Approaches for signaling path detectability in positioning operations that employ artificial intelligence / machine learning

Abstract

An example method for receiving a reference signal; determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal; determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path; and providing the path information to a location server for position determination.

Description

Qualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -1-APPROACHES FOR SIGNALING PATH DETECTABILITY IN POSITIONING OPERATIONS THAT EMPLOY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNINGRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Greek Application No. 20240100888, filed December 16, 2024, entitled “APPROACHES FOR SIGNALING PATH DETECTABILITY IN POSITIONING OPERATIONS THAT EMPLOY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNING,” which is assigned to the assignee hereof, and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.BACKGROUND Field of Disclosure

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically to new signaling for indicating path detectability as applied to positioning operations that employ artificial intelligence (Al) / machine learning (ML) (or AI / ML). Description of Related Art

[0003] A position (or location) of a user equipment (UE), such as a mobile phone, may be determined based on various cellular-based position determination procedures. An example of a cellular-based position determination procedure may involve a positioning reference signal (PRS) communicated to a UE by one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs) of a cellular network. For example, a TRP may be associated with a base station, such as a NR NodeB (gNB) in a 5G New Radio (NR) network. A TRP may transmit multiple PRS beams to the UE. The UE may determine PRS measurements (or downlink measurements) for each beam and each TRP. For example, the PRS measurements may include time-based measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AO A), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) corresponding to a given beam associated with a given TRP.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -2-

[0004] Another example of a cellular-based position determination procedure may involve a sounding reference signal (SRS) communicated by a UE to one or more TRPs associated with a base station of a cellular network. Each TRP may determine SRS measurements (or uplink measurements) for each beam of the TRP associated with the UE. Further, a TRP may report SRS measurements to a Location Management Function (LMF), for example, over the NRPPa protocol. For example, the SRS measurements may include time-based measurements, power measurements, angular measurements, and quality indicators corresponding to a given beam associated with a given TRP.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0005] A system of one or more computers can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of including instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. One general aspect includes a method performed by a device for enabling position determination. The method also includes receiving a reference signal. The method also includes determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal. The method also includes determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path. The method also includes providing the path information to a location server for position determination. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

[0006] One general aspect includes an apparatus for enabling position determination. The apparatus also includes receiving a reference signal. The apparatus also includes determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal. The apparatus also includes determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifyingWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -3- at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path. The apparatus also includes providing the path information to a location server for position determination. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

[0007] One general aspect includes a method performed by a location server for performing position determination. The method also includes providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, where the one or more configuration parameters configure a user equipment (UE) to report path information. The method also includes receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

[0008] One general aspect includes an apparatus for performing position determination. The apparatus also includes means for providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, where the one or more configuration parameters configure a user equipment (UE) to report path information; and means for receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

[0009] This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim. The foregoing, together with other features and examples, will be described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -4-BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. l is a diagram of a positioning system, according to an embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) positioning system, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., the positioning system of FIG. 1) implemented within a 5GNR communication network.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of how beamforming may be performed according to some embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing example non-AI / ML positioning operations.

[0014] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing example assisted AI / ML positioning operations.

[0015] FIG. 4C is a diagram showing example direct AI / ML positioning operations.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example multipath scenario.

[0017] FIGS. 6A-6C are diagrams of example artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models, according to some embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example environment in which AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in a UE, according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example environment in which AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in a gNB / TRP, according to some embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram, according to an embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram, according to an embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE, which can be utilized in embodiments as described herein.

[0023] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a base station, which can be utilized in embodiments as described herein.

[0024] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system, which can be utilized in embodiments as described herein.

[0025] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements, in accordance with certain example implementations. In addition, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by following a first number for the element with a letter or aWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -5- hyphen and a second number. For example, multiple instances of an element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 etc. or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When referring to such an element using only the first number, any instance of the element is to be understood (e.g., element 110 in the previous example would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110- 3 or to elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing innovative aspects of various embodiments. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations may be implemented in any device, system, or network that is capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standards for ultra-wideband (UWB), IEEE 802.11 standards (including those identified as Wi-Fi® technologies), the Bluetooth® standard, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), IxEV- DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless, cellular or internet of things (loT) network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof, technology.

[0027] As used herein, an “RF signal” comprises an electromagnetic wave that transports information through the space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multiple channels or paths.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -6-

[0028] Additionally, unless otherwise specified, references to “reference signals,” “positioning reference signals,” “reference signals for positioning,” and the like may be used to refer to signals used for positioning of a user equipment (UE). As described in more detail herein, such signals may comprise any of a variety of signal types but may not necessarily be limited to a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) as defined in relevant wireless standards.

[0029] Further, unless otherwise specified, the term “positioning” as used herein may absolute location determination, relative location determination, ranging, or a combination thereof. Such positioning may include and / or be based on timing, angular, phase, or power measurements, or a combination thereof (which may include RF sensing measurements) for the purpose of location or sensing services.

[0030] In general, paths may be associated with various conditions, such as Line-of- Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) conditions. A LOS condition generally exists when there is a clear, unobstructed path between a TRP and a UE, which typically results in stronger, higher quality signals with minimal interference and lower latency. In contrast, NLOS conditions may exist when a direct path between a TRP and a UE is blocked by obstacles. In some instances, LOS paths that are blocked may not be detectable using non-AI / ML approaches but may still be predicted using AI / ML positioning models. In general, being aware of a LOS path - even in its blocked state - may be especially helpful to a Location Management Function (LMF) to position a UE.

[0031] While AI / ML positioning models may be used to predict and report LOS paths, existing reporting mechanisms are limited because they do not provide signaling that indicates whether a given LOS path is detectable or predictable. For example, a LOS path may be deemed “detectable” if it can be detected using non-AI / ML approaches. For example, the LOS path may be detectable based on one or more signal measurements satisfying threshold values. In contrast, a LOS path may be deemed “predictable” if it cannot be detected using non-AI / ML approaches, but can be predicted using AI / ML positioning models.

[0032] Various aspects relate generally to applying AI / ML positioning models to classify LOS / NLOS paths as detectable or predictable. For example, the AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in a UE or a gNB / TRP. Various aspects of theWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -7- subject matter described herein may also provide mechanisms for signaling path classifications to the LMF.

[0033] By providing such signaling to the LMF, particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by providing signaling indicating whether a path is detectable or predictable, the described techniques can be used to enhance the positioning accuracy of a UE. For example, the signaling may enable the LMF to assess the reliability of the prediction. The LMF may also factor such signaling into its positioning calculations, which may lead to more accurate location estimates in challenging environments, such as NLOS scenarios. In some examples, by providing signaling indicating whether a path is detectable or predictable, the LMF may use such signaling to determine when to rely on AI / ML predictions versus traditional non-AI / ML methods. In some examples, by providing signaling indicating whether a path is detectable or predictable, the LMF may optimize resource allocation. For instance, if a predicted path is confirmed as detectable by conventional means, fewer resources may be needed for additional measurements or recalculations. This helps in reducing unnecessary signaling overhead and computational load on devices.

[0034] Additional details will follow after an initial description of relevant systems and technologies.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a positioning system 100 in which a UE 105, location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 can use the techniques provided herein to determine an estimated location of UE 105, according to an embodiment. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. However, the techniques described herein are not limited to such components and may be implemented in other types of systems (not shown). The positioning system 100 can include: a UE 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as space vehicles (SVs)) for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (e.g., the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or Beidou) and / or Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) functionality; base stations 120; access points (APs) 130; location server 160; network 170; and external client 180. UE 105 may also refer to a mobile device (or vice versa) in some contexts of the present disclosure. Generally put, the positioning system 100 can estimate a location of the UE 105 based onWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -8-RF signals received by and / or sent from the UE 105 and known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base stations 120, APs 130) transmitting and / or receiving the RF signals. Additionally or alternatively, wireless devices such as the UE 105, base stations 120, and satellites 110 (and / or other NTN platforms, which may be implemented on airplanes, drones, balloons, etc.) can be utilized to perform positioning (e.g., of one or more wireless devices). Additional details regarding particular location estimation techniques are discussed in more detail with regard to FIG. 2.

[0036] It should be noted that FIG. 1 provides only a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated as necessary. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is illustrated, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include a larger or smaller number of base stations 120 and / or APs 130 than illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustrated connections that connect the various components in the positioning system 100 comprise data and signaling connections which may include additional (intermediary) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted, depending on desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, the external client 180 may be directly connected to location server 160. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many modifications to the components illustrated.

[0037] Depending on desired functionality, the network 170 may comprise any of a variety of wireless and / or wireline networks. The network 170 can, for example, comprise any combination of public and / or private networks, local and / or wide-area networks, and the like. Furthermore, the network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, the network 170 may comprise a cellular or other mobile network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide- area network (WWAN), and / or the Internet, for example. Examples of network 170 include a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network, a Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network (also referred to as New Radio (NR) wireless network or 5G NR wireless network), a Wi-Fi WLAN, and the Internet. LTE, 5G and NR are wireless technologies defined, or being defined, by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -9-

[0038] The base stations 120 and access points (APs) 130 may be communicatively coupled to the network 170. In some embodiments, the base station 120s may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider, and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies, as described herein below. Depending on the technology of the network 170, a base station 120 may comprise a node B, an Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station (RBS), an NR NodeB (gNB), a Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), or the like. A base station 120 that is a gNB or ng-eNB may be part of a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) which may connect to a 5G Core Network (5GC) in the case that Network 170 is a 5G network. The functionality performed by a base station 120 in earlier-generation networks (e.g., 3G and 4G) may be separated into different functional components (e.g., radio units (RUs), distributed units (DUs), and central units (CUs)) and layers (e.g., L1 / L2 / L3) in view Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) and / or Virtualized Radio Access Network (V-RAN or vRAN) in 5G or later networks, which may be executed on different devices at different locations connected, for example, via fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul connections. As referred to herein, a “base station” (or ng-eNB, gNB, etc.) may include any or all of these functional components. An AP 130 may comprise a Wi-Fi AP or a Bluetooth® AP or an AP having cellular capabilities (e.g., 4G LTE and / or 5G NR), for example. Thus, UE 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices, such as location server 160, by accessing the network 170 via a base station 120 using a first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because APs 130 also may be communicatively coupled with the network 170, UE 105 may communicate with network-connected and Internet-connected devices, including location server 160, using a second communication link 135, or via one or more other mobile devices 145.

[0039] As used herein, the term “base station” may generically refer to a single physical transmission point, or multiple co-located physical transmission points, which may be located at a base station 120. A Transmission Reception Point (TRP) (also known as transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term “TRP” may be used interchangeably herein with the terms “gNB,” “ng-eNB,” and “base station.” In some cases, a base station 120 may comprise multiple TRPs - e.g. with each TRP associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array for the base station 120. As used herein, the transmission functionality of a TRP may be performed with a transmission point (TP) and / or the reception functionality of a TRP may be performed byWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -10- a reception point (RP), which may be physically separate or distinct from a TP. That said, a TRP may comprise both a TP and an RP. Physical transmission points may comprise an array of antennas of a base station 120 (e.g., as in a Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) system and / or where the base station employs beamforming). According to aspects of applicable 5G cellular standards, a base station 120 (e.g., gNB) may be capable of transmitting different “beams” in different directions and performing “beam sweeping” in which a signal is transmitted in different beams, along different directions (e.g., one after the other). The term “base station” may additionally refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, where the physical transmission points may be a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a Remote Radio Head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0040] As noted, satellites 110 may be used to implement NTN functionality, extending communication, positioning, and potentially other functionality (e.g., RF sensing) of a terrestrial network. As such, one or more satellites may be communicatively linked to one or more NTN gateways 150 (also known as “gateways,” “earth stations,” or “ground stations”). The NTN gateways 150 may be communicatively linked with base stations 120 via link 155. In some embodiments, NTN gateways 150 may function as DUs of a base station 120, as described previously. Not only can this enable the UE 105 to communicate with the network 170 via satellites 110, but this can also enable networkbased positioning, RF sensing, etc.

[0041] Satellites 110 may be utilized in one or more ways. For example, satellites 110 (also referred to as space vehicles (SVs)) may be part of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo or Beidou. Positioning using RF signals from GNSS satellites may comprise measuring multiple GNSS signals at a GNSS receiver of the UE 105 to perform code-based and / or carrier-based positioning, which can be highly accurate. Additionally or alternatively, satellites 110 may be utilized for NTN-based positioning, in which satellites 110 may functionally operate as TRPs (or TPs) of a network (e.g., LTE and / or NR network) and may be communicatively coupled with network 170. In particular, reference signals (e.g., PRS) transmitted by satellites 110 NTN-based positioning may be similar to those transmitted by base stations 120 and may be coordinated by a network function server, which may operate as a location / sensing server 160. In some embodiments, satellites 110WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -11- used for NTN-based positioning may be different than those used for GNSS-based positioning. In some embodiments NTN nodes may include non-terrestrial vehicles such as airplanes, balloons, drones, etc., which may be in addition or as an alternative to NTN satellites. NTN satellites 110 and / or other NTN platforms may be further leveraged to perform RF sensing. As described in more detail hereafter, satellites may use a JCS symbol in an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform to allow both RF sensing and / or positioning, and communication.

[0042] As used herein, the term “cell” may generically refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station 120, and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), a Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) operating via the same or a different carrier. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of devices. In some cases, the term “cell” may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) over which the logical entity operates.

[0043] The location server 160 may comprise a server and / or other computing device configured to determine an estimated location of UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “assistance data”) to UE 105 to facilitate location measurement and / or location determination by UE 105. According to some embodiments, location server 160 may comprise a Home Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (H-SLP), which may support the SUPL user plane (UP) location solution defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and may support location services for UE 105 based on subscription information for UE 105 stored in location server 160. In some embodiments, the location server 160 may comprise a Discovered SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). The location server 160 may also comprise an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E- SMLC) that supports location of UE 105 using a control plane (CP) location solution for LTE radio access by UE 105. The location server 160 may further comprise a Location Management Function (LMF) that supports location of UE 105 using a control plane (CP) location solution for NR or LTE radio access by UE 105.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -12-

[0044] In a CP location solution, signaling to control and manage the location of UE 105 may be exchanged between elements of network 170 and with UE 105 using existing network interfaces and protocols and as signaling from the perspective of network 170. In a UP location solution, signaling to control and manage the location of UE 105 may be exchanged between location server 160 and UE 105 as data (e.g. data transported using the Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) from the perspective of network 170.

[0045] As previously noted (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated location of UE 105 may be based on measurements of RF signals sent from and / or received by the UE 105. In particular, these measurements can provide information regarding the relative distance and / or angle of the UE 105 from one or more components in the positioning system 100 (e.g., satellites 110, APs 130, base stations 120). The estimated location of the UE 105 can be estimated geometrically (e.g., using multi angulation and / or multilateration), based on the distance and / or angle measurements, along with known position of the one or more components.

[0046] Although terrestrial components such as APs 130 and base stations 120 may be fixed, embodiments are not so limited. Mobile components may be used. For example, in some embodiments, a location of the UE 105 may be estimated at least in part based on measurements of RF signals 140 communicated between the UE 105 and one or more other mobile devices 145, which may be mobile or fixed. As illustrated, other mobile devices may include, for example, a mobile phone 145-1, vehicle 145-2, static communication / positioning device 145-3, or other static and / or mobile device capable of providing wireless signals used for positioning the UE 105, or a combination thereof. Wireless signals from mobile devices 145 used for positioning of the UE 105 may comprise RF signals using, for example, Bluetooth® (including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)), IEEE 802.1 lx (e.g., Wi-Fi®), Ultra Wideband (UWB), IEEE 802.15x, or a combination thereof. Mobile devices 145 may additionally or alternatively use non-RF wireless signals for positioning of the UE 105, such as infrared signals or other optical technologies.

[0047] Mobile devices 145 may comprise other UEs communicatively coupled with a cellular or other mobile network (e.g., network 170). When one or more other mobile devices 145 comprising UEs are used in the position determination of a particular UEWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -13-105, the UE 105 for which the position is to be determined may be referred to as the “target UE,” and each of the other mobile devices 145 used may be referred to as an “anchor UE.” For position determination of a target UE, the respective positions of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or jointly determined with the target UE. Direct communication between the one or more other mobile devices 145 and UE 105 may comprise sidelink and / or similar Device-to-Device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelink, which is defined by 3GPP, is a form of D2D communication under the cellular-based LTE and NR standards. UWB may be one such technology by which the positioning of a target device (e.g., UE 105) may be facilitated using measurements from one or more anchor devices (e.g., mobile devices 145).

[0048] According to some embodiments, such as when the UE 105 comprises and / or is incorporated into a vehicle, a form of D2D communication used by the UE 105 may comprise vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. V2X is a communication standard for vehicles and related entities to exchange information regarding a traffic environment. V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication between V2X- capable vehicles, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication between the vehicle and infrastructure-based devices (commonly termed roadside units (RSUs)), vehicle-to- person (V2P) communication between vehicles and nearby people (pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users), and the like. Further, V2X can use any of a variety of wireless RF communication technologies. Cellular V2X (CV2X), for example, is a form of V2X that uses cellular-based communication such as LTE (4G), NR (5G) and / or other cellular technologies in a direct-communication mode as defined by 3GPP. The UE 105 illustrated in FIG. 1 may correspond to a component or device on a vehicle, RSU, or other V2X entity that is used to communicate V2X messages. In embodiments in which V2X is used, the static communication / positioning device 145-3 (which may correspond with an RSU) and / or the vehicle 145-2, therefore, may communicate with the UE 105 and may be used to determine the position of the UE 105 using techniques similar to those used by base stations 120 and / or APs 130 (e.g., using multi angulation and / or multilateration). It can be further noted that mobile devices 145 (which may include V2X devices), base stations 120, and / or APs 130 may be used together (e.g., in a WWAN positioning solution) to determine the position of the UE 105, according to some embodiments.

[0049] An estimated location of UE 105 can be used in a variety of applications - e.g. to assist direction finding or navigation for a user of UE 105 or to assist another user (e.g.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -14- associated with external client 180) to locate UE 105. A “location” is also referred to herein as a “location estimate”, “estimated location”, “location”, “position”, “position estimate”, “position fix”, “estimated position”, “location fix” or “fix”. The process of determining a location may be referred to as “positioning,” “position determination,” “location determination,” or the like. A location of UE 105 may comprise an absolute location of UE 105 (e.g. a latitude and longitude and possibly altitude) or a relative location of UE 105 (e.g. a location expressed as distances north or south, east or west and possibly above or below some other known fixed location (including, e.g., the location of a base station 120 or AP 130) or some other location such as a location for UE 105 at some known previous time, or a location of a mobile device 145 (e.g., another UE) at some known previous time). A location may be specified as a geodetic location comprising coordinates which may be absolute (e.g. latitude, longitude and optionally altitude), relative (e.g. relative to some known absolute location) or local (e.g. X, Y and optionally Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined relative to a local area such a factory, warehouse, college campus, shopping mall, sports stadium or convention center). A location may instead be a civic location and may then comprise one or more of a street address (e.g. including names or labels for a country, state, county, city, road and / or street, and / or a road or street number), and / or a label or name for a place, building, portion of a building, floor of a building, and / or room inside a building etc. A location may further include an uncertainty or error indication, such as a horizontal and possibly vertical distance by which the location is expected to be in error or an indication of an area or volume (e.g. a circle or ellipse) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with some level of confidence (e.g. 95% confidence).

[0050] The external client 180 may be a web server or remote application that may have some association with UE 105 (e.g. may be accessed by a user of UE 105) or may be a server, application, or computer system providing a location service to some other user or users which may include obtaining and providing the location of UE 105 (e.g. to enable a service such as friend or relative finder, or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, the external client 180 may obtain and provide the location of UE 105 to an emergency services provider, government agency, etc.

[0051] As previously noted, the example positioning system 100 can be implemented using a wireless communication network, such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network, or a future network (e.g., 6G network). FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a 5G NRWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -15- positioning system 200, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may be configured to enable wireless communication, determine the location of a UE 205 (which may be an example of UE 105 of FIG. 1), performing RF sensing, or a combination thereof, by using access nodes, which may include NR NodeB (gNB) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generically referred to herein as gNBs 210), ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216 to implement one or more positioning methods and / or one or more sensing methods. These access nodes can use RF signaling to enable the communication, implement the one or more positioning methods, and / or implement RF sensing. The gNBs 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 may correspond with base stations 120 of FIG. 1, and the WLAN 216 may correspond with one or more access points 130 of FIG. 1. Optionally, the 5G NR positioning system 200 additionally may be configured to determine the location of a UE 205 by using an LMF 220 (which may correspond with location server 160) to implement the one or more positioning methods. The SMF 221 may be configured to coordinate RF sensing by the 5GNR positioning / sensing system 200. Here, the 5GNR positioning system 200 comprises a UE 205, and components of a 5G NR network comprising a Next Generation (NG) Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G Core Network (5G CN) 240. A 5G network may also be referred to as an NR network; NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or as an NR RAN; and 5G CN 240 may be referred to as an NG Core network. Additional components of the 5G NR positioning / sensing system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning / sensing system 200 may include additional or alternative components.

[0052] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from satellites 110. As previously indicated, satellites 110 may comprise GNSS satellites from a GNSS system like Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar system (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additionally or alternatively, satellites 110 may comprise NTN satellites. NTN satellites may be in low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), geostationary earth orbit (GEO) or some other type of orbit. NTN satellites may be communicatively coupled with the LMF 220 and may operatively function as a TRP (or TP) in the NG-RAN 235. As such, satellites 110 may be in communication with one or more gNB 210 via one or more NTN gateways 150. According to some embodiments, an NTN gateway 150 may operateWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -16- as a DU of a gNB 210, in which case communications between NTN gateway 150 and CU of the gNB 210 may occur over an F interface 218 between DU and CU.

[0053] It should be noted that FIG. 2 provides only a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as necessary. Specifically, although only one UE 205 is illustrated, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a larger (or smaller) number of satellites 110, gNBs 210, ng-eNBs 214, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) 216, Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The illustrated connections that connect the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections which may include additional (intermediary) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted, depending on desired functionality.

[0054] The UE 205 may comprise and / or be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL)-Enabled Terminal (SET), or by some other name. Moreover, UE 205 may correspond to a cellphone, smartphone, laptop, tablet, personal data assistant (PDA), navigation device, Internet of Things (loT) device, or some other portable or moveable device. Typically, though not necessarily, the UE 205 may support wireless communication using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as using GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX™), 5GNR (e.g., using the NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240), etc. The UE 205 may also support wireless communication using a WLAN 216 which (like the one or more RATs, and as previously noted with respect to FIG. 1) may connect to other networks, such as the Internet. The use of one or more of these RATs may allow the UE 205 to communicate with an external client 230 (e.g., via elements of 5G CN 240 not shown in FIG. 2, or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225) and / or allow the external client 230 to receive location information regarding the UE 205 (e.g., via the GMLC 225). The external client 230 of FIG. 2 may correspond to external client 180 of FIG. 1, as implemented in or communicatively coupled with a 5GNR network.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -17-

[0055] The UE 205 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O devices, and / or body sensors and a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of a location of the UE 205 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geodetic, thus providing location coordinates for the UE 205 (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above or depth below ground level, floor level or basement level). Alternatively, a location of the UE 205 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or the designation of some point or small area in a building such as a particular room or floor). A location of the UE 205 may also be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geodetically or in civic form) within which the UE 205 is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). A location of the UE 205 may further be a relative location comprising, for example, a distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to some origin at a known location which may be defined geodetically, in civic terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may comprise any of these variants unless indicated otherwise. When computing the location of a UE, it is common to solve for local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates and then, if needed, convert the local coordinates into absolute ones (e.g. for latitude, longitude and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0056] Base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may correspond to base stations 120 in FIG. 1 and may include gNBs 210. Pairs of gNBs 210 in NG-RAN 235 may be connected to one another (e.g., directly as shown in FIG. 2 or indirectly via other gNBs 210). The communication interface between base stations (gNBs 210 and / or ng- eNB 214) may be referred to as an Xn interface 237. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 205 via wireless communication between the UE 205 and one or more of the gNBs 210, which may provide wireless communications access to the 5G CN 240 on behalf of the UE 205 using 5GNR. The wireless interface between base stations (gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) and the UE 205 may be referred to as a Uu interface 239. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or as 5G radio access. In FIG. 2, the serving gNB for UE 205 is assumed to be gNB 210-1, although other gNBs (e.g. gNBWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -18-210-2) may act as a serving gNB if UE 205 moves to another location or may act as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 205.

[0057] Base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may also or instead include a next generation evolved Node B, also referred to as an ng-eNB, 214. Ng-eNB 214 may be connected to one or more gNBs 210 in NG-RAN 235-e.g. directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. An ng-eNB 214 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to UE 205. Some gNBs 210 (e.g. gNB 210- 2) and / or ng-eNB 214 in FIG. 2 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons which may transmit signals (e.g., Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)) and / or may broadcast assistance data to assist positioning of UE 205 but may not receive signals from UE 205 or from other UEs. Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2 and / or another gNB not shown) and / or ng-eNB 214 may be configured to function as detecting-only nodes may scan for signals containing, e.g., PRS data, assistance data, or other location data. Such detecting-only nodes may not transmit signals or data to UEs but may transmit signals or data (relating to, e.g., PRS, assistance data, or other location data) to other network entities (e.g., one or more components of 5G CN 240, external client 230, or a controller) which may receive and store or use the data for positioning of at least UE 205. It is noted that while only one ng-eNB 214 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations (e.g., gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) may communicate directly with one another via an Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, base stations may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as the LMF 220 and AMF 215.

[0058] 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 which may connect to a Non-3GPP InterWorking Function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for UE 205 and may comprise one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., APs 130 of FIG. 1). Here, the N3IWF 250 may connect to other elements in the 5G CN 240 such as AMF 215. In some embodiments, WLAN 216 may support another RAT such as Bluetooth. The N3IWF 250 may provide support for secure access by UE 205 to other elements in 5G CN 240 and / or may support interworking of one or more protocols used by WLAN 216 and UE 205 to one or more protocols used by other elements of 5G CN 240 such as AMF 215. For example, N3IWF 250 may support IPSec tunnel establishment with UE 205, termination of IKEv2 / IPSec protocols with UE 205,WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -19- termination of N2 and N3 interfaces to 5G CN 240 for control plane and user plane, respectively, relaying of uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling between UE 205 and AMF 215 across an N1 interface. In some other embodiments, WLAN 216 may connect directly to elements in 5G CN 240 (e.g. AMF 215 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2) and not via N3IWF 250. For example, direct connection of WLAN 216 to 5GCN 240 may occur if WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN for 5GCN 240 and may be enabled using a Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF) (not shown in FIG. 2) which may be an element inside WLAN 216. It is noted that while only one WLAN 216 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0059] Access nodes may comprise any of a variety of network entities enabling communication between the UE 205 and the AMF 215. As noted, this can include gNBs 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, access nodes providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities enabling communications to any of a variety of RATs not illustrated in FIG. 2, which may include non-cellular technologies. Thus, the term “access node,” as used in the embodiments described herein below, may include but is not necessarily limited to a gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216.

[0060] In some embodiments, an access node, such as a gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216, or NTN satellite 110, or a combination thereof (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200), may be configured to, in response to receiving a request for location information from the LMF 220, obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals received from the UE 205) and / or obtain downlink (DL) location measurements from the UE 205 that were obtained by UE 205 for DL signals received by UE 205 from one or more access nodes. As noted, while FIG. 2 depicts access nodes (gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, and NTN satellite 110) configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols may be used, such as, for example, a Node B using a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using an LTE protocol for an Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or a Bluetooth® beacon using a Bluetooth protocol for a WLAN. For example, in a 4G Evolved PacketWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -20-System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to UE 205, a RAN may comprise an E- UTRAN, which may comprise base stations comprising eNBs supporting LTE wireless access. A core network for EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). An EPS may then comprise an E-UTRAN plus an EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to NG- RAN 235 and the EPC corresponds to 5GCN 240 in FIG. 2. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining a civic location for UE 205 may be applicable to such other networks.

[0061] The gNBs 210 and ng-eNB 214 can communicate with an AMF 215, which, for positioning functionality, communicates with an LMF 220. The AMF 215 may support mobility of the UE 205, including cell change and handover of UE 205 from an access node (e.g., gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, or NTN satellite 110) of a first RAT to an access node of a second RAT. The AMF 215 may also participate in supporting a signaling connection to the UE 205 and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE 205. The LMF 220 may support positioning of the UE 205 using a CP location solution when UE 205 accesses the NG-RAN 235 or WLAN 216 and may support position procedures and methods, including UE assisted or UE based and / or network based procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference Of Arrival (OTDOA) (which may be referred to in NR as Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA)), Frequency Difference Of Arrival (FDOA), Real Time Kinematic (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhance Cell ID (ECID), angle of arrival (AoA), angle of departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, round trip signal propagation delay (RTT), multi-cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. The LMF 220 may also process location service requests for the UE 205, e.g., received from the AMF 215 or from the GMLC 225. The LMF 220 may be connected to AMF 215 and / or to GMLC 225. In some embodiments, a network such as 5GCN 240 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location-support modules, such as an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a SUPL Location Platform (SLP). It is noted that in some embodiments, at least part of the positioning functionality (including determination of a UE 205 ’s location) may be performed at the UE 205 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as gNBs 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, or NTN satellite 110, and / or using assistance data provided to the UE 205, e.g., by LMF 220).WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -21-

[0062] The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 may support a location request for the UE 205 received from an external client 230 and may forward such a location request to the AMF 215 for forwarding by the AMF 215 to the LMF 220. A location response from the LMF 220 (e.g., containing a location estimate for the UE 205) may be similarly returned to the GMLC 225 either directly or via the AMF 215, and the GMLC 225 may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client 230.

[0063] A Network Exposure Function (NEF) 245 may be included in 5GCN 240. The NEF 245 may support secure exposure of capabilities and events concerning 5GCN 240 and UE 205 to the external client 230, which may then be referred to as an Access Function (AF) and may enable secure provision of information from external client 230 to 5GCN 240. NEF 245 may be connected to AMF 215 and / or to GMLC 225 for the purposes of obtaining a location (e.g. a civic location) of UE 205 and providing the location to external client 230.

[0064] As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the LMF 220 may communicate with the gNBs 210 and / or with the ng-eNB 214 using an NR Positioning Protocol annex (NRPPa) as defined in 3 GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa messages may be transferred between a gNB 210 and the LMF 220, and / or between an ng-eNB 214 and the LMF 220, via the AMF 215. As further illustrated in FIG. 2, LMF 220 and UE 205 may communicate using an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 205 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215 and a serving gNB 210-1 or serving ng-eNB 214 for UE 205. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 220 and the AMF 215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) and may be transferred between the AMF 215 and the UE 205 using a 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of UE 205 using UE assisted and / or UE based position methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AoD, and / or ECID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of UE 205 using network based position methods such as ECID, AoA, uplink TDOA (UL- TDOA) and / or may be used by LMF 220 to obtain location related information from gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as parameters defining DL-PRS transmission from gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -22-

[0065] In the case of UE 205 access to WLAN 216, LMF 220 may use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain a location of UE 205 in a similar manner to that just described for UE 205 access to a gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Thus, NRPPa messages may be transferred between a WLAN 216 and the LMF 220, via the AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support networkbased positioning of UE 205 and / or transfer of other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages may be transferred between N3IWF 250 and the LMF 220, via the AMF 215, to support network-based positioning of UE 205 based on location related information and / or location measurements known to or accessible to N3IWF 250 and transferred from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 205 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215, N3IWF 250, and serving WLAN 216 for UE 205 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of UE 205 by LMF 220, described in more detail hereafter.

[0066] Positioning of the UE 205 in a 5G NR positioning system 200 further may utilize measurements between the UE 205 and one or more other UEs 255 via a sidelink connection SL 260. As shown in FIG. 2, the one or more other UEs 255 may comprise any of a variety of different device types, including mobile phones, vehicles, roadside units (RSUs), other device types, or any combination thereof. One or more position measurement signals sent via SL 260 to the UE 205 from the one or more other UEs 255, to the one or more other UEs 255 from the UE 205, or both. Various signals may be used for position measurement, including sidelink PRS (SL-PRS). In some instances, the position of at least one of the one or more of the other UEs 255 may be determined at the same time (e.g., in the same positioning session) as the position of the UE 205. In some embodiments, the LMF 220 may coordinate the transmission of positioning signals via SL 260 between the UE 205 and the one or more other UEs 255. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 205 and the one or more other UEs 255 may coordinate a positioning session between themselves, without an LMF 220 or even a Uu connection 239 to an access node of the NG-RAN 235. To do so, the UE 205 and the one or more other UEs 255 may communicate messages via the SL 260 using sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP). In some scenarios, the one or more other UEs 255 may have a Uu connection 239 with an access node of the NG-RAN 235 and / or Wi-Fi connection with WLAN 216 when the UE 205 does not. In such instances, the one or more other UEs 255 may operate as relay devices, relaying communications to the network (e.g., LMF 220) from the UEWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -23-205. In such instances, a plurality of other UEs 255 may form a chain between the UE205 and the access node.

[0067] In a 5G NR positioning system 200, positioning methods can be categorized as being “UE assisted” or “UE based.” This may depend on where the request for determining the position of the UE 205 originated. If, for example, the request originated at the UE (e.g., from an application, or “app,” executed by the UE), the positioning method may be categorized as being UE based. If, on the other hand, the request originates from an external client 230, LMF 220, or other device or service within the 5G network, the positioning method may be categorized as being UE assisted (or “network-based”).

[0068] With a UE-assisted position method, UE 205 may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for computation of a location estimate for UE 205. For RAT-dependent position methods location measurements may include one or more of a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RS SI), Round Trip signal propagation Time (RTT), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), AoA, Receive Time-Transmission Time Difference (Rx-Tx), Differential AoA (DAoA), AoD, or Timing Advance (TA) for gNBs 210, ng- eNB 214, and / or one or more access points for WLAN 216. Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements may be made of sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs, which may serve as anchor points for positioning of the UE 205 if the positions of the other UEs are known. The location measurements may also or instead include measurements for RAT-independent positioning methods such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase for satellites 110), WLAN, etc.

[0069] With a UE-based position method, UE 205 may obtain location measurements (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to location measurements for a UE assisted position method) and may further compute a location of UE 205 (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as LMF 220, an SLP, or broadcast by gNBs 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216).

[0070] With a network-based position method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214), one or more APs (e.g., in WLAN 216), or N3IWF 250 may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AoA, or TOA) for signals transmitted by UE 205, and / or may receive measurements obtainedWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -24- by UE 205 or by an AP in WLAN 216 in the case of N3IWF 250, and may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for computation of a location estimate for UE 205.

[0071] Positioning of the UE 205 also may be categorized as UL, DL, or DL-UL based, depending on the types of signals used for positioning. If, for example, positioning is based solely on signals received at the UE 205 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning may be categorized as DL based. On the other hand, if positioning is based solely on signals transmitted by the UE 205 (which may be received by a base station or other UE, for example), the positioning may be categorized as UL based. Positioning that is DL-UL based includes positioning, such as RTT-based positioning, that is based on signals that are both transmitted and received by the UE 205. Sidelink (SL)-assisted positioning comprises signals communicated between the UE 205 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, UL, DL, or DL-UL positioning as described herein may be capable of using SL signaling as a complement or replacement of SL, DL, or DL-UL signaling.

[0072] Depending on the type of positioning (e.g., UL, DL, or DL-UL based) the types of reference signals used can vary. For DL-based positioning, for example, these signals may comprise PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by base stations or SL-PRS transmitted by other UEs), which can be used for TDOA, AoD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSL RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) Synchronizations Signal (SS)), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), etc. Moreover, reference signals may be transmitted in a Tx beam and / or received in an Rx beam (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which may impact angular measurements, such as AoD and / or AoA.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a simplified environment 300 including two base stations 320-1 and 320-2, which may correspond to base stations 120 of FIG. 1 and / or gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNB 214 of FIG. 2, with antenna arrays that can perform beamforming to produce directional beams for transmitting and / or receiving RF signals. FIG. 3 also illustrates a UE 105, which may also use beamforming for transmitting and / orWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -25- receiving RF signals. Such directional beams are used in 5G NR wireless communication networks. Each directional beam may have a beam width centered in a different direction, enabling different beams of a base station 320 to correspond with different areas within a coverage area for the base station 320.

[0074] Different modes of operation may enable base stations 320-1 and 320-2 to use a larger or smaller number of beams. For example, in a first mode of operation, a base station 320 may use 16 beams, in which case each beam may have a relatively wide beam width. In a second mode of operation, a base station 320 may use 64 beams, in which case each beam may have a relatively narrow beam width. Depending on the capabilities of a base station 320, the base station may use any number of beams the base station 320 may be capable of forming. The modes of operation and / or number of beams may be defined in relevant wireless standards and may correspond to different directions in either or both azimuth and elevation (e.g., horizontal and vertical directions). Different modes of operation may be used to transmit and / or receive different signal types. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 105 may be capable of using different numbers of beams, which may also correspond to different modes of operation, signal types, etc.

[0075] In some situations, a base station 320 may use beam sweeping. Beam sweeping is a process in which the base station 320 may send an RF signal in different directions using different respective beams, often in succession, effectively “sweeping” across a coverage area. For example, a base station 320 may sweep across 120 or 360 degrees in an azimuth direction, for each beam sweep, which may be periodically repeated. Each direction beam can include an RF reference signal (e.g., a PRS resource), where base station 320-1 produces a set of RF reference signals that includes Tx beams 305-a, 305-b, 305-c, 305-d, 305-e, 305-f, 305-g, and 305-h, and the base station 320-2 produces a set of RF reference signals that includes Tx beams 309-a, 309-b, 309-c, 309- d, 309-e, 309-f, 309-g, and 309-h. As noted, because UE 105 may also include an antenna array, it can receive RF reference signals transmitted by base stations 320-1 and 320-2 using beamforming to form respective receive beams (Rx beams) 311-a and 311-b. Beamforming in this manner (by base stations 320 and optionally by UEs 105) can be used to make communications more efficient. They can also be used for other purposes, including taking measurements for position determination (e.g., AoD and AoA measurements).WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -26-

[0076] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing example non-AI / ML positioning operations. In FIG. 4A, the non-AI / ML positioning operations may involve determining reference signal measurements 402. For example, for downlink positioning, a UE may receive PRS signals transmitted from one or more TRPs and determine PRS measurements for each beam from each TRP. In this example, the reference signal measurements 402 may include a channel frequency response (CFR), channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), delay paths (DP), among other information derived from a given PRS signal. For uplink positioning, the UE may transmit SRS signals, which may be received and measured by one or more TRPs to provide SRS measurements for each beam from each TRP. In this example, the reference signal measurements 402 may include a channel frequency response (CFR), channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), delay paths (DP), among other information derived from a given SRS signal.

[0077] The reference signal measurements 402 may be provided to a non-AI / ML path finding algorithm 404, which may derive intermediate measurements 406 from the reference signal measurements 402. For example, the intermediate measurements 406 may include time-based measurements, power measurements, angular measurements, and quality indicators corresponding to a given beam associated with a given TRP. As an example, the intermediate measurements 406 may include RSTD, RTOA, a LOS / NLOS indicator, UE / gNB Rx-Tx time difference, among others. The intermediate measurements 406 may be provided to a non-AI / ML positioning engine 408, which determines coordinates 410 for the UE. The non-AI / ML positioning engine 408 may apply conventional techniques for determining the coordinates 410, such as trilateration with Chans algorithm, among others.

[0078] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing example assisted AI / ML positioning operations. In FIG. 4B, the AI / ML positioning operations may involve determining reference signal measurements 412, as described above. The reference signal measurements 412 may be provided as input to an assisted AI / ML positioning model 414. The assisted AI / ML positioning model 414 may be trained based on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to evaluate the reference signal measurements 412 as input and provide predicted intermediate measurements 416 as output. For example, the intermediate measurements 416 may include time-based measurements, power measurements, angular measurements, and quality indicators corresponding to a given beam associated with a given TRP. As an example, the intermediate measurements 416WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -27- may include RSTD, RTOA, a LOS / NLOS indicator, UE / gNB Rx-Tx time difference, among others. The predicted intermediate measurements 416 may be used to determine coordinates 420 for the UE based on a positioning engine 418 that employs either non- AI / ML or AI / ML techniques.

[0079] FIG. 4C is a diagram showing example direct AI / ML positioning operations. In FIG. 4C, the AI / ML positioning operations may involve determining reference signal measurements 422, as described above. The reference signal measurements 422 may be provided as input to a direct AI / ML positioning model 424. The direct AI / ML positioning model 424 may be trained based on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to evaluate the reference signal measurements 422 as input and provide predicted coordinates 430 for the UE as output.

[0080] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example multipath scenario. The multipath scenario 500 involves signal propagation between a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) 520 and User Equipment (UE) 505, which may occur through various paths. In general, paths may be associated with various conditions, such as Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) conditions. A LOS condition generally exists when there is a clear, unobstructed path between a TRP and a UE, which typically results in stronger, higher quality signals with minimal interference and lower latency. However, achieving pure LOS conditions can be challenging. For example, in dense urban areas, LOS conditions may be difficult due to the presence of buildings and other structures. In contrast, NLOS conditions exist when a direct path between a TRP and a UE is blocked by obstacles, such as buildings, trees, mountains, or other structures. With NLOS conditions, communication between a TRP and a UE is still possible through various propagation mechanisms, such as reflection or diffraction.

[0081] In the example of FIG. 5, a direct line-of-sight (LOS) path 522 between the TRP 520 and the UE 505 is blocked due to a physical obstruction 524, such as a building or mountain. As a result, the TRP 520 and the UE 505 may communicate over non-line- of-sight (NLOS) paths, which may include a first path 526 and an additional path 528. The physical obstruction 524 may completely block signals between the UE 505 and the TRP 520. In such cases, neither the UE 505 nor the TRP 520 may be able to detect the presence of the LOS path 522 based on non-AI / ML approaches for path detection.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -28-

[0082] In general, being aware of the LOS path 522 - even in its blocked state - may be especially helpful to a Location Management Function (LMF) (e.g., the LMF 220) to position the UE 505. Accordingly, AI / ML techniques may be applied to predict paths between the UE 505 and the TRP 520. For example, an AI / ML positioning model may be trained and deployed to predict paths between the UE 505 and the TRP 520 and corresponding LOS / NLOS classifications. In the example of FIG. 5, the AI / ML positioning model may identify the path 522 as a LOS path, the path 526 as an NLOS path, and the path 528 as an NLOS path.

[0083] As an example, the AI / ML positioning model may be trained to receive input features that may include reference signal measurements, information describing the geometry of the wireless environment, the behavior of multipath components, and historical data from similar wireless environments. Based on the input features, the AI / ML positioning model may provide as output a prediction indicating whether a path corresponding to the input features is a LOS path or an NLOS path. For example, for downlink positioning, a UE may receive PRS signals transmitted from one or more TRPs and determine PRS measurements for each beam from each TRP. In this example, the reference signal measurements may include a channel frequency response (CFR), channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), delay paths (DP), among other information derived from a given PRS signal. For uplink positioning, the UE may transmit SRS signals, which may be received and measured by one or more TRPs to provide SRS measurements for each beam from each TRP. In this example, the reference signal measurements 402 may include a channel frequency response (CFR), channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), delay paths (DP), among other information derived from a given SRS signal.

[0084] The UE 505 may report the predicted path information (e.g., measurements, LOS / NLOS classification, etc.) according to existing standards. In one example, the UE 505 may report such path information to the LMF based on 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 37.355. Such existing reporting mechanisms are limited, however, because they do not provide signaling that indicates whether a reported path (e.g., LOS path) is detectable or predictable. For example, a path (e.g., LOS path) may be deemed “detectable” if it can be detected using non-AI / ML approaches. In contrast, a path (e.g., LOS path) may be deemed “predictable” if it cannot be detected using non-AI / ML approaches, but can be predicted using an AI / ML positioning model. For example, the reporting of such signalingWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -29- may be helpful to the LMF for positioning the UE 505. In general, a path that is detectable may be determined based on a detectability threshold. As an example, the detectability threshold may be based on RSRP / RSRPP requirements specified in 3GPP TS 38.133. In this example, if a power measurement associated with a path satisfies the detectability threshold, the path may be classified as detectable.

[0085] In the example of FIG. 5, the embodiments described herein may classify the LOS path 522 as “predictable”, the first path 526 as “detectable”, and the additional path 528 also as “detectable”. Such information may be reported to the LMF, for example, to perform positioning operations.

[0086] FIGS. 6A-6C are diagrams of example artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models, according to some embodiments. In general, the AI / ML positioning models may be trained specifically for deployment in a given UE, gNB, or TRP.

[0087] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example AI / ML positioning model 602 that may be trained and deployed to receive reference signal measurements 604 (e.g., CFR, CIR, PDP, DP, etc.) as input and to output corresponding (1) path information 608 and (2) path classification 610. The path information 608 may include time-based measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TO A), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) for the path. Further, the path classification 610 may indicate whether the path is detectable or predictable.

[0088] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example AI / ML positioning model 622 that may be trained and deployed to receive (1) reference signal measurements 624 (e.g., CFR, CIR, PDP, DP, etc.) and (2) a path condition 626 as input and to output (1) path information 628 and (2) a path classification 630. The path information 628 may include time-based measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) for the path. Further, the path classification 630 may indicate whether the path is detectable orWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -30- predictable. In various embodiments, the path condition 626 may correspond to a detectability threshold that may be used to classify a given path as being detectable or predictable. As an example, the detectability threshold may be based on an RSRP / RSRPP requirement, as specified in 3GPP TS 38.133. In this example, paths that satisfy the RSRP / RSRPP requirement may be classified as detectable.

[0089] FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating an example AI / ML positioning model 642 that may be trained and deployed to receive (1) reference signal measurements 644 (e.g., CFR, CIR, PDP, DP, etc.) and (2) a path condition 646 as input and to output (1) path information 648 for a first path and (2) path information 650 for a direct LOS path. The path information 648, 650 may include time-based measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) for a given path. In various embodiments, the path condition 646 may correspond to a detectability threshold that may be used to classify a given path (e.g., the first path, the direct LOS path) as being detectable or predictable. Many variations are possible. As used herein, a direct LOS path is a geometrically direct line-of-sight, such as the LOS path 522.

[0090] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example environment in which AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in a UE, according to some embodiments. The example environment 700 includes a UE 702 (e.g., UE 205), a base station 704 (e.g., gNB 210) in communication with one or more TRPs 706, and an LMF 708 (e.g., LMF 220). The UE 702 and LMF 708 may communicate via an AMF (e.g., AMF 215).

[0091] The LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 using an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP). For example, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 for PRS measurements, which may be used for positioning purposes. That is, when the LMF 708 receives a positioning request through the AMF, the LMF 708 may obtain information describing the positioning capabilities of the UE 702 from the AMF or by exchanging LPP messages with the UE 702. Based on the positioning capabilities of the UE 702, the LMF may determine appropriate positioning methods and communicate configuration parameters to the UE 702 via LPP messages. The configuration parameters may include assistance data, measurement requests, and scheduling information for when measurements should beWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -31- performed. This configuration of the UE 702 by the LMF 708 may help ensure that the UE 702 performs the correct types of measurements at appropriate times using the specified configuration parameters and reports back information that facilitates a desired level of positioning.

[0092] According to some embodiments, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 with one or more path conditions that facilitate the reporting of path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable). In some embodiments, a path may be classified as detectable when a specified signal measurement (e.g., power, strength, SINR, etc.) associated with the path satisfies a detectability threshold. In some embodiments, a path may be classified as predictable when the path may be predicted using AI / ML positioning models even though the path is otherwise not detectable based on the detectability threshold.

[0093] For example, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 with a path condition that may be applied by the UE 702 to distinguish between detectable and predictable paths. For example, the path condition may provide a detectability threshold that may be used by the UE 702 to evaluate signal measurements of paths and classify the paths as detectable or predictable. The detectability threshold may be based on various signal measurements, such as RSRP, SINR, SNR, delay spread, or multipath profile (e.g., channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), etc.). As an example, a detectability threshold may be based on RSRP. In this example, paths associated with RSRP values that meet or exceed the detectability threshold may be classified as detectable. In contrast, paths associated with RSRP values lower than the detectability threshold but predicted using AI / ML positioning models may be classified as predictable. Many variations are possible.

[0094] In various embodiments, the LMF 708 may be configured to request the UE 702 report path information via LPP messages. For example, in some embodiments, the LMF 708 may request the UE 702 to provide path information, which may identify paths and provide corresponding measurements and classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable). The UE 702 may be configured to report such path information when requested by the LMF 708 via LPP messages.

[0095] In some embodiments, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 with another path condition that may be applied by the UE 702 to trigger the reporting of path information (e.g., path measurements, path classifications, etc.) to the LMF 708. ForWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -32- example, the path condition may provide a reporting threshold that may be used by the UE 702 to evaluate path signal measurements and determine whether any of those signal measurements satisfy the reporting threshold. The reporting threshold may be based on various signal measurements, such as RSRP, SINR, SNR, delay spread, or multipath profile (e.g., channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), etc.). As an example, a reporting threshold may be based on RSRP. In this example, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 to report path information if an RSRP value satisfies a threshold RSRP value. When reporting, the UE 702 may provide the LMF 708 with path information identifying the path, related measurements, and corresponding classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).

[0096] According to some embodiments, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 to prioritize the measurement and reporting of detectable paths over predictable paths or, alternatively, predictable paths over detectable paths. For example, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 to prioritize detectable paths. In this example, the UE 702 would prioritize the measurement and reporting of paths that are detectable based on a detectability threshold, as described above.

[0097] According to some embodiments, the LMF 708 may request the UE 702 provide information describing its capabilities for supporting measurement and reporting of path detectability (e.g., detectable paths, predictable paths).

[0098] As described herein, the UE 702 may be configured to receive and implement configuration parameters provided by the LMF 708 as well as receive and process requests for reporting path information based on its configuration. In various embodiments, the UE 702 may be configured to receive requests from the LMF 708 seeking information from the UE 702 about its ability to support measurement and reporting of path information, including path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable). In response, the UE 702 may report information describing its ability to support the measurement and reporting of path information, including path classifications, for example, via LPP messages to the LMF 708.

[0099] In various embodiments, one or more AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in the UE 702. The AI / ML positioning models may include any one of the AI / ML models described in reference to FIGS. 6A-6C. The UE 702 may apply the AI / MLWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -33- positioning models to obtain predicted paths and corresponding signal measurements, and determine respective path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).

[0100] For example, in some embodiments, the UE 702 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6A. In such embodiments, the UE 702 may provide reference signal measurements to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase, etc.). The UE 702 may then evaluate the path information based on a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to classify the path as detectable or predictable. In some embodiments, the UE 702 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6B. In such embodiments, the UE 702 may provide reference signal measurements and a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase, etc.), including path classification (e.g., detectable, predictable). In some embodiments, the UE 702 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6C. In such embodiments, the UE 702 may provide reference signal measurements and a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase; path classification; etc.) for a first path and corresponding path information for a direct LOS path.

[0101] In various embodiments, the UE 702 may be configured to apply path conditions provided by the LMF 708. For example, the UE 702 may apply a detectability threshold to classify paths as detectable or predictable. Further, the UE 702 may apply a reporting threshold to determine when to report path information to the LMF 708. Based on such thresholds, the UE 708 may report path information for both detectable and predictable paths. In various embodiments, the reported path information for a given path may include corresponding timing information (e.g., RSTD, RTOA, TOA, UE / gNB Rx- Tx time difference, etc.), power information (e.g., RSRP, RSRPP, etc.), angle information (e.g., AOD, AO A, etc.)), and phase information (e.g., RSCP, RSCPD, etc.).

[0102] In various embodiments, when reporting path information determined for a given path based on the AI / ML positioning models, the UE 702 may be configured to report an indicator that signifies a confidence level associated with a classification of the path as being detectable or predictable. Depending on the configuration, the confidenceWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -34- level may be a hard indicator (e.g., a binary value of 0 or 1) or a soft indicator (e.g., a value within a range, such as 0-10).

[0103] In various embodiments, the UE 702 may receive a request to identify its capabilities for measuring and reporting path detectability. In response, if the UE 702 is capable of such measurement and reporting, the UE 702 may provide information indicating that the UE 702 supports path detectability measurement and reporting. The information may also indicate whether the UE 702 supports non-AI / ML, AI / ML, or both approaches, as well as which methods or models are supported.

[0104] For purposes of compliance testing, in various embodiments, the UE 702 may be configured to report path classifications to test equipment. In such embodiments, the test equipment may be configured to evaluate measurements and signaling requirements based on path classification. For example, the test equipment may be configured to only evaluate measurements and signaling requirements corresponding to paths that are classified as detectable or, in legacy reporting scenarios, paths that have no associated classification.

[0105] In an example scenario, the LMF 708 may receive a positioning request via the AMF (e.g., AMF 215). Based on the request, the LMF 708 may configure the UE 702 based on configuration parameters using LPP messages via the AMF, as described above. The LMF 708 may configure the base station 704 and associated TRPs 706 via the NRPPa protocol to transmit PRS resources to the UE 702. In various embodiments, the UE 702 may apply one or more AI / ML positioning models, such as those described in reference to FIGS. 6A-6C, to predict path information. The path information may include timebased measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TO A), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) for a path, which may be a direct LOS path, first arrival path, or additional path. The path may be classified as detectable or predictable, as described above.

[0106] The UE 702 may report the path information, including respective path classifications, to the LMF 708 in LPP messages. For example, depending on the configuration, the path information may be reported when requested by the LMF 708 orWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -35- based on a measurement associated with the path satisfying a reporting threshold, as described above.

[0107] In various embodiments, the UE 702 may report the path information to the LMF 708 based on Technical Specification (TS) 37.355. In some embodiments, the UE 702 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing timing information associated with the path and providing a corresponding RSRP value for the path that is otherwise too small for the path to be detected. For example, the RSRP value may be reported as a pre-defined value (e.g., 0, -1, etc.). In such embodiments, the LMF 708 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the presence of the predefined RSRP value. As an example, the RSRP value may be reported in the “nr-DL- PRS-RSRP-Result-rl6” information element. Similarly, in some embodiments, the UE 702 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing phase information associated with the path and providing a corresponding RSRP value for the path that is otherwise too small for the path to be detected, as described above.

[0108] In some embodiments, the UE 702 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing path information for the path according to TS 37.355 but omitting a timestamp associated with the path information (e.g., “nr-TimeStamp-rl6”). In such embodiments, the LMF 708 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the absence of the timestamp.

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE 702 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing path information for the path according to TS 37.355 but omitting a LOS indicator associated with the path information (e.g., “LOS-NLOS- Indicator”). In such embodiments, the LMF 708 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the absence of the LOS indicator.

[0110] In some embodiments, the UE 702 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable based on a modified TS 37.355 that includes a new information element (e.g., “nr-path-detectability”) for reporting path detectability. For example, the new information element may provide containers that can be used to signal path detectability for each TRP and each resource associated with a TRP. As an example, the new information element may be represented as follows: nr-path-detectability CHOICE { per TRP path-detectability-Indicator,WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -36- perResource path-detectability -Indicator}•

[0111] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example environment in which AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in a gNB / TRP, according to some embodiments. The example environment 800 includes a UE 802 (e.g., UE 205), a base station 804 (e.g., gNB 210) in communication with one or more TRPs 806, and an LMF 808 (e.g., LMF 220). The UE 802 and LMF 808 may communicate via an AMF (e.g., AMF 215).

[0112] The LMF 808 may configure one or more TRPs 806 using the NRPPa protocol (NRPPa). For example, the LMF 808 may configure a TRP 806-1 for SRS measurements, which may be used for positioning purposes. The LMF 808 may initiate a request to configure SRS measurements by sending an NRPPa message to the serving base station 804 or the TRP 806-1. The message may include details about a desired SRS configuration, such as periodicity, bandwidth, and resource types needed for uplink measurements. Based on the message, the base station 804 or the TRP 806-1 may configure the UE 802 with appropriate SRS transmission parameters. For example, the UE 802 may be configured using radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The configuration may enable the UE 802 to transmit SRS signals that may be used by the TRP 806-1 to perform SRS measurements, such as RTOA, RSRP, AOA, among others. The TRP 806-1 may provide the SRS measurements to the LMF 808 using NRPPa messages.

[0113] According to some embodiments, the LMF 808 may configure the TRPs 806 with one or more path conditions that facilitate the reporting of path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).

[0114] For example, the LMF 808 may configure the TRP 806-1 with a path condition that may be applied by the TRP 806-1 to distinguish between detectable and predictable paths. For example, the path condition may provide a detectability threshold that may be used by the TRP 806-1 to evaluate signal measurements of paths and classify the paths as detectable or predictable. The detectability threshold may be based on various signal measurements, such as RSRP, SINR, SNR, delay spread, or multipath profile (e.g., channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), etc.).

[0115] In various embodiments, the LMF 808 may be configured to request the TRP 806-1 report path information via NRPPa messages. For example, in some embodiments,WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -37- the LMF 708 may request the TRP 806-1 to provide path information, which may identify paths and provide corresponding measurements and classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable). The TRP 806-1 may be configured to report such path information when requested by the LMF 808 via NRPPa messages.

[0116] In some embodiments, the LMF 808 may configure the TRP 806-1 with another path condition that may be applied by the TRP 806-1 to trigger the reporting of path information (e.g., path measurements, path classifications, etc.) to the LMF 808. For example, the path condition may provide a reporting threshold that may be used by the TRP 806-1 to evaluate path signal measurements and determine whether any of those signal measurements satisfy the reporting threshold. The reporting threshold may be based on various signal measurements, such as RSRP, SINR, SNR, delay spread, or multipath profile (e.g., channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), etc.). As an example, a reporting threshold may be based on RSRP. In this example, the LMF 808 may configure the TRP 806-1 to report path information if an RSRP value satisfies a threshold RSRP value. When reporting, the TRP 806-1 may provide the LMF 808 with path information identifying the path, related measurements, and corresponding classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).

[0117] According to some embodiments, the LMF 808 may configure the TRP 806- 1 to prioritize the measurement and reporting of detectable paths over predictable paths or, alternatively, predictable paths over detectable paths. For example, the LMF 808 may configure the TRP 806-1 to prioritize detectable paths. In this example, the TRP 806-1 would prioritize the measurement and reporting of paths that are detectable based on a detectability threshold, as described above.

[0118] According to some embodiments, the LMF 708 may request the TRP 806-1 provide information describing its capabilities for supporting measurement and reporting of path detectability (e.g., detectable paths, predictable paths).

[0119] As described herein, the TRP 806-1 may be configured to receive and implement configuration parameters provided by the LMF 808 as well as receive and process requests for reporting path information based on its configuration. In various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may be configured to receive requests from the LMF 808 seeking information from the TRP 806-1 about its ability to support measurement and reporting of path information, including path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -38-In response, the TRP 806-1 may report information describing its ability to support the measurement and reporting of path information, including path classifications, for example, via NRPPa messages to the LMF 808.

[0120] In various embodiments, one or more AI / ML positioning models may be deployed in the TRPs 806. The AI / ML positioning models may include any one of the AI / ML models described in reference to FIGS. 6A-6C. For example, the TRP 806-1 may apply the AI / ML positioning models to obtain predicted paths and corresponding signal measurements, and determine respective path classifications (e.g., detectable, predictable).

[0121] For example, in some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6 A. In such embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may provide reference signal measurements to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase, etc.). The TRP 806-1 may then evaluate the path information based on a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to classify the path as detectable or predictable. In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6B. In such embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may provide reference signal measurements and a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase, etc.), including path classification (e.g., detectable, predictable). In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may implement the AI / ML positioning model of FIG. 6C. In such embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may provide reference signal measurements and a configured path condition (e.g., detectability threshold) to the AI / ML positioning model to obtain corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase; path classification; etc.) for a first path and corresponding path information (e.g., measurements relating to timing, power, angle, phase; path classification; etc.) for a direct LOS path.

[0122] In various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may be configured to apply path conditions provided by the LMF 808. For example, the TRP 806-1 may apply a detectability threshold to classify paths as detectable or predictable. Further, the TRP 806- 1 may apply a reporting threshold to determine when to report path information to the LMF 808. Based on such thresholds, the TRP 806-1 may report path information for bothWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -39- detectable and predictable paths. In various embodiments, the reported path information for a given path may include corresponding timing information (e.g., RSTD, RTOA, TOA, UE / gNB Rx-Tx time difference, etc.), power information (e.g., RSRP, RSRPP, etc.), angle information (e.g., AOD, AOA, etc.)), and phase information (e.g., RSCP, RSCPD, etc ).

[0123] In various embodiments, when reporting path information determined for a given path based on the AI / ML positioning models, the TRP 806-1 may be configured to report an indicator that signifies a confidence level associated with a classification of the path as being detectable or predictable. Depending on the configuration, the confidence level may be a hard indicator (e.g., a binary value of 0 or 1) or a soft indicator (e.g., a value within a range, such as 0-10).

[0124] In various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may receive a request to identify its capabilities for measuring and reporting path detectability. In response, if the TRP 806-1 is capable of such measurement and reporting, the TRP 806-1 may provide information indicating that the TRP 806-1 supports path detectability measurement and reporting. The information may also indicate whether the TRP 806-1 supports non- AI / ML, AI / ML, or both approaches, as well as which methods or models are supported.

[0125] For purposes of compliance testing, in various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may be configured to report path classifications to test equipment. In such embodiments, the test equipment may be configured to evaluate measurements and signaling requirements based on path classification. For example, the test equipment may be configured to only evaluate measurements and signaling requirements corresponding to paths that are classified as detectable or, in legacy reporting scenarios, paths that have no associated classification.

[0126] In an example scenario, the LMF 808 may receive a positioning request via the AMF (e.g., AMF 215). Based on the request, the LMF 808 may initiate a request to configure the TRP 806-1 based on configuration parameters using NRPPa messages sent via the AMF to the base station 804 or to the TRP 806-1. Based on the request, the base station 804 or the TRP 806-1 may configure the UE 802 with appropriate SRS transmission parameters RRC signaling. Based on the configuration, the UE 802 may transmit SRS signals that are received by the TRP 806-1 and used to perform SRS measurements.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -40-

[0127] In various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may apply one or more AI / ML positioning models, such as those described in reference to FIGS. 6A-6C, to predict path information. The path information may include time-based measurements (e.g., time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), angular measurements (e.g., angle of arrival (AO A), angle of departure (AOD)), and quality indicators (e.g., quality metrics, LOS / NLOS indicator, path loss estimates, etc.) for a path, which may be a direct LOS path, first arrival path, or additional path. The path may be classified as detectable or predictable, as described above.

[0128] The TRP 806-1 may report the path information, including respective path classifications, to the LMF 808 in NRPPa messages. For example, depending on the configuration, the path information may be reported when requested by the LMF 808 or based on a measurement associated with the path satisfying a reporting threshold, as described above.

[0129] In various embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may report the path information to the LMF 808 based on Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing timing information associated with the path and providing a corresponding RSRP value for the path that is otherwise too small for the path to be detected. For example, the RSRP value may be reported as a pre-defined value (e.g., 0, -1, etc.). In such embodiments, the LMF 808 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the presence of the pre-defined RSRP value. As an example, the RSRP value may be reported in the “nr-UL-SRS-RSRP-Result-rl6” information element. Similarly, in some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing phase information associated with the path and providing a corresponding RSRP value for the path that is otherwise too small for the path to be detected, as described above.

[0130] In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing path information for the path according to TS 38.455 but omitting a timestamp associated with the path information (e.g., “nr-TimeStamp-rl6”). In such embodiments, the LMF 808 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the absence of the timestamp.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -41-

[0131] In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable by providing path information for the path according to TS 38.455 but omitting a LOS indicator associated with the path information (e.g., “LOS-NLOS- Indicator”). In such embodiments, the LMF 708 may be configured to recognize the path as a predictable path based on the absence of the LOS indicator.

[0132] In some embodiments, the TRP 806-1 may signal that a path is determined to be predictable based on a modified TS 38.455 that includes a new information element (e.g., “nr-path-detectability”) for reporting path detectability. For example, the new information element may provide containers that can be used to signal path detectability for each TRP and each resource associated with a TRP. As an example, the new information element may be represented as follows: nr-path-detectability CHOICE { per TRP path-detectability-Indicator, perResource path-detectability-Indicator}•

[0133] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method 900 for enabling position determination, according to an embodiment. Means for performing the functionality illustrated in one or more of the blocks shown in FIG. 9 may be performed by hardware and / or software components of a UE or base station (or TRP associated with the base station), as described herein. Example components of a UE and base station are illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, respectively, which is described in more detail below.

[0134] At block 910, the functionality comprises receiving a reference signal. At block 920, the functionality comprises determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal. At block 930, the functionality comprises determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models. The AI / ML positioning models may evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements as input and may output one or more measurements that are included in the path information. The path information may also include an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path. At block 940, the path information may be provided to a location server for position determination.

[0135] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method 1000 for performing position determination, according to an embodiment. Means for performing the functionalityWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -42- illustrated in one or more of the blocks shown in FIG. 10 may be performed by hardware and / or software components of a location server. Example components of a server are illustrated in FIG. 13, which is described in more detail below.

[0136] At block 1010, the functionality comprises providing one or more configuration parameters to a device. The one or more configuration parameters may configure a User Equipment (UE) to report path information to the location server. At block 1012, the functionality comprises receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters. The path information may include a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.

[0137] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE, which can be utilized as described herein above. For example, the UE 105 can perform one or more of the functions of the methods described herein. It should be noted that FIG. 11 is meant only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. It can be noted that, in some instances, components illustrated by FIG. 11 can be localized to a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices, which may be disposed at different physical locations. Furthermore, as previously noted, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments may be executed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0138] The UE 105 is shown comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 1105 (or may otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor(s) 1110 which can include without limitation one or more general -purpose processors (e.g., an application processor), one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or the like), and / or other processing structures or means. Processor(s) 1110 may comprise one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. As shown in FIG. 11, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1120, depending on desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processor(s) 1110 and / or wireless communication interface 1130 (discussed below). The UE 105 also can include one orWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -43- more input devices 1170, which can include without limitation one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, and / or the like; and one or more output devices 1115, which can include without limitation one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, and / or the like.

[0139] The UE 105 may also include a wireless communication interface 1130, which may comprise without limitation a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth® device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device, and / or various cellular devices, etc.), and / or the like, which may enable the UE 105 to communicate with other devices as described in the embodiments above. The wireless communication interface 1130 may permit data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) with TRPs of a network, for example, via eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, access points, various base stations and / or other access node types, and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled with TRPs, as described herein. The communication can be carried out via one or more wireless communication antenna(s) 1132 that send and / or receive wireless signals 1134. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna(s) 1132 may comprise a plurality of discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. The antenna(s) 1132 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Beam formation may be performed using digital and / or analog beam formation techniques, with respective digital and / or analog circuitry. The wireless communication interface 1130 may include such circuitry.

[0140] Depending on desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1130 may comprise a separate receiver and transmitter, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng- eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers, such as wireless devices and access points. The UE 105 may communicate with different data networks that may comprise various network types. For example, a WWAN may be a CDMA network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and so on. A CDMA network may implement one orWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -44- more RATs such as CDMA2000®, WCDMA, and so on. CDMA2000® includes IS-95, IS-2000 and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, and so on. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. CDMA2000® is described in documents from a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). 3 GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.1 lx network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN and / or WPAN.

[0141] The UE 105 can further include sensor(s) 1140. Sensor(s) 1140 may comprise, without limitation, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), camera(s), magnetometer(s), altimeter(s), microphone(s), proximity sensor(s), light sensor(s) (e.g., lidar), infrared sensor(s), RF sensor(s) (e.g., radar), barometer(s), and the like), some of which may be used to obtain position-related measurements and / or other information. In some configurations, the sensor(s) 1140 may not be co-located with the UE 105, e.g., communicatively coupled (wired or wirelessly) but not disposed at the UE 105.

[0142] Embodiments of the UE 105 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1180 capable of receiving signals 1184 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1182 (which could be the same as antenna 1132). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurement can be utilized to complement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1180 can extract a position of the UE 105, using conventional techniques, from GNSS satellites of a GNSS system, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, IRNSS over India, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, and / or the like. Moreover, the GNSS receiver 1180 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SB AS)) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, e.g., Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-functionalWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -45-Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), and / or the like.

[0143] It can be noted that, although GNSS receiver 1180 is illustrated in FIG. 11 as a distinct component, embodiments are not so limited. As used herein, the term “GNSS receiver” may comprise hardware and / or software components configured to obtain GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). In some embodiments, therefore, the GNSS receiver may comprise a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processors, such as processor(s) 1110, DSP 1120, and / or a processor within the wireless communication interface 1130 (e.g., in a modem). A GNSS receiver may optionally also include a positioning engine, which can use GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine a position of the GNSS receiver using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Weighted Least Squares (WLS), particle filter, or the like. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors, such as processor(s) 1110 or DSP 1120.

[0144] The UE 105 may further include and / or be in communication with a memory 1160. The memory 1160 can include, without limitation, local and / or network accessible storage, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a random access memory (RAM), and / or a read-only memory (ROM), which can be programmable, flash-updateable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and / or the like.

[0145] The memory 1160 of the UE 105 also can comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 11), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods, and / or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1160 that are executable by the UE 105 (and / or processor(s) 1110 or DSP 1120 within UE 105). In some embodiments, then, such code and / or instructions can be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -46-

[0146] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a base station 120, which can be utilized as described herein above. It should be noted that FIG. 12 is meant only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. In some embodiments, the base station 120 may correspond to a gNB, an ng-eNB, and / or (more generally) a TRP.

[0147] The base station 120 is shown comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 1205 (or may otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor(s) 1210 which can include without limitation one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, ASICs, and / or the like), and / or other processing structure or means. As shown in FIG. 12, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1220, depending on desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processor(s) 1210 and / or wireless communication interface 1230 (discussed below), according to some embodiments. The base station 120 also can include one or more input devices, which can include without limitation a keyboard, display, mouse, microphone, button(s), dial(s), switch(es), and / or the like; and one or more output devices, which can include without limitation a display, light emitting diode (LED), speakers, and / or the like.

[0148] The base station 120 might also include a wireless communication interface 1230, which may comprise without limitation a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth® device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, cellular communication facilities, etc.), and / or the like, which may enable the base station 120 to communicate as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1230 may permit data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) to UEs, other base stations / TRPs (e.g., eNBs, gNBs, and ng- eNBs), and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. The communication can be carried out via one or more wireless communication antenna(s) 1232 that send and / or receive wireless signals 1234.

[0149] The base station 120 may also include a network interface 1280, which can include support of wireline communication technologies. The network interface 1280 may include a modem, network card, chipset, and / or the like. The network interface 1280WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -47- may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to permit data to be exchanged with a network, communication network servers, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein.

[0150] In many embodiments, the base station 120 may further comprise a memory 1260. The memory 1260 can include, without limitation, local and / or network accessible storage, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a RAM, and / or a ROM, which can be programmable, flash-updateable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and / or the like.

[0151] The memory 1260 of the base station 120 also may comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 12), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods, and / or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1260 that are executable by the base station 120 (and / or processor(s) 1210 or DSP 1220 within base station 120). In some embodiments, then, such code and / or instructions can be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0152] The base station 120 may also include one or more sensor(s) 1240. Sensor(s) 1040 may include, without limitation, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), camera(s), magnetometer(s), altimeter(s), microphone(s), proximity sensor(s), light sensor(s) (e.g., lidar), infrared sensor(s), RF sensor(s) (e.g., radar), barometer(s), and the like), some of which may be used to obtain position-related measurements and / or other information. In some configurations, the sensor(s) 1240 may not be co-located with the base station 120, e.g., communicatively coupled (wired or wirelessly) but not disposed at the base station 120.

[0153] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system 1300, which may be used, in whole or in part, to provide the functions of one or more network components as described in the embodiments herein (e.g., location server 160 of FIG. 1).WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -48-It should be noted that FIG. 13 is meant only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 13, therefore, broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separated or relatively more integrated manner. In addition, it can be noted that components illustrated by FIG. 13 can be localized to a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices, which may be disposed at different geographical locations.

[0154] The computer system 1300 is shown comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 1305 (or may otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include processor(s) 1310, which may comprise without limitation one or more general-purpose processors, one or more specialpurpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics acceleration processors, and / or the like), and / or other processing structure, which can be configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. The computer system 1300 also may comprise one or more input devices 1315, which may comprise without limitation a mouse, a keyboard, a camera, a microphone, and / or the like; and one or more output devices 1320, which may comprise without limitation a display device, a printer, and / or the like.

[0155] The computer system 1300 may further include (and / or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 1325, which can comprise, without limitation, local and / or network accessible storage, and / or may comprise, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a RAM and / or ROM, which can be programmable, flash-updateable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and / or the like. Such data stores may include database(s) and / or other data structures used store and administer messages and / or other information to be sent to one or more devices via hubs, as described herein.

[0156] The computer system 1300 may also include a communications subsystem 1330, which may comprise wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by a wireless communication interface 1333, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communications, universal serial bus (USB), and the like). The wirelessWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -49- communication interface 1333 may comprise one or more wireless transceivers that may send and receive wireless signals 1355 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via wireless antenna(s) 1350. Thus the communications subsystem 1330 may comprise a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset, and / or the like, which may enable the computer system 1300 to communicate on any or all of the communication networks described herein to any device on the respective network, including a User Equipment (UE), base stations and / or other TRPs, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Hence, the communications subsystem 1330 may be used to receive and send data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0157] In many embodiments, the computer system 1300 will further comprise a working memory 1335, which may comprise a RAM or ROM device, as described above. Software elements, shown as being located within the working memory 1335, may comprise an operating system 1340, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more applications 1345, which may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods, and / or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed above might be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then, such code and / or instructions can be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0158] A set of these instructions and / or code might be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device(s) 1325 described above. In some cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer system, such as computer system 1300. In other embodiments, the storage medium might be separate from a computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as an optical disc), and / or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general purpose computer with the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions might take the form of executable code, which is executable by the computer system 1300 and / or might take the form of source and / or installable code, which, upon compilation and / or installation on the computer system 1300 (e.g., using anyWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -50- of a variety of generally available compilers, installation programs, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

[0159] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used and / or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed.

[0160] With reference to the appended figures, components that can include memory can include non-transitory machine-readable media. The term “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” as used herein, refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In embodiments provided hereinabove, various machine-readable media might be involved in providing instructions / code to processors and / or other device(s) for execution. Additionally or alternatively, the machine-readable media might be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0161] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the figures provided herein can be embodied in hardware and / or software. Also, technology evolves and, thus many of the elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the disclosure to those specific examples.

[0162] It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, thatWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -51- all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as is apparent from the discussion above, it is appreciated that throughout this Specification discussion utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “ascertaining,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” “performing,” or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this Specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0163] Terms, “and” and “or” as used herein, may include a variety of meanings that also is expected to depend, at least in part, upon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, “or” if used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B, or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition, the term “one or more” as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term “at least one of’ if used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, can be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0164] Having described several embodiments, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the above elements may merely be a component of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0165] In view of this description embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -52-Clause 1. A method performed by a device for enabling position determination, the method comprising: receiving a reference signal; determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal; determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path; and providing the path information to a location server for position determination.Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE), and wherein receiving the reference signal comprises: receiving a downlink reference signal resource from a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP).Clause 3. The method of clause 1, wherein the device is a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP), and wherein receiving the reference signal comprises: receiving an uplink reference signal resource from a User Equipment (UE).Clause 4. The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing a pre-defined RSRP value with the path information.Clause 5. The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing the path information without including a timestamp associated with the path information.Clause 6. The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing the path information without including a LOS indicator associated with the path information.Clause 7. The method of clause 1, wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing an information element, wherein the information element provides a first container including path classifications for a plurality of TRPs and a second container including path classifications corresponding to each resource associated with the plurality of TRPs.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -53-Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein a path classification is reported with a corresponding confidence level, and wherein the confidence level may be a hard indicator or a soft indicator.Clause 9. The method of clause 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a detectability threshold for classifying a path as a detectable path or a predictable path.Clause 10. The method of clause 9, further comprising: receiving a request from the location server for information indicating a capability of the device for classifying a path as a detectable path or a predictable path, wherein the one or more configuration parameters are based on the capability of the device.Clause 11. The method of clause 1, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models comprises: providing the one or more reference signal measurements to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to determine intermediate positioning measurements for the path; and classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path based on the one or more intermediate positioning measurements and a detectability threshold.Clause 12. The method of clause 1, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models comprises: providing (i) the one or more reference signal measurements and (ii) a detectability threshold to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to predict (i) intermediate positioning measurements and (ii) a classification of the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.Clause 13. The method of clause 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a reporting threshold for triggering a reporting of the path information to the location server.Clause 14. The method of clause 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters requesting the device to prioritize measurement andWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -54- reporting of (i) detectable paths over predictable paths or (ii) predictable paths over detectable paths.Clause 15. An apparatus for enabling position determination, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform: receiving a reference signal; determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal; determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path; and providing the path information to a location server for position determination.Clause 16. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the apparatus is a User Equipment (UE), and wherein receiving the reference signal includes: receiving a downlink reference signal resource from a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP).Clause 17. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the apparatus is a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP), and wherein receiving the reference signal includes: receiving an uplink reference signal resource from a User Equipment (UE).Clause 18. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing a pre-defined RSRP value with the path information.Clause 19. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing the path information without a timestamp associated with the path information.Clause 20. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing an information element, wherein the information element provides a first container including path classifications for a plurality of TRPs and a second container including path classifications corresponding to each resource associated with the plurality of TRPs.Clause 21. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server forWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -55- configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a detectability threshold for classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.Clause 22. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models includes: providing the one or more reference signal measurements to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to determine intermediate positioning measurements for the path; and classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path based on the one or more intermediate positioning measurements and a detectability threshold.Clause 23. A method performed by a location server for performing position determination, the method comprising: providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, wherein the one or more configuration parameters configure a User Equipment (UE) to report path information; and receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.Clause 24. The method of clause 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing at least one detectability threshold for classifying paths as detectable or predictable.Clause 25. The method of clause 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing at least one reporting threshold for triggering reporting of the path information to the location server.Clause 26. The method of clause 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing a request to the device to prioritize measurement and reporting of (i) detectable paths over predictable paths or (ii) predictable paths over detectable paths.Clause 27. The method of clause 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing a request to the device to provide the path information with one or more measurements corresponding to the path and a classification of the path as a detectable path or predictable path.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -56-Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the one or more measurements include at least one of time-based information, power information, angular information, or phase information.Clause 29. The method of clause 27, wherein the device is a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP) or the UE.Clause 30. An apparatus for performing position determination, the apparatus comprising: means for providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, wherein the one or more configuration parameters configure a User Equipment (UE) to report path information; and means for receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WO

Claims

Qualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -57-WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method performed by a device for enabling position determination, the method comprising: receiving a reference signal; determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal; determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path; and providing the path information to a location server for position determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE), and wherein receiving the reference signal comprises: receiving a downlink reference signal resource from a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP), and wherein receiving the reference signal comprises: receiving an uplink reference signal resource from a User Equipment (UE).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing a pre-defined RSRP value with the path information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing the path information without including a timestamp associated with the path information.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -58-6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing the path information without including a LOS indicator associated with the path information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the path information to the location server comprises: providing an information element, wherein the information element provides a first container including path classifications for a plurality of TRPs and a second container including path classifications corresponding to each resource associated with the plurality of TRPs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a path classification is reported with a corresponding confidence level, and wherein the confidence level may be a hard indicator or a soft indicator.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a detectability threshold for classifying a path as a detectable path or a predictable path.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving a request from the location server for information indicating a capability of the device for classifying a path as a detectable path or a predictable path, wherein the one or more configuration parameters are based on the capability of the device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models comprises: providing the one or more reference signal measurements to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to determine intermediate positioning measurements for the path; andWAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -59- classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path based on the one or more intermediate positioning measurements and a detectability threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models comprises: providing (i) the one or more reference signal measurements and (ii) a detectability threshold to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to predict (i) intermediate positioning measurements and (ii) a classification of the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a reporting threshold for triggering a reporting of the path information to the location server.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters requesting the device to prioritize measurement and reporting of (i) detectable paths over predictable paths or (ii) predictable paths over detectable paths.

15. An apparatus for enabling position determination, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform: receiving a reference signal; determining one or more reference signal measurements based on the reference signal; determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models that evaluate the one or more reference signal measurements, the path information including an indication identifying at least one path as a detectable path or a predictable path; and providing the path information to a location server for position determination.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -60-16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is a UserEquipment (UE), and wherein receiving the reference signal includes: receiving a downlink reference signal resource from a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP).

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP), and wherein receiving the reference signal includes: receiving an uplink reference signal resource from a User Equipment (UE).

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing a pre-defined RSRP value with the path information.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one path is predictable, and wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing the path information without a timestamp associated with the path information.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein providing the path information to the location server includes: providing an information element, wherein the information element provides a first container including path classifications for a plurality of TRPs and a second container including path classifications corresponding to each resource associated with the plurality of TRPs.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform: receiving one or more configuration parameters from the location server for configuring the device, the one or more configuration parameters including a detectability threshold for classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -61-22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein determining path information based on one or more artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) positioning models includes: providing the one or more reference signal measurements to the one or more AI / ML positioning models to determine intermediate positioning measurements for the path; and classifying the path as a detectable path or a predictable path based on the one or more intermediate positioning measurements and a detectability threshold.

23. A method performed by a location server for performing position determination, the method comprising: providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, wherein the one or more configuration parameters configure a User Equipment (UE) to report path information; and receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing at least one detectability threshold for classifying paths as detectable or predictable.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing at least one reporting threshold for triggering reporting of the path information to the location server.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing a request to the device to prioritize measurement and reporting of (i) detectable paths over predictable paths or (ii) predictable paths over detectable paths.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2406978WO -62-27. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the one or more configuration parameters comprises: providing a request to the device to provide the path information with one or more measurements corresponding to the path and a classification of the path as a detectable path or predictable path.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more measurements include at least one of time-based information, power information, angular information, or phase information.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the device is a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP) or the UE.

30. An apparatus for performing position determination, the apparatus comprising: means for providing one or more configuration parameters to a device, wherein the one or more configuration parameters configure a User Equipment (UE) to report path information; and means for receiving path information from the device determined based on the one or more configuration parameters, the path information including a respective path classification that classifies the path as a detectable path or a predictable path.WAVS Ref. No. QLCMP479WO

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