WO2025146247A1

WO2025146247A1 - Multi-technology positioning measurements

Info

Publication number: WO2025146247A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/050081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sara SANDBERG; Leif Wilhelmsson; Robert Baldemair; Henrik Sjöland; Gabor Fodor
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Current assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date: 2024-01-03
Filing date: 2024-01-03
Publication date: 2025-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-03

Abstract

For positioning a wireless device (10) at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device is obtained. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the at least one first positioning measurement is combined with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

Description

Multi-technology positioning measurements

Technical Field

The present invention relates to methods for positioning a wireless device, and to corresponding device systems and computer programs.

Background

In wireless communication networks, e.g., as specified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) or in WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) systems based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, also denoted as “Wi-Fi”, it is known to support functionalities for positioning a wireless device, in 3GPP systems typically denoted as UE (user equipment) and in WLAN systems typically denoted as a STA (station). Such positioning functionalities may enable estimating the position of the wireless device in terms of network coordinates and/or geographical coordinates. Such positioning functionalities may for example be based on cellular signals dedicated for this purpose, e.g., positioning reference signals.

In outdoor use cases, a further available positioning technology is based on usage of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In urban canyons, tunnels and other obstructed areas, GNSS-based positioning is however problematic due to the blockage of GNSS signals. Under GNSS coverage, GNSS signals may be fused with cellular positioning signals to improve the positioning accuracy provided by GNSS or cellular systems alone.

In the 5G (5th Generation) technology specified by 3GPP, architecture and protocols support the provisioning of vehicle-based measurements to the network, in particular to a network element denoted as “Location Management Function” (LMF). Examples of vehicle-based measurements are displacement readings from inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, and barometer pressure sensors for altitude computation and reporting. Such sensor information can be used to perform hybrid positioning at the network side, where vehicle-based measurement results can be fused with GNSS based measurements or cellular signals to improve the robustness and accuracy of localization algorithms based on GNSS or cellular signals, and such fusion can for example be performed by the vehicle’s systems.

Using communication infrastructure also for positioning purposes can be based on various standardized solutions which are available for use both for cellular communication systems and WLAN systems, and for other wireless technologies like ultra-wide-band (UWB) or Bluetooth Wireless Technology. Such solutions may be based on time-of-arrival (ToA) measurements, time-difference-of-arrival (TDoA) measurements, angle-of-arrival (AoA) measurements, angle-of-departure (AoD) measurements, round-trip-time (RTT) measurements, or the like. An overview of available solutions can for example be found in “Architecture, Protocols, and Algorithms for Location-Aware Services in Beyond 5G Networks”, by P. Hammarberg, et al., IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 4, December 2022. Most of these solutions rely on having a LoS (Line of Sight) condition between the involved network nodes, such as base stations (BSs), anchor nodes, or access points (APs), and the wireless device, e.g., UE or STA, to be positioned. If a non-line-of-sight (NLoS) path is mistaken for a LoS path and the measurement related to the NLoS path is used to estimate the position, significant errors in the position estimate are likely to be the consequence. Depending on which positioning solution is selected, there may also be other error sources that may affect the quality of the position estimate. For example, in TDoA-based solutions, accurate synchronization between the involved nodes is important and even small errors in timing may result in large errors in the position estimate. For AoA- or AoD-based solutions, the angular resolution and errors in the assumed or estimated direction of the antennas are potential positioning error sources.

Further, the accuracy of positioning measurements typically also depends on measurement geometry, e.g., in terms of the relative position of the network node(s) and wireless device(s) involved in the positioning measurement. For example, if all network nodes are mounted in a plane, e.g., in the ceiling of a factory hall, the position estimate in the dimension perpdendicular to the plane, such as the height in the example of the factory hall, may have poor accuracy. Another example is that the accuracy of the position estimate is typically much worse if the wireless device to be positioned is in the outer region of a coverage area, where it is not surrounded by network nodes. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an example of such a situation. In the example of Fig. 1 , positions of network nodes are illustrated by crosses, and positions of wireless devices are denoted by A, B, and C. For positioning measurements based on signals transmitted between the network nodes and the wireless device, it can be expected that for the wireless device at position A, accuracy will be better than for the wireless device at position B, and significantly better than for the wireless device at position C (in the corner of the considered area).

A further example of technologies which may be used for positioning a wireless device is referred to as wireless sensing. Wireless sensing may use dedicated sensing signals or wireless signals designed for wireless communication to sense the environment. The sensing may be done using various approaches. For example, the wireless sensing may be monostatic, which means that the transmitter and the receiver are located in the same device. The wireless sensing may also be bistatic, which means that the transmitter and the receiver are located in different devices. Further, the sensing may be multi-static, which means that more than two devices are involved in the sensing. Involving more than two devices may preferably be done by having one sensing transmitter and several sensing receivers, but may also be done using several transmitters and only one receiver or by using several transmitters and several receivers. A common characteristic of all these wireless sensing approaches is that the wireless device to be positioned is different from the sensing transmitter(s) and sensing receiver(s), i.e., may be regarded as being passive in the positioning measurement.

In a rather straight-forward approach of wireless sensing, the actual wireless sensing measurement is based on directly trying to estimate how the propagation channel of the wireless signal is impacted by presence of the sensing object, i.e., the wireless device. In this case, a LoS condition may be beneficial to obtain high accuracy. For bistatic wireless sensing, one node acting as the sensing transmitter transmits a wireless signal, and another node acting as the sensing receiver receives the wireless signal, which has been impacted by the environment and the sensing object. In such bistatic setup, the range accuracy and resolution depend on where the sensing object is located relative to the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver: Any object located between transmitter and receiver, close to the bistatic baseline connecting the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver, will have very similar propagation duration from the transmitter via the sensing object to the sensing receiver, and the propagation duration will be almost the same as the for the direct path between the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver. A small error in measured propagation duration may thus have a large impact on the estimated position of the sensing object. For a given propagation duration error, the impact on estimated location will be much larger for objects close to the baseline than for sensing objects located e.g., behind the transmitter or receiver. Such issues are illustrated by an exemplary scenario shown in Fig. 2. As can be seen from the example of Fig. 2, objects close to the bistatic baseline, i.e., the line between sensing transmitter and sensing receiver, would experience similar propagation durations of the directly transmitted wireless signal and the wireless signal impacted by the object.

Accordingly, for wireless sensing in a bistatic setup, the performance of positioning measurements of an object typically depends on the true location of the object. Similar observations can be made for multistatic wireless sensing. In a multistatic setup, sensing performance typically improves with an increased number of sensing nodes that have a LoS condition to the object. As a result, performance of wireless sensing can vary across the overall sensing area covered by the multistatic setup. Rather than considering propagation durations, wireless sensing may also consider other channel characteristics, such as frequency response, at a certain instant of time and compare this with what the channel looks like under some known conditions or compare the channel at one instant of time with the channel at a previous instant of time. Considering the channel in this way is also referred to as channel state information (CSI) based wireless sensing. This way of wireless sensing may for example provide good results when a large number of sensing devices can be used to collect CSI data and machine learning can be applied to extract relevant information from collected CSI data.

The use of a relatively large number of sensing devices may allow for a relatively good performance of wireless sensing, providing information not only on what has happened in the sensing environment, but also where it has happened. Typically, not all sensing devices will be equally important all the time. For example, a sensing device that is relatively close to where the movement is happening typically provides more information or more valuable information than a sensing device that is far away. In fact, even if a large number of sensing devices are used to obtain good coverage in a large sensing area, it may occur that only one or a very limited number of sensing devices significantly contribute to the results of wireless sensing in a specific location.

The spatial resolution that can be achieved by wireless sensing is typically proportional to the bandwidth. This means that better distance resolution can be more easily achieved at higher frequencies where much wider bandwidth allocations are available.

One of the reasons why wireless sensing has received increased interest is that wireless signals used for performing wireless sensing may be generated by the same hardware that is used for wireless communication. In some cases, it may even be so that the signal carrying the wireless communication information can also be used for performing the sensing. An example is a WLAN access point (AP) sending a beacon every 100 ms. Such beacons typically carry control information intended for WLAN STAs that are within range of the AP. In the context of wireless sensing, such beacon signals may also be used to determine if there are movements in the environment of the AP by estimating the channel every 100 ms and analyzing the channel variations. When the same signal, or at least the same hardware and spectrum, is used for both communication and wireless sensing, this is often referred to as joint communication and sensing (JCAS). As can be seen, there are situations and use-cases when the accuracy, robustness, or reliability of a certain available positioning technology is not sufficient. Accordingly, there is a need for techniques that allow for efficiently utilizing available positioning technologies to achieve consistent good performance and accuracy of positioning results.

According to an embodiment, a method of positioning a wireless device is provided. The method comprises obtaining at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the method comprises combining the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment, a wireless device for operation in a wireless communication network is provided. The wireless device is configured to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the wireless device is configured to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment, a wireless device for operation in a wireless communication network is provided. The wireless device comprises at least one processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the wireless device is operative to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the wireless device is operative to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment, a node for a wireless communication network is provided. The node is configured to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the node is configured to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment, a node for a wireless communication network is provided. The node comprises at least one processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the node is operative to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, the memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the node is operative to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a computer program or computer program product is provided, e.g., in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a wireless device. Execution of the program code causes the wireless device to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, execution of the program code causes the wireless device to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a computer program or computer program product is provided, e.g., in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a node of a wireless communication network. Execution of the program code causes the node to obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. Further, execution of the program code causes the node to combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing. Details of such embodiments and further embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments.

Brief of the

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an example of positioning measurements involving wireless communication infrastructure.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates an example of positioning measurements involving wireless sensing.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an example of a scenario involving combination of positioning measurements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 schematically shows an example of a bistatic wireless sensing setup for illustrating weighting of wireless sensing measurements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 schematically shows an example of a multistatic wireless sensing setup for illustrating weighting of wireless sensing measurements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7A schematically illustrates an example of processes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7B schematically illustrates a further example of processes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7C schematically illustrates a further example of processes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart for schematically illustrating a method according to an embodiment. Fig. 9 schematically illustrates structures of a wireless device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 10 schematically illustrates structures of a network node according to an embodiment.

Detailed

In the following, concepts in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrated embodiments relate to positioning of a wireless device by utilizing a combination of multiple positioning technologies. The illustrated concepts may be implemented in a wireless communication system which is based on a cellular technology, e.g., on the 5G NR (New Radio) technology specified by 3GPP, and/or on a WLAN technology. However, other wireless communication technologies could be used as well, e.g., the 4G LTE (Long term evolution) technology specified by 3GPP, a future 6G (6^th Generation) technology, a UWB technology, or a Bluetooth technology.

In the illustrated concepts, positioning of a wireless device is based on combining one or more positioning measurements involving wireless sensing with positioning measurements based on one or more other positioning technologies. The wireless sensing measurements may be based on evaluating wireless signals with respect to alteration, e.g., reflection, absorption, attenuation, or distortion, by objects in the environment of the device(s) performing the wireless sensing measurements. Radar-like measurements are one example of such wireless sensing measurements. While in the measurements involving wireless sensing the wireless device constitutes a passive object in the sensing environment, the other positioning technologies may involve that the wireless device acts as transmitter and/or receiver of signals, e.g., positioning reference signals. Such positioning technologies may also be denoted as direct positioning technologies. The other positioning technologies may for example include positioning technologies based on transmission of reference signals between one or more infrastructure nodes and the wireless device or reception of positioning reference signals by the wireless device from one or more satellites of a GNSS. Further, the other positioning technologies may for example include positioning technologies based on mechanical sensors, e.g., velocity sensor, altimeters, and/or inertial sensors.

Fig. 3 illustrates exemplary structures of the wireless communication network. In particular, Fig. 3 shows UEs 10 which are served by access nodes 100 of the wireless communication network. These access nodes 100 may serve a number of cells within the coverage area of the wireless communication network. The access nodes 100 may for example correspond to an eNB of the LTE technology or to a gNB of the NR technology.

The access nodes 100 may be regarded as being part of an RAN of the wireless communication network. Further, Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a CN (Core Network) 210 of the wireless communication network. In Fig. 3, the CN 210 is illustrated as including a GW (gateway) 220 and one or more control node(s) 240. The GW 220 may be responsible for handling user plane data traffic of the UEs 10, e.g., by forwarding user plane data traffic from a UE 10 to a network destination or by forwarding user plane data traffic from a network source to a UE 10. Here, the network destination may correspond to another UE 10, to an internal node of the wireless communication network, or to an external node that is connected to the wireless communication network. Similarly, the network source may correspond to another UE 10, to an internal node of the wireless communication network, or to an external node that is connected to the wireless communication network. The GW 220 may for example correspond to a UPF (User Plane Function) of the 5G Core (EGC) or to an SGW (Serving Gateway) or PGW (Packet Data Gateway) of the 4G EPC (Evolved Packet Core). The control node(s) 240 may for example be used for controlling the user data traffic, e.g., by providing control data to the access node 100, the GW 220, and/or to the UE 10.

As illustrated by double-headed arrows, the access nodes 100 may send DL wireless transmissions to at least some of the UEs 10, and some of the UEs 10 may send UL wireless transmissions to the access node 100. The DL transmissions and UL transmissions may be used to provide various kinds of services to the UEs 10, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or some other data service. Such services may be hosted in the CN 210, e.g., by a corresponding network node. By way of example, Fig. 3 illustrates an application service platform 250 provided in the CN 210. Further, such services may be hosted externally, e.g., by an AF (application function) connected to the CN 210. By way of example, Fig. 3 illustrates one or more application servers 300 connected to the CN 210. The application server(s) 300 can for example connect through the Internet or some other wide area communication network to the CN 210. The application service platform 250 may be based on a server or a cloud computing system and be hosted by one or more host computers. Similarly, the application server(s) 300 may be based on a server or a cloud computing system and be hosted by one or more host computers. The application server(s) 300 may include or be associated with one or more AFs that enable interaction with the CN 210 to provide one or more services to the UEs 10, corresponding to one or more applications. These services or applications may generate the user data traffic conveyed by the DL transmissions and/or the UL transmissions. Accordingly, the application server(s) 300 may include or correspond to the above-mentioned network destination and/or network source for the user data traffic. In the respective UE 10, such service may be based on an application (or shortly “app”) which is executed on the UE 10. Such application may be pre-installed or installed by the user. Such application may generate at least a part of the user plane data traffic between the UEs 10 and the access node 100. Further, it is noted that signals transmitted by the access nodes 100 and/or by the UEs 10, e.g., as illustrated by the double-headed arrows, can also include DL positioning reference signals and/or UL positioning reference signals. Such positioning reference signals may be used for positioning measurements to determine the location of the UE 10, e.g., by using measurements ToA, TDoA, AoA, AoD, and/or RTT.

In accordance with the illustrated concepts, one or more wireless signals used for the wireless communication network, e.g., wireless signals transmitted between one of the UEs 10 and its serving access node 100, between different UEs 10, or reference signals or beacons transmitted by one of the access nodes 100 may also be used for positioning measurements based on wireless sensing. As outlined above, in the illustrated concepts the wireless sensing measurements may be efficiently combined with positioning measurements based on other technologies. The position estimates obtained in this way may for example be used for estimating the position of one of the UEs 10, without the UE 10 being involved in in transmittal or detection of the wireless signal on which the wireless sensing measurements are performed. The estimated position of the UE 10 may then be in turn be used for enhancing one or more of the services provided to the UE 10, e.g., by providing the service in a location-specific manner, and/or for enhancing the wireless communication itself, e.g., by controlling directivity of the DL wireless signals and/or UL wireless signals depending on the estimated position.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary scenario in which the illustrated concepts may be applied. The scenario of Fig. 4 assumes usage of a WLAN system with a plurality of APs 100 and STAs 10, which may be associated to the APs 100. It is however noted that the underlying principles of this example could also be applied in connection with other wireless communication technologies. For example, in a 3GPP system, the APs of Fig. 4 could be replaced by radio access nodes of a 3GPP technology, e.g., by eNBs of the LTE technology and/or by gNBs of the NR technology.

In the scenario of Fig. 4, a plurality of APs 100, in particular five APs denoted as AP1 , AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5, are deployed to achieve wireless coverage of a certain area, e.g., in a building having four rooms. STAs 10 may associate to these APs to obtain wireless network connectivity. For example, each of AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 could be located in a corresponding one of the four rooms. In this way, wireless coverage in each of the rooms may be enhanced, e.g., in terms of reliability and/or performance. For this purpose, AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 could for example also apply distributed MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) transmission and reception. AP1 could in turn be deployed at a position which allows for achieving coverage in all four rooms to at least some degree, e.g., with reduced performance and/or without being able to reliably cover the complete area of all four rooms.

In the following explanations, it is further assumed that AP1 is an AP which is used for positioning a STA that is in the building, using a first positioning technology without wireless sensing, e.g., a direct positioning technology. The first positioning technology could for example be based on positioning reference signals transmitted between AP1 and the STA to be positioned. The other APs, i.e. , AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 are in turn assumed to be capable of wireless sensing. It is however noted that in some scenarios, other implementations of the first positioning technology could be used, e.g., technologies based on satellite signals received by the STA to be positioned or based on mechanical sensors of the STA to be positioned. In the latter case, AP1 could also be omitted. Further, in some scenarios also AP1 could be capable of wireless sensing.

Wireless sensing performed by AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 may be performed by using dedicated wireless transmissions, e.g., frames or packets that do not carry any data intended for a particular receiver. Alternatively or in addition, wireless sensing by AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 could be performed using wireless transmissions which carry information to or from a STA. The latter variant may improve efficiency of spectrum usage.

In a scenario like in the example of Fig. 4, where AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5 are each located in a respective room, the AP located in a given room may be responsible for wireless sensing activities in this room. This may be beneficial as typically the AP closest to the object being sensed is also in the best position to provide useful wireless sensing results.

When now considering a situation where AP1 is trying to estimate the position of a STA that is moving within the building. In the example of Fig. 4, positions of the STA at four different instants of time are denoted by STA1 , STA2, STA3, and STA4, respectively.

For example, AP1 could first be able to accurately locate the STA. Then there is no reason to activate any of AP2, AP3, AP4, or AP5 for trying to improve the positioning accuracy by additionally using wireless sensing. For example, AP1 could have a LoS condition to the STA and the STA could be in rather close vicinity to the AP, and AP1 could thus be able to accurately estimate the STA’s position based on detecting wireless signals transmitted by the STA or by evaluating measurements performed by the STA on wireless signals received from AP1.

If the STA then moves to position STA1 , AP1 may detect that the accuracy of the position estimate based on the first positioning technology is not sufficient. AP1 may therefore request AP2 to initiate wireless sensing measurements to obtain a wireless-sensing based position estimate for the STA. Here, the reason for choosing AP2 as contributor of wireless-sensing measurements could be that AP1 has determined that, among AP2, AP3, AP4, and AP5, AP2 is the one closest to the current position of the STA. For example, even though the position estimate available at AP1 is deemed to not be sufficiently accurate, it may still allow for determining that the current position of the STA is closer to AP2 than to AP3, AP4, or AP5. Accordingly, based on a coarse position estimate obtained using the first positioning technology, AP1 can determine which one of the other APs should be engaged to enhance the position accuracy by performing wireless sensing measurements. The wireless sensing performed by AP2 may be based on dedicated wireless transmissions, e.g., dedicated frames or packets, which for instance may be the case if there is no ongoing data traffic to or from AP2. Alternatively, the wireless sensing performed by AP2 can be based on wireless transmissions carrying data traffic, e.g., data traffic from or to AP2. For example, such wireless transmissions can carry data traffic between AP2 and another STA (i.e., not the one to be positioned).

Having performed the wireless sensing measurements, AP2 may send the results of the wireless sensing measurements to AP1. The results may for example include or indicate the wireless-sensing based position estimate of the STA, optionally together with quality information indicating an error or accuracy of the wireless-sensing based position estimate. The quality information may for example be based on SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of the wireless sensing measurements. The quality information could be the SNR itself or be a reliability value or quality value derived from the estimated SNR. Alternatively or in addition, the quality information could be based on the signal bandwidth in the wireless sensing measurements and/or on a number of antenna elements used in the wireless sensing measurements. Here, a higher signal bandwidth and/or a higher number of antenna elements may be indicative of a higher quality of the wireless-sensing based position estimate. Alternatively or in addition, the quality information could be based on geometric criteria, e.g., the position of the STA in relation to the AP(s) performing sensing.

When AP1 receives this wireless-sensing based position estimate, and optionally the related quality information from AP2, AP1 may combine this information with the position estimate derived by AP1 and in this way obtain an improved position estimate for the STA. Here, possible ways of combining the position estimates include the following:

According to a first option, combining the position estimates may be based on loose integration. In this case, the position estimate from the first positioning technology is combined in a one-to-one manner with the wireless-sensing based position estimate. This can for example be accomplished by averaging. By way of example, if the position estimate from the first positioning technology is represented by coordinates xi, yi, zi, and the wireless-sensing based position estimate is represented by coordinates X2, y2, Z2, the combined position estimate can be calculated as ombination can also be based on weighted averaging, e.g., according

where w_x, w_y, w_z are weights from the range of 0 to 1 , which may depend on the quality information. In some cases, w_x, w_y, and w_z may be equal, but weights which differ among the coordinates could also be used. The value of the weight applied to the wireless-sensing based position estimate may increase with increasing reliability indicated by the quality information. For example, if reliability of the wireless-sensing based position estimate is high, the weights could be set to w_x = w_y = w_z = 0.7. For a lower reliability of the wireless-sensing based position estimate, the weights could be set to w_x = w_y = w_z = 0.3.

According to a second option, combining the position estimates may be based on tight integration. In this case, positioning measurements based on different positioning technologies, which may be provided by different APs, are combined by a single algorithm that provides a combined position estimate. Also in this case, the quality of the positioning measurements can be accounted for, e.g., through weights, in the algorithm. In this case, the positioning measurements contributing to the combined position estimate do not need to correspond to individual position estimates, e.g., in terms of coordinates, but may rather correspond to input data from which a position estimate can be derived, such as measured ToA, measured TDoA, measured AoA, measured AoD, and/or measured RTT. In the example of Fig. 4, it is assumed that the STA to be positioned moves to position STA2. AP1 may again find that the positioning accuracy obtained based on the first positioning technology is not sufficient. In response, AP1 may decide to engage both AP2 and AP3 as contributors of wireless-sensing based measurements to improve the positioning accuracy. The reason for engaging both AP2 and AP3 may be that AP1 has determined, based on the coarse position estimate from the first positioning technology, that the STA is somewhere in between AP2 and AP3. AP2 and AP3 may then provide wireless-sensing based positioning measurements or wireless-sensing based position estimates to AP1 , which may then combine this information collected from AP2 and AP3 with the positioning measurements based on the first positioning technology. This may be accomplished in an analogous way as explained above for the case where the STA was in position STA1 , e.g., by using loose integration or tight integration, optionally using weights based on the quality information related to the positioning measurements contributed by AP2 and AP3.

When now assuming that the STA moves to position STA3, AP1 may identify that the STA then is far from AP2. In response, AP1 may decide to no longer use AP2 as contributor of wireless-sensing based measurements and inform AP2 that it no longer needs positioning measurements from AP2. AP1 may then continue by using wireless-sensing based measurements from AP3 to enhance the position estimate. When assuming that the STA then moves to position STA4, it may happen that the positioning accuracy based on the first positioning technology is poor although position STA4 is close to AP1. This can for example be due to AP1 and the STA having no LoS condition when the STA is in position STA4. AP1 could then decide to engage AP3, AP4, and AP5 as contributors of wireless-sensing based measurements to enhance the position estimate.

When considering the example of Fig. 4, it is noted that the APs contributing wireless-sensing based measurements, in the following also denoted as contributing AP, may use any suitable way for performing the wireless sensing, i.e., the illustrated principles are not limited to a particular implementation of the wireless sensing. The wireless sensing could for example be monostatic, bistatic, or multi-static. If the contributing AP has several options of how the wireless sensing can be performed, the contributing AP may select among these options. In some cases, the selection among such different options could alternatively or in addition be based on a request or proposal of the AP which collects the wireless-sensing measurements for combination with the positioning measurements based on the first positioning technology, e.g., AP1 in the example of Fig. 4. In the case of utilizing monostatic wireless sensing, a possible implementation is that the contributing AP acts as a wireless sensing transmitter and as a wireless sensing receiver of the same signals. Alternatively or in addition, it may be possible that the contributing AP obtains the wireless-sensing measurements from some other device acting as a wireless sensing transmitter and a wireless sensing receiver of the same signals. In the case of bistatic or multistatic wireless sensing, the contributing AP may act as a wireless sensing receiver of signals transmitted by another entity, e.g., another AP. In such cases, the contributing AP can also act as a wireless sensing transmitter of signals to be received by another AP acting as wireless sensing receiver. In the case of bistatic or multistatic wireless sensing, the contributing AP can cooperate with one or more other sensing receivers (not explicitly shown in Fig. 4). For example, when the STA is determined to be in position STA1 then AP2 may cooperate with a set of sensors that are distributed in the corresponding room, e.g., in four corners of the room. For multistatic wireless sensing, AP2 can send a broadcast transmission, which is received by the sensors. The sensors could then provide measurement reports to AP2, indicating the results of wireless sensing performed on the received broadcast signal. Based on the measurement reports, AP2 can obtain a wirelesssensing based position estimate for the STA and forward this to AP1. Rather than forwarding a position estimate to AP1 , AP2 can also forward other kinds of wireless sensing results to AP1 , e.g., the measurement reports from the sensors or some intermediate results obtained from the measurement reports.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a further example which is based on using bistatic wireless sensing for enhancing the position estimate of a UE. In this example, the wireless sensing is performed by two base stations, denoted as BS1 and BS2. These base stations could for example correspond to the access nodes 100 of Fig. 3. Further, the base stations could be deployed and used in a manner which is similar to the contributing APs in the example of Fig. 4. Similar to the example of Fig. 4, a first, potentially coarse, position estimate can be obtained based on a first positioning technology and be enhanced by combination with wireless-sensing measurements. In the scenario of Fig. 5, the UE to be positioned can be located at two different positions, denoted by UE1 and UE2. In position UE1 , the UE is close to the bistatic baseline, i.e. , the direct path between BS1 and BS2. In position UE2, the UE is located off the bistatic baseline.

In the example of Fig. 5, it is assumed that the UE is first located at position UE1 , close to the bistatic baseline. Determination that the UE is close to the baseline can be made based on the wireless sensing itself, via a positioning report from the UE to its serving base station or to the wireless communication network, or via a reference-signal based positioning technology operated by BS1 and/or BS2. Since accuracy and confidence of wireless-sensing based positioning results can be expected to be low at position UE1 , which is close to the bistatic baseline, the wireless-sensing based measurements are considered with a low weighting if the UE is at position UE1 . When it is assumed that the UE moves to position UE2, it can in turn be expected that the wireless-sensing based measurements allow for a much higher accuracy and confidence of the position estimate. Accordingly, in this case wireless-sensing based measurements are considered with a higher weighting.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a further example which is based on using multistatic wireless sensing for enhancing the position estimate of a UE. In this example, the wireless sensing is performed by multiple base stations, in particular four base stations denoted as BS1 , BS2, BS3, and BS4. These base stations could for example correspond to access nodes 100 as shown in Fig. 3. Further, the base stations could be deployed and used in a manner which is similar to the contributing APs in the example of Fig. 4. Similar to the example of Fig. 4, a first, potentially coarse, position estimate can be obtained based on a first positioning technology, e.g., using positioning reference signals, and then be enhanced by combination with wirelesssensing measurements. In the scenario of Fig. 6, the UE to be positioned can be located at two different positions, denoted by UE1 and UE2. Depending on whether the UE is in position UE1 or UE2, the UE has LoS condition to the base stations or non-LoS (NLoS) condition to the base stations.

As can be seen from Fig. 6, when the UE is at position UE1 , it has LoS condition with respect to BS3 and BS4, and NLoS condition with respect to BS1 and BS2. Accordingly, it can be expected that in position UE1 , accuracy and confidence level of wireless-sensing measurements are low. As compared to that, when the UE is at position UE2, it has LoS condition with respect to each of BS1 , BS2, BS3, and BS4. Accordingly, higher accuracy and confidence level of wireless-sensing measurements can be expected at position UE2. Such differences in accuracy may be absent or less pronounced in the first positioning technology. As a result, when using the wireless-sensing measurements to enhance the position estimate of the UE, the wireless-sensing measurements at position UE2 may be used with a higher weighting than in position UE1. The determination of the LoS conditions, e.g., in terms of number of BSs with LoS condition available for wireless sensing, can be based on the first positioning technology, the wireless sensing itself, or a combination thereof. Further, also map information, e.g., indicating known positions of obstacles, may be considered.

When the position of a wireless device, e.g., a STA or UE, is to be estimated based on wireless sensing, it may occur that there are other objects present close to the wireless device and could be mistaken as the wireless device. This may result in errors in the estimated position. Here, objects in a circle around the first position estimate with a radius of the combined estimated positioning errors may be relevant. To determine which of the objects corresponds to the wireless device to be positioned, information about the reflection and/or absorption properties of the wireless device and/or of a user holding the wireless device may be considered, such as radar cross section and/or shape. Further, information on known movements of the wireless device, e.g., from inertial sensors, could be considered. For example, if the wireless sensing uses radar-like signal processing, the wireless device could be identified based on observed Doppler shift, e.g., by matching observed Doppler shifts with Doppler shifts expected based on the known movements and velocity of the wireless device.

To obtain the radar cross section and shape of the wireless device or user, multiple radar measurements can be taken, and if the only object present inside the circle in the multiple radar measurements corresponds to the wireless device, the radar cross section and shape can be deduced from the measurements. If the wireless device is handed over to another user, the situation typically becomes more complicated. In such cases, the above search can be performed over different measurement intervals to detect if and when handing over of the wireless device between users happens, and what radar properties should be applied at different times.

When the user is isolated from other objects, identifying the user can be quite straightforward. Further, when the user is moving, and no other moving objects are nearby, matching of Doppler shifts can be used to identify the user. When other moving objects, especially other users with similar radar properties, are nearby, radar measurements may be performed more frequently so that it becomes possible to track which radar signal belongs to the user.

Figs. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate exemplary processes in accordance with the illustrated concepts. In the illustrated example, the processes involve access nodes 100, in particular a first access node (AN1) and a second access node (AN2), and a wireless device (WD) 10, e.g., corresponding to any of the above-mentioned UEs 10. It is noted that the access nodes 100 could correspond to base stations of a 3GPP technology or to APs of a WLAN technology. Further, the WD 10 could correspond to a UE of a 3GPP technology or to a non-AP STA of a WLAN technology. The processes of Fig. 7C further involve a location server 270, which could be a ON node, e.g., part of the ON 210 of Fig. 3, or be an external server connected to the ON 210. In some scenarios, the location server 270 could be implemented as a service, e.g., hosted on the application service platform 250 and/or on the application server 300 of Fig. 3.

In the example of Fig. 7A, the access nodes 100 transmit wireless signals 701 , 702, which are received by the WD 10. The WD 10 performs direct positioning measurements on the wireless signals 701 , 702, as illustrated by block 703. The wireless signals 701 , 702 could for example be positioning reference signals.

Further, the first access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 704. Based on the wireless signal(s) 704, the second access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 705. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 704 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100. The second access node 100 then reports results of the wireless sensing to the WD 10, as illustrated by report 706.

Further, the second access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 707. Based on the wireless signal(s) 707, the first access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 708. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 707 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100. The first access node 100 then reports results of the wireless sensing to the WD 10.

Then, as illustrated by block 710, the WD 10 combines the direct positioning measurements based on the wireless signals 701 , 702 with the reported results of wireless sensing, to enhance the position estimate of the WD 10.

In the example of Fig. 7B, the access nodes 100 transmit wireless signals 711 , 712, which are received by the WD 10. The WD 10 performs direct positioning measurements on the wireless signals 711 , 712, as illustrated by block 713. The wireless signals 711 , 712 could for example be positioning reference signals. The WD 10 then reports results of the positioning measurements to the first access node 100, as illustrated by report 714.

Further, the first access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 715. Based on the wireless signal(s) 715, the second access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 716. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 715 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100. The second access node 100 then reports results of the wireless sensing to the first access node 100, as illustrated by report 717.

Further, the second access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 718. Based on the wireless signal(s) 718, the first access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 719. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 718 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100. Then, as illustrated by block 720, the first access node 100 combines the direct positioning measurements based on the wireless signals 711 , 712 with the results of wireless sensing, to enhance the position estimate of the WD 10.

In the example of Fig. 7C, the access nodes 100 transmit wireless signals 721 , 722, which are received by the WD 10. The WD 10 performs direct positioning measurements on the wireless signals 721 , 722, as illustrated by block 723. The wireless signals 721 , 722 could for example be positioning reference signals. The WD 10 then reports results of the positioning measurements to the first access node 100, as illustrated by report 724.

Further, the first access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 725. Based on the wireless signal(s) 725, the second access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 726. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 725 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100. The second access node 100 then reports results of the wireless sensing to the first access node 100, as illustrated by report 727.

Further, the second access node 100 transmits one or more wireless signals 728. Based on the wireless signal(s) 728, the first access node 100 performs wireless sensing, as illustrated by block 729. This may involve detecting alteration of the wireless signal(s) 728 by the presence of the WD 10 in the environment of the access nodes 100.

The first access node 100 then reports results of the positioning measurements and the results of the wireless sensing, including the results measured by the first access node 100 itself and the results reported by the second access node 100, to the location server 270, as illustrated by report 730.

Then, as illustrated by block 730, the location server 270 combines the direct positioning measurements based on the wireless signals 721 , 722 with the results of wireless sensing, to enhance the position estimate of the WD 10.

It is noted that also in the processes of Figs. 7A, 7B, and 7C the wireless sensing could be triggered in accordance with the above-explained principles, e.g., based on quality of the direct positioning measurements. Further, selection of one or more of the access nodes 100 to contribute the wireless sensing results could be based on the expected quality of the wireless sensing results. The concepts illustrated above may be utilized in various scenarios, including the following:

Example scenario 1 :

In example scenario 1 , wireless sensing of a wireless device may be triggered with the purpose of improving the positioning of the wireless device by a network node.

In example scenario 1 , a network node, such as AP1 in the example of Fig. 4, attempts to estimate the position of a wireless device, e.g., the STA of Fig. 4, by using the first positioning technology (which is not based on wireless sensing). The network node may then trigger the wireless sensing based on quality criteria related to the estimated position. For example, the wireless sensing may be triggered when at least one of the following triggering conditions are fulfilled:

(1) The network node receives a lower than a predefined threshold confidence indicator for positioning from the wireless device.

(2) The network node determines that the received signal strength from the wireless device is lower than a predefined threshold.

(3) The network node determines that the SNR of the received positioning signal is lower than a predefined threshold.

(4) The wireless device determines that the received positioning reference signal strength at the wireless device is lower than a predefined threshold and provides a corresponding indication of that to the network node.

(5) The network node determines that positioning with wireless sensing can be performed more frequently than positioning without wireless sensing.

When the network node decides to trigger the wireless sensing, the network node may further determine a set of one or more network nodes that shall contribute to the wireless sensing. This set of network nodes may include the network node itself and/or one or more other network nodes. In some scenarios, also other devices than network nodes could contribute to the wireless sensing, such as wireless devices. Triggering of the wireless sensing may be accomplished by sending a message to the other network node(s), e.g., a wireless sensing contribution request. Such message may provide the other network node(s) also with additional information, e.g., information identifying the wireless device to be positioned and/or an initial, possibly coarse, position estimate of the wireless device.

Example scenario 2:

In example scenario 2, accuracy of a position estimate is enhanced by using wireless sensing. In example scenario 2, additional information which is based on wireless sensing is used to enhance the accuracy of a position estimate of a wireless device. This may be accomplished by a device which performs positioning without using wireless sensing, such as AP1 in the example of Fig. 4. It is however noted that, in some scenarios, the device performing the positioning could also be the wireless device to be positioned itself. For obtaining the additional information, the device itself could perform wireless sensing measurements. Alternatively or in addition, the device could request one or more further devices to perform wireless sensing measurements and report the measurement results to the device. The device may then combine the additional information with the results of positioning without wireless sensing.

The additional information may be based on a selection of wireless-sensing based information to be used for enhancing the accuracy of the position estimate. Such selection may be based on an initial position estimate of the wireless device. The wireless-sensing based information may then be selectively obtained from a region corresponding to the initial position estimate. Further, obtaining the additional information may involve selecting one or more further device(s) to perform the wireless sensing and contribute to the additional information. Furthermore, one or more frequency range(s) that can be used for obtaining positioning information based on technologies involving wireless sensing or without wireless sensing can be considered in the selection of the wireless-sensing based information to be used for enhancing the accuracy of the position estimate. For example, if the wireless device to be positioned can only operate in a first frequency range, and a network node available for supporting the positioning can operate in a second frequency range where wireless sensing can achieve a better accuracy, the wireless-sensing based information obtained from measurements of the network node in the second frequency range may be useful for improving accuracy of the position estimate. Since the wireless device to be positioned constitutes a passive object in the wireless sensing, active support of the second frequency range by the wireless device is not needed.

Example scenario 3:

In example scenario 3, first information related to positioning and obtained in another way than through wireless sensing may be combined with second information related to positioning and obtained through wireless sensing. In this example scenario, the first information and the second information may be combined by weighting the information in accordance with related quality information, e.g., indicating reliability level and/or accuracy level. The quality information related to the second information may be explicitly signaled by the device performing the wireless sensing. Alternatively or in addition, the quality information can be estimated by a device which receives the first information for combining it with the first information. Such device could be different from the device(s) performing the wireless sensing and for example be a positioning server, such as the above-mentioned positioning server 270. The quality information could be estimated taking into account the location of the device(s) performing the wireless sensing and the estimated position of the wireless device to be positioned. Further, the quality information could be estimated based on LoS conditions between the wireless device to be positioned and the device(s) performing the wireless sensing, e.g., by considering the number of such devices which have a LoS condition to the wireless device to be positioned. The LoS conditions can be estimated based on an initial, possibly coarse, position estimate of the wireless device, position information obtained from the wireless sensing, and/or map information, e.g., indication of positions of devices and/or known positions of obstacles.

It is noted that in the illustrated examples, the first positioning technology and the wirelesssensing based positioning technology could be based on the same wireless technology or on different wireless technologies. The first positioning technology could be based on GNSS whereas the wireless sensing is based on Wi-Fi. Or the first positioning technology could be based on Bluetooth and the wireless sensing be based on a 3GPP technology. Alternatively, both the first positioning technology and the wireless sensing may be based on Wi-Fi or both the first positioning technology positioning and the wireless sensing may be based on a 3GPP technology.

It is further noted that in the illustrated examples the first positioning technology and the wireless sensing could use the same frequency range or different frequency ranges. As an example, the first positioning technology could use a lower frequency range to allow coarse positioning to be done with fewer transmitters, whereas the wireless sensing could be done in a higher frequency range, optionally also using a larger bandwidth, in order to enhance accuracy.

In accordance with the above, an exemplary procedure in accordance with the illustrated concepts may involve the following steps:

Step 1) Perform positioning without sensing to obtain an initial position estimate.

Step 2) Assess the quality of the initial position estimate, e.g., based on probability of LoS conditions, utilized frequency range, utilized bandwidth, or the like.

Step 3) If the quality of the initial position estimate is sufficient, e.g., above a threshold, continue by reporting and or using the initial position estimate. Below steps 4) - 6) may then be omitted. Step 4) If the quality of the initial position estimate is below a threshold, estimate if any of the above triggering criteria is met.

Step 5) If a triggering criterion is met, trigger wireless sensing.

Step 6) If the estimated quality of positioning with wireless sensing is above a threshold, perform positioning with wireless sensing, without additional use of another positioning technology. Alternatively, combine the positioning information achieved through positioning without wireless sensing and positioning with wireless sensing, optionally using weights based on the quality information related to the positioning information. Such combining may also involve performing a joint estimation based on inputs from both positioning measurements without wireless sensing and positioning measurements with wireless sensing.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart for illustrating a method, which may be utilized for implementing the illustrated concepts. At least a part of the method is performed by a wireless device e.g., any of the above-mentioned UEs or STAs. Alternatively or in addition, at least a part of the method may be performed by a node of the wireless communication network, e.g., any of the above- mentioned access nodes or APs.

If a processor-based implementation of the wireless device or network node is used, at least some of the steps of the method of Fig. 8 may be performed and/or controlled by one or more processors of the wireless device or network node. Such wireless device or network node may also include a memory storing program code for implementing at least some of the below described functionalities or steps of the method of Fig. 8.

At step 810, at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device is obtained. The at least one first positioning measurement is based on one or more first positioning technologies. At least one of the one or more first positioning technologies may be based on measurements on one or more wireless signals received by the wireless device. The measurements on the one or more wireless signals received by the wireless device may include one or more of: measurement of ToA, measurement of TDoA, measurement of AoA, measurement of AoD, and measurement of RTT. Here, it is noted that the measurements may in some cases be assisted by other devices, e.g., by sending the signals on which the measurements are performed or by providing measurement reports. Further, at least one of the one or more first positioning technologies could be based on measurements on one or more wireless signals transmitted from the wireless device. The measurements on the one or more third wireless signals transmitted by the wireless device may include one or more of: measurement of ToA, measurement of TDoA, measurement of AoA, measurement of AoD, and measurement of RTT. Here, it is noted that the measurements may in some cases be assisted by other devices, e.g., by sending the signals on which the measurements are performed or by providing measurement reports. Further, at least one of the one or more first positioning technologies could be based on measurements by one or more sensors of the wireless device, e.g., an inertial sensor, a velocity sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or the like.

The at least one first positioning measurement may be obtained by receiving at least one measurement report for part of the at least one first positioning measurement. Alternatively or in addition, the at least one first positioning measurement may be obtained by performing at least a part of the at least one first positioning measurement.

At step 820, at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device may be obtained. The at least one second positioning measurement is based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing. The wireless sensing may be based on variations caused by the presence of the wireless device in a signal path of the one or more first wireless signals.

The wireless sensing may be based on one or more wireless signals transmitted by one or more wireless communication devices. In such case, at least one of the one or more wireless communication devices for transmitting the one or more first wireless signals to be used in the wireless sensing may be selected based on the at least one first positioning measurement.

At least one of the one or more second positioning technologies may be based on, for at least one of the one or more wireless signals, receiving the wireless signal by at least one wireless communication device which is different from the wireless communication device transmitting the wireless signal, e.g., in a bistatic or multistatic setup. In some cases, at least one of the one or more second positioning technologies may be based on, for at least one of the one or more wireless signals, receiving the wireless signal by multiple wireless communication devices which are different from the wireless communication device transmitting the wireless signal, e.g., in a multistatic setup. Further, at least one of the one or more second positioning technologies may be based on, for at least one of the one or more wireless signals, receiving the wireless signal by at least one wireless communication device which is also transmitting the wireless signal, e.g., in a monostatic setup. The at least one wireless communication device receiving the one or more wireless signals can be selected based on the at least one first positioning measurement. The at least one second positioning measurement may be obtained by receiving at least one measurement report for part of the at least one second positioning measurement. Alternatively or in addition, the at least one second positioning measurement may be obtained by performing at least a part of the at least one second positioning measurement.

At step 830, an accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement and/or an accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement may be estimated. In some scenarios, the accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement could be estimated based on the at least one second positioning measurement. Similarly, the accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement could be estimated based on the at least one first positioning measurement.

In some cases, the at least one second positioning measurement can be used as a basis for estimating presence of LoS conditions for the one or more wireless signals received or transmitted by the wireless device, and the accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement could be estimated based on the estimated presence of the LoS conditions.

At step 840, the at least one first positioning measurement is combined with the at least one second positioning measurement. This may be based on the accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement as estimated at step 830. For example, combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement could be initiated in response to the estimated accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement being below a threshold. Alternatively or in addition, the combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement could be based on weighting the at least one first positioning measurement and the at least one second positioning measurement using the accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement as estimated at step 830.

In some scenarios, the combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement could also be based on the accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement as estimated at step 830. For example, combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement could be initiated in response to the estimated accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement being above a threshold. Alternatively or in addition, the combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement could be based on weighting the at least one first positioning measurement and the at least one second positioning measurement using the accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement as estimated at step 830.

If the wireless sensing is based on one or more wireless signals transmitted by one or more wireless communication devices, the combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement may be based on the one or more wireless communication devices transmitting the one or more wireless signals. For example, weights used in the combining could depend on the device type of the one or more wireless communication devices transmitting the one or more wireless signals. Further, said combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement may be based on the at least one wireless communication device receiving the one or more wireless signals. For example, weights used in the combining could depend on the device type of the one or more wireless communication devices receiving the one or more wireless signals.

Fig. 9 illustrates a processor-based implementation of a wireless device 900 for operation in a wireless communication network, which may be used for implementing the above-described concepts. More specifically, the structures of the wireless device 900 may be used to implement the above-described functionalities of a UE or STA.

As illustrated, the wireless device 900 may include wireless interface 910, which may be used for wireless communication with one or more nodes of the wireless communication network. The wireless interface 910 could for example be based on the llu interface of the NR technology, on the llu interface of the LTE technology, and/or on a WLAN interface according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. As further illustrated, the wireless device 900 may include one or more sensors 920, e.g., an inertial sensor, a velocity sensor, an accelerometer, or a gyroscope. Such sensor(s) may support positioning of the wireless device 900.

Further, the wireless device 900 may include one or more processors 950 coupled to the interface 910 and a memory 960 coupled to the processor(s) 950. By way of example, the interface 910, the processor(s) 950, and the memory 960 could be coupled by one or more internal bus systems of the wireless device 900. The memory 960 may include a read-only memory (ROM), e.g., a flash ROM, a random-access memory (RAM), e.g., a dynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM), a mass storage, e.g., a hard disk or solid state disk, or the like. As illustrated, the memory 960 may include software 970 and/or firmware 980. The memory 960 may include suitably configured program code to be executed by the processor(s) 950 so as to implement or configure the above-described functionalities for positioning a wireless device, such as explained in connection with Fig. 8.

It is to be understood that the structures as illustrated in Fig. 9 are merely schematic and that the wireless device 900 may actually include further components which, for the sake of clarity, have not been illustrated, e.g., further interfaces or further processors. Also, it is to be understood that the memory 960 may include further program code for implementing known functionalities of a UE in a 3GPP system or of a STA in a WLAN system. According to some embodiments, also a computer program may be provided for implementing functionalities of the wireless device 900, e.g., in the form of a physical medium storing the program code and/or other data to be stored in the memory 960 or by making the program code available for download or by streaming.

Fig. 10 illustrates a processor-based implementation of a network node 1000 for operation in a wireless communication network, which may be used for implementing the above-described concepts. More specifically, the structures of the network node 1000 may be used to implement the above-described functionalities of an access node, such as the above-mentioned access node 100. The network node 1000 may for example be an eNB or a gNB. In some scenarios, the network node could also be a server which hosts a service, such as the above-mentioned location server 270, or part of a platform or cloud system which hosts a service, such as the above-mentioned application service platform 250 or application server 300.

As illustrated, the network node 1000 may include wireless interface 1010, which may be used for wireless communication with one or more wireless devices, such as the above-mentioned UEs 10. The wireless interface 1010 could for example be based on the llu interface of the NR technology, on the llu interface of the LTE technology, and/or on a WLAN interface according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. Further, the network node 1000 may include a network interface 1020, which may be used for communication with other network nodes.

Further, the network node 1000 may include one or more processors 1050 coupled to the interfaces 1010, 1020 and a memory 1060 coupled to the processor(s) 1050. By way of example, the interfaces 1010, 1020, the processor(s) 1050, and the memory 1060 could be coupled by one or more internal bus systems of the network node 1000. The memory 1060 may include a ROM, e.g., a flash ROM, a RAM, e.g., a DRAM or SRAM, a mass storage, e.g., a hard disk or solid state disk, or the like. As illustrated, the memory 1060 may include software 1070 and/or firmware 1080. The memory 1060 may include suitably configured program code to be executed by the processor(s) 1050 so as to implement or configure the above-described functionalities for positioning a wireless device, such as explained in connection with Fig. 8.

It is to be understood that the structures as illustrated in Fig. 10 are merely schematic and that the network node 1000 may include further components which, for the sake of clarity, have not been illustrated, e.g., further interfaces or further processors. Also, it is to be understood that the memory 1060 may include further program code for implementing known functionalities of an eNB or a gNB in a 3GPP system or of an AP in a WLAN system. According to some embodiments, also a computer program may be provided for implementing functionalities of the network node 1000, e.g., in the form of a physical medium storing the program code and/or other data to be stored in the memory 1060 or by making the program code available for download or by streaming.

As can be seen, the concepts as described above may be used for enhancing positioning of a wireless device in an efficient manner. Specifically, by combining wireless-sensing based positioning measurements with other positioning measurements, sufficient accuracy and reliability of positioning can be achieved under various conditions.

It is to be understood that the examples and embodiments as explained above are merely illustrative and susceptible to various modifications. For example, the illustrated concepts may be applied to various numbers of frequencies and to various types of reference signals. Further, the illustrated concepts may be applied in connection with various kinds of wireless communication technologies. Moreover, it is to be understood that the above concepts may be implemented by using correspondingly designed software to be executed by one or more processors of an existing device or apparatus, or by using dedicated device hardware. Further, it should be noted that the illustrated apparatuses or devices may each be implemented as a single device or as a system of multiple interacting devices or modules.

Claims

1. A method of positioning a wireless device (10; 900), the method comprising: obtaining at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device (10; 900), the at least one first positioning measurement being based on one or more first positioning technologies; and combining the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device (10; 900), the at least one second positioning measurement being based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising: estimating an accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement, wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on the estimated accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising: in response to the estimated accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement being below a threshold, initiating said combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on weighting the at least one first positioning measurement and the at least one second positioning measurement using the estimated accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said estimating of the accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement is based on the at least one second positioning measurement.

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: estimating an accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement, wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on the estimated accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising: in response to the accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement being above a threshold, initiating said combining of the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on weighting the at least one first positioning measurement and the at least one second positioning measurement using the estimated accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein said estimating of the accuracy level of the at least one second positioning measurement is based on the at least one first positioning measurement.

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless sensing is based on one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718) transmitted by one or more wireless communication devices (10; 100; 900; 1000).

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising: based on the at least one first positioning measurement, selecting at least one of the one or more wireless communication devices (10; 100; 900; 1000) for transmitting the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718) to be used in the wireless sensing.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on the one or more wireless communication devices (100; 1000) transmitting the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718).

13. The method according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein at least one of the one or more second positioning technologies is based on, for at least one of the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718), receiving the first wireless signal (704, 707; 715, 718) by at least one wireless communication device (100; 1000) which is different from the wireless communication device (10; 100; 900; 1000) transmitting the first wireless signal (704, 707; 715, 718).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more second positioning technologies is based on, for at least one of the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718), receiving the first wireless signal (704, 707; 715, 718) by multiple wireless communication devices (10; 100; 900; 1000) which are different from the wireless communication device (100; 1000) transmitting the first wireless signal (704, 707; 715, 718).

15. The method according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein at least one of the one or more second positioning technologies is based on, for at least one of the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718), receiving the first wireless signal by at least one wireless communication device (100; 1000) which is also transmitting the first wireless signal (704, 707; 715, 718).

16. The method according to any of claims 13 to 15, comprising: based on the at least one first positioning measurement, selecting the at least one wireless communication device (100; 1000) receiving the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718).

17. The method according to any of claims 13 to 16, wherein said combining the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement is based on the at least one wireless communication device (100; 1000) receiving the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718).

18. The method according to any of claims 10 to 17, wherein the wireless sensing is based on variations caused by the presence of the wireless device in a signal path of the one or more first wireless signals (704, 707; 715, 718).

19. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more first positioning technologies is based on measurements on one or more second wireless signals (701 , 702; 711 , 712) received by the wireless device (10; 900).

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the measurements on the one or more second wireless signals (701 , 702; 711 , 712) comprise one or more of:

- measurement of a time-of-arrival,

- measurement of a time-difference-of-arrival,

- measurement of an angle-of-arrival, - measurement of an angle-of-departure, and

- measurement of a round-trip time.

21 . The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more first positioning technologies is based on measurements on one or more third wireless signals transmitted from the wireless device (10; 900).

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the measurements on the one or more third wireless signals comprise one or more of:

- measurement of a time-of-arrival,

- measurement of a time-difference-of-arrival,

- measurement of an angle-of-arrival,

- measurement of an angle-of-departure, and

- measurement of a round-trip time.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, comprising: based on the at least one second positioning measurement, estimating presence of line-of- sight conditions for the one or more third wireless signals; and estimating an accuracy level of the at least one first positioning measurement based on the estimated presence of the line-of-sight conditions.

24. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more first positioning technologies is based on measurements by one or more sensors (920) of the wireless device (10; 900).

25. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said obtaining of the at least one first positioning measurement comprises receiving at least one measurement report (714) for at least a part of the at least one first positioning measurement.

26. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said obtaining of the at least one first positioning measurement comprises performing at least a part of the at least one first positioning measurement.

27. The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: obtaining the at least one second positioning measurement by receiving at least one measurement report (706, 709; 717) for at least a part of the at least one second positioning measurement.

28. The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: obtaining the at least one second positioning measurement by performing at least a part of the at least one second positioning measurement.

29. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a part of the method is performed by the wireless device (10; 900).

30. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a part of the method is performed by a node (100; 1000) of the wireless communication network.

31 . A wireless device (10; 900) for operation in a wireless communication network, the wireless device (10; 900) being configured to: obtain at least one first positioning measurement for the wireless device (10; 900), the at least one first positioning measurement being based on one or more first positioning technologies; and combine the at least one first positioning measurement with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device (10; 900), the at least one second positioning measurement being based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

32. The wireless device (10; 900) according to claim 31 , wherein the wireless device (10; 900) is configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 30.

33. The wireless device (10; 900) according to claim 31 or 30, comprising: at least one processor (950), and a memory (960) containing program code executable by the at least one processor (950), whereby execution of the program code by the at least one processor (950) causes the wireless device (10; 900) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

34. A node (100; 1000) for a wireless communication network, the node (100; 1000) being configured to: obtain at least one first positioning measurement for a wireless device (10; 900) operating in the wireless communication network, the at least one first positioning measurement being based on one or more first positioning technologies; and combine the at least one first positioning measurements with at least one second positioning measurement for the wireless device (10; 900), the at least one second positioning measurement being based on one or more second positioning technologies involving wireless sensing.

35. The node (100; 1000) according to claim 34, wherein the node (100; 1000) is configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 28.

36. The node (100; 1000) according to claim 34 or 35, comprising: at least one processor (1050), and a memory (1060) containing program code executable by the at least one processor (1050), whereby execution of the program code by the at least one processor (1050) causes the node (100; 1000) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

37. A computer program or computer program product comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (950) of a wireless device (10; 900) operating in a wireless communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the wireless device (10; 900) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

38. A computer program or computer program product comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (1050) of a node (100; 1000) of a wireless communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the node (100; 1000) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.