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Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/18/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sosnin et al. US 2022 0113365 A1 (hereinafter “Sosnin”) in view of Alawieh et al., US 20220404451 A1 (hereinafter “Alawieh”).
Regarding Claim 1, Sosnin teaches a method of operating a position estimation entity, comprising:
determining a first location of a first reflector based upon first measurement information associated with a first sensing operation by a wireless node (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraphs 73-75, determining coordinates of virtual reference source using PRS transmissions, SLP measurements; Page 5, Paragraph 99, determining positions of virtual reference nodes from multipath measurements; Page 11, Paragraph 177, receiving a multi-path channel component measurement, determine position of a virtual reference source);
determining a second location of a second reflector based upon second measurement information associated with a second sensing operation by the wireless node (Sosnin, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69 and Paragraph 77, reporting of multiple detected reflected paths);
determining a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration associated with a position estimation session between the wireless node and a user equipment (UE) (Sosnin discloses configuring PRS resources to include LOS and reflected channel components to improve positioning accuracy in Pages 4-5, Paragraph 77, configuring multipath components to be measured; Paragraphs 83-89, configure reference beams/reference cell/beam pairs/RSTD measurements; Paragraph 99, beamformed PRSs used for determining virtual sources), wherein the PRS configuration is associated with a first path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the first reflector, a second path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the second reflector, a third path between the wireless node and the UE that is shorter than the first path and the second path;
transmitting an indication of the PRS configuration to the wireless node, the UE, or a combination thereof (Sosnin, Page 11, Paragraph 177 and 179, retrieving configuration information, generating configuration message, transmitting configuration information);
receiving third measurement information associated with the position estimation session (Sosnin, Page 11, Paragraphs 177 and 179, receive multipath measurement, receive multipath channel component measurement); and
deriving a position estimate of the UE based in part upon the first measurement information, the second measurement information, and the third measurement information (Sosnin, Page 3, Paragraph 69, virtual source coordinates plus TOA measurements estimate UE; Page 5, Paragraph 99, virtual sources determined from measurements; Page 11, Paragraph 177, determine virtual source, then determine UE position).
Sosnin fails to fully teach/teach the limitation:
a first path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the first reflector, a second path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the second reflector, a third path between the wireless node and the UE that is shorter than the first path and the second path (Sosnin does not expressly disclose a first, second, or third path off of the respective first, second, or third reflector).
However, Alawieh discloses the limitation:
a first path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the first reflector, a second path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the second reflector, a third path between the wireless node and the UE that is shorter than the first path and the second path (Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraph 16, Fig. 1A, multipath propagation of a signal [d1, Line of Sight signal, d2-d3 are sub-paths of d1] transmitted from a radio base station 101 to a UE 102, clusters 103-104 correspond to reflectors in propagation environment).
Although Sosnin addresses the remaining limitations of claim 1, Alawieh also teaches a method of operating a position estimation entity, comprising:
determining a first location of a first reflector based upon first measurement information associated with a first sensing operation by a wireless node (Alawieh, Pages 2-3, Paragraph 36, Paragraphs 60-67, Fig. 3, UE performs cross-correlation, derives a Channel Impulse Response [CIR] including multipath lobes corresponding to reflecting clusters; positioning device estimates distances to reflecting clusters based on measurement information);
determining a second location of a second reflector based upon second measurement information associated with a second sensing operation by the wireless node (Alawieh, Pages 4-5, Paragraph 88, Fig. 7, multiple clusters [lobe1, lobe2, … lobeN] identified in the CIR);
determining a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration associated with a position estimation session between the wireless node and a user equipment (UE) (Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, PRS resource configuration defined with time/frequency parameters for positioning sessions; Page 6, Paragraph 122-126, Fig. 9, the multipath over a deterministic time interval comprising one or more time instants, time-varying clusters and durable clusters), wherein the PRS configuration is associated with a first path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the first reflector, a second path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the second reflector, a third path between the wireless node and the UE that is shorter than the first path and the second path (Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraph 16, Fig. 1A, multipath propagation, reflected paths via clusters [d3, d2], direct LOS path [d1]);
transmitting an indication of the PRS configuration to the wireless node, the UE, or a combination thereof (Alawieh, Page 3, Paragraph 68, PRS resource configuration is provided via higher layer signaling; Page 5, Paragraphs 104-105, capability requests, configuration signaling are exchanged between LMF and UE, positioning device configures the measuring device for PRS/CIR reporting);
receiving third measurement information associated with the position estimation session (Alawieh, Page 3-4, Paragraphs 65 and 81-84, Page 6, Paragraph 128, reporting of truncated CIR, correlation window, quality metrics; measurement reporting includes CIR samples around First Arrival Path [FAP] and cluster information); and
deriving a position estimate of the UE based in part upon the first measurement information, the second measurement information, and the third measurement information (Alawieh,
Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 123-132, multiple cluster measurements used to improve position estimation robustness; Page 10, Paragraphs 185-191; TOA/cluster-based refinement improves location accuracy in multipath environments, positioning device corrects or estimates distances using CIR and cluster information).
Alawieh and Sosnin are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of position-fixing by coordinating two or more direction/position line determinations using radio waves. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the reflector-based positioning techniques of Sosnin, wherein reflector locations and reflected propagation paths are used for estimated a UE position (Sosnin, Pages 3-5, Paragraphs 68-69, reporting of multiple detected reflected paths; Paragraphs 73-75, virtual reference node coordinate determination; Paragraph 99, Procedure for Detection of Virtual Reference Sources) with the teachings of Alawieh for configuring PRS resources in order to distinguish a first-arrival [LOS] path from additional reflected clusters corresponding to different reflecting objects. (Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 16, Fig. 1A, multipath propagation of a signal transmitted from a radio base station to a UE; Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, resource configuration information; and Page 6, Paragraphs 118-127, multiple reporting over multiple measurements). Doing so would improve the ability of the positioning system to configure PRS resources corresponding to the direct path and multiple reflected paths, providing more accurate multipath measurements for determining the UE position.
Regarding Claim 17, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches a method of operating a wireless node, comprising:
performing a first sensing operation associated with a first reflector (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraphs 73 and 75, TP transmits PRS, other TPs receive estimate reflected path, beamformed PRS scanning, Alawieh, Page 3, Paragraphs 60-63, UE performs cross-correlation between receives PRS and reference signals; first lobe corresponds to first arrival path/ first reflector; Page 6, Paragraphs 118-123, Multiple Reporting Over Multiple Measurements, CIR generation identifies multipath components corresponding to reflectors);
performing a second sensing operation associated with a second reflector (Sosnin, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, Fig. 4B-4C, propagation channel between a base station and a user with two path components, capability of user positioning enhanced with multipath measurements; Paragraph 77, measurements of multi-path channel components; Alawieh, Pages 4-5, Paragraph 88, multiple CIR lobes correspond to multiple reflectors, UE detects and classifies multiple multipath components [lobe1, lobe2, ...lobe N]);
reporting, to a position estimation entity, first measurement information associated with the first sensing operation and second measurement information associated with the second sensing operation (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraph 77, UE reports multiple path information; Page 11, Paragraphs 178 and 179, UE performs multipath measurements, encodes message containing SLP; Alawieh, Page 3-5, Paragraph 60, Paragraphs 99-103, Fig. 3, reporting truncated CIR and correlation window to positioning device; Page 6-8, Paragraph 127 and 157, reporting includes multiple detected lobes and associated timing/quality);
receiving, in response to the report of the first measurement information and the second measurement information, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration associated with a position estimation session between the wireless node and a user equipment (UE), wherein the PRS configuration is associated with a first path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the first reflector, a second path between the wireless node and the UE associated with reflection off of the second reflector, and a third path between the wireless node and the UE that is shorter than the first path and the second path (Sosnin, Page 11, Paragraph 178, receive configuration message; Sosnin does not expressly disclose paths but discloses measurements configured for first arrival path, reflected paths, and beam resources on Page 4, Paragraphs 77 and 83-89; Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, configuration includes reporting window, PRS resource configuration, and measurement parameters; Page 5, Paragraphs 104-105, measurement device configured for CIR/PRS reporting after capability or measurement reporting)
transmitting or measuring one or more PRSs with the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraphs 73-75; Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 59-63, UE measures PRS signals from gNB/TRP for positioning, performs cross-correlational, CIR extraction on PRS signals; Paragraph 68, PRS resource configuration); and
obtaining third measurement information associated with the position estimation session (Sosnin, Page 11, Paragraphs 178-179, perform measurements, generate message including measurements; Alawieh, Page 4, Paragraphs 81-84, CIR window, TOA estimates, quality metrics obtained and reported; Pages 7-8, Paragraphs 137-143 and 157, quality parameters derived from CIR, included in measurement reporting).
Regarding Claim 29, it differs from Claim 1 only in that it is a position estimation entity, comprising a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to perform the method of Claim 1. It recites similar limitations as in method claim 1 and Sosnin in view of Alawieh discloses them (Sosnin, Pages 8 and 10, Paragraphs 145 and 171, Fig. 6, Fig. 8, processor[s], memory; Alawieh, Pages 9-10, Paragraphs 176 and Paragraphs 195-196, Fig. 13 and Fig. 15, positioning device, processor, memory).
Regarding Claim 30, it differs from Claim 17 only in that it is a wireless node, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to perform the method of claim 17. It recites similar limitations as in method claim 17 and Sosnin in view of Alawieh discloses them (Sosnin, Page 12, Paragraph 197, gNB, processor, storage media; Alawieh, Page 10, Paragraphs 195-196, Fig. 15, positioning device [LMF, suitable network node], processor, memory).
Regarding Claim 2, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first sensing operation, the second sensing operation, or both, comprise a radio frequency (RF) sensing operation associated with one or more radar reference signals or a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) operation associated with one or more LIDAR signals (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraphs 73-75, virtual reference node coordinate determination; Paragraph 99, Procedure for Detection of Virtual Reference Sources; Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3, LTE/5G network system; Page 3, Paragraphs 59-63, sensing performed using PRS cross-correlation and CIR extraction using radio base station transmissions, PRS reference signals).
Regarding Claim 3, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 3 (Sosnin discloses determination of virtual node coordinates, but fails to disclose any verification process, Paragraph 99, Procedure for Detection of Virtual Reference Sources, determines reflector locations; Page 11, Paragraph 177, determines reflector position). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 3, further comprising:
receiving information associated with a first PRS-based cross-validation procedure to verify the first location of the first reflector, a second PRS-based cross-validation procedure to verify the second location of second first reflector, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are selected for participation in the position estimation session based on the information (Alawieh, Page 4, Paragraphs 79-82 and Page 7, Paragraphs 137-143,quality metrics determine reliability of detected lobes; Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 123-131, multiple cluster tracking and classification enables selection of stable reflectors, Paragraphs 157-161, reported quality of detected paths [Quality A, B, C] enabling validation of reflector paths; Page 10, Paragraphs 189-191, positioning device uses CIR info to correct/estimate measurements and improve reliability).
Regarding Claim 4, Alawieh teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the first PRS-based cross-validation procedure comprises transmission between the wireless node to the UE of a first PRS that is quasi-colocated (QCLed) with a first radar reference signal of the first sensing operation, and wherein the first PRS and the first radar reference signal are transmitted on a first bandwidth within a second window of time, or
wherein the second PRS-based cross-validation procedure comprises transmission between the wireless node to the UE of a second PRS that is QCLed with a second radar reference signal of the second sensing operation, and wherein the second PRS and the second radar reference signal are transmitted on a second bandwidth within a second window of time, or
a combination thereof (While Alawieh does not expressly disclose a first PRS or second PRS that is quasi-located with a first or second respective radar reference signal, reference signals are re-used for timing aligned measurement across configured resources; Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 60-63, cross correlation performed between received signal and reference PRS; Paragraphs 68-69, PRS resource configuration, time/frequency behavior, bandwidth and slot structure; Paragraph 85, Fig. 6, multi-signal correlation behavior across frequency/time windows; Page 6, Paragraphs 120-122, channel response derived from RF signal structure [CIR from PRS correlation]).
Regarding Claim 5, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1,
wherein a first set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the first reflector,
wherein a second set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the second reflector,
wherein a third set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the first reflector and the second reflector, or
wherein a fourth set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with neither the first reflector nor the second reflector, or
any combination thereof (Sosnin does not expressly disclose a reflector-specific association, however Sosnin discloses different PRS resources corresponding to different reflected paths and associates specific reflected paths with specific PRS measurements. Pages 4-5, Paragraph 77, allows for reporting per beam; Paragraph 83-89, reference beams, reference beam pairs, PRS resources, resource indexes, beam-specific measurements; Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, PRS resource sets, configurations define measurement behavior; Paragraphs 79-81, resource selection may be dependent upon cluster strength, quality; Page 4, Paragraph 88, 166: reporting includes multiple antenna ports, measurement windows per signal path; different PRS configurations and windows correspond to different detected lobes, clusters; Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 122-131, multiple cluster-specific measurements maintained over time, may be used for prediction).
Regarding Claim 6, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the position estimation session comprises a time difference of arrival (TDOA) position estimation session (Sosnin, Page 2, Paragraph 26, OTDOA; Pages 4-5, Paragraphs 83-90, TDOA; Paragraphs 90-99, RSTD; Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3-5, TDOA, OTDOA, UTDOA).
Regarding Claim 7, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 6,
wherein the third measurement information comprises a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between a first PRS over the third path and the first PRS over the first path, or
wherein the third measurement information comprises a second reference signal time difference (RSTD) between a second PRS over the third path and the second PRS over the second path, or a combination thereof (Sosnin, Pages 4-5, Paragraphs 83-90, reference beam, first arrival path, inter-beam RSTD, intra-beam RSTD; intra-beam RSTD measures relative timing of multi-path components with respect to first arrival path; Alawieh, Pages 2-3, Paragraphs 21 and 23, RSTD measurements corresponding to TDOA, timing offset between first paths or multipath components, UE reports additional path timing differences relative to detected path; Page 6, Paragraph 122-124, UE measures multiple lobes corresponding to different paths).
Regarding Claim 8, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 8 (Sosnin does not disclose receive-transmit timing). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the position estimation session comprises a round trip time (RTT) position estimation session (Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3-5, round trip timing [RTT]; Page 6, Paragraphs 110-113, RTT, UE-to-UE ranging using t1-t4 timing structure).
Regarding Claim 9, Alawieh teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the third measurement information comprises a first receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference relative to receipt of a first PRS at the wireless node or the UE over the first path, or
wherein the third measurement information comprises a second Rx-Tx time difference relative to receipt of a second PRS at the wireless node or the UE over the second path, or
a combination thereof (Sosnin does not disclose receive-transmit timing; Alawieh, Page 6, Paragraphs 111-112, RTT timing differences; Paragraphs 113-117, multipath extension, cluster-specific timing offsets, reception time shifts per cluster).
Regarding Claim 10, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are selected from a group of reflectors based on one or more selection criteria (Sosnin discloses selecting reflector candidates based on strongest detected reflected paths, Pages 3-4, Paragraph 69, Fig. 4C and Paragraph 77, network configures which paths are reported; Maximum N paths, threshold, strongest paths, selecting reflector candidates based on strongest detected reflected paths; Alawieh, Pages 4-8, Paragraphs 79-81 and Paragraph 157, quality based selection of lobes, clusters; thresholds used for detection; Paragraphs 123-131, persistency of clusters over time, classification; movement/trajectory-based filtering of reflectors).
Regarding Claim 11, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 10, wherein the one or more selection criteria comprises location area, UE capability, a request from the UE or the wireless node, or any combination thereof (Sosnin discloses threshold power, strongest path, and a maximum on Page 4, Paragraph 77. Alawieh, Page 3, Paragraph 58, Fig. 2, location-based positioning architecture [LMF, gNB, AMF] implies a location-area dependent configuration; Page 5, Paragraphs 104-105, UE capability exchange and configuration request, positioning; device requests CIR capabilities [antenna ports, reporting support]; Page 10, Paragraphs 187-190, measurement configuration controlled by network request).
Regarding Claim 12, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1. Sosnin fails to teach the method of claim 12 (Sosnin discloses that reflector coordinates are determined and that the network is aware of parameters on Page 5, Paragraph 99, but does not disclose the transmission of claim 12). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising:
transmitting a first indication of the first location of the first reflector, a second indication of the second location of the second reflector, or a combination thereof (Alawieh, Page 6, Paragraphs 122-124, cluster locations derived from CIR used in positioning output; Page 8, Paragraphs 157-161,
reporting includes cluster timing and quality enabling location interference; Page 10, Paragraphs 189-191, estimation/correction of reflector-based positions).
Regarding Claim 13, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 13. Alawieh teaches the method of claim 13, further comprising:
transmitting an indication of whether a particular location area supports reflector- based position estimation (Alawieh, Page 5, Paragraphs 104-106, capability negotiation, measurement configuration depends on network support and capabilities; Page 9, Paragraphs 180-182, different deployment scenarios [sidelink, NRPP, LPP] imply configurable support per area).
Regarding Claim 14, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the PRS configuration comprises configuration of one or more downlink PRSs, one or more uplink PRSs, one or more sidelink PRSs, or any combination thereof (Sosnin discloses a sidelink interface and sidelink communications, but does not expressly disclose sidelink PRSs, on Page 6, Paragraph 131; Alawieh discloses all PRS directions, Page 1, Paragraph 5, uplink measurements from UTDOA; Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 58-59 and 68, downlink PRS; Pages 5-6, Paragraph 106, sidelink v2v positioning, Paragraphs 110-112, UE-to-UE RTT and sidelink ranging).
Regarding Claim 15, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 14,
wherein the wireless node corresponds to an anchor UE, and
wherein the PRS configuration comprises at least the configuration of the one or more sidelink PRSs (Sosnin, Page 5, Paragraph 131, UE-to-UE sidelink communication; Alawieh, Page 6, Paragraphs 110-113 and 116, anchor UE is inherent in sidelink RTT role asymmetry, UE-to-UE sidelink ranging, devices act as ranging nodes transmitting signals to each other; device coordinated measurement, timing exchange).
Regarding Claim 16, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 15. Sosnin does not teach the method of Claim 16. Alawieh teaches the method of claim 16, wherein a new set of reflectors is selected for a new position estimation session of the UE in response to an anchor UE transition (Alawieh, Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 118-131, cluster tracking over time w/ changing environment, moving target causes LOS fading, reflector reclassification; when propagation conditions or device roles change, new cluster sets selected for updated positioning sessions).
Regarding Claim 18, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17, further comprising:
transmitting the third measurement information associated with the position estimation session to a position estimation entity, or
deriving a position estimate of the UE based in part upon the first measurement information, the second measurement information, and the third measurement information (Sosnin, Page 3, Paragraph 69, virtual source coordinates plus TOA measurements estimate UE; Page 5, Paragraph 99, virtual sources determined from measurements; Page 11, Paragraphs 177 and 179, determine virtual source, then determine UE position, receive multipath measurement, receive multipath channel component measurement; Alawieh, Page 3-4, Paragraphs 65, 81-84, Page 6, Paragraph 128, reporting of truncated CIR, correlation window, quality metrics; measurement reporting includes CIR samples around First Arrival Path [FAP] and cluster information; Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 123-132, multiple cluster measurements used to improve position estimation robustness; Page 10, Paragraphs 185-191; TOA/cluster-based refinement improves location accuracy in multipath environments, positioning device corrects or estimates distances using CIR and cluster information).
Regarding Claim 19, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17, wherein the first sensing operation, the second sensing operation, or both, comprise a radio frequency (RF) sensing operation associated with one or more radar reference signals or a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) operation associated with one or more LIDAR signals (Sosnin, Page 4, Paragraphs 73-75, virtual reference node coordinate determination; Paragraph 99, Procedure for Detection of Virtual Reference Sources; Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3, LTE/5G network system; Page 3, Paragraphs 59-63, sensing performed using PRS cross-correlation and CIR extraction using radio base station transmissions, PRS reference signals).
Regarding Claim 20, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17. Sosnin does not disclose the method of claim 20 (Sosnin discloses determination of virtual node coordinates, but fails to disclose any verification process, Paragraph 99, Procedure for Detection of Virtual Reference Sources, determines reflector locations; Page 11, Paragraph 177, determines reflector position). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17, further comprising:
performing a first PRS-based cross-validation procedure to verify a first location of the first reflector, a second PRS-based cross-validation procedure to verify a second location of second first reflector, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the first measurement information and the second measurement information are reported based on the first PRS-based cross-validation procedure verifying the first location of the first reflector and the second PRS-based cross-validation procedure verifying the second location of the second reflector, or
wherein the first measurement information and the second measurement information are reported irrespective of whether the first PRS-based cross-validation procedure verifies the first location of the first reflector and the second PRS-based cross-validation procedure verifies the second location of the second reflector information (Alawieh, Page 4, Paragraphs 79-82 and Page 7, Paragraphs 137-143,quality metrics determine reliability of detected lobes; Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 123-131, multiple cluster tracking and classification enables selection of stable reflectors, Paragraphs 157-161, reported quality of detected paths [Quality A, B, C] enabling validation of reflector paths; Page 10, Paragraphs 189-191, positioning device uses CIR info to correct/estimate measurements and improve reliability).
Regarding Claim 21, Alawieh teaches the method of claim 20,
wherein the first PRS-based cross-validation procedure comprises transmission between the wireless node to the UE of a first PRS that is quasi-colocated (QCLed) with a first radar reference signal of the first sensing operation, and wherein the first PRS and the first radar reference signal are transmitted on a first bandwidth within a second window of time, or
wherein the second PRS-based cross-validation procedure comprises transmission between the wireless node to the UE of a second PRS that is QCLed with a second radar reference signal of the second sensing operation, and wherein the second PRS and the second radar reference signal are transmitted on a second bandwidth within a second window of time, or
a combination thereof (Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 60-63, cross correlation performed between received signal and reference PRS; Paragraphs 68-69, PRS resource configuration, time/frequency behavior, bandwidth and slot structure; Paragraph 85, Fig. 6, multi-signal correlation behavior across frequency/time windows; Page 6, Paragraphs 120-122, channel response derived from RF signal structure [CIR from PRS correlation].While Alawieh does not expressly disclose a first PRS or second PRS that is quai-located with a first or second respective radar reference signal, reference signals are reused for timing aligned measurement across configured resources).).
Regarding Claim 22, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17,
wherein a first set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the first reflector,
wherein a second set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the second reflector,
wherein a third set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with the first reflector and the second reflector, or
wherein a fourth set of PRS resources of the PRS configuration is associated with neither the first reflector nor the second reflector, or
any combination thereof (Sosnin does not expressly disclose a reflector-specific association, however Sosnin discloses different PRS resources corresponding to different reflected paths and associates specific reflected paths with specific PRS measurements. Pages 4-5, Paragraph 77, allows for reporting per beam; Paragraph 83-89, reference beams, reference beam pairs, PRS resources, resource indexes, beam-specific measurements; Alawieh, Pages 3-4, Paragraphs 68-69, PRS resource sets, configurations define measurement behavior; Paragraphs 79-81, resource selection may be dependent upon cluster strength, quality; Page 4, Paragraph 88, 166: reporting includes multiple antenna ports, measurement windows per signal path; different PRS configurations and windows correspond to different detected lobes, clusters; Pages 6-7, Paragraphs 122-131, multiple cluster-specific measurements maintained over time, may be used for prediction).
Regarding Claim 23, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17, wherein the position estimation session comprises a time difference of arrival (TDOA) position estimation session (Sosnin, Page 2, Paragraph 26, OTDOA; Pages 4-5, Paragraphs 83-90, TDOA; Paragraphs 90-99, RSTD; Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3-5, TDOA, OTDOA, UTDOA)..
Regarding Claim 24, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 23,
wherein the third measurement information comprises a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between a first PRS over the third path and the first PRS over the first path, or
wherein the third measurement information comprises a second reference signal time difference (RSTD) between a second PRS over the third path and the second PRS over the second path, or
a combination thereof (Sosnin, Pages 4-5, Paragraphs 83-90, reference beam, first arrival path, inter-beam RSTD, intra-beam RSTD; intra-beam RSTD measures relative timing of multi-path components with respect to first arrival path; Alawieh, Pages 2-3, Paragraphs 21 and 23, RSTD measurements corresponding to TDOA, timing offset between first paths or multipath components, UE reports additional path timing differences relative to detected path; Page 6, Paragraph 122-124, UE measures multiple lobes corresponding to different paths).
Regarding Claim 25, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 25 (Sosnin does not disclose receive-transmit timing). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 25, wherein the position estimation session comprises a round trip time (RTT) position estimation session (Alawieh, Page 1, Paragraphs 3-5, round trip timing [RTT]; Page 6, Paragraphs 110-113, RTT, UE-to-UE ranging using t1-t4 timing structure).
Regarding Claim 26, Alawieh teaches the method of claim 25, wherein
wherein the third measurement information comprises a first receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference relative to receipt of a first PRS at the wireless node or the UE over the first path, or
wherein the third measurement information comprises a second Rx-Tx time difference relative to receipt of a second PRS at the wireless node or the UE over the second path, or
a combination thereof (Sosnin does not disclose receive-transmit timing; Alawieh, Page 6, Paragraphs 111-112, RTT timing differences; Paragraphs 113-117, multipath extension, cluster-specific timing offsets, reception time shifts per cluster).
Regarding Claim 27, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 27 (Sosnin discloses that reflector coordinates are determined and that the network is aware of parameters on Page 5, Paragraph 99, but does not disclose the transmission of claim 27). Alawieh teaches the method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving a first indication of a first location of the first reflector, a second indication of a second location of the second reflector, or a combination thereof (Alawieh, Page 6, Paragraphs 122-124, cluster locations derived from CIR used in positioning output; Page 8, Paragraphs 157-161,
reporting includes cluster timing and quality enabling location interference; Page 10, Paragraphs 189-191, estimation/correction of reflector-based positions).
Regarding Claim 28, Sosnin in view of Alawieh teaches the method of claim 17. Sosnin does not teach the method of claim 28. Alawieh teaches the method of claim 28, further comprising:
receiving an indication of whether a particular location area supports reflector-based position estimation (Alawieh, Page 5, Paragraphs 104-106, capability negotiation, measurement configuration depends on network support and capabilities; Page 9, Paragraphs 180-182, different deployment scenarios [sidelink, NRPP, LPP] imply configurable support per area).
Conclusion
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/GABRIELLE N DAI/Examiner, Art Unit 2681
/AKWASI M SARPONG/SPE, Art Unit 2681
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