] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the location information of the UE is associated with the device identifier of the UE and the audio identifier of the UE.

[0229] Clause 10. The method according to Clause 9, further comprising: using the audio identifier to associate the audio measurement information or the location estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement with the UE's RF positioning information, the UE's visual positioning information, or both.

[0230] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10, the method further comprising: detecting a trigger condition for performing deviceless localization of a target that is not communicating with the network entity; configuring one or more audio devices to perform localization of the target using transmitted audio signals, received audio signals, or both; and receiving audio signal measurement information of the target or an indication of the localization of the target from the one or more audio devices.

[0231] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 11, wherein the one or more audio devices include one or more field audio devices, the one or more field audio devices including one or more speakers, one or more microphones, or combinations thereof.

[0232] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 12, wherein the triggering condition is based on a threshold time elapsed since the target received the communication, based on the detection of a warning, or a combination thereof.

[0233] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 13, wherein receiving the positioning information of the UE includes receiving audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio arrival time difference measurement information, or a combination thereof.

[0234] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 14, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes configuration information for the UE to: use one or more audio receivers to detect audio signals from one or more infrastructure speakers, the audio signals from the one or more infrastructure speakers being transmitted according to an audio signal transmission protocol.

[0235] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15, the method further comprising: activating one or more infrastructure audio devices to generate audio signals according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein receiving the location information of the UE includes receiving an indication of the reception time of at least some of the audio signals generated at the UE according to the time and frequency configuration.

[0236] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 16, wherein the audio positioning configuration information sent to the UE includes configuration information for generating an audio signal according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein receiving the positioning information from the UE includes receiving an indication of the time of reception of the audio signal generated according to the time and frequency configuration at one or more infrastructure audio devices.

[0237] Clause 18. A method for wireless communication for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; receiving audio location configuration information from a network entity; transmitting an audio signal, detecting an audio signal, or both, according to the audio location configuration information; and transmitting to the network entity information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0238] Clause 19. The method according to Clause 18, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

[0239] Clause 20. The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 19, wherein detecting an audio signal based on the audio positioning configuration information includes detecting, using a microphone, the reception timing of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers based on the audio positioning configuration information.

[0240] Clause 21. The method according to Clause 20, wherein detecting the reception timing of the one or more audio signals transmitted from the one or more infrastructure speakers using the microphone includes detecting the arrival time difference between audio signals received from different infrastructure speakers.

[0241] Clause 22. The method according to any one of Clauses 20 to 21, wherein the timing of receiving one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers includes detecting the arrival time of said audio signals.

[0242] Clause 23. The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 22, the method further comprising: subsequently receiving an instruction to disable audio positioning from the network entity; and performing RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof in response to receiving the instruction to disable the audio positioning.

[0243] Clause 24. The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 23, wherein sending information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes sending an indication of round-trip time.

[0244] Clause 25. The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 24, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes frequency configuration information and time configuration information.

[0245] Clause 26. The method according to Clause 25, wherein the frequency configuration information includes one or more tones at a predefined frequency, and wherein the time configuration information includes one or more time slots.

[0246] Clause 27. A network entity 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 being individually or in combination configured to: receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; determine an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; transmit audio location configuration information to the UE via the one or more transceivers; and receive location information of the UE via the one or more transceivers based on the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0247] Clause 28. A network entity as described in Clause 27, wherein the one or more criteria include one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

[0248] Clause 29. The network entity as described in Clause 28, wherein the one or more vision-based criteria, the one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof comprise: RF signal quality; indication of partial or complete visual occlusion; indication of visually restricted areas; indication of positioning quality based on RF measurements, visual information, or both; or a combination thereof.

[0249] Clause 30. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 29, wherein, in order to receive the RF signaling from the UE, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to receive UE audio location capabilities, UE battery status, UE connectivity status, UE audio sampling frequency capabilities, UE audio bandwidth range capabilities, UE microphone transmission capabilities, UE audio protocol capabilities, or combinations thereof.

[0250] Clause 31. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 27 to 30, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes a configuration of audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, wherein the network entity is configured to schedule audio positioning for a plurality of UEs including the UE, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: transmit different audio positioning configuration information to different UEs included in the plurality of UEs via the one or more transceivers; and wherein the different audio positioning configuration information for the different UEs includes a configuration of different audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, and wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are orthogonal.

[0251] Clause 32. The network entity as described in Clause 31, wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are included in the frequency range of 15 kHz to 30 kHz.

[0252] Clause 33. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 32, wherein the location information of the UE comprises: audio measurement information received from the UE, audio measurement information received from one or more audio devices separate from the UE, or both; and RF location information or visual location information, or both, wherein the RF location information, the visual location information, or both are received from the UE, from one or more visual devices separate from the UE, from one or more RF devices separate from the UE, or a combination thereof.

[0253] Clause 34. The network entity as described in Clause 33, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to estimate the location of the UE based on the audio measurement information and further based on the RF location information, the visual location information, or both.

[0254] Clause 35. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 34, wherein the location information of the UE is associated with the device identifier of the UE and the audio identifier of the UE.

[0255] Clause 36. The network entity as described in Clause 35, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: use the audio identifier to associate the audio measurement information or the location estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement with the UE's RF positioning information, the UE's visual positioning information, or both.

[0256] Clause 37. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 27 to 36, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: detect a trigger condition for performing deviceless localization of a target that is not communicating with the network entity; configure one or more audio devices to perform localization of the target using transmitted audio signals, received audio signals, or both; and receive audio signal measurement information of the target or an indication of the localization of the target from the one or more audio devices via the one or more transceivers.

[0257] Clause 38. A network entity as described in Clause 37, wherein the one or more audio devices include one or more field audio devices, which include one or more speakers, one or more microphones, or combinations thereof.

[0258] Clause 39. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 37 to 38, wherein the triggering condition is based on a threshold time elapsed since the target received the communication, based on the detection of a warning, or a combination thereof.

[0259] Clause 40. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 39, wherein, in order to receive the location information of the UE, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to receive audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio arrival time difference measurement information, or a combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 41. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 40, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes configuration information for the UE to: use one or more audio receivers to detect audio signals from one or more infrastructure speakers, the audio signals from the one or more infrastructure speakers being transmitted in accordance with an audio signal transmission protocol.

[0261] Clause 42. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 27 to 41, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: activate one or more infrastructure audio devices to generate audio signals according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the location information of the UE by receiving an indication of the reception time of at least some of the audio signals generated at the UE according to the time and frequency configuration.

[0262] Clause 43. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 27 to 42, wherein the audio location configuration information sent to the UE includes configuration information for generating an audio signal according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the location information of the UE by receiving an indication of the reception time of the audio signal generated according to the time and frequency configuration at one or more infrastructure audio devices.

[0263] Clause 44. A user equipment 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 being individually or in combination configured to: acquire one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; receive audio location configuration information from a network entity via the one or more transceivers; transmit an audio signal, detect an audio signal, or both, based on the audio location configuration information via the one or more transceivers; and transmit information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both, to the network entity via the one or more transceivers.

[0264] Clause 45. The user equipment as described in Clause 44, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

[0265] Clause 46. User equipment according to any one of Clauses 44 to 45, wherein, in order to detect audio signals according to the audio positioning configuration information, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect, with a microphone, the timing of receiving one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers according to the audio positioning configuration information.

[0266] Clause 47. The user equipment as described in Clause 46, wherein, in order to detect the reception timing of the one or more audio signals transmitted from the one or more infrastructure speakers using the microphone, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect the time difference of arrival between audio signals received from different infrastructure speakers.

[0267] Clause 48. User equipment according to any one of Clauses 46 to 47, wherein, in order to detect the timing of the reception of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect the arrival time of the audio signals.

[0268] Clause 49. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 44 to 48, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: subsequently receive an instruction to disable audio positioning from the network entity via the one or more transceivers; and in response to receiving the instruction to disable the audio positioning, perform RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof.

[0269] Clause 50. User equipment according to any one of Clauses 44 to 49, wherein, in order to send information indicating a detected audio signal, a transmitted audio signal, or both to the network entity, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to send an indication of round-trip time.

[0270] Clause 51. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 44 to 50, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes frequency configuration information and time configuration information.

[0271] Clause 52. The user equipment as described in Clause 51, wherein the frequency configuration information includes one or more tones at a predefined frequency, and wherein the time configuration information includes one or more time slots.

[0272] Clause 53. A network entity comprising: components for receiving radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); components for determining an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; components for sending audio location configuration information to the UE; and components for receiving location information of the UE according to the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0273] Clause 54. A network entity as described in Clause 53, wherein the one or more criteria include one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

[0274] Clause 55. The network entity as described in Clause 54, wherein the one or more vision-based criteria, the one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof comprise: RF signal quality; indication of partial or complete visual occlusion; indication of visually restricted areas; indication of positioning quality based on RF measurements, visual information, or both; or a combination thereof.

[0275] Clause 56. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 53 to 55, wherein the component for receiving the RF signaling from the UE includes components for receiving UE audio positioning capabilities, UE battery status, UE connectivity status, UE audio sampling frequency capabilities, UE audio bandwidth range capabilities, UE microphone transmission capabilities, UE audio protocol capabilities, or combinations thereof.

[0276] Clause 57. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 53 to 56, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes a configuration of audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, wherein the network entity is configured to schedule audio positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, and the network entity further includes: a component for sending different audio positioning configuration information to different UEs included in the plurality of UEs; wherein the different audio positioning configuration information of the different UEs includes a configuration of different audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, and wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are orthogonal.

[0277] Clause 58. The network entity as described in Clause 57, wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are included in the frequency range of 15 kHz to 30 kHz.

[0278] Clause 59. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 53 to 58, wherein the location information of the UE comprises: audio measurement information received from the UE, audio measurement information received from one or more audio devices separate from the UE, or both; and RF location information or visual location information, or both, wherein the RF location information, the visual location information, or both are received from the UE, from one or more visual devices separate from the UE, from one or more RF devices separate from the UE, or a combination thereof.

[0279] Clause 60. The network entity as described in Clause 59 further includes: a component for estimating the location of the UE based on the audio measurement information and further based on the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both.

[0280] Clause 61. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 53 to 60, wherein the location information of the UE is associated with the device identifier of the UE and the audio identifier of the UE.

[0281] Clause 62. The network entity as described in Clause 61 further includes: a component for using the audio identifier to associate the audio measurement information or the location estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement with the UE's RF positioning information, the UE's visual positioning information, or both.

[0282] Clause 63. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 53 to 62, the network entity further comprising: means for detecting a trigger condition for performing deviceless location of a target that is not communicating with the network entity; means for configuring one or more audio devices to perform location of the target using transmitted audio signals, received audio signals, or both; and means for receiving audio signal measurement information of the target or an indication of the location of the target from the one or more audio devices.

[0283] Clause 64. The network entity as described in Clause 63, wherein the one or more audio devices include one or more field audio devices, the one or more field audio devices including one or more speakers, one or more microphones, or combinations thereof.

[0284] Clause 65. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 63 to 64, wherein the triggering condition is based on a threshold time elapsed since the target received the communication, based on the detection of a warning, or a combination thereof.

[0285] Clause 66. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 53 to 65, wherein the component for receiving the location information of the UE includes a component for receiving audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio arrival time difference measurement information, or a combination thereof.

[0286] Clause 67. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 53 to 66, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes configuration information for the UE to: use one or more audio receivers to detect audio signals from one or more infrastructure speakers, the audio signals from the one or more infrastructure speakers being transmitted in accordance with an audio signal transmission protocol.

[0287] Clause 68. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 53 to 67, the network entity further comprising: means for activating one or more infrastructure audio devices to generate audio signals according to a time and frequency configuration, wherein the means for receiving the location information of the UE includes means for receiving an indication of the reception time of at least some of the audio signals generated at the UE according to the time and frequency configuration.

[0288] Clause 69. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 53 to 68, wherein the audio location configuration information sent to the UE includes configuration information for generating an audio signal according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein the component for receiving the location information of the UE includes a component for receiving an indication of the reception time of the audio signal generated according to the time and frequency configuration at one or more infrastructure audio devices.

[0289] Clause 70. A user equipment comprising: components for acquiring one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; components for receiving audio location configuration information from a network entity; components for transmitting an audio signal, detecting an audio signal, or both, based on the audio location configuration information; and components for transmitting information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0290] Clause 71. The user equipment as described in Clause 70, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

[0291] Clause 72. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 70 to 71, wherein the component for detecting audio signals according to the audio positioning configuration information includes a component for detecting, with a microphone, the reception timing of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers according to the audio positioning configuration information.

[0292] Clause 73. The user equipment according to Clause 72, wherein the component for detecting the reception timing of the one or more audio signals transmitted from the one or more infrastructure speakers with the microphone includes a component for detecting the arrival time difference between audio signals received from different infrastructure speakers.

[0293] Clause 74. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 72 to 73, wherein the component for detecting the reception timing of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers includes a component for detecting the arrival time of the audio signals.

[0294] Clause 75. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 70 to 74, the user equipment further comprising: means for subsequently receiving an instruction to disable audio positioning from the network entity; and means for performing RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof in response to receiving the instruction to disable the audio positioning.

[0295] Clause 76. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 70 to 75, wherein the component for sending information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a component for sending an indication of round-trip time.

[0296] Clause 77. The user equipment according to any one of Clauses 70 to 76, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes frequency configuration information and time configuration information.

[0297] Clause 78. The user equipment as described in Clause 77, wherein the frequency configuration information includes one or more tones at a predefined frequency, and wherein the time configuration information includes one or more time slots.

[0298] Clause 79. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from a user equipment (UE); determine an audio location activating the UE based on one or more criteria; send audio location configuration information to the UE; and receive location information of the UE according to the audio location configuration information, the location information of the UE including audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

[0299] Clause 80. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 79, wherein the one or more criteria include one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

[0300] Clause 81. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 80, wherein the one or more vision-based criteria, the one or more RF-based criteria, or combinations thereof comprise: RF signal quality; indication of partial or complete visual occlusion; indication of visually restricted areas; indication of positioning quality based on RF measurements, visual information, or both; or combinations thereof.

[0301] Clause 82. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 81, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to receive the RF signaling from the UE, include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to receive UE audio positioning capabilities, UE battery status, UE connectivity status, UE audio sampling frequency capabilities, UE audio bandwidth range capabilities, UE microphone transmission capabilities, UE audio protocol capabilities, or combinations thereof.

[0302] Clause 83. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 82, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes a configuration of audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, wherein the network entity is configured to schedule audio positioning for a plurality of UEs including the UE, and the non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: send different audio positioning configuration information to different UEs included in the plurality of UEs; and wherein the different audio positioning configuration information for the different UEs includes a configuration of different audio frequency resources for obtaining the audio positioning information, and wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are orthogonal.

[0303] Clause 84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 83, wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are included in the frequency range of 15 kHz to 30 kHz.

[0304] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 84, wherein the positioning information of the UE comprises: audio measurement information received from the UE, audio measurement information received from one or more audio devices separate from the UE, or both; and RF positioning information or visual positioning information, or both, wherein the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both are received from the UE, from one or more visual devices separate from the UE, from one or more RF devices separate from the UE, or a combination thereof.

[0305] Clause 86. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 85 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: estimate the location of the UE based on the audio measurement information and further based on the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both.

[0306] Clause 87. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 86, wherein the location information of the UE is associated with the device identifier of the UE and the audio identifier of the UE.

[0307] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 87 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: use the audio identifier to associate the audio measurement information or the location estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement with the UE's RF positioning information, the UE's visual positioning information, or both.

[0308] Clause 89. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 88, the nontransitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: detect a trigger condition for performing deviceless location of a target that is not in communication with the network entity; configure one or more audio devices to perform location of the target using transmitted audio signals, received audio signals, or both; and receive audio signal measurement information of the target or an indication of the location of the target from the one or more audio devices.

[0309] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 89, wherein the one or more audio devices include one or more field audio devices, the one or more field audio devices including one or more speakers, one or more microphones, or combinations thereof.

[0310] Clause 91. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 89 to 90, wherein the triggering condition is based on a threshold time elapsed since the target received the communication, based on the detection of a warning, or a combination thereof.

[0311] Clause 92. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 91, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to receive the location information of the UE, include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to receive audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio arrival time difference measurement information, or a combination thereof.

[0312] Clause 93. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 92, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes configuration information for the UE to: use one or more audio receivers to detect audio signals from one or more infrastructure speakers, the audio signals from the one or more infrastructure speakers being transmitted in accordance with an audio signal transmission protocol.

[0313] Clause 94. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 93, the nontransitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: activate one or more infrastructure audio devices to generate audio signals according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein receiving the location information of the UE includes receiving an indication of the reception time of at least some of the audio signals generated at the UE according to the time and frequency configuration.

[0314] Clause 95. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 79 to 94, wherein the audio positioning configuration information transmitted to the UE includes configuration information for generating an audio signal according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein receiving the positioning information from the UE includes receiving an indication of the time of reception of the audio signal generated according to the time and frequency configuration at one or more infrastructure audio devices.

[0315] Clause 96. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment, cause the user equipment to: obtain one or more measurements of a radio frequency (RF) signal; receive audio location configuration information from a network entity; transmit an audio signal, detect an audio signal, or both, according to the audio location configuration information; and transmit information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

[0316] Clause 97. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 96, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

[0317] Clause 98. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 96 to 97, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to detect audio signals according to the audio positioning configuration information, include computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, to cause the user equipment to detect, with a microphone, one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers according to the audio positioning configuration information at a reception timing.

[0318] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 98, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to detect the reception timing of the one or more audio signals transmitted from the one or more infrastructure speakers using the microphone, include computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to detect the arrival time difference between audio signals received from different infrastructure speakers.

[0319] Clause 100. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 98 to 99, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to detect the reception timing of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers, include computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to detect the arrival time of the audio signals.

[0320] Clause 101. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 96 to 100, the nontransitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to: subsequently receive an instruction to disable audio positioning from the network entity; and, in response to receiving the instruction to disable the audio positioning, perform RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof.

[0321] Clause 102. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 96 to 101, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to send information indicating a detected audio signal, a transmitted audio signal, or both to the network entity, include computer-executable instructions, when executed by the user equipment, causing the user equipment to send an indication of round-trip time.

[0322] Clause 103. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 96 to 102, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes frequency configuration information and time configuration information.

[0323] Clause 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 103, wherein the frequency configuration information includes one or more tones at a predefined frequency, and wherein the time configuration information includes one or more time slots.

[0324] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0325] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0326] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using 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 components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0327] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Example storage media are coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral with the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0328] In one or more examples, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of a medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include: compact optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0329] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, no component, function, action, or instruction described or claimed herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly stated otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “set,” “group,” etc., are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “having,” “comprising,” “including,” etc., do not exclude the presence of one or more additional elements (e.g., element “having” A may also have B). Furthermore, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “at least partially based on” unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be open-ended when used in a series and is interchangeable with “and / or” unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with “any” or “only one”), or these alternatives are mutually exclusive (e.g., “one or more” should not be interpreted as “one and more”). Additionally, although components, functions, actions, and instructions may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms may also be considered unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. Therefore, as used herein, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “described” are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “at least one” and “one or more” include “one” component, function, action, or instruction that performs or is capable of performing the described or claimed functionality, and also include “two or more” components, functions, actions, or instructions that perform or are capable of performing the described or claimed functionality in combination.

Claims

1. A network entity, the network entity 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: Receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; The audio location that activates the UE is determined based on one or more criteria; Audio positioning configuration information is sent to the UE via the one or more transceivers; as well as The location information of the UE is received via the one or more transceivers according to the audio positioning configuration information, wherein the location information of the UE includes audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurements.

2. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria include one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

3. The network entity of claim 2, wherein the one or more vision-based criteria, the one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof comprises: RF signal quality; indication of partial or complete visual occlusion; indication of visually restricted areas; indication of positioning quality based on RF measurements, visual information, or both; or a combination thereof.

4. The network entity of claim 1, wherein, in order to receive the RF signaling from the UE, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to receive UE audio positioning capabilities, UE battery status, UE connectivity status, UE audio sampling frequency capabilities, UE audio bandwidth range capabilities, UE microphone transmission capabilities, UE audio protocol capabilities, or combinations thereof.

5. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes a configuration of audio frequency resources for obtaining audio positioning information, wherein the network entity is configured to schedule audio positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: Different audio positioning configuration information is transmitted to different UEs included in the plurality of UEs via the one or more transceivers; and The different audio positioning configuration information for different UEs includes the configuration of different audio frequency resources for obtaining audio positioning information, and the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are orthogonal.

6. The network entity of claim 5, wherein the audio frequency resources and the different audio frequency resources are included in a frequency range of 15 kHz to 30 kHz.

7. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the location information of the UE includes: Audio measurement information received from the UE, audio measurement information received from one or more audio devices separate from the UE, or both; as well as RF positioning information or visual positioning information or both, wherein the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information or both are received from the UE, from one or more visual devices separate from the UE, from one or more RF devices separate from the UE, or a combination thereof.

8. The network entity of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: The location of the UE is estimated based on the audio measurement information and further based on the RF positioning information, the visual positioning information, or both.

9. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the location information of the UE is associated with the device identifier of the UE and the audio identifier of the UE.

10. The network entity of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: The audio identifier is used to associate the audio measurement information or the location estimate of the UE based on the audio measurement with the UE's RF positioning information, the UE's visual positioning information, or both.

11. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: Detect trigger conditions for performing device-free location of a target that is not communicating with the network entity; Configure one or more audio devices to perform the localization of the target using transmitted audio signals, received audio signals, or both; and Receive audio signal measurement information of the target or an indication of the target's location from the one or more audio devices via the one or more transceivers.

12. The network entity of claim 11, wherein the one or more audio devices include one or more field audio devices, the one or more field audio devices including one or more speakers, one or more microphones, or combinations thereof.

13. The network entity of claim 11, wherein the triggering condition is based on a threshold time elapsed since the target received the communication, based on the detection of a warning, or a combination thereof.

14. The network entity of claim 1, wherein, in order to receive the location information of the UE, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to receive audio signal power measurement information, audio signal direction measurement information, audio signal phase measurement information, audio reception time measurement information, audio arrival time difference measurement information, or combinations thereof.

15. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes configuration information for the UE to perform the following: One or more audio receivers are used to detect audio signals from one or more infrastructure speakers, the audio signals from the one or more infrastructure speakers being transmitted according to an audio signal transmission protocol.

16. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: One or more infrastructure audio devices are activated to generate audio signals according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the location information of the UE by receiving an indication of the reception time of at least some of the audio signals generated at the UE according to the time and frequency configuration.

17. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the audio location configuration information sent to the UE includes configuration information for generating an audio signal according to a time and frequency configuration, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the location information of the UE by receiving an indication of the reception time of the audio signal generated according to the time and frequency configuration at one or more infrastructure audio devices.

18. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) 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: One or more measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals are obtained; Receive audio location configuration information from the network entity via the one or more transceivers; Transmitting audio signals, detecting audio signals, or both, via the one or more transceivers according to the audio positioning configuration information; and The information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both is sent to the network entity via one or more transceivers.

19. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

20. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein, in order to detect audio signals according to the audio positioning configuration information, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect, using a microphone, the timing of receiving one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers according to the audio positioning configuration information.

21. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein, in order to detect the reception timing of the one or more audio signals transmitted from the one or more infrastructure speakers using the microphone, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect the time difference of arrival between audio signals received from different infrastructure speakers.

22. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein, in order to detect the timing of the reception of one or more audio signals transmitted from one or more infrastructure speakers, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to detect the arrival time of the audio signals.

23. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: Subsequently, an instruction to disable audio location is received from the network entity via the one or more transceivers; and In response to receiving the instruction to disable the audio positioning, perform RF-based positioning, vision-based positioning, or a combination thereof.

24. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein, in order to send information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both to the network entity, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to send an indication of round-trip time.

25. The user equipment according to claim 18, wherein the audio positioning configuration information includes frequency configuration information and time configuration information.

26. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the frequency configuration information includes one or more tones at a predefined frequency, and wherein the time configuration information includes one or more time slots.

27. A method performed at a network entity, the method comprising: Receive radio frequency (RF) signaling from user equipment (UE); The audio location that activates the UE is determined based on one or more criteria; Send audio positioning configuration information to the UE; as well as The location information of the UE is received according to the audio positioning configuration information, wherein the location information of the UE includes audio measurement information or a location estimate of the UE based on audio measurement.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more criteria comprise one or more vision-based criteria, one or more RF-based criteria, or a combination thereof.

29. A method for wireless communication for user equipment (UE), the method comprising: One or more measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals are obtained; Receive audio location configuration information from network entities; Based on the audio positioning configuration information, transmit audio signals, detect audio signals, or both; and Send information to the network entity indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the information indicating the detected audio signal, the transmitted audio signal, or both includes a position estimate of the UE based at least in part on the detected audio signal.

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