WO2026008723A1 - Cell-free communication and positioning solutions - Google Patents

Abstract

A Position Calculation Unit, e.g., a PPU for a wireless communication network is provided, wherein the position calculation unit comprises an input, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC, such as APs, and a device to be located; and a calculator configured for determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result. The Position Calculation Unit is configured for providing information related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network.

Description

CELL-FREE COMMUNICATION AND POSITIONING SOLUTIONS

Description

Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of positioning, e.g., in a wireless communication environment, and more specifically, to enhancing positioning procedures. Aspects of the present invention relate to apparatus and methods for a cell-free positioning.

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a terrestrial and/or non-terrestrial wireless network 100 including, as is shown in Fig. 1 (a), a core network 102 and one or more radio access networks RANi, RAN2, ... RANN. Fig. 1(b) is a schematic representation of an example of a radio access network RAN_n that may include one or more base stations gNBi to gNBs, each serving a specific area surrounding the base station schematically represented by respective cells IO61 to IO65. The base stations are provided to serve users within a cell. The term base station, BS, refers to a gNB in 5G networks, an eNB in UMTS/LTE/LTE-A/LTE-A Pro, or just a BS in other mobile communication standards, e.g., 6G. A user may be a stationary device or a mobile device. The wireless communication system may also be accessed by mobile or stationary loT devices which connect to a base station or to a user. The mobile devices or the loT devices may include physical devices, ground based vehicles, such as robots or cars, aerial vehicles, such as manned or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the latter also referred to as drones, buildings and other items or devices having embedded therein electronics, software, sensors, actuators, or the like as well as network connectivity that enables these devices to collect and exchange data across an existing network infrastructure.

Fig. 1 (b) shows an exemplary view of five cells, however, the RAN_n may include more or less such cells, and RAN_n may also include only one base station. Fig. 1 (b) shows two users UE1 and UE2, also referred to as user equipment, UE, that are in cell IO62 and that are served by base station gNB2. Another user UE3 is shown in cell IO64 which is served by base station gNB4. The arrows IO81, IO82 and IO83 schematically represent uplink/downlink connections for transmitting data from a user UE1, UE2 and UE3 to the base stations gNB2, gNB4 or for transmitting data from the base stations gNB2, gNB4 to the users UE1, UE2, UE3.

Further, Fig. 1 (b) shows two loT devices 110i and HO2 in cell IO64, which may be stationary or mobile devices. The loT device 110i accesses the wireless communication system via the base station gNB4 to receive and transmit data as schematically represented by arrow 112i. The loT device HO2 accesses the wireless communication system via the user UE3 as is schematically represented by arrow 1122. The respective base station gNBi to gNBs may be connected to the core network 102, e.g., via the S1 interface, via respective backhaul links 114i to 114s, which are schematically represented in Fig. 1(b) by the arrows pointing to “core”. The core network 102 may be connected to one or more external networks. Further, some or all of the respective base station gNBi to gNBs may connected, e.g., via the S1 or X2 interface or the Xn interface in NR, with each other via respective backhaul links 1161 to 1165, which are schematically represented in Fig. 1(b) by the arrows pointing to “gNBs”. Embodiments described herein are not limited to terrestrial networks, TNs, but relate also to networks being implemented, at least in parts, as non-terrestrial network, NTN, as shown in Fig. 1 with reference to a satellite Si that may operate, for example, to bridge communication between different base stations, to serve one or more UE and/or a cell on the ground, e.g., as a nonterrestrial base station, to communicate with a different satellite.

For data transmission a physical resource grid may be used. The physical resource grid may comprise a set of resource elements to which various physical channels and physical signals are mapped. For example, the physical channels may include the physical downlink, uplink and sidelink shared channels (PDSCH, PLISCH, PSSCH) carrying user specific data, also referred to as downlink, uplink and sidelink payload data, the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying for example a master information block (MIB), the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying for example a system information block (SIB), the physical downlink, uplink and sidelink control channels (PDCCH, PLICCH, PSSCH) carrying for example the downlink control information (DCI), the uplink control information (UCI) and the sidelink control information (SCI). For the uplink, the physical channels, or more precisely the transport channels according to 3GPP, may further include the physical random access channel (PRACH or RACH) used by UEs for accessing the network once a UE is synchronized and has obtained the MIB and SIB. The physical signals may comprise reference signals or symbols (RS), synchronization signals and the like. The resource grid may comprise a frame or radio frame having a certain duration in the time domain and having a given bandwidth in the frequency domain. The frame may have a certain number of subframes of a predefined length, e.g., 1ms. Each subframe may include one or more slots of 12 or 14 OFDM symbols depending on the cyclic prefix (CP) length. All OFDM symbols may be used for DL or UL or only a subset, e.g., when utilizing shortened transmission time intervals (sTTI) or a mini- slot/non-slot-based frame structure comprising just a few OFDM symbols.

The wireless communication system may be any single-tone or multicarrier system using frequency-division multiplexing, like the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, the orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, or any other IFFT-based signal with or without CP, e.g., DFT-s-OFDM. Other waveforms, like non- orthogonal waveforms for multiple access, e.g., filter-bank multicarrier (FBMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) or universal filtered multi carrier (LIFMC), may be used. The wireless communication system may operate, e.g., in accordance with the LTE-Advanced pro standard or the NR (5G), New Radio, standard or a 6G standard.

The wireless network or communication system 100 depicted in Fig. 1 may by a heterogeneous network having distinct overlaid networks, e.g., a network of macro cells with each macro cell including a macro base station, like base station gNBi to gNBs, and a network of small cell base stations (not shown in Fig. 1), like femto or pico base stations.

In addition to the above-described terrestrial wireless network also non-terrestrial wireless communication networks exist including spaceborne transceivers, like satellites, and/or airborne transceivers, like unmanned aircraft systems. The non-terrestrial wireless communication network or system may operate in a similar way as the terrestrial system described above with reference to Fig. 1 , for example in accordance with the LTE-Advanced Pro standard or the NR (5G), new radio, standard.

In mobile communication networks, for example in a network like that described above with reference to Fig. 1 , like an LTE or 5G/NR network, there may be UEs that communicate directly with each other over one or more sidelink (SL) channels, e.g., using the PC5 interface. UEs that communicate directly with each other over the sidelink may include vehicles communicating directly with other vehicles (V2V communication), vehicles communicating with other entities of the wireless communication network (V2X communication), for example roadside entities, like traffic lights, traffic signs, or pedestrians. Other UEs may not be vehicular related UEs and may comprise any of the above-mentioned devices. Such devices may also communicate directly with each other (D2D communication) using the SL channels.

When considering two UEs directly communicating with each other over the sidelink, both UEs may be served by the same base station so that the base station may provide sidelink resource allocation configuration or assistance for the UEs. For example, both UEs may be within the coverage area of a base station, like one of the base stations depicted in Fig. 1. This is referred to as an “in-coverage” scenario. Another scenario is referred to as an “out-of-coverage” scenario. It is noted that “out-of-coverage” does not mean that the two UEs are not within one of the cells depicted in Fig. 1 , rather, it means that these UEs may not be connected to a base station, for example, they are not in an RRC connected state, so that the UEs do not receive from the base station any sidelink resource allocation configuration or assistance, and/or may be connected to the base station, but, for one or more reasons, the base station may not provide sidelink resource allocation configuration or assistance for the UEs, and/or may be connected to the base station that may not support NR V2X services, e.g., GSM, UMTS, LTE base stations.

When considering two UEs directly communicating with each other over the sidelink, e.g., using the PC5 interface, one of the UEs may also be connected with a BS, and may relay information from the BS to the other UE via the sidelink interface. The relaying may be performed in the same frequency band (in-band-relay) or another frequency band (out-of-band relay) may be used. In the first case, communication on the Uu and on the sidelink may be decoupled using different time slots as in time division duplex, TDD, systems.

In an in-coverage scenario in which two UEs directly communicating with each other are both connected to a base station, the base station gNB has a coverage area which, basically, corresponds to the cell schematically represented in Fig. 1. The UEs directly communicating with each other may be both in the coverage area of the base station gNB. Both UEs are possibly connected to the base station, e.g., a gNB and, in addition, they are connected directly with each other over the PC5 interface. The scheduling and/or interference management of the V2V traffic is assisted by the gNB via control signalling over the Uu interface, which is the radio interface between the base station and the UEs. In other words, the gNB provides SL resource allocation configuration or assistance for the UEs, and the gNB assigns the resources to be used for the V2V communication over the sidelink. This configuration is also referred to as a mode 1 configuration in NR V2X or as a mode 3 configuration in LTE V2X.

In an out-of-coverage scenario in which the UEs directly communicating with each other are either not connected to a base station, although they may be physically within a cell of a wireless communication network, or some or all of the UEs directly communicating with each other are to a base station but the base station does not provide for the SL resource allocation configuration or assistance. UEs may directly communicate with each other over a sidelink, e.g., using the PC5 interface. The scheduling and/or interference management of the V2V traffic is based on algorithms implemented between the vehicles. This configuration is also referred to as a mode 2 configuration in NR V2X or as a mode 4 configuration in LTE V2X. As mentioned above, the out-of-coverage scenario does not necessarily mean that the respective mode 2 UEs (in NR) or mode 4 UEs (in LTE) are outside of the coverage of a base station, rather, it means that the respective mode 2 UEs (in NR) or mode 4 UEs (in LTE) are not served by a base station, are not connected to the base station of the coverage area, or are connected to the base station but receive no SL resource allocation configuration or assistance from the base station. Thus, there may be situations in which, within the coverage area, in addition to the NR mode 1 or LTE mode 3 UEs also NR mode 2 or LTE mode 4 UEs are present.

Although some wireless communication networks are operated by providing several network cells, e.g., to cover adjacent or distributed spatial sections, networks are not required to operate with different cells.

With an increase of an amount of communication and with an increase of requirements, positioning is an important issue for wireless communication allowing to adapt to provide for one or more services.

There is, thus, a need to improve positioning procedures.

It is noted that the information in the above section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form prior art and is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein making reference to the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an example of a wireless communication system;

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a wireless communication system comprising a transceiver, like a base station or a relay, and a plurality of communication devices, like UEs, according to an embodiment;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a system architecture including the positioning processor according to an embodiment;

Fig. 5 shows a known procedure for UL-TDOA according to Rel. 18 of 3GPP-NR specifications; Fig. 6a illustrates a scenario where a RAN-Node managing the DCC for the UE requests measurements from at least 2 RAN nodes and selects and provides the consolidated measurement to LMF/Local LMF;

Fig. 6b shows a table listing assistance data that may be transferred from the LMF to a UE and which is taken from TS38.305 V18.1.0;

Fig. 7a-d show schematic diagrams for illustrating the concept of assistance bands, AB, used for transmitting reference signals according to embodiments;

Fig. 7e shows a schematic block diagram of two DCCs having an overlap area to illustrate the advantage of using assistance bands;

Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of multiple bandwidth parts that may be used for an aggregation according to an embodiment;

Fig. 9 shows a schematic illustration of an implementation of zero-power reference signals to allow for interference measurements, IM, of interference originating from other cells or base stations, e.g., neighbouring base stations, according to embodiments;

Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating the concept of multi-TRP according to an embodiment;

Fig. 11 a sceamtic overview of 6G positioning and sensing uses cases; and

Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a computer system on which units or modules as well as the steps of the methods described in accordance with the inventive approach may execute.

Equal or equivalent elements or elements with equal or equivalent functionality are denoted in the following description by equal or equivalent reference numerals or naming even if occurring in different figures.

In the following description, a plurality of details are set forth to provide a more thorough explanation of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form rather than in detail in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present invention. In addition, features of the different embodiments described hereinafter may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a wireless communication system or network as depicted in Fig. 1 including a transceiver, like a base station, gNB, or relay, and a plurality of communication devices, like user equipment’s, UEs.

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a wireless communication system comprising a transceiver 200, like a base station or a relay, and a plurality of communication devices 202i to 202_n, like UEs. The UEs might communicated directly with each other via a wireless communication link or channel 203, like a radio link (e.g., using the PC5 interface (sidelink)). Further, the transceiver and the UEs 202 might communicate via a wireless communication link or channel 204, like a radio link (e.g., using the Uu interface). The transceiver 200 might include one or more antennas ANT or an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements, a signal processor 200a and a transceiver unit 200b. The UEs 202 might include one or more antennas ANT or an antenna array having a plurality of antennas, a processor 202a1 to 202an, and a transceiver (e.g., receiver and/or transmitter) unit 202bi to 202b_n. The base station 200 and/or the one or more UEs 202 may operate in accordance with the inventive teachings described herein.

When further referring to Fig. 1 , a wireless communication system that comprises more than a single wireless communication network, e.g., more than one terrestrial networks, TN, more than one non-terrestrial networks, NTN, or a combination of one TN and at least one NTN may lead to a scenario wherein a served device such as UE2 of Fig. 1 may be served, sequentially or simultaneously by more than a single wireless communication network. Some of those scenarios may lead to a requirement for a handover, e.g., UE2 leaving coverage of TN to be then served by the NTN or other reasons. Not limited hereto, the inventors have found that there may be a benefit when exchanging information between devices or entities and even between networks. Whilst not limiting the embodiments described herein to such a situation, some embodiments related to preparing a handover of a device such as a UE from one wireless communication network to another wireless communication network. This may be of benefit when performing a handover between two wireless communication networks of a same kind, e.g., to TN or to NTN but is of particular advantage when performing a handover from the TN- to an NTN-system or vice versa. Embodiments provide solutions of how to enable and implement new approaches for positioning and possibly for sensing as well in 6G. One of the main thoughts is to define what is necessary to directly re-use the result of channel estimation (a task carried out by the communication-system in any case) for the purpose of positioning and sensing. Embodiments propose the reguired functionalities, procedures and interfaces (such as signalling) for various architecture variants including UEs, RAN and core components. One object achieved in an advantageous manner is the support of cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, i.e., a dynamic setup of distributed massive MIMO access points (APs).

The current positioning solutions for mobile communications (as defined for 5G according to, e.g., [1]) are still, although implemented on the same carrier signal, using their own subsystems with their own reference signals and their own parameter estimation algorithms — in other words, they do not reuse the reference signals and parameter estimation algorithms that are already used for communication purposes — and they support the cell-based organization of the mobile network with a serving-gNB (in the current cell) and neighbouring-gNBs. In addition, current solutions do not support localization of passive objects — namely, sensing.

Research activities within academia begin to propose and investigate new ideas; but choosing from these ideas and implementing them efficiently in a next-generation mobile communication system with respect to such considerations as architecture, interfaces, procedures and signalling is, as yet, a largely unsolved task.

In view of the above, the inventors have identified the problems to be solved in the following sub-sections.

Reduction of signalling overhead

Positioning schemes using their own reference signals (in parallel with reference signals for basic and essential tasks such as channel estimation) cause an additional overhead in terms of the available resources (i.e., time-and-freguency resources for each spatial setting). These resources would not be available for data transmissions and thus would reduce the overall data rate. Furthermore, these signals would also not be available for other control information such as improving channel estimation for improving data reception. A reduction of the overall signalling might be obtainable through the re-use of the same signal for multiple purposes.

Communications, channel and positioning synergies At present, there is very little synergy between estimation tasks such as channel estimation and the estimation of positioning parameters (for example, the angle of arrival of or the delay associated with signal components) in mobile communication systems. This unnecessarily not only increases the required computational complexity and resources needed, but also the consumption of electrical energy, both for the computation itself and for the cooling of the equipment that performs the computation. Current systems are optimized for communication purposes and associated reference signals have the purpose to allow cell identification, beam identification and/or beam management, control channel identification, or channel estimation. Existing positioning mechanisms embedded in cellular systems or others are optimized for specific positioning techniques, e.g., OTDOA or RTT measurement or phase estimation techniques or DL-DOA. Thus, in current systems, communication and positioning frameworks are not well-aligned and require a fully independent implementation in a cellular network. This causes overhead and may restrict adoption of these techniques in the market.

Cell-free massive MIMO communications

To the best of the inventors’ present knowledge, although work in the framework of beyond 5G and 6G is advancing in the areas of distributed cell-free massive MIMO (in which access points used to serve a UE can be dynamically combined), such work neither provides support for positioning nor considers how it could be implemented. Furthermore, cooperation of base stations, only possible within the multi-TRP framework in 5G, is only possible with a small number of TRPs, e.g., up to 4 TRPs. In addition, the current framework is static, since it does not allow dynamic cluster formation and operation which is required, since users are mostly mobile and located in different positions of the cellular network. Therefore, users would benefit from a user-centric communication approach, which would allow to form clusters of base station sites which support the user in a cell-free manner.

Support of both active and passive positioning

At present, there are no positioning solutions that support both the positioning of active UEs (“UE positioning”) and the sensing of passive objects. However, as the latter can be performed by considering the geometrical arrangement of the signals reflected by passive objects from known sources of “illumination”), it is thus conceivable to consider methods that support both active and passive positioning and should therefore be supported. Current 5G positioning solutions rely on active signals transmitted by at least one transmitter and to be estimated by at least one receiver. This causes signalling overhead and enhance synchronization efforts. Furthermore, this additional signal processing at the UE will cause additional power drainage at the UE. Positioning of passive objects requires high resolution path estimation and tracking. This is not foreseen by the overall communication reference signal design. Disaggregated positioning architecture

A new positioning architecture that supports full flexibility in terms of disaggregation and the placement of positioning functions at the UE-side or at the RAN-side (including sub-units of RAN like Dlls, CUs, RICs, etc.) is still missing and needs to be brought forward. This would allow the very wide range of use cases for positioning and sensing to be addresses — all of which have different reguirements with respect to deployment and performance.

State-of-the-art

This section presents the state-of-the-art (SOT A) at the time of writing by reporting on relevant and related topics in both standardization and open literature, each of which is presented in its own sub-section.

Standardization

[1] describes the current positioning framework (Location Services LCS framework) in 3GPP. Here, positioning methods make use of reference signals on their own. They do not directly reuse the H-matrix from the communication sub-system. The LCS framework does not directly and generically support a distributed massive MIMO-system, i.e. a cell-free massive MIMO arrangement.

Outlook on Standardization of Positioning with 6G: [2] gives an outlook on the shape of 6G- positioning maybe subject to 3GPP study from Release 20 (2^nd half of 2025) onwards and subject to 3GPP normative work from Release 21 (2027) onwards. It does not yet disclose the additional idea(s) developed in this invention report.

[3] and [4] are research literature leading towards reusing the H-Matrix (obtained from communications) towards positioning as well (while using possible integrated algorithms for joint estimation of a number of parameters at a time). Some aspects of the present invention are related to the way how to put them into existences (e.g., by defining a PPU, by defining signalling, etc.). With regard to [3], this paper describes the idea of direct positioning in a distributed MIMO-System in a different context when compared to the present invention, i.e. context is not yet mobile communications like in aspects of the present invention. With regard to [4], this paper describes the theoretical foundation of using the H-Matrix, i.e. CSI, for positioning directly.

Starting from the above, embodiments of the present invention provide fora solution to improve positioning in mobile communication. General Definitions/Terms

The following keywords are used for describing aspects of the present invention: Channel Estimation Result (H-Matrix, Channel State Information, Channel Impulse Response), Positioning, Sensing, Cell-Free Massive-MIMO Network; Communications processor (CPU); Positioning processor (PPU); Core network (CN). The keywords are described in the following sub-sections.

Amongst others, embodiments relate to a PPU that works on the basis of channel estimation results, but supports, in at least some variants, the classical ..distributed" cell-based architecture. Other embodiments, relate to the PPU supporting a centralized cell-free operation (6G) as well as distributed cell-free operation (6G), both according to [5] that describes the pure cell-free communication system without the extension of a positioning-sub-system, which is the topic of embodiments described herein, as well as different cells of the cell-based approach (5G).

Channel Estimation Result ((H-Matrix, Channel State Information CSI, Channel Impulse Response CIR)

Any result from estimation of the wireless channel, the communication subsystem has been coming up with. For example, this can be the H-Matrix (e.g., a 2D-field of channel coefficients for each subcarrier and each antenna, including massive MIMO antenna at single sites, but also possible for distributed massive MIMO antennas). Other formats may also apply (e.g., CIRs as time domain representation per antenna port). Another name used is “CSI” (or “explicit CSI” in case the amount of information is not reduced to indicators like PMI, Rl, CQI). Scientific literature like [5] gives examples of how communication systems are able to come up with channel estimation results.

Note: Channel estimation is expected to be performed once per channel coherence time and this is also (at least partly) linked to the mobility of the UE, i.e. , a fast-moving UE has a lower channel coherence time and channel estimation needs to be performed more often. But this could also correspond to the needed update rate for positioning, i.e., a stationary UE needs only low update rate of the positioning result, however, a fast-moving UE needs high update rate in order to be able to obtain its precise track. In other works, an adaptation of the channel estimation based on the coherence time may also result in a variable adapted update rate for positioning. Some embodiments relate to the recognition to improve operation of wireless networks by using a channel estimate such as the H-matrix for positioning/sensing since it is available.

The channel estimation results may reflect info about one or more of angles (over the antenna elements) as well as info about timing (over the subcarriers of the broadband signal including Doppler-parameters. Embodiments relate to use such information, amongst others, for JADE for distributed or centralized architecture. Being free to use any applicable algorithms, it provides for a new positioning (or sensing) method.

Positioning

Determining the position of an active terminal (like a UE) that can either transmit or receive signals or can both transmit and receive signals with the mobile communications network (UE- positioning). The processing for positioning can take place either on the network side or on the UE-side or both sides can assist each other. UE-positioning is described in [1],

Sensing

Determining the position of passive objects in the environment. Sensing could be the radar principle incorporated into the mobile communication system. Sensing could be mono-static, bi-static or multi-static, i.e., combining multiple spatially diverse mono-static or bi-static sensing outcomes. In one example, the UE may be configured to transmit certain reference signal to enable measurements for sensing. In another example, the UE or the object associated with the UE (e.g., the person) may simply reflect the signal back.. The UE sends a signal that is being reflected by passive objects.

By obtaining channel estimation results, the information where these reflections occur could be determined, which can be further be used for supporting sensing use case. Likewise, a part of the channel estimation results which are obtained for communication and/or positioning can be further exploited for the purpose of sensing.

Cell-free Massive-MIMO Network

A dynamic distributed architecture as explained in [5], Depending on the UE position a (varying) cluster of APs is taking care of this UE in a “Coordinated Multipoint” distributed MIMO fashion. Such a distributed MIMO antenna could be handled during processing as single distributed antenna (centralized operation) or with distributed processing of each AP (decentralized operation). See [5], which has a summary of cell-free setups.

Communications Processor (CPU) This is the naming of the abstracted and idealized processing component(s) inside the Radio Access Network (RAN) according to [5], It can be equivalent to BBU (Baseband Processing) or in accordance with O-RAN to DU (Distributed Unit) and CU (Centralized Unit) of RAN.

Positioning Processor (PPU) / Position Calculation Unit

This the new abstracted and idealized processing component for the new positioning approach within according to embodiments. It is added to Bjdrnson’s system from [5], As said, it is an abstracted view. According to embodiments, it may be placed in the RAN, or in the Core Network (like the current location server LMF of [1], It can be disaggregated as well. A UE- based positioning (location calculation function in the UE) is also possible.

Core Network

This is the core network of mobile communications that will continue to be there for 6G. [5] is also referring to the core network in its descriptions and block diagrams. It continues to be one of the possible locations to host the PPU.

Dynamic Cooperation Cluster (DCC)

The DCC is the cluster of distributed APs (Access Points) of a cell-free massive MIMO system around a UE, which are currently selected and contributing to carry out coordinated UL reception and DL transmissions in support of this specific UE. There are algorithmic approaches to determine which APs should contribute. These approaches update and provide a dynamic solution, i.e., a dynamic cluster of APs cooperating in a coordinated fashion. Further definitions and details are given in [5], In the context of embodiments, positioning (and sensing) is also taking place in the actual DCC of the very moment, i.e., in addition to data transmissions, while exploiting synergies such as re-using the channel estimation result as much as possible.

According to embodiments, the access points, APs, are not limited to 5G or 6G networks. As an alternative or in addition one, more or all of the APs of a DCC may be operational for different RANs such as WiFi (IEEE 802.11), with the functionality implemented on WiFi APs and/or WiFi stations, STA.

Aspect 1 : Positioning Processor Using channel measurements (e.g., an H-Matrix)

An idea underlying aspects of the present invention is to extend a pure 6G [cell-free] communications systems (achieving data throughput) towards a 6G-“Location-aware- Network”. Prior descriptions of the 6G-systems just have the distributed APs (Access Points), a CPU (Processor for Communications in the Radio Access Network) and a Core Network [5], Embodiments aim to enable localization (and optionally sensing) by using the H-matrix and/or other channel estimates, a new Positioning Processor (PPU)/Position Calculation Unit is being added and a new Interface is being defined enabling the direct use of the H-Matrix/ channel estimate (estimated in the CPU) directly in the PPU assisted by necessary other signalling.

Such a concept may make use of a position Calculation Unit or PPU that calculates on such information.

A first aspect relates to a position Calculation Unit, e.g., a PPU for a wireless communication network, wherein the position calculation unit comprises: an input, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC, such as APs, and a device to be located; a calculator configured for determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; wherein the Position Calculation Unit is configured for providing information related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network. In some examples, the APs may be access points or routers of a WiFi device or one or more WiFi devices configured to operate in ad hoc mode.

Optionally, the DCC comprises at least one of:

• at least two APs, adapted to transmit to and/or receive from a user equipment on a given frequency resource one or more reference signals and/or one or more data signals, either concurrently or time-multiplexed;

• at least two APs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are configured to transmit and/or receive reference signals from a UE;

• at least two TRPs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are configured to the UE, which the UE is expected to perform measurements on;

• at least two TRPs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are selected by a PCU for performing measurements on at least one signal transmitted by the UE.

Further optionally, possibly in addition, the information related to the DCC is indicated by system information and/or a dedicated signalling such as NR Positioning Protocol, LPP, ProvideAssistanceData or one or more ProvideMeasurementReport messages, e.g., carried on the New Radio Positioning Protocol A, NRPPa, interface or using an RRC Signalling.

According to a second aspect when referring back to the first aspect, the channel estimation result comprises at least one of:

• an H-matrix,

• a sampled H-matrix,

• part of H-matrix, e.g., certain paths are not measured or not reported, which can contain at least one of or at least elements of o a row of an H-matrix, o a column of an H-matrix, o a filtered H-matrix, e.g., a covariance matrix of the H-matrix, o the diagonal or the trace of the H-matrix, or an element of the diagonal, o the non-diagonal of the H-matrix, e.g., representing the interference,

• a filtered H-matrix, e.g., a covariance matrix of the H-matrix,

• a normalized H-matrix, or elements within the H-matrix, e.g., rows or columns,

• a transformed H-matrix, e.g., doppler-delay (ZAC) or FFT transformed,

• a channel state information, CSI; and

• a channel impulse response, CIR.

According to a third aspect when referring back to any one of the first to second aspects, the channel estimation result is based on one or more communication reference signals of the wireless communication network such as a DeModulation Reference Signal, DMRS, related to a Channel State Information, CSI-RS, related to a Phase Tracking Reference Signal, PTRS.

According to a fourth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to third aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to further receive, using the same or a different input, position information indicating positions of devices contributing to the DCC; wherein the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determining the location of the device based on the position information.

According to a fifth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determine a selection of devices as a subset or as superset of candidate devices to contribute to the DCC based on a position of the candidate devices and to signal, via the input, the selection of devices. According to a sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the input is adapted to support a procedures to start and/or stop a data delivery in order to enable positioning including determining the location of the device, e.g., either initiated on a communication processor unit, CPU, side or on a position calculation unit, PPU, side.

According to a seventh aspect when referring back to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to support a procedure for joint communications and sensing/positioning, ISAC, bi-static or mono-static.

According to an eighth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the input is configured for providing a feedback on a configuration of information, e.g., to feedback on an update rate or a shape of channel estimation results to be provided to the Position Calculation Unit.

According to a ninth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the input is configured for providing a feedback of results obtained by the Position Calculation Unit, e.g., reflector location information such as a sensing of passive objects.

According to a tenth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for receiving error information related to potential error sources, e.g., AP position, sync or calibration uncertainties; estimation quality of H; and to determine the location of the device based on the error information.

According to an eleventh aspect when referring back to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for determining, using the channel estimation result, estimates of spatial origins of signals such as line-of-sight-signals and/or reflections.

According to a twelfth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for determining the location of the device to comprise a final UE position as a final result, e.g., for a LoS and/or a non-LoS scenario, such as detected non-LoS origins equivalent to virtual anchors useful for NLOS positioning.

According to a thirteenth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for sensing, the sensing comprising determining, from a spatial origin of reflections, a position of a passive object, an angle of the spatial origin and/or a time of travel of a signal reflected by the spatial origin of reflection. According to a fourteenth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit being at least a part of at least one of:

• a core network, CN, of the wireless communication network, e.g., a network function, NF and/or a location management function, LMF;

• a Radio Access Network, RAN,

• a distributed unit, DU,

• a central unit, CU, of the wireless communication network;

• a base station, BS, or gNB, or other entities of the NG-RAN network;

• externally connected to the wireless communication network, e.g., via the Internet, e.g., being in a remote location such as a data centre,

• within a non-3GPP node, e.g., a WiFi station, STA, or access point, AP; and

• a user equipment, UE.

According to a fifteenth aspect when referring back to the fourteenth aspect, the Position Calculation Unit is implemented at least in parts in the UE for a UE based positioning in a distributed cell-based configuration or a cell-free configuration.

According to a sixteenth aspect when referring back to the fourteenth or fifteenth aspects, the base station is a part of an eNB, a gNB, a satellite, a non-terrestrial network component (NTN) as part of a NTN architecture, a repeater, a relay node and/or a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc.

According to a seventeenth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determine the location of the device based on a time of arrival, TOA, and/or an angle of arrival, AOA, of an uplink signal transmitted by the device, e.g., received with a base station of the wireless communication network.

According to an eighteenth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for determining the location of the device with calculations of separate estimation algorithms per device, e.g., an access point, AP, of the DCC and/or per single parameter of signal components or path components between the device and the DCC.

According to a nineteenth aspect when referring back to the eighteenth aspect, the single parameter is part of a set of parameters comprising at least one of:

• an azimuth of an angle of arrival, AOA, of a signal received from or received with the device; an elevation of the AOA

• a delay,

• a multi-path component,

• a Doppler for one, a set or all devices followed by a second algorithms comprising at least one stage, the second algorithm combining the parameters towards a final positioning result.

According to a twentieth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for calculating at least one joint estimation algorithm for multiple parameters and per device, e.g., an access point, AP, of the DCC such as a distributed Joint Angle and Distance Estimation, JADE, per device to obtain a position estimate of each device of the DCC for which the joint estimation algorithm is calculated.

According to a twenty-first aspect when referring back to the twentieth aspect, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for combining the estimated per-device-positions in a further algorithm, e.g. a weighted average.

According to a twenty-second aspect when referring back to any one of the first to twenty-first aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for calculating at least one joint estimation algorithm for multiple parameters of several or all devices, e.g., APs, of the DCC contributing at a time such as all APs contributing to the Dynamic Cooperation Cluster DCC of APs in the cell-free-distributed-massive-M I MO-network at that time, in a single algorithm to obtain the position result for each signal component.

According to a twenty-third aspect when referring back to any one of the first to twenty-second aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for determining the location information by further using at least one legacy method and/or evaluating at least one sensor signal.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to twenty-third aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for receiving the channel estimation result in a predefined format.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect when referring back to the twenty-third aspect, the predefined format is based or indicates at least one of:

• an antenna configuration;

• heterogeneous device parameters of devices of the DCC;

• support of one or multiple bands. According to a twenty-sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to twenty-fifth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is being implemented completely or in parts in a user equipment, UE to perform a UE based positioning.

According to a twenty-seventh aspect when referring back to the twenty-sixth aspect, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determine the channel estimation result for a DCC of an actual or current cell-free configuration based on DL signals received with the UE.

According to a twenty-eighth aspect when referring back to the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh aspect, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to receive information such as information indicating locations of the APs currently contributed to the DCC via an input, e.g., an interface.

According to a twenty-ninth aspect when referring back to any one of the twenty-sixth to twentyeighth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is configured for receiving the channel estimation result from the wireless communication network, wherein the UE is adapted to determine the information related to the location based on the channel estimation result.

According to a thirtieth aspect when referring back to any one of the twenty-sixth to twentyninth aspects, the UE is a part of a device to be used by a human, a vehicular UE, an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV, an automated guided vehicle, AGV, a drone, a satellite, g., a UE-type NTN component, a robot, etc.

According to a thirty-first aspect when referring back to any one of the twenty-sixth to twentyeighth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to provide or support on-demand a full bandwidth burst for communication based on a full resolution of the channel estimation result.

According to a thirty-second aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-first aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to receiving the information related to the DCC and/or the channel estimation result from at least one user equipment, UE and/or provide the information related to the location to a device or network node, e.g., for direct use, for further post-processing, or for forwarding to a connected device and/or positioning processor for further processing or storage.

According to a thirty-third aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-second aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to receive, via the input and for determining the location, one or more of: • Reference symbols, e.g., CSI-RS, SSB, SRS,

• sidelink reference signals,

• positioning reference signals, PRS, and

• WiFi preambles.

According to a thirty-fourth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-third aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to receive, via the input and for determining the location, one or more measurement reports.

According to a thirty-fifth aspect when referring back to the thirty-fourth aspect, the measurement report comprises one or more of:

• CQI, PMI, Rl, channel estimation result, e.g., the estimated channel or a representation of the estimated channel, e.g., a H-matrix or covariance matrix. The H-matrix can represent the channel itself (explicit description in spatial, time and/or frequency domain) or the propagation statistics between transmitter and receiver; o Transmit antennas, o Receive antennas, o Power amplifiers, e.g., high power or low power amplifiers, e.g., low noise amplifiers, LNAs, o Predistortion algorithms, o Beamformers, e.g., TX and/or Rx beamformers, o Any component in the transmit and/or receive branch generating a noise figure, e.g., ADC/DAC converters, etc. o Waveform characteristics, e.g., resulting effects caused by the chosen waveform which can be one or more of:

■ OFDM, MIMO-OFDM, SC-FDMA or any other type of single carrier waveform, OTFS, or GFDMA, FBMC or filtered waveforms, or any other 6G waveform.

• RSSI, RSRQ, RSRP or any other forms of received signal strength reporting,

• Signal strength and/or RTT measurement obtained from WiFi signals,

• GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area,

• Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory,

• Beam-related information, e.g., beam index, beam patterns, beam interference, beam direction, beam-failure-recovery, BFR, -related information,

• L1, L2, or L3-filtered measurements

• Timestamps, validity, probability, integrity, accuracy-related information with respect to at least one input data or sets of input data, top-m statistics, Assistance data received from one or more of:

UE(s), base station(s), CN or NFs, e.g., via LMF, or via the Internet Non-3GPP nodes, e.g., WiFi STA or AP.

According to a thirty-sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-fifth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to provide the information related to the location as a calculated value and/or as a prediction.

According to a thirty-seventh aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-fifth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to provide the information related to the location to comprise one or more of:

• GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area,

• Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory,

• Beam-related information if applicable, e.g., beam-direction, beam IDs, beam interference, beam failure recovery, other spatial information, number and/or order of beams, e.g., top-m beams,

• Zone-related information, e.g., cell-free area, node cooperation cluster or area

• Handover-related information, e.g., HO candidate list, neighbourhood lists, conditional handover, CHO, related information (e.g. in the 5G context, for which DCC is not yet introduced).

According to a thirty-eighth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-seventh aspects, a Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determine the location of the device using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning.

According to a thirty-ninth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-eighth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is forming a part of a frontend at a RAN node, e.g., as part of a distributed unit, DU, located beside Radio Units (AP) and/or a central unit CU; wherein the Position Calculation Unit implements a Local-LMF-function in the RAN.

According to a fortieth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to thirty-ninth aspects, a position output comprising the information related to the location is associated with a temporary identifier for a client of the positioning service residing in a RAN network of the wireless communication network. According to a forty-first aspect when referring back to any one of the first to fortieth aspects, the Position Calculation Unit being a part of a device configured for hybrid beamforming.

According to a forty-second aspect when referring back to any one of the first to forty-first aspects, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to request additional channel measurements from APs that have been previously identified by the DCC but not selected as active APs for communications in the DCC; and to use channel measurements received responsive to the request to augment the channel estimation result; and/or adapted to request measurements from a legacy method to improve the positioning performance by fusion of the information from the channel estimation result and the requested legacy measurements; and/or adapted to request from a Communication Processing Unit, CPU, a reclustering of the active devices in at least one DCC to include a larger number of active APs and/or APs with specific properties, e.g., APs with locations that are preferred for positioning performance.

According to a forty-third aspect when referring back to the forty-second aspect, the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to repeat augmentations of the channel estimation result until a quality or usability of the channel state information has reached a predefined threshold.

A forty-fourth aspect relates to a Communications Processor Unit, CPU, for a wireless communication network, configured for controlling a set of access points of a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, of access points, APs, and adapted for determining a channel estimation result of a channel between the DCC and a device such as a user equipment, UE, wherein the communications processor comprises an output, e.g., an interface, and is configured for, using the output, to

• signal the channel estimation result, e.g. an H-matrix

• signal information about the DCC and optional further information, like the positions of the APs currently contributing to the DCC;

• signal a feedback on a configuration of information provided, e.g. feedback on an update rate or a shape of channel estimation results to be received with the CPU.

According to a forty-fifth aspect when referring back to the forty-fourth aspect, the Communications Processor Unit, CPU, comprising an input adapted to

• receive, e.g., from a Position Calculation Unit, feedback on the DCC selections; wherein the CPU is adapted for selecting devices of the DCC based on the feedback, e.g. in order to achieve a better dilution of precision

• receive, e.g., from a Position Calculation Unit, a request to start or stop measurements or data delivery and/or to receive a configuration change; • receive results obtained, e.g., by the Position Calculation Unit, such as a UE location information or reflector location information obtained by sensing of passive objects can be provided to the CPU; wherein the CPU is adapted to improve communication based on the results.

According to a forty-sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the first to forty-fifth aspects, the channel estimation result relates to a measurement of a first pilot signal/reference signal transmitted in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and a second pilot signal/reference signal transmitted in a second BWP.

A forty-seventh as relates to a user equipment comprising a Position Calculation Unit when referring back to the first to forty-sixth aspects.

According to a forty-eighth aspect when referring back to the forty-seventh aspect, the user equipment is adapted to receive information from another UE as input data, e.g., the information related to the DCC and/or the channel estimation result.

According to a forty-ninth aspect when referring back to the forty-seventh to forty-eighth aspects, the user equipment is configured for assisting one or more different UEs with the information related to the device.

A fiftieth aspect relates to a user equipment configured for operating in a wireless communication network and for providing input data for another UE comprising a Position Calculation Unit.

According to a fifty-first aspect when referring back to the fiftieth aspect, the user equipment is adapted to receive a result of a positioning procedure from the another UE as a support of operation.

According to a fifty-second aspect when referring back to any one of the forty-seventh to fifty- first aspect, the user equipment being one of a plurality of UEs, e.g., located in a collaboration zone, wherein the UE is adapted to exchange input and/or output information with respect to the Positioning Calculation Unit, e.g., assistance data.

A fifty-third aspect relates to a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of Position Calculation Units of any one of the first to fifty-second aspects, wherein each Position Calculation Unit is associated with a unique or derived identifier, e.g., PPID. According to a fifty-fourth aspect when referring back to the fifty-third aspect, a first Position Calculation Unit of the plurality of Position Calculation Units is operated as a default positioning processor and a second Position Calculation Unit of the plurality of Position Calculation Units is operated as fallback positioning processor, wherein devices which initially connect or wakeup from a discontinuous reception, DRX, cycle, are provided with information which Position Calculation Unit to connect to.

According to a fifty-fifth aspect when referring back to the fifty-third or fifty-fourth aspect, the plurality of Position Calculation Units are listed and optionally ranked as available Position Calculation Units, wherein a device in the wireless communication network is provided with information which possible fallback positioning processors to use with the list.

According to a fifty-sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-third to fifty-fifth aspects, the wireless communication network is adapted to select devices of the DCC for communication based on an SINR, e.g., as exclusive basis; and for selecting the devices of the DCC for position procedures differently, e.g., based on a geometry, e.g., relating to a Dilution of Precision, DoP, and/or a number of devices; or to use the same DCC for communication and for positioning.

Fig. 3 is a schematic bloc diagram illustrating this idea according to the first aspect whilst incorporating also optional features.

In particular, Fig. 3 shows at least a part of a basic setup of a location-aware network that may be used in a 6G-configuration. Illustrated wireless communication network 300 comprises a communications processor CPU that is shown, by way of non-limiting example only, in a centralized architecture. However, according to embodiments, the CPU 302 may comprise a distributed architecture. CPU 302 may be configured for performing a channel estimation, a MIMO precoding, a determination of a combination of antennas or other MIMO-related resources. Alternatively or in addition, CPU 302 may be configured for data detection. CPU 302 may be connected or communicating with a dynamic core operation cluster, DCC, comprising one or more DCC devices such as access points 306i, 3062, ... , 306L and/or transmission-reception-points, TRPs, or combinations thereof.

Network 300 further comprises a position calculation unit 308 such as a PPU for wireless communication network 300, wherein the position calculation unit 308 comprises an input 310, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information 311 related to a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, 304 and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result 312, e.g., an H-matrix, related to a channel between devices 306 of the DCC 304 and a device 314 to be located. Information 311 may comprise, for example, a position of one or more of the devices of the DCC 304, quality error key performance indicator, KPIs, or other information related to the DCC such as

■ Cluster size, e.g., number of involved devices, e.g., base stations, UEs, APs, STAs, e.g., the cluster size of a DCC may be limited according to a device density, or number of BS sectors, or type of sectorization configured in a wireless communication network, e.g., NG-RAN,

■ Number of transmit receive points, TRPs,

■ Distance or locations of involved devices, e.g., minimum required distance between devices of the DCC,

■ Type of connection, e.g., cabled or wireless backhaul, e.g., microwave, and/or throughput and/or delay of interfaces between entities of the DCC,

■ Number of attached devices, e.g., UEs,

■ Load of the DCC, number of connections, number of connections requests,

■ Transmit power of involved BS of the DCC, e.g., Macro transmit power of 43 or 46 dBm, or small cell transmit power, e.g., 30 dBm.

Position calculation unit 308 comprises a calculator 316 configured for determining a location of the device 314 based on the information 311 related to the DCC 304 and the channel estimation result 312.

Position calculation unit 308 is configured for providing information 318 related to the location of the device 314, e.g., for a location-based service and/or for use by the network. For example, information 318 may be provided to a positioning application such as LCS clients.

Optionally, position calculation unit 308 may be configured for receiving and/or transmitting signals or otherwise performing an interaction with other devices such as a different positioning processor or several positioning processors as labelled by 322. Optionally, position calculation unit 308 may be configured for communicating with other applications by exchanging signals 324 with XR applications and/or digital twin applications.

Optionally, position calculation unit 308 may receive and/or transmit maps and/or environmental information 326. The results provided by the position calculation unit 308 may, at least in part, be provided to other devices such as communications processor 302, e.g., by signaling, using signaling 328, a DCC selection of devices 306, e.g., to provide the channel estimation result 312. This may be understood as selecting or deselecting devices such as to focus on relevant channel estimates for the positioning procedure. Alternatively or in addition, and nevertheless optional, signaling 328 may comprise a feedback of a determined position of device 324, e.g., to assist communications between DCC 304 and the device 314.

Position calculation unit 308 may be implemented at least partially as a part of the core network and/or at least partially as a part of the RAN. The position calculation unit 308 may be a centralized or disaggregated unit, e.g., distributed over both run and core network. The position calculation unit 308 may provide for one or more of a direct positioning, DP, in addition or as an alternative to legacy positioning methods. A UE position calculation may be based on a line-of-sight, LOS, and/or non-LOS, optionally including Al-based methods. Alternatively or in addition, sensing may be implemented, e.g., for a reflector position calculation. The position calculation unit 308 may be configured to extract further parameters such as Doppler-related parameters, e.g., per path, or other parameters. Position calculation unit 308 may assist or even perform a tracking and/or a simultaneous localization and mapping, SLAM, based on the determined position. Alternatively or in addition to the above, the position calculation unit 308 may assist or perform a rebuilding of digital twins of the scenario, e.g., in connection with signaling 324.

The position calculation unit 308 may be configured for a signaling 332 with the communications processor 302, e.g., to request for a start and/or a stop of measurements, e.g., at the DCC 304, or of the position calculation implementation, e.g., at position calculation unit 308, and/or to exchange configuration parameters or to implement configuration changes.

In other words, according to an embodiment, a Position Calculation Unit 308, e.g., a PPU for a wireless communication network is provided, wherein the position calculation unit 308 comprises:

An input 310, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information 311 related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, 304 and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result 312 related to a channel between devices of the DCC, such as APs, and a device 314 to be located. PCU 308 comprises a calculator 316 configured for determining a location of the device based on the information 311 related to the DCC 304 and the channel estimation result 312. The Position Calculation Unit 308 is configured for providing information 318 related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network.

Advantageously, an additional framework of reference signals is not necessarily needed for positioning and overhead may be avoided. This is in contrast to 5G and prior generation, were there was a separate framework of positioning reference signals like described in [1],

Fig. 3 may be further described like this:

Communications Processor (CPU) 302:

Estimates the channel and provides the H-matrix/channel estimate,

Performs further pure communication tasks: determination of precoding and combining vectors, data decoding

Variant 1 : centralized (for centralized cell-free-architecture, i.e. CPU according to centralized operation as explained in [5]

Variant 2: distributed (processor distributed between AP and a central point distributed c/f-architecture).

New Interface (connecting Communications Processor 302 and Positioning Processor 308)

Signals the channel estimation result 312, e.g., the H-matrix

Signals information 328 about the current DCC and provides further information, like the positions of the APs currently contributing to the DCC

Optional: Via the interface, the PPU 308 may signal feedback 328 on the DCC selections in order influence the DCC selections out of positioning considerations, e.g., in order to achieve a better dilution of precision

The interface supports procedures to start and stop data delivery in order to enable positioning, either initiated on the CPU 302 side or on the PPU 308 side. The procedure may, as an alternative or in addition, provide joint communications and sensing/positioning (ISAC)

The interface supports feedback on the configuration of information provided, e.g., it allows feedback on the update rate or the shape of channel estimation results to be provided to the PPU 308. The interface allows to feed back results obtained by the PPU 308. So, UE location information or reflector location information (sensing of passive objects) can be provided to the CPU 302, where it can be used in order to improve communications (throughput).

Positioning Processor 308:

Receives H-matrix, DCC configuration and deployment info (AP positions) from communications processor 302

Optionally receives additional quantities 311 on potential error sources, e.g., AP position, sync or calibration uncertainties; estimation quality of H; etc...

Optionally calculates the estimates of the spatial origins of signals (LOS as well as reflections)

May use this to further perform final UE positioning (for LOS as well as NLOS scenarios, e.g., detected NLOS origins equivalent to virtual anchors useful for NLOS positioning)

May, as an alternative or in addition, perform sensing (using spatial origin of reflections to conclude on the position of passive objects (i.e. reflecting mirrors) (Note that this would be equivalent to the bi-static radar principle, with either AP(s) or the UE being the signal source and either UE or AP(s) being the detection unit for sensing.

It is noted that the PPU 308 could be, amongst others, part of CN, part of RAN (i.e. one or more gNBs and/or one or more UEs) or distributed over both CN and RAN.

TOA and AOA can be more accurately estimated by the base station in uplink than by the UE in downlink. In case of TDD systems with exploitation of the property of channel reciprocity, channel estimation might just happen in one direction (e.g., in the UL) so that channel estimation is there only once and the result is shared with the respective other link (e.g., DL). The concepts of Joint Angle and Distance Estimation (JADE) or Direct Positioning (DP) both for centralized (i.e. DP once and overall for the distributed cell-free antenna system) operation and distributed (i.e. DP per MIMO panel at an AP and then weighted combination of results) operation are explained and investigated in [3], [4], Embodiments relate to a PPU such as PPU 308 that supports one or more of the following: The use of separate estimation algorithms per site (AP) and per single parameter of one signal component (path) like AoA azimuth, AoA elevation, Delay, Doppler followed by a second algorithms that combines the parameters towards a final positioning result. There may be variants that split this second step also into a two- stage-algorithm, e.g., position estimation based on several single parameters per AP and then weighted combination of these single AP results.

The use of joint estimation algorithms for multiple parameters but still per AP (e.g.: distributed Joint Angle and Distance Estimation JADE per AP) leading to position estimates of each AP. The per-AP-position estimated may then be combined in a second algorithm, e.g., a weighted average. Joint estimation may be achieved by configuring a UE and/or the AP to report the Rx-Tx time measurements and/or RTT estimate to the position computing node through a first positioning method (e.g. Multi-RTT configured) and obtaining the AoD estimate from the second positioning method configured to the UE or obtaining the AoD estimate from the network node. The use of joint estimation algorithms for multiple parameters of all APs contributing at a time (e.g., all APs contributing to the Dynamic Cooperation Cluster DCC of APs in the cell-free-distributed-massive-M I MO-network at that time) in a single algorithm leading directly to the position result for each signal component.

One or more of the following further possibilities may apply:

Combination of Cell-Free Direct Positioning with legacy methods and other sensors (hybrid). For example, this may relate to a hybridisation with UL-/DL-TDOA and/or multi-RTT, e.g., carried out as separate measurements and/or to an inclusion of RAT-independent readings such as sensors like barometer, inertial measurement unit, IMU, and/or external radio-based positioning systems like GNSS or UWB. Using a standardized format for the signalling of the H-matrices (including support of different antenna configurations or heterogenous AP parameters or support of multiple bands).

Indication of support of multi-panel support at the UE and/or reporting of measurement made using one or more panels at the UE and/or transmitting reference signals using one or more panels at the UE.

Solutions that the approach supports are the reuse of legacy equipment and deployment architectures (“6G as S/W-update”). The maybe “abstract” or “inprinciple” architecture description used herein also supports the known 5G architecture with splits into Radio Unit RU (APs), Distributed Unit DU( (Part of the CPU) and Central Unit CU (also Part of the CPU) as well as the Core Network (CN). The abstract description of a PPU 308 may also be deployable in either the DU, CU or the CN or may be distributed over these three, not excluding others such as a base station and/or a UE. Any new 6G architecture (even if it is unlikely, as companies are pressing for 6G as an evolution instead of a revolution) may be supported as well.

Flexible positioning processor partitioning to support different deployment architectures by different function placement: The abstract description of a PPU such as PPU 308 may also be deployable in either the DU, CU or the CN or may be distributed over these three in the “6G as S/W-update version”. Any PPU design may be supported for any substantially new 6G architecture (even if it is unlikely, as companies are pressing for 6G as an evolution instead of a revolution) as well. Embodiments also enable “UE-based” positioning, which in other words means that the UE applies the algorithms described herein in its UE positioning processing of its own.

UE-based positioning according to embodiments may support both cases: Channel estimation. In the first case, channel estimation for a DCC of a current cell-free configuration, is done in the UE based on DL signals and the channel estimation result is directly available in the UE. Other necessary information (e.g., the locations of the AP currently contributed to the DCC) may be signalled to the UE according to the “new interface” of this invention report. In the second case, channel estimation is carried out by the network, but the channel estimation result is provided to the UE (along with above mentioned other necessary information) such that position calculation can take place in the UE.

Communications that on-demand supports full bandwidth bursts for full resolution H-matrix (max. positioning performance)

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a possible system architecture 400 including the positioning processor, PPU 308. The PPU 308 may also be referred to as positioning functional block or positioning function of a wireless communication network, e.g., a method being performed as part of operating the network. The PPU 308 may be located at least partially within at least one of the various nodes or network elements of the 3GPP or non-3GPP system architecture, e.g., UE 402i and/or 4022 located in a collaboration zone 404, where also a WiFi- Node 406 such as a station, STA, and/or an access point, AP, e.g., AP 306 described in Fig. 3, are located and operated. Whilst not excluding other implementations indicated above, as an alternative or in addition, as shown below, the PPU 308 may be within one or more of a UE 402 or user device, a base station 408, e.g., a BS, or gNB, or other entities of the NG-RAN network, within the core network, CN, 412 e.g., as a network function, NF, 412 and/or within the Location Management Function, LMF, 414 connected via Internet 416, e.g., being in a remote location such as a data centre, within a non-3GPP node 406, e.g., a WiFi station, STA, or access point, AP.

When referring to embodiments, a UE can be or may form at least a part of one or more of a device used by humans, a vehicular UE, a UAV, an AGV, a drone, a satellite (UE-type NTN component), a robot, etc.

When referring to embodiments, a BS can be or may form at least a part of one or more of an eNB, a gNB, a satellite, a non-terrestrial network component (NTN) as part of a NTN architecture, a repeater, a relay node, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc. a WLAN or WiFi access point, a WiFi capable device operating in ad hoc mode.

There may be multiple positioning processors defined within the architecture. Each may include a unique or derived identifier, e.g., PPID. Alternatively or in addition, there may be a default positioning processor and/or fallback positioning processor, such that devices which initially connect or wake-up from a discontinuous reception, DRX, cycle, may directly know which positioning processor to connect to, e.g., send and/or receive input from. According to an embodiment, there may also be a list or a ranked list of available positioning processors, such that a device may know which possible fallback positioning processors to use.

Alternatively or in addition, the UEs can be within a collaboration zone 408, which allows UEs to exchange input and output information with respect to the positioning processor. The information exchanged can also be referred to as assistance data. This information can be exchanged via a 3GPP interface directly, e.g., via sidelink/PC5, or via Uu interface via a base station. In addition or as an alternative, this information can be exchanged via a non-3GPP interface, e.g., WiFi or Bluetooth. According to an embodiment, this may involve 3GPP UEs and/or non-3GPP UEs, e.g., WiFi STAs and/or APs.

Each user device 402 may or may not contain a positioning processor. In case a UE does not contain such a positioning processor, e.g., UE 402a, it still may generate input data, which can be send to other UEs, and which can use this information as input for their positioning processors. Furthermore, in this case, another UE or gNB may aid another UE having no positioning processor, such that this UE can benefit from a similar functionality when compared to a device having a positioning processor. In one example, a device having no positioning processor may be a power saving device and/or low-cost device, such as an loT or RedCap device, and a device having a positioning processor may be a smartphone or roadside unit (RSU). Note that it may be possible for a UE having a positioning processor to aid more than one device having no positioning processors.

The positioning processor 308 may have at least one input interface and/or at least one output interface. It may receive input data, e.g., support vectors, from the said user device and/or from other user devices, e.g., 3GPP and/or non-3GPP device, or from the NG-RAN or any device connected via NG-RAN. According to an embodiment, the positioning processor may generate output data, which may be used directly by a device or network node, may be further postprocessed by such a device, or may be forwarded to any connected device and/or positioning processor for further processing or storage.

The input of the positioning processor 308 can contain one or more of:

Reference symbols, e.g., CSI-RS, SSB, SRS, sidelink reference signals, PRS, WiFi preambles

Measurement reports, e.g.: o CQI, PMI, Rl, channel estimation result, e.g., the estimated channel or a representation of the estimated channel, e.g., a H-matrix or covariance matrix. The H-matrix can represent the channel itself (explicit description in spatial, time and/or frequency domain) or the propagation statistics between transmitter and receiver. It may be distinguished between the propagation channel and the radio channel, the latter with typical hardware, e.g., antennas, tuners, etc. It is the goal to be able to conclude on the propagation channel. As a result, the measurement report may also contain one or more of:

■ Transmit antennas,

■ Receive antennas,

■ Power amplifiers, e.g., high power or low power amplifiers, e.g., low noise amplifiers, LNAs,

■ Predistortion algorithms,

■ Beamformers, e.g., TX and/or Rx beamformers,

■ Any component in the transmit and/or receive branch generating a noise figure, e.g., ADC/DAC converters, etc.

■ Waveform characteristics, e.g., resulting effects caused by the chosen waveform which can be one or more of: • OFDM, MIMO-OFDM, SC-FDMA or any other type of single carrier waveform, OTFS, or GFDMA, FBMC or filtered waveforms, or any other 6G waveform. o RSSI, RSRQ, RSRP o GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area, o Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory, o Beam-related information, e.g., beam index, beam patterns, beam interference, beam direction, beam-failure-recovery, BFR, -related information, o L1 , L2, or L3-filtered measurements

Timestamps, validity, probability, accuracy-related information with respect to each input data or sets of input data, top-m statistics,

Assistance data received from one or more of: o UE(s), base station(s), CN or NFs, e.g., via LMF, or via the Internet o Non-3GPP nodes, e.g., WiFi STA or AP. o Any further information to disentangle the physical channel measurements from the underlying hardware or RF frontend effects.

For example, prior to receiving or using the above information, the data may be pre-processed, e.g., filtered, by any of the transmitting entities or by the positioning processor itself. In case the positioning processor or a different network entity or network function performs preprocessing, it may extract support vectors from the input data, and chose a set or subset of support vectors from this as input for the positioning processor itself.

The output of the positioning processor may include calculated values as well as predictions and may comprise apart from the generic positioning and sensing result and information exchange as initially described above one or more of

■ GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area,

■ Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory,

■ Beam-related information if applicable, e.g., beam-direction, beam IDs, beam interference, beam failure recovery, other spatial information, number and/or order of beams, e.g., top-m beams,

■ Zone-related information, e.g., cell-free area, node cooperation cluster or area

■ Handover-related information, e.g., HO candidate list, neighbourhood lists, conditional handover, CHO, related information (e.g., in the 5G context, for which DCC is not yet introduced) The functionally of a positioning processor may involve the use of artificial intelligence, Al, and/or machine learning, ML.

In some embodiments, the PPU 308 is placed inside the RAN node, and the RAN node is also an LCS client (i.e. the RAN node may request the position. The RAN node may not need association to the position of UE to a permanent identifier of the UE (such as PEI - permanent equipment identifier) and/or identifier mapping to the permanent identifier of the UE (such as SUCI - Secured user concealed identifier). Instead, the use case may be handling UE mobility or radio resource management optimization. In such situation, a temporary identifier may be used to identify and/or distinguish a UE and/or its location from other UE(s) and/or their location(s) within the RAN context. This may be related to tracking and/or measurement and event predictions for beam switching and/or handover.

The RAN entity may perform a measurement between at least one RAN node comprising a node which is part of the DCC, and a UE. The RAN entity may associate the measurement with a further RAN node within the DCC and the UE to determine the position. The PPU then maps the position to the temporary identifier given to the UE by the RAN node.

The positioning information available from the PPU may be used as a label for training a machine learning model used to predict one or more measurements for the given location or the area around the given location. As the location information is mapped, for example, to a temporary identifier in the radio network (such as RNTI, P-RNTI, RA-RNTI, etc.), this can be used for training a machine learning model in an anonymous manner. The machine learning model may for example be used to infer transmission parameters such as transmit power, timing advance, timing advance adjustments may be predicted by a machine learning model, or events and measurements.

In some embodiments, the DCC, e.g., DCC 304 of Fig. 3, to be used may be associated with a machine learning model. For example, a machine learning model is trained to use input from certain APs. In that situation, the TRPs that are part of the machine learning model may be used to form the information that defines the APs 306 that form the DCC 304. Alternatively or in addition, information about the DCC 304 may be used to provide appropriate machine learning model that forms part of the processing algorithms inside the PPU 308. This does not limit the positioning process to run a ML model but indicates that the PPU 308 may run a ML model to infer the distance and angles simultaneously based on measurements. Alternatively or in addition the selection of APs may be based on the meta information of the ML-model or the information of DCC may be used to select the ML / switch the ML models.

Fig. 5 shows a known procedure for UL-TDOA according to Rel. 18 of 3GPP-NR specifications.

A key difference between the existing positioning method and the proposed method is that according to embodiments, measurements used for the positioning are based on communication reference signals (such as DMRS, CSI, PTRS, etc) which are utilized for estimation tasks for communications. So, according to embodiments the determining of the position is not necessarily based on separate positioning reference signals and preferably not based thereon. Furthermore, in 5G with no cell-free distributed massive MIMO architecture, the reference signals used for communication are only processed by the receiver that expects to demodulate the associated data. For positioning purposes, the reference signals may also be measured by neighboring RAN-entities. For this purpose, a first RAN node may send the measurement requests to at least one other RAN-node (i.e. TRPs), which may be hosted by different DUs or different CUs or different standalone gNB. If, e.g., two TRPs are hosted by the same DU, then separate measurement request and response is not necessary, as the DU can provide the measurement configuration and collect the measurement from the TRPs within the DCC by implementation. Otherwise, the measurement request containing at least the measurement configuration need to be transmitted over the interface between the two RAN nodes. This may, for example, be carrier over the XN interface or a positioning protocol transparently relayed over the signalling connection between two RAN nodes (e.g., F1AP, XNAP, etc).

Fig. 6a shows a schematic flow chart of messages that may be transmitted in wireless communication networks according to embodiments. By way of example, a number of NRAN nodes 602i, 6022, ... , 602N may be operated. Each of run-nodes 602 may be, e.g., a UE, a base station or the like as described in connection with Fig. 4 whilst making reference to UEs 308 and BS 408. Other types may be, for example, a RSU, a TRP or the like. RAN-node 602i may transmit a measurement request, e.g., related to signal 332 of Fig. 3, wherein RAN-node 602i is not necessarily the originator of such a trigger but may also be a forwarding node receiving the request from the wireless network, e.g., from the core network.

The measurement request 604 may be received by RAN-node 6022, wherein the same measurement request or a separate dedicated request 606 may be received by a different RAN-node such as RAN-node 602N. In both implementations, RAN-node 6022 and RAN-node 602N may transmit a measurement response 6O82, 608N, respectively. RAN-node 602i may perform a consolidation of the reports, a selection of DCC or devices thereof as indicated by block 612. Such a consolidation may also be performed by a different node, e.g., receiving information derived from the reports. In this example, the computation may take place in a positioning computation entity such as an LMF and/or local LMF such as node 614, which may be located either at the initiating RAN node such as RAN-Node-1 or at the core network. However, determining at least a part of such information may also be executed at the device, e.g., a UE or a STA as described below. LMF I local LMF 614 may form a function of the network that may reside, at least in parts, in a device such as a UE or one of the RAN-Nodes 602. In this example, the computation may take place in a positioning computation entity (LMF/local LMF - 614) which may be located either at the initiating RAN node (e.g. RAN-Node-1) or at the core network.

In any of those cases, one of the RAN nodes selects the DCC based on the measurement responses obtained. This can be a list of RAN-Nodes to be used or proposed to be used within the DCC, e.g., similar to a neighborhood list, which is send to the core network, CN, or to a CN entity, such as a network function, NF, e.g., to the LMF. The NF may select the DCC based on these messages obtained, e.g., by one or more of the RAN nodes, or, it may also select a different DCC based on one or more list of proposed DCCs. This may be required since the CN has additional information available, e.g., utilization of DDCs or other RAN-nodes, so it may exclude certain RAN-nodes from DCCs, in case these are already utilized in other DCCs or in case they are currently already operating at full capacity. Note, the LMF functionality can also reside in any of the RAN-Nodes. Furthermore, the LMF or Local LMF can also organize measurements queries, e.g., collecting of measurement responses, consolidation of repots, selection of DCC and dynamic selection of clusters. Such a selection of clusters and request of measurements may be performed in a dynamic manner or may be configured or preconfigured statically.

A node 614, e.g., LMF 414, or a different device comprising at least a part of a positioning processor to perform a local LMF may use the measurement report or the consolidated information to perform a position computation 616.

In other words, Fig. 6a illustrates a scenario where a RAN-Node managing the DCC for the UE requests measurements from at least 2 RAN nodes and selects and provides the consolidated measurement to LMF/Local LMF.

Assuming an example of non-geostationary nodes, e.g., LEO satellites, providing positioning reference signals in an coordinated way, e.g., forming at least a part of a DCC, a UE-based positioning scheme derived the terrestrial scheme may benefit from further assistance information from the LMF, beyond existing assistance data provided by the current LMF, see the table of Fig. 6b showing assistance data that may be transferred from the LMF to a UE and which is taken from TS38.305 V18.1.0.

This additional assistance data proposed in the embodiment is especially relevant for the GNSS resilient positioning, using large satellite constellations and in combination with this assistance data coming from the satellite system. This can overcome spoofing or jamming. Furthermore, the UE can do hypothesis testing based on the manifold of satellites, e.g., the satellites which may belong to the DCC. Note, that the satellites may belong to different satellite constellations, e.g., Galileo, GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, QZSS, IRNSS/NAVIC, SBAS.

The further used or even required assistance data or information can be provided by the LMF or a local LMF, another network entity, and may include at least one of the following:

■ Geographical coordinates: relative coordinates of beam directions from one or more satellite in coordination with beam pattern scheduling and ephemeris data,

■ Correction data for deviation of satellite from ideal ephemeris data, e.g., trajectories, satellite position, orbit parameters, time references, velocity, clock corrections.

■ Phase tracking information, e.g., phase correction assistance data, per beam and/or per satellite.

■ Activity pattern for SSBs or DL-PRS, which may change over time, e.g., a mapping of active SSBs or DL-PRS to specific times or slot or frame numbers. In addition, DL-PRS and SSB configuration information and/or beam directions need to be updated over time or need to be mapped as a time series equivalent to the activity pattern.

■ Offset values/ correction values to the fields listed in Fig. 6b, e.g. offset values to the DL-PRS beam directions.

According to an embodiment, the above-described additional assistance data can also be provided via broadcast channel, e.g., via SIB or MIB or on-demand SIBs, or over-the-top, OTT. Alternatively or in addition, the information can also be provided with a level of precision, e.g., normal precision, or high precision, e.g., data provided for entities requiring special services, police or first responders.

Implementation Example:

The concept underlying embodiments described herein works (in at least one variant) directly at the frontend at the RAN node, i.e. with the PPU in the DU right behind the Radio Units (AP) or at least very close to the Air-Interface, e.g., the Positioning Processor runs in the DU. However, it may also run, at least partially elsewhere, e.g., in CU. In other words, the PPU may be a Local-LMF-function in the RAN. This way, low latency insights into UE-position may be achieved which itself can be used for instant RAN coordination as well as for specific use cases having low latency requirements as described in connection with Fig. 3. This may support highly dynamic use case examples involving highly mobile UEs like used, for example, in collaborative robot scenarios. In other words, the PPU may be seen as classical LMF that is being amended by the invention and may be located in the core, but that it could be also a unit being placed in the RAN (and optionally not the core or that it could be a distributed functionality (disaggregated inside RAN over DUs and CUs, disaggregated between RAN and core.

In one variant of embodiments described herein, the proposed concept can work without initiating the classical LCS framework as described in [1], This could utilise measurement used for NR-eCID (enhanced cell ID), e.g. TA, timing advance, that are always available out of other reasons (in case of TA it is UL/DL synchronisation). Thus, such positioning and/or sensing could potentially also take place without involving LMF in the core network. This enables the channel estimation result-based positioning as a generic feature in support of communications. The position obtained on the RAN networks side without LCS involvement may then be used, e.g., for one or more of a RAN management, RAN automation, MDT, etc.. In this case, the idea of NR-eCID may be even independent from the known positioning framework as the position may be determined according to embodiments. Note that the classical LCS session so far means a lot of overhead which is avoided in this case. Of course, the system may choose to optionally start LCS sessions which may then cooperate with the PPU, which, in this case, is logically outside the LCS framework. So, embodiments relate to an architecture, that adds a PPU to the Communications Processor, while an additional LMF incl. LCS framework may be still there. In other words, embodiments relate to an amendment to NR eClD or part of 6G- eClD so that eClD continues just to re-use what is there from the communication sub-system.

Also, it is proposed, as an alternative or in addition, that the described concept in one variant is a generic and natural extension (like TA) of the existing positioning method eClD, leading towards 6G-eCID (as part of the 6G-LCS framework).

Embodiments further relate to: users that are also multiplexed in the time/frequency domain (and one does not necessarily measure on all subcarriers or coherence blocks) Ideas 1 described below relates, at least in parts, to this point. a combination of digital with analogue beamforming (hybrid beamforming). using Doppler per user as indicator for required measures such as H-matrix update rate (mobility support). In addition or as an alternative to the Doppler reading, statistics of the H-Matrix in general might be useful for this purpose. Such information, i.e. , the Doppler parameter may be a part of the channel estimate, e.g., the H-matrix and may, thus, be reported and/or provided. support of the more advanced UE, which has multiple antennas active (e.g., UL, 2 spatial measurements for the same location).

Embodiments also relate to AP selection in a cell-free massive Ml MO network (DCC generation) to best support both communications (legacy) and positioning: communications might select AP with regard to SINR (e.g., only), while for positioning also other criteria may apply like geometry (“Dilution of Precision, DoP") or the number of APs.

Solution idea number 1 : In a simple version, positioning might re-use simply the same DCC as provided by communications and work out a positioning result with that. In the context of cell-free massive Ml MO with a larger number of AP, the probability is high that this communications DCC also meets the requirements of positioning

Solution idea number 2 (as an alternative or in addition): Based on DCC information (number and/or locations of APs), the Positioning Processor "PPU” carries out an analysis and if it finds out that the AP count is not optimum or the DoP is not optimum or other criteria are not fulfilled, it can request additional measures from the Communications Processor (“CPU”) and/or the UE. o Description of additional measure example 1 : The PPU requests additional channel measurements from APs that have been previously identified by the DCC but not selected as active APs for communications in the DCC. The channel measurements are then used by the PPU to augment the H-matrix. The number of augmentations is repeated until the PPU has the desired H- matrix quality required for the target positioning performance. These requests also target APs connected to different CPUs, which may be directly interconnected or connected via backhaul links to the core network. o Description of additional measure example 2 (as an alternative or in addition): The PPU requests measurements from legacy methods to use to improve the positioning performance by fusion of the information from the H-matrix and the requested legacy measurements. The requests can also be to APs connected to CPUs that are not currently part of the DCC, i.e., neighbour cells. o Description of additional measure example 3 (as an alternative or in addition): The PPU requests from the CPU reclustering of the active DCCs to include a larger number of active APs and/or APs with specific properties, e.g., APs with locations that are preferred for positioning performance. The new APs can be from the set of CPUs currently in the DCCs, or new APs and their respective CPUs that are not currently in the DCC.

The aspects described above relate to a position calculation unit, PPU as described above, the PPU may also be implemented, at least in parts at a device, in particular, a mobile device such as a UE or a STA. For the description presented herein, both terms, the UE and the STA may be understood, at least in parts, as synonyms. An example is a smart phone or a tablet that may operate in a mobile wireless communication network such as 3GPP network whilst being also connected, at the same time or in a different time instance, to a Wi-Fi network so such a device may operate as both, a UE and an STA.

By performing respective measurements, such a device may be enabled to compute, possibly but not necessarily using the position calculation unit, a position related parameter or a location related parameter. A result of such measurements may be used internally, e.g., by providing the measurement, a respective report or a result derived therefrom to a higher layer application and/or to provide the report to a different device, e.g., by transmitting a wireless signal using a wireless interface of the device.

Such a device is adapted to wirelessly receive information comprising at least one of information about a DCC configuration; a configuration of reference signals transmitted by at least one transmission reception point, TRP, within the DCC; and a deployment information from a network entity or a communication processor. Whilst a use of both, the DCC configuration and the configuration of reference signals, may provide for a high level of information, it may be sufficient to be aware of only one of both, e.g., in awareness about which reference signals to expect from the DCC or devices/nodes thereof, in awareness of which reference signals to be expected respectively.

The device may measure on at least one of the reference signals transmitted by at least one TRP within the DCC, wherein it is noted that those reference signals may be located within a same bandwidth part, BWP, or within different BWPs as described in connection with the second aspect of the present invention. Preferably, the reference signals are reference signals that are used for determining a channel estimation result. By performing the measurements optionally but not necessarily repeatedly, the device may not only calculate on position related parameters, e.g., in awareness where the origins of the reference signals are located, but also on movement related parameters such as a velocity or a movement status of the device. That is, based on the received information and the measurement results, such parameters may be determined. The device may use the resulted and/or may report the measurements and/or information derived thereof.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to receive at least one information about potential error sources such as regarding a position of a DCC device such as an access point, synchronization errors, calibration uncertainties or an estimation quality of H matrix or channel estimation result. The device may determine the position or location related parameters based on the error information and/or may indicate, e.g., uncertainty ranges related to the determined parameters.

Beside the location dependent or movement related parameters, the device may, as an alternative or in addition, use a calculation unit for calculating an estimate of a spatial origin of at least one of the reference signals. For example, this may be used for determining an accuracy of the signalled positions of DCC devices or the like and/or for improving calculations on own position related parameters. The spatial origin may indicate at least one of the following:

• a LOS or NLOS indication, i.e., whether the signal was received via line-of- sight or non-line-of-sight;

• an estimate of the location of the reflector, e.g., reflecting the signal

• an Radar cross sectional area, RCA, estimate of the reflector object. This may be useful for determining and/or classifying objects located in the propagation channel, i.e., for performing sensing in the field.

In some cases, the positioning processor or PPU at the device, e.g., UE or STA, may comprise of a data driven algorithm (e.g. an AI/ML model) for determining at least one location dependent parameter or location related parameter of the device, such as UE position and/or the quality of the location related parameter. The quality of the location related parameter may be described using one or more parameters, such as error, uncertainty, confidence level, protection level, etc.

The data driven algorithm may be trained using a first set of TRPs using a first set of configurations describing the reference signal (e.g. periodicity, bandwidth, frequency band ...). The current set of TRPs and/or the configuration of the TRPs, e.g., during inference or operation of the device, may differ from the first set of TRPs. This means the coordination cluster (CC) has changed, i.e. is of dynamic nature. For obtaining a good performance on the inference (e.g., estimation of location parameter like UE position) of the data driven algorithm running at the UE side, the estimation may be improved by enabling the UE to request a set of TRPs that corresponds and/or has good correspondence to its original training set. For example, the UE may request a network entity for certain TRPs and/or certain group of TRPs and/or a certain configuration from a group of TRPs on a dynamic basis. This may be done, for example, to ensure consistency between training of the data driven algorithm (e.g. AI/ML model) and the inference of the data driven algorithm. Consistency between the input seen during training and the input seen during inference is important for achieving accurate and/or reliable inference results.

There may be at least two ways in which the device may request the DCC adjustment on and on-demand basis, to ensure consistency between training and inference:

In one example, the device may receive a list of set of configurations from which the device can request a set of configurations from the network. In other words, the device receives information about one or more DCC clusters, and a device chooses one cluster and indicates to the network to transmit on-demand reference signals using the chosen configuration.

In another example, the device may request the network entity (e.g., gNB or LMF) one or more TRPs and/or may indicate one or more configuration of signals.

In the examples above, the TRP may be indicated, e.g., by a global cell identity (e.g. NCGI) or with a local cell identify (PCI) or a TRP ID. The set may optionally be identified by a set identifier, or it may be signalled as a group of cells with a certain NCGI.

Alternatively or in addition, the device may be able to send a request for a resource and/or a resource set from at least one TRP from a set of TRPs or it may be able to request a resource and/or a resource set from each of the TRPs from the set of TRPs. The available resource and/or resource sets for one or more TRPs may be indicated to a UE as a list of configurations for the UE to request from.

Alternatively or in addition, the data driven algorithm may have been trained on an aggregated bandwidth, consisting of at least two sub-bands (e.g. two BWP in adjacent carrier bandwidth), in other words, two positioning frequency layers may have been aggregated. To ensure consistency, inference may need to have bandwidth aggregation. To this end, the device may receive an indication from a network entity indicating which DL-PRS resource sets across DL- positioning frequency layers may be aggregated and/or the UE may make a request for the on-demand positioning reference signals. The device may be able to request an aggregate bandwidth from two or more frequency layers.

In some examples, the device may be able to request on-demand PRS to check the applicability of the model (e.g. model monitoring), ensuring consistency between training and inference, while the inference itself may be performed on the set of TRPs indicated (e.g. in ProvideAssistanceData). This means the set of clusters used for inference and monitoring may be different. A device may be able to perform on-demand for the purpose of monitoring (potentially including one or more on-demand signals from one or more TRPs for itself), while the inference itself may be performed on the set of DL-PRS that are transmitted for positioning (which may also be used by other devices).

The device may indicate information possibly labelled as ‘DL AIML positioning not available to a network entity to indicate that the device cannot perform positioning, when the consistency between training and inference cannot be inferred and/or when the on-demand PRS requested by the UE is denied by the network. It may also be the situation, where the DCC (i.e., the set of TRPs) available for the UE to perform inference and the DCC (i.e. the set of TRPs) that were used for training the data driven algorithm (e.g., AI/ML model) are not the same and/or not similar. The reception of the indicator may cause the network to switch a positioning method (e.g., switch to a network-based positioning (e.g. UL-TDOA) or configure/reconfigure the UE with a different positioning method (e.g. GNSS/DL-TDOA, etc).

Embodiments related to such a device are described in the following:

According to a first embodiment of that aspect, a device such as a user equipment, UE, or a station, STA, comprises a Position Calculation Unit, wherein the UE is adapted to wirelessly receive information comprising at least one of

• information about a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, configuration;

• a configuration of reference signals transmitted by at least one transmission reception point, TRP, within the DCC

• a deployment information from a network entity or a communication processor wherein the device is adapted to perform a measurement on at least one of the reference signals transmitted by at least one TRP within the DCC, According to an embodiment, the device is adapted to compute, e.g., using the Position Calculation Unit, position or location related parameters such as a velocity or a movement status of the device based on the received information and/or to report the measurements to a second entity, e.g., another device or a network node.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to receive at least one information about potential error sources e.g., AP position, synchronisation errors, calibration uncertainties or an estimation quality of an H matrix, and to determine the position or location related parameters based on the error information.

According to an embodiment, the position calculation unit may comprise an AI/ML model, wherein in order to evaluate a consistency of training data for an inference of the model, the device is adapted to request the network to send a reference signal for evaluation; and/or to request to change at least one node of the DCC. The UE may request a particular AP from a set of APs available to choose from or the network may indicate a different AP so that the UE may perform the consistency checking once again. Alternatively, the network may configure the UE with a different set of APs (i.e. a difference DCC) or switch off the use of data driven algorithm.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to report at least one sensor value like a movement, a gyroscope-related information or information derived from using sensor values such as a step detection, a movement pattern, to the network.

According to an embodiment, the device may comprise a calculation unit adapted for calculating an estimate of a spatial origin of at least one of the reference signals, wherein the spatial origin indicates at least one of the following:

• a LOS or N LOS indication

• an estimate of the location of the reflector

• an radar cross sectional area, RCA, estimate of the reflector object.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to report the estimate to the network or to provide the estimate to a higher layer application for further use

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to report to a network entity such as a gNB, a sensing function, a location management function, or an operation and maintenance function, O&M, at least two of the following information:

• a timestamp of the calculation and/or of the measurement • a device location information

• an estimate of a Location of the reflector,

• an Radar cross sectional area, RCA, estimate of the reflector object.

According to an embodiment, the location of the reflector may comprise one or more of the following

• a range and direction estimate

• a range and direction estimate with radar cross section (RCS) estimate

• coordinates in a plane (2D) or in 3-D

• a location described using any geographical area description (GAD) such as eclipse with uncertainty angle.

According to an embodiment, the location of the reflector further may comprise one or more of the following

• an error in estimation of the location of reflector

• an uncertainty in estimation of location of reflector

• an integrity information corresponding to the location of reflector.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to transmit a reference signal or to provide a report based on a start and/or stop trigger provided by a communication interface such as a MAC trigger, an RRC configuration, an NR Positioning Protocol, LPP, signalling, e.g., ProvideLocationReport.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to provide feedback information to the network, e.g., a communication process and/or a positioning processor, comprising information allowing a receiver to

• adjust at least one parameter for communication;

• adjust at least one AP within the DCC set for positioning (e.g. for improving DOP);

• select a different DCC set from a set of DCC set signalled to the device; and/or

• indicate at least one parameter indicating/request the network entity to enable a TRP or a set of TRPs to transmit positioning reference.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to perform the measurements and/or to provide a report derived therefrom as one of the following: • a reference signal timing difference, RSTD, between two signals transmitted by different nodes of the DCC, e.g., APs;

• a Round trip time between a first node and a second node of the DCC

• a Phase information on the signal between an device of the DCC and the device;

• a relative phase difference on the signal received at the device from two different devices of the DCC;

• Doppler values

According to an embodiment, the DCC Configuration may be one or more of the following;

• providing assistance data using the LPP ProvideAssistanceData method, wherein the ProvideAssistanceData contains the information on the TRPs and/or their location;

• providing the information about the DCC configuration using a system message such as SIB or posSibs.

According to an embodiment, the device may be adapted to operate in a wireless communication network and adapted to initiate a Mobile Originated Location Request, MO-LR, towards the wireless communication network or a RAN node thereof: or adapted to receive a Mobile Terminated Location Request, MT-LR, from the wireless communication network or the RAN node, wherein the location result is associated with a temporary identifier on RAN-node with which the UE is known within the network, e.g., the RAN network such as a NG-RAN, or access network. Association with a temporary identifier or RAN-node may be as opposed to associating the UE location with UE’s subscription identifier or based on subscription identifier. Further such an approach is This is different from the normal LCS procedure, where the UE location is mapped to UE identifier associated with subscription information in the core network.

Another embodiment provides for a device adapted to operate in a wireless communication system, wherein the device is adapted to operate in a network comprising a plurality of Access Points, APs and/or transmission reception points TRPs, wherein the device is adapted to

• receive a configuration of at least one reference signal to transmit;

• receives a configuration and/or a trigger indicating a time when to transmit the reference signal;

• transmits the said reference signal or the said reference signals. According to an embodiment, that device may be adapted to operate on the configuration received by the device to comprise one or more of the following:

• at least two reference signals having a different start frequencies and/or bandwidth

• an indication of antenna port or antenna panel over which the two reference signals are to be transmitted;

• an indication of time multiplexing of the two reference signals.

That is, such a UE may comprise a PPU as described herein, wherein the functionality may be implemented also without such a PPU by evaluating respective information, performing the measurements and using the results thereof.

Aspect 2: Virtual Broadband Reference Signals

According to a second aspect, Uplink positioning may be realized with one or more receivers such as gNBs. Alternatively or in addition, an uplink positioning signal may be used for improved positioning accuracy.

According to such an implementation, UL-CSI may be forwarded to PPU 308. That is, the details of the second aspect may be combined, without limitation with the first aspect as providing a specific implementation of using the PPU 308.

Reference signals are well-defined, located at different positions within a frequency band, having a certain frequency gap, to create a broadband reference signal. Number of resource elements that can be used for reference signals is limited. Over-usage of reference signals may cause pilot pollution, e.g., pilot symbols that are used in neighbouring cells cause cross interference between UEs I BSs. A main idea of the present embodiments related hereto is to use additional frequency resources of neighbouring bands for transmission of pilot symbols. This may increase the overall bandwidth that can be used for time estimation and thus result in a more precise positioning.

Such results may be used for improvement procedures executed in the wireless communication network. As described in connection with the first aspect, such an improvement procedure may comprise or may relate to one or more of:

• a procedure to improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction,

• a procedure for speed estimation,

• a procedure for position estimation in 2D and/or 3D, • a procedure for obtaining training data for using AI/ML,

• a procedure for beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR,

• a procedure for interference management, interference estimation, and

• a procedure for handover optimization.

A fifty-seventh aspect relates to a network entity, e.g., at least one device such as a user equipment, UE, or a base station or DCC, configured for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the network entity comprises an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals; wherein the network entity is configured for transmitting a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; wherein the network entity is configured for transmitting a second pilot signal/reference signal in an optionally adjacent second BWP for the improvement procedure. It is noted that the pilot signal and reference signal may be understood as synonyms herein as a reference signal comprises at least known pilot symbol. Such a first pilot signal I reference signal can be a known signal with respect to at least one of:

• a CSI-RS sequence and/or mapping,

• a DMRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a PRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a SRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a Reference signal and/or control signal, e.g., of an estimated and/or known and/or configured message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a Data signal and/or user signal of a known message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a known or configured temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping, and

• a temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping wherein the temporal use may identify a message, e.g., a trigger referring to an event or to a temporal reference point for a past current or future event of procedure to happen (start, duration, end,...)

As an aspect dependent therefrom, the first pilots signal/reference signal and the second pilot signal/reference are configured or correlated with at least one of:

• a fixed or known phase or timing relationship, e.g., using coherent or time-aligned (synced) effective carriers;

• an unknown or random phase or timing relationship, e.g., using non-coherent/non-time- aligned effective carriers. Aspects of the present invention also relate to network entities, devices respectively that are adapted for receiving such pilot signals/reference signals. Such a device may be one or more UEs, one or more base stations, one or more network functions, NF, or the like but may also be a distributed entity as described above, e.g., a DCC. According to an embodiment, such a network entity may measure on the pilot signals and may report for at least one the additional second BWP.

Such a network entity, e.g., a UE or a DCC, may be configured for communicating in a wireless communication network using a first bandwidth part, BWP, and for participating in an improvement procedure, wherein the network entity comprises: an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals; wherein the network entity is configured for receiving a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; wherein the network entity is configured for receiving a second pilot signal/reference signal in an optionally adjacent second BWP for the improvement procedure.

The network entity may be configured for reporting a measurement result related at least to the second pilot signal/reference signal.

The network entity may be configured for measuring and/or reporting a measurement result related at least to one of the following:

• the first pilot signal/reference signal,

• the second pilot signal/reference signal

• both, the first and second pilot signal/reference signal,

• extrapolated for the BWP or multiple BWPs between the first and second BWP;

• a L1- and/or L2 and/or L3-filtered measurement result

• parameters derived from the measurements.

Optionally, the parameters derived from the measurements include one or more of a location, zone, route,... a mobility-related information, a channel quality, According to an aspect depending therefrom, the network entity is at least one of: one or more device, e.g., UEs, one or more base stations, one or more network functions, NF, a DCC,

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first pilot signal/reference signal and/or the second pilot signal/reference signal is a known signal with respect to at least one of:

• a CSI-RS sequence and/or mapping,

• a DM RS sequence and/or mapping,

• a PRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a SRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a Reference signal and/or control signal, e.g., of an estimated and/or known and/or configured message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a Data signal and/or user signals of a known message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a known or configured temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping

• a temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping wherein the temporal use identifies a message, e.g., a trigger referring to an event or to a temporal reference point for a past current or future event of procedure to happen (start, duration, end,...)

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the second BWP is adjacent to the first BWP, e.g., forming consecutive BWPs like CA.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the second BWP is not adjacent to or spaced from the first BWP, e.g., fragmented BWPs like in CA with fragmented CCs, e.g., having a certain frequency gap between CCs, e.g., 50 MHz or 70 MHz, or supplementary CC, e.g., supplemental downlink, SDL, or supplemental uplink, SUL, or dual active protocol stacks, DAPS, or a CC belonging to a primary cell, PCell, or to one or more secondary cells, e.g., SCells. According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first pilots signal/reference signal and the second pilots signal/reference signal are configured or correlated with at least one of:

• a fixed or known phase or timing relationship, e.g., coherent or time-aligned (synced) effective carriers.

• an unknown or random phase or timing relationship, e.g., non-coherent/non-time- aligned effective carriers.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the second BWP has a same or a different bandwidth when compared to the first BWP.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the second BWP has a same or a different duration in the time domain when compared to the first BWP.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, a first numerology such as a sub-carrier spacing, SCS, assigned to pilot signals in the first BWP is same or different when compared to a second numerology assigned to pilot signals in the second BWP.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first numerology and the second numerology is at least partially equal; wherein the network entity is not to utilize, i.e. , remain unutilized, at least one pilot signal of the first BWP and/or at least one pilot signal of the second BWP to obtain a mismatch between an distribution of used pilot signals in the first BWP and of used pilot signals in the second BWP.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, to each of the first BWP and the second BWP there is linked at least one of: a numerology, e.g., a particular subcarrier spacing, SCS, e.g., a mixed numerology, a particular frame structure, e.g., a radio frame length, a slot structure, a number of symbols per slot, reference signals, e.g., PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc., distribution using phase-locked signal generation, and a duplex mode, e.g., a number of uplink/downlink/flexible/sidelink slots.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, pilot symbols with respect to the pilot symbol position are unequally spaced in the frequency domain. According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first BWP and the second BWP are assigned directly adjacent to one another or spaced in the frequency domain.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first pilot signal BWP and the second pilot signal have a different length in time or different distribution in frequency domain.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the network entity is configured for utilizing a tracking based on periodic or semi-persistent reference signals over time and/or periodic phase signalling across different BWPs, reference signals from different BWPs with different numerologies shall be placed such that tracking over time and periodic phase signalling across BWPs can be utilized.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal are part of a plurality of pilot signals spread across unequal configurations of different BWPs, e.g., by using pilot symbol positions which are well-defined on a time/frequency-grid.

According to an aspect depending therefrom, the first and/or second pilot signal is implemented in at least one of:

• transmitted interference free, such that other devices such as base stations are muted on these resource elements, RE, e.g., related to NZP/ZP reference signals;

• segregated in a code domain, e.g., using CDMA techniques such as orthogonal cover codes, OCC;

• transmitted phase-locked, e.g., using a same reference clock;

• transmitted in different bands and with a fixed relative phase;.

• transmitted in different bands and in including phase tracking symbols,

• evaluated with regard to a phase offset being indicated, by another device such as a Positioning Calculation Unit.

Embodiments described herein may be used or realized in a cell-based implementation of a wireless communications network and/or in a cell-free implementation of a wireless communications network. Such a cell-free approach may relate to a use or allocation of resources in a synchronised and aligned manner across multiple TRPs or base stations.

A non-limiting implementation example thereof is shown in Fig. 7e showing a schematic block diagram of two DCCs having an overlap area at gNB 4 to illustrate the advantage of using coordination of frequency parts which are used by different DCC at the same location/gNB. An exemplary realization of bandwidth parts (BWPs) 702;, with i being, by way of non — limiting example 3 or any other value of at least 1. BWPs 702; may commonly form a set 732j, e.g., as a channel, CH, or component carrier CC, wherein several sets may be operated within a band. An example definition of BWP and a relationship to a band and component carriers: A band is divided in carriers/component carriers, wherein each component carries can have several nonoverlapping or overlapping BWPs. Embodiments refer to BWP1 and BWP2 wherein BWP1 and BWP2 can belong to the same component carriers or to different component carriers. BWP1 and BWP2 can belong to component carriers in the same or different bands.

In the illustrated example 2 DCCs DCCi and DCC2 are shown, wherein areas 734i and 7342 in which a respective DCC provides service or coverage overlap in an overlap are 736. Locations of base stations 744_x,_y with x indicating the DCC 1 , 2 respectively and y indicating a respective base station within the respective DCC, indicate example locations of serving nodes such as base stations. In the overlap area 736 a base station 744I,4 and 7442,4 of each DCC may be located close to each other or even at a same location such as a shared base station.

DCCs DCC1 and DCC2 may be operated by same or different service providers or mobile network operators, MNOs. For example, both DCCs may operate with different, e.g., adjacent component carriers or channels which might operate with same or different slot structures. Fig. 7e further shows an example of a mapping 738 of signals being mapped in the frequency domain used in DCC1 and DCC2. In the given example, one possible implementation of many considers single frequency networking (SFN) between the neighboring nodes in DCC_1 and DCC_2. In order to protect common system relevant signals, e.g. SSB or other relevant signaling for the DCCs, these signals can be mapped into orthogonal resources in the frequency domain, providing the opportunity to detect the SSBs belonging to the two DCCs at one particular location with the same UE reliably and simultaneously, allowing an improved handover measurement and execution procedure.

For each DCC1 and DCC2 an example number of 4 gNBs are shown, wherein gnB-744i, 4 and 7442,4 may be a shared by DCC1 and DCC2. In the given example a spectrum of base stations 744i, 4/7442,4 may be operated in frequency domain such that the left part of the spectrum (BWP1 702i) is carrying signals belonging to DCC1, while the right part of the spectrum (component carrier 732i), namely BWP2 7022 is carrying signals belonging to DCC2. The signals belonging to DCC1 and DCC2 may include SSB, CSI-RS, DMRS, PRS with the purpose to allow a UE to measure a propagation channel and to retrieve resource allocations for control and data channels. In the given example of the 2 DCCs a UE connected to DCCi for communication purposes can measure in BWP1 702i and 742I,4 for standard sync and control information while the measurement in BWP27022 and 7422,4 serves the purpose of additional resource access while within the centre of the DCCi and serves the purpose of 1.) Dual Connectivity to DCCi using BWP1 702i and to DCC2 using BWP2 7022, thus allowing an inter-cluster handover without initiating a classical HO procedure. One example of an implementation could be that DCCi and DCC2 share the same cell ID and DCCi may be mapped to a first antenna port while DCC2 may be mapped to a different second antenna port, therefore resulting in a kind of interantenna port handover. The example given should illustrate the usefulness of using one BWP for communication, while the utilization of the second BWP may help to further improve operation of the communication in terms of accessible bandwidth/radio resources or faster I more reliable handover.

In the illustrated example a scenario of two BWPs belonging to adjacent component carriers is shown, wherein each CC may be operated with same or different slot structure therefore possibly creating inter-band crosslink interference. In this example a UE is operating its communication within one of the BWPs only, while traffic in the other BWP may create harmful interference due to opposite communication directions, e.g., BWP1 is in DL and BWP2 is in UL or vice versa.

In this case power from one BWP 702i or 7022 will leak into the other and may harm the sensitivity by blockage. Here, measurements it the other BWP will allow the victim node or entity (DCC, UE or gNB) to identify the source of the interference by measuring on particular resources in the aggressor BWP using CSI-RS, DM RS, PRS, SRS. The measurement in the aggressor BWP may allow the victim node to acquire information about the (aggressor) interference source and its transmission pattern. This information may allow the serving gNB to optimize the resource scheduling therefore improving the operation within the first BWP. Information about the resources in the other BWP and their parameters and association to interference sources/node, e.g., SRS identifying a particular UE’s uplink transmission. Such information can be exchange between the gNBs operating in BWP1 or 702i and BWP2 or 7022 and forwarded to the UEs during/via a measurement configuration or over the top (OTT). This may be done using the Xn or F1 interface between gNBs and/or via a core network entity or network function, NF. Furthermore, this can be exchanged for gNBs belonging to the same operator, or in a further embodiment, this may be exchanged between gNBs belonging to different operators, e.g., inter-operator coordination. This may be done using RRC, MAC-CE or other commands, configuration messages, e.g., using higher layer signalling. As shown for BWPs 742_x,_y, signals mapped in frequency domain used in DCCi and DCC2: Fig. 7e depicts the signals mapped to the different DCC. gNBs 744i,j j = 1...3 of DCC1 are operating in SFN (single frequency mode) transmitting the identical signals in a synchronized manner towards the UEs as indicated by SFN-DCC1. DCC2 with its gNBs 7442, j, j = 1...3 operates in a similar fashion, using SFN but independent signals and data compared to DCC1 as indicated by SFN-DCC2. As shown in Fig. 7e, according to the cell-free concept base stations 744_x may transmit a same or common signal using BWPs 742_x and base stations 744_y may transmit the same or a different common signal. gNB4 may be a member of DCC1 and of DCC2 and may transmit the signals from DCC1 in SFN mode in the left part of the spectrum 742I,4 and the signals from DCC2 in SFN mode in the right part 7422,4 of the spectrum, therefore avoiding intercell interference on the same frequency resources. Basically, DCC1 and DCC2 can coexist with an overlapping footprint while being orthogonalized in frequency domain. As an advantageous implementation, BWP 702i may use a non-cell-defining SSB, while the second BWP 7022 may use a cell-defining SSB. In such a manner, the measurement in the second BWB 702i whilst regularly operating in the first BWP 702i may allow the device to better operate with the gNB.

As a cell-defining SSB, the SSB may contain a CD-SSB, i.e., of a cell with synchronization and system information. This may allow that the UE can synchronize, may read the remaining system information, RMSI, and/or may camp on the cell. In 3GPP terminology this may be referred to as a CD-SSB, i.e., a self-defining SSB cell.

As non-cell-defining, NCD, the SSB may be used to contain NCD-SSB, i.e., a beam or cell with synchronization information only or at least lacking RMSI broadcast. This may result in that the UE may be able to measure only whilst possibly fail to read other information such as RMSI. In 3GPP terminology this may be referred to as NCD-SSB, i.e., SSB-free in content or non- cell-defining.

According to a fifty-eighth aspect when referring back to the fifty-seventh aspect, the second BWP is adjacent to the first BWP.

According to a fifty-ninth aspect when referring back to the fifty-seventh or fifty-eighth aspect, the second BWP has a same or a different bandwidth when compared to the first BWP. According to a sixtieth aspect when referring back to any one the fifty-seventh to fifty-ninth aspects, the second BWP has a same or a different duration in the time domain when compared to the first BWP.

According to a sixty-first aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtieth aspects, a first numerology such as a sub-carrier spacing, SCS, assigned to pilot signals in the first BWP is same or different when compared to a second numerology assigned to pilot signals in the second BWP.

According to a sixty-second aspect when referring back to the sixty-first aspect, the first numerology and the second numerology is at least partially equal; wherein the network entity is not to utilize at least one pilot signal of the first BWP and/or at least one pilot signal of the second BWP to obtain a mismatch between an distribution of used pilot signals in the first BWP and of used pilot signals in the second BWP.

According to a sixty-third aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixty- second aspects, to each of the first BWP and the second BWP there is linked at least one of: a numerology, e.g., a particular subcarrier spacing, SCS, e.g., a mixed numerology, a particular frame structure, e.g., a radio frame length, a slot structure, a number of symbols per slot, reference signals, e.g., PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc., distribution using phase-locked signal generation, and a duplex mode, e.g., a number of uplink/downlink/flexible/sidelink slots.

According to a sixty-fourth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixty- third aspects, pilot symbols with respect to the pilot symbol position are unequally spaced in the frequency domain.

According to a sixty-fifth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtyfourth aspects, the first BWP and the second BWP are assigned directly adjacent to one another or spaced in the frequency domain.

According to a sixty-sixth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtyfifth aspects, the first pilot signal BWP and the second pilot signal have a different length in time or different distribution in frequency domain. According to a sixty-seventh aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtysixth aspects, the network entity is configured for utilizing a tracking based on periodic or semi- persistent reference signals over time and/or periodic phase signalling across different BWPs, reference signals from different BWPs with different numerologies shall be placed such that tracking over time and periodic phase signalling across BWPs can be utilized.

According to a sixty-eighth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtysixth aspects, the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal are part of a plurality of pilot signals spread across unequal configurations of different BWPs, e.g., by using pilot symbol positions which are well-defined on a time/frequency-grid.

According to a sixty-ninth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to sixtysixth aspects, the first and/or second pilot signal is implemented in at least one of:

• transmitted interference free, such that other devices such as base stations are muted on these resource elements, RE, e.g., related to NZP/ZP reference signals;

• segregated in a code domain, e.g., using CDMA techniques such as orthogonal cover codes, OCC;

• transmitted phase-locked, e.g., using a same reference clock;

• transmitted in different bands and with a fixed relative phase;

• transmitted in different bands and in including phase tracking symbols,

• evaluated with regard to a phase offset being indicated, by another device such as a

Positioning Calculation Unit.

A seventieth aspect relates to a device such as a user equipment, UE, or a base station configured for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the device comprises: an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals; wherein the device is configured for receiving a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; wherein the device is configured for receiving a second pilot signal/reference signal in a second BWP for the improvement procedure.

As an aspect depending therefrom one or more of the following may be implemented:

The network may be configured for measuring and/or reporting a measurement result related at least to one of the following:

• the first pilot signal/reference signal,

• the second pilot signal/reference signal

• both, the first and second pilot signal/reference signal, extrapolated for the BWP or multiple BWPs between the first and second BWP; a L1- and/or L2 and/or L3-filtered measurement result parameters derived from the measurements.

Optionally, the parameters derived from the measurements include one or more of a location, zone, route,... a mobility-related information, a channel quality,

According to a seventy-first aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to seventieth aspects, the improvement procedure comprises at least one of:

• a procedure to improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction,

• a procedure for speed estimation,

• a procedure for position estimation in 2D and/or 3D, or localization within a certain zone or geolocation,

• a procedure to improve communication in a different channel or BWP using, e.g., non- cell-defining, NCD-SSB, or in cell-defining CD-SSB,

• a procedure for obtaining training data for using AI/ML,

• a procedure for beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR, beam refinement,

• a procedure for interference management, interference estimation, e.g., referring to Fig. 7e,

• a procedure for mobility or handover optimization, e.g., referring to Fig. 7e, or conditional handover, CHO, estimation;

• a procedure to improve power saving at the UE or at a base station,

• a procedure to improve communication resilience, e.g., against interference, jamming, spoofing, channel collisions, and

• a procedure to improve synchronization, e.g., for synchronization to another cell, in order to improve HO procedure or boost capacity, e.g., in case of dual connectivity or carrier aggregation or dual active protocol stack, DAPS. According to a seventy-second aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to seventy-first aspects, the device comprises a user equipment, UE, adapted for participating in an uplink positioning procedure.

According to a seventy-third aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to seventy-second aspects, the device comprises a user equipment, UE, adapted for participating in a downlink positioning procedure.

According to a seventy-fourth aspect when referring back to the seventy-third aspect, the device is adapted to receive the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal and possibly further pilot signals from different transmitters such as transmission reception points, TRPs, other nodes, e.g., UEs, satellites, positioning anchors and/or base stations.

According to a seventy-fifth aspect when referring back to any one of the fifty-seventh to seventy-fourth aspects, the device comprising: an input, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC and a device to be located; a calculator configured for determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; wherein the device is configured for providing information related to the location.

A seventy-sixth aspect relates to a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of devices when referring back to the fifty-seventh to seventy-fifth aspects.

According to a seventy-seventh aspect when referring back to the seventy-sixth aspects, the wireless communication network is adapted to configure neighboring devices to avoid transmission of same pilot signals and/or to use same resource elements for the pilot signals.

According to a seventy-eighth aspect when referring back to the seventy-sixth or seventyseventh aspects, the wireless communication network is adapted to avoid transmissions on the reference signal positions, zero power, ZP; and/or reduce power when transmitting on these reference signal positions, in order to reduce interference for systems using the second BWP.

According to a seventy-ninth aspect when referring back to the seventy-eighth aspects, the wireless communication network is adapted to reduce power when transmitting on these reference signal positions, in order to reduce interference for systems using the second BWP based on a position of at least one UE using the second BWP.

According to an eightieth aspect when referring back to any one of the seventy-sixth to seventy-ninth aspects, at least one device is adapted to receive or access a report of other devices, the report indicating a measured interference and to transmit the second pilot signal based on the interference.

An eighty-first aspect relates to a wireless communication network configured for providing an improvement procedure for devices operating in the wireless communication network; wherein the wireless communication network comprises a plurality of transmitters such as base stations and/or TRPs; wherein a network controller is adapted to select a subset of the plurality of transmitters for a joint transmission of pilot signals for an improvement procedure, the pilot signals arranged in different bandwidth parts, BWPs.

According to an eighty-second aspect when referring back to the eighty-first aspect, the network controller is adapted to control each transmitter of the subset to send a subset of pilot signals on particular reference symbol positions

According to an eighty-third aspect when referring back to the eighty-first or eighty-second aspect, the network controller is adapted to control each transmitter of the subset to jointly send pilot signals on same reference symbol positions in order to boost the power transmitted.

According to an eighty-fourth aspect when referring back to any one of the eighty-first to eighty- third aspects, the network controller is adapted to control the transmitter of the subset to transmit using a same cell ID of the wireless communication network; or to operate cell-free for transmitting joint signals from different positions to a device.

According to an eighty-fifth aspect when referring back to any one of the eighty-first to eightyfourth aspects, the improvement procedure comprises at least one of:

• a procedure to improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction,

• a procedure for speed estimation,

• a procedure for position estimation in 2D and/or 3D,

• a procedure for obtaining training data for using AI/ML,

• a procedure for beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR,

• a procedure for interference management, interference estimation, and

• a procedure for handover optimization. An eighty-sixth aspect relates to a method for operating a Position Calculation Unit in a wireless communication network, wherein the method comprises: receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC and a device to be located; determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; and providing information related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network.

As shown in Fig. 7a, in case a UE/BS is operating in a particular bandwidth part, BWP, e.g., 702a labelled BWP3, the system may utilize reference signal positions 704i in neighbouring bands, e.g., 7022 labelled BWP2. A BWP may be defined in the sense of a 5G NR BWP having a position within the frequency band, as well as a specified system bandwidth. Alternatively or in addition, a BWP may be linked to one or more of a numerology, e.g., a particular subcarrier spacing, SCS, e.g., a mixed numerology, a particular frame structure, e.g., a radio frame length, a slot structure, a number of symbols per slot, reference signals, e.g., PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc., distribution using phase-locked signal generation, a duplex mode, e.g., a number of uplink/downlink/flexible/sidelink slots.

According to embodiments, a BWP may be understood as a contiguous portion of the available spectrum that is allocated for a specific communication purpose, e.g., within a 5G NR cell. BWPs may allow the network to dynamically adjust the allocated bandwidth based on the service requirements and network conditions.

Each BWP may be defined by parameters such as a respective center frequency, a bandwidth, and/or a subcarrier spacing. The BWP configuration may specify the frequency range and channel characteristics for communication within that BWP.

A Component Carrier, CC, may be understood as a carrier frequency that is used to provide the physical transmission and reception of data in a 5G NR network. In 5G NR, multiple component carriers can be aggregated to increase bandwidth and support higher data rates.

In 5G NR networks, a BWP can be associated with one or more component carriers. The BWP may define the specific bandwidth allocation and channel characteristics for communication within that portion of the spectrum, while the component carrier provides the physical transmission and reception capabilities using a specific carrier frequency.

In other words, Fig. 7a shows a schematic illustration of an arrangement of three bandwidth parts (BWP) in the frequency domain and time domain that shows the position 704 of reference signals.

In one embodiment, the use of reference signal positions 704i in neighbouring bands can result in unequal distance between pilot symbols, with respect to the pilot symbol position, across the frequency band. This additional frequency resource may be named assistance bandwidth part or assistance band, AB, illustrated in Fig. 7b showing an assistance band using both a different spectral allocation and different numerology.

The assistance band may be:

■ in an assigned and different frequency location,

■ configured with a same or different numerology, e.g., SCS,

As shown in Fig. 7b, positions 704i to 704e may be spread in the time domain for a time duration associated with the bandwidth part 7022. That is, location 704i to 704e may form an irregular or regular pattern in the time domain and in the frequency domain, e.g., comprising a spacing 706i in the frequency domain.

Adjacent bandwidth part 702i may comprise a same or a different duration in the time domain. The illustrated shorter duration of bandwidth part 702i may lead to a scenario where a location 704g of a reference signal is outside the bandwidth part and is, thus, omitted. Locations 704? and 704s falling within the time duration may be used and may be spaced in the frequency domain by a frequency domain distance 7062 being different, e.g., larger than 706i.

As shown in Fig. 7, the bandwidth parts 702i and 7022 may also be spaced apart, e.g., forming a gap in the frequency domain therebetween. This may further increase a distance 706’2 when compared to distance 7062 of Fig. 7b. Whilst Fig. 7b may be understood as a contiguous spectral allocation of positions or locations of reference signals, e.g., implementing different numerologies of the locations within the different bandwidth parts or at least across the different bandwidth parts 702, Fig. 7b may be interpreted as an assistance band using a non-contiguous spectral allocation and different numerology. The gap 712 may be located in the frequency domain, not excluding a gap in the time domain. According to the second aspect, a device or network entity such as a DCC, a user equipment, UE, or a base station, e.g., based on the description provided for Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, is configured for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure. That is, the network entity of the first aspect and/or of the second aspect may be a single device or a distributed entity such as a DCC, one or more device, e.g., UEs, one or more base stations and/or one or more network functions, that operate or at least participate at the improvement procedure. The network entity may be at least one of: one or more device, e.g. UEs, or WiFi stations, STA, one or more non-stationary devices, e.g., moving UEs, one or more base stations, gNBs, or access points, AP, e.g., a WiFi AP, one or more relay nodes, RNs, one or more non-terrestrial networks nodes, NTNs, e.g., satellites, one or more terrestrial networks, TNs, one or more network functions, NF,

- a DCC.

The improvement procedure, as described above, may amongst others relate to a handover optimization which is different from the handover itself where, for the sake of synchronizing to at least two base stations, e.g., a serving base station and a future base station, reference signals may also be signalled in two BWP. The present embodiments, however, relate to an improvement procedure, e.g., allowing to use additional bandwidth for a common or aggregated use whilst not being related to the known carrier aggregation using additional aggregated bandwidth for data transmission instead of an improvement procedure.

The network entity may, thus, be embodied by a DCC, e.g., as described in connection with the positioning aspect. A DCC may comprise one or more devices each being, e.g., an access point, AP, or a station, STA, for example for WiFi® networks, a UE, a gNB, a satellite or the like. Alternatively or in addition, this may also be a transmission and reception point, TRP. For example, the node may be a served device such as a STA or a UE or a serving device such as an AP, a gNB or a satellite or others, not excluding relays as a served or serving device. The devices may belong to a single or to at least two systems, e.g., a macro/micro-system or a macro/NTN-system or an indoor/outdoor system operated in BWP1 and BWP2.

The wireless communication network may comprise, e.g. as a DCC according to an embodiment, nodes that are adapted and/or controlled, e.g., by a controlling network entity, e.g., in the core network, for communication in one of a collaborative or non-collaborative mode. For example, in a collaborative mode several nodes, e.g., gNBs may act together in the communication with a third node, e.g., a UE served by the gNBs.

The device comprises an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals and is configured for transmitting a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP. The device is configured for transmitting a second pilot signal/reference signal in an optionally adjacent second BWP for the improvement procedure.

Alternatively or in addition, an additionally used BWP such as the second or a third BWP may be not adjacent to or spaced, e.g., by a frequency gap, from the first BWP, e.g., to form fragmented BWPs like in Carrier aggregation, CA, with fragmented component carriers, CCs, e.g., having a certain frequency gap between CCs, e.g., 50 MHz or 70 MHz, or supplementary CC, e.g., supplemental downlink, SDL, or supplemental uplink, SUL, or dual active protocol stacks, DAPS, or a CC belonging to a primary cell, PCell, or to one or more secondary cells, e.g., SCells.

As shown in Fig. 7c, there could be a gap in frequency domain. Alternatively or in addition, reference symbols could have a different period depending on the particular location, e.g., reference symbols contained with an AB could have a larger or smaller period as shown in Fig. 7d showing reference signals assigned with different spectral spacing 706 in each bandwidth (denoted by ‘k’ and T and ‘m’). It is noted that the gap 712

Note, that 704g refers to a reference signal which is not used, e.g., not transmitted within a certain BWP or by a particular BS, in case that BWP in not utilized at a certain time instance. This may be the case if different numerologies are used. Furthermore, this may be the case if several BWPs are used simultaneously, e.g., as possible when aggregating BWPs.

As shown in Fig. 7d, reference signals from different BWPs with different numerologies may be placed such that tracking over time and periodic phase signalling across BWPs can be utilized. Note, this does not need to be limited to BWPs with different numerologies. In case BWPs have the same numerology, it could be the case that symbols in one or more of the BWPs cannot be used for the said reference signals.

Alternatively or in addition, squares 704? and 704s and 704™ in the left BWP can represent one or multiple reference signals mapped to consecutive time instances, e.g., OFDM symbols. This may be used or even required for shorter OFDM symbols, in case they need to be aligned with BWPs configured with a larger numerology, e.g., 2 OFDM symbols with 30 kHz SOS will correspond to 1 OFDM symbols with 15 kHz SOS. This allows for a high resolution and coarse resolution phase measurement in the BWP using more than one consecutive OFDM symbol for transmitting the said reference symbol.

Alternatively or in addition, in case the system implements a bandwidth part concept, BWP, e.g., symbols having different subcarrier spacing, SCS, pilots could be used which are spread across unequal configurations of BWPs, e.g., by using pilot symbol positions which are well- defined on the time/frequency-grid.

In accordance with embodiments, reference signals may be implemented in different ways:

Reference signals can be transmitted interference free, such that other base stations are muted on these resource elements, RE, check NZP/ZP reference signals.

Reference signals can be segregated in code domain, e.g., using CDMA techniques such as orthogonal cover codes, OCC.

Reference signal can be transmitted phase-locked, meaning that these are transmitted using a same reference clock. In another embodiment, reference signals transmitted in different bands could be transmitted with a fixed relative phase. In another embodiment, reference signals transmitted in different bands could include phase tracking symbols, such that a receiver could calculate and estimate phase offsets. In addition, the phase offset can also be reported or feedback to a PPU. This may be done in addition to other values, or exclusively. Alternatively or in addition, the mechanism itself may have to be chosen, and may be configured and/or signalled to the receiver or to another PPU accordingly.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of multiple bandwidth parts 722i, 7222, 722a, 722’i , 722’2 and 722’3 that may be used for an aggregation of multiple bandwidth parts so as to form a virtual bandwidth part of different bandwidths. For example, bandwidth parts 722i and 722’i, 7222 and 722’2, and/or 722a and 722’3 may be aggregated, e.g., fora common use as described in connection with Figs. 7a-d.

According to an embodiment, procedures can be defined to configure other base stations operating within the same area to avoid transmission of reference signals and/or data on the same and/or neighbouring Res, i.e. , the locations 704 described in connection with Fig. 7a-d.

The system using the assistance band, AB, can be configured to

■ avoid transmissions on the reference signal positions, zero power, ZP, or ■ reduce power when transmitting on these reference signal positions, in order to reduce interference for systems using the ABs. This could also depend on the position of the UEs using the ABs. Furthermore, base stations in the vicinity could measure the interference power, e.g., by measuring the RSRQ, RSRP, RSSI, etc. Furthermore, the results could be distributed among the BS, or could be made accessible via core network, CN, so that another BS or UE could query the database before transmission and adapt its transmission strategy accordingly.

Reference is now made to Fig. 9 showing a schematic illustration of an implementation of zeropower reference signals to allow for interference measurements, IM, of interference originating from other cells or base stations, e.g., neighbouring base stations. The reference signal allocation among base stations may be aligned such that reference signals from other base stations coincide with zero-power resource elements observed by the measurement receiver. The reference signals and zero-power REs may be aligned in time and/or frequency domain. Alternatively or in addition, the signals in Fig. 9 may be transmitted from different TRPs and/or base stations, e.g., reference signals 752i to 752s from a first TRP1 , and reference signals 752g to 752i2 from a second TRP2, etc. A group 754 of reference signals may comprise one or more reference signals that are associated with one another, e.g., at least one reference signal 752i to 7524 being associated with a possibly corresponding number of reference signals 752s to 752s.

In the context of Multi-TRP, mTRP, in case of more than one TRP, each TRP may send a subset of pilot symbols on particular reference symbol positions. According to an embodiment, TRPs may also jointly sent pilot symbols on same reference symbol positions in order to boost the power transmitted on these pilot tones. Alternatively or in addition, the involved TRPs are located in different positions, and transmit using the same cell ID, in the context of cell-free massive MIMO.

As depicted in Fig. 10, TRP1 and TRP3 could operate cell-free, transmitting joint signals 752i to 7524 from different positions to a UE 762, e.g., UE 308. TRP2 as well as TRP4 may transmit in assistance pilot symbols, APS, in the assistance band AB 7022. For example, TRP2 may transmit at least one pilot symbols or reference signals 752s, 752e and/or 752s and/or TRP4 may transmit at least one pilot symbol 752? and/or 752g. The UE 762 may jointly decode pilot symbols and APS and utilize the higher bandwidth to increase its positioning estimate. This may not be limited to position estimation, but a similar concept can be used, by the UE and/or a node receiving measurement results, to one or more of: improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction, speed estimation, position estimation in 2D and/or 3D, this yields an increased dataset, which may be required for training data using AI/ML, beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR, interference management, interference estimation, handover optimization.

In other words, the UE 762 receives signals from different TRPs, wherein the reference signals are coordinated between TRPs, e.g., by the core network and/or the CU, such that the received symbols/frame allows crosswise interference free measurement for channel estimation and positioning purposes.

Amongst others, embodiments provide for the following benefits:

The described architecture, interface and signalling solutions allow for options that generically enable (direct) positioning solutions in new 6G-architecture, i.e. in dynamic cell-free distributed massive MIMO systems.

Embodiments describes how to - for the purposes of positioning and/or sensing - realize the re-use of the result of a basic communication task, the channel estimation. No other framework of pilots becomes necessary or may at least be avoided and, therefore, the described principles support to avoid additional overhead and to facilitate deep integration (i.e. generic integration) of positioning into the 6G network.

Aspects of the invention may be used to define parts of a technical standard, for example through 3GPP SA2, RAN1 , RAN2, RAN4 or RAN5, the invention becomes standard essential.

One, more or all positioning use cases for mobile networks may apply. For 5G positioning use cases see references, for example [6], For 6G positioning and sensing uses cases, research project provided views about application field and use cases, see for example Fig. 11 taken from [7],

Various elements and features of the present invention may be implemented in hardware using analogue and/or digital circuits, in software, through the execution of instructions by one or more general purpose or special-purpose processors, or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the environment of a computer system or another processing system. Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a computer system 500. The units or modules as well as the steps of the methods performed by these units may execute on one or more computer systems 500. The computer system 500 includes one or more processors 502, like a special purpose or a general-purpose digital signal processor. The processor 502 is connected to a communication infrastructure 504, like a bus or a network. The computer system 500 includes a main memory 506, e.g., a random-access memory (RAM), and a secondary memory 508, e.g., a hard disk drive and/or a removable storage drive. The secondary memory 508 may allow computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computer system 500. The computer system 500 may further include a communications interface 510 to allow software and data to be transferred between computer system 500 and external devices. The communication may be in the form of electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being handled by a communications interface. The communication may use a wire or a cable, fibre optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link and other communications channels 512.

An eighty-seventh aspect relates to a method for operating a device for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the method comprises: transmitting a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and transmitting a second pilot signal/reference signal in a second BWP for the improvement procedure.

An eighty-eighth aspect relates to a method for operating a device for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the method comprises receiving a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and receiving a second pilot signal/reference signal in a second BWP for the improvement procedure.

An eighty-ninth aspect relates to a method for operating a wireless communication network for providing an improvement procedure for devices operating in the wireless communication network, the method comprising: selecting a subset from a plurality of transmitters such as base stations and/or TRPs for a joint transmission of pilot signals for the improvement procedure, the pilot signals arranged in different bandwidth parts, BWPs.

A ninetieth aspect relates to a computer readable digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program having a program code for performing, when running on a computer, a method according to any one of the eighty-sixth to eighty-ninth aspects.

The terms “computer program medium” and “computer readable medium” are used to generally refer to tangible storage media such as removable storage units or a hard disk installed in a hard disk drive. These computer program products are means for providing software to the computer system 500. The computer programs, also referred to as computer control logic, are stored in main memory 506 and/or secondary memory 508. Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface 510. The computer program, when executed, enables the computer system 500 to implement the present invention. In particular, the computer program, when executed, enables processor 502 to implement the processes of the present invention, such as any of the methods described herein. Accordingly, such a computer program may represent a controller of the computer system 500. Where the disclosure is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 500 using a removable storage drive, an interface, like communications interface 510.

The implementation in hardware or in software may be performed using a digital storage medium, for example cloud storage, a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blue-Ray, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM or a FLASH memory, having electronically readable control signals stored thereon, which cooperate (or are capable of cooperating) with a programmable computer system such that the respective method is performed. Therefore, the digital storage medium may be computer readable.

Some embodiments according to the invention comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals, which are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system, such that one of the methods described herein is performed.

Generally, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product with a program code, the program code being operative for performing one of the methods when the computer program product runs on a computer. The program code may for example be stored on a machine-readable carrier.

Other embodiments comprise the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, stored on a machine-readable carrier. In other words, an embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a computer program having a program code for performing one of the methods described herein, when the computer program runs on a computer.

A further embodiment of the inventive methods is, therefore, a data carrier (or a digital storage medium, or a computer-readable medium) comprising, recorded thereon, the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. A further embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a data stream or a sequence of signals representing the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the sequence of signals may for example be configured to be transferred via a data communication connection, for example via the Internet. A further embodiment comprises a processing means, for example a computer, or a programmable logic device, configured to or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein. A further embodiment comprises a computer having installed thereon the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (for example a field programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functionalities of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor in order to perform one of the methods described herein. Generally, the methods are preferably performed by any hardware apparatus. The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative for the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and the details described herein are apparent to others skilled in the art. It is the intent, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the impending patent claims and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

References

[1] 3GPP TS 38.305, V18.0.0, “Stage 2 functional specification of User Equipment (UE) positioning in NG-RAN (Release 18)”, Dec 2023, https://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/38_series/38.305/38305-i00.zip, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

[2] Fraunhofer White Paper: “Next-Generation Positioning within 6G”, https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/iis/en/doc/ks/bb/6g-sentinel-white-paper- positioning.pdf, Feb. 2023, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

[3] “Direct Multi-Array and Multi-Tone Positioning”, Hadaschik, Sackenreuter, FaBbinder, 2017 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC Workshops), Paris, France, 2017, pp. 1067-1072, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7962800, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

[4] “High-Accuracy Positioning Services for High-Speed Vehicles in Wideband mmWave Communications”, Z. Gong et al., IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, Vol. 71, 2023, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10288428, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

[5] “Foundations of User-Centric Cell-Free Massive MIMO”, Demir, Bjdrnsen, Sanguinetti, 2021, https://github.com/emilbjornson/cell-free-book, [Accessed 2024-06-11]])

[6] 3GPP TR 22.872 V16.1.0 “Study on positioning use cases; Stage 1 (Release 16)”, Sept. 2018, https://www.3gpp.Org/ftp//Specs/archive/22_series/22.872/22872-g10.zip, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

[7] "Localisation and sensing use cases and gap analysis", Hexa-X project, Deliverable D3.1, December 2021, https://hexa-x.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Hexa-X- D3.1_v1.4.pdf, [Accessed 2024-06-11]

Claims

Claims

1. A network entity, e.g., a UE or a DCC, configured for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in an improvement procedure, wherein the device comprises: an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals; wherein the network entity is configured for transmitting a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; wherein the network entity is configured for transmitting a second pilot signal/reference signal in an optionally adjacent second BWP for the improvement procedure.

2. The network entity of claim 1 , being at least one of:

• one or more device, e.g. UEs, or WiFi stations, STA,

• one or more non-stationary devices, e.g., moving UEs,

• one or more base stations, gNBs, or access points, AP, e.g., a WiFi AP,

• one or more relay nodes, RNs,

• one or more non-terrestrial networks nodes, NTNs, e.g., satellites,

• one or more terrestrial networks, TNs,

• one or more network functions, NF,

• a DCC.

3. The network entity of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first pilot signal I reference signal and/or the second pilot signal/reference signal is a known signal with respect to at least one of:

• a CSI-RS sequence and/or mapping,

• a DMRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a PRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a SRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a Reference signal and/or control signal, e.g., of an estimated and/or known and/or configured message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a Data signal and/or user signal of a known message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a known or configured temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping • a temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping wherein the temporal use identifies a message, e.g., a trigger referring to an event or to a temporal reference point for a past current or future event of procedure to happen (start, duration, end,...)

4. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the second BWP is adjacent to the first BWP.

5. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the second BWP is not adjacent to or spaced from the first BWP, e.g., fragmented BWPs like in CA with fragmented CCs, e.g., having a certain frequency gap between CCs, e.g., 50 MHz or 70 MHz, or supplementary CC, e.g., supplemental downlink, SDL, or supplemental uplink, SUL, or dual active protocol stacks, DAPS, or a CC belonging to a primary cell, PCell, or to one or more secondary cells, e.g., SCells.

6. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the first pilots signal/reference signal and the second pilots signal/reference signal are configured or correlated with at least one of:

• a fixed or known phase or timing relationship, e.g., coherent or time-aligned (synced) effective carriers.

• an unknown or random phase or timing relationship, e.g., non-coherent/non-time- aligned effective carriers.

7. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the second BWP has a same or a different bandwidth when compared to the first BWP.

8. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the second BWP has a same or a different duration in the time domain when compared to the first BWP.

9. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein a first numerology such as a subcarrier spacing, SCS, assigned to pilot signals in the first BWP is same or different when compared to a second numerology assigned to pilot signals in the second BWP.

10. The network entity of claim 9, wherein the first numerology and the second numerology is at least partially equal; wherein the network entity is not to utilize at least one pilot signal of the first BWP and/or at least one pilot signal of the second BWP to obtain a mismatch between an distribution of used pilot signals in the first BWP and of used pilot signals in the second BWP.

11 . The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein to each of the first BWP and the second BWP there is linked at least one of:

• a numerology, e.g., a particular subcarrier spacing, SCS, e.g., a mixed numerology,

• a particular frame structure, e.g., a radio frame length, a slot structure, a number of symbols per slot,

• reference signals, e.g., PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc., distribution using phase-locked signal generation, and

• a duplex mode, e.g., a number of uplink/downlink/flexible/sidelink slots.

12. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein pilot symbols with respect to the pilot symbol position are unequally spaced in the frequency domain.

13. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the first BWP and the second BWP are assigned directly adjacent to one another or spaced in the frequency domain.

14. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the first pilot signal BWP and the second pilot signal have a different length in time or different distribution in frequency domain.

15. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the network entity is configured for utilizing a tracking based on periodic or semi-persistent reference signals over time and/or periodic phase signalling across different BWPs, reference signals from different BWPs with different numerologies shall be placed such that tracking over time and periodic phase signalling across BWPs can be utilized.

16. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal are part of a plurality of pilot signals spread across unequal configurations of different BWPs, e.g., by using pilot symbol positions which are well-defined on a ti m e/f req u en cy/cod e-g ri d .

17. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the first and/or second pilot signal is implemented in at least one of: • transmitted interference free, such that other devices such as base stations are muted on these resource elements, RE, e.g., related to NZP/ZP reference signals;

• segregated in a code domain, e.g., using CDMA techniques such as orthogonal cover codes, OCC;

• transmitted phase-locked, e.g., using a same reference clock;

• transmitted in different bands and with a fixed relative phase;.

• transmitted in different bands and in including phase tracking symbols,

• evaluated with regard to a phase offset being indicated, by another device such as a Positioning Calculation Unit.

18. The network entity of one of previous claims, adapted to communicate in the first BWP being operated with a non-cell-defining system synchronization block, SSB, wherein the second BWP is operated with a cell-defining SSB.

19. A network entity, e.g., a UE or a DCC, configured for communicating in a wireless communication network using a first bandwidth part, BWP, and for participating in an improvement procedure, wherein the network entity comprises: an antenna arrangement configured for transceiving signals; wherein the network entity is configured for receiving a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; wherein the network entity is configured for receiving a second pilot signal/reference signal in an optionally adjacent second BWP for the improvement procedure.

20. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the network entity is configured for measuring and/or reporting a measurement result related at least to one of the following

• the first pilot signal/reference signal,

• the second pilot signal/reference signal

• both, the first and second pilot signal/reference signal,

• extrapolated for the BWP or multiple BWPs between the first and second BWP;

• a L1- and/or L2 and/or L3-filtered measurement result

• parameters derived from the measurements.

21. The network entity of claim 20, wherein the parameters derived from the measurements include one or more of

• a location, zone, route,...

• a mobility-related information,

• a channel quality,

22. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 21 , being at least one of:

• one or more device, e.g. UEs, or WiFi stations, STA,

• one or more non-stationary devices, e.g., moving UEs,

• one or more base stations, gNBs, or access points, AP, e.g., a WiFi AP,

• one or more relay nodes, RNs,

• one or more non-terrestrial networks nodes, NTNs, e.g., satellites,

• one or more terrestrial networks, TNs,

• one or more network functions, NF,

• a DCC.

23. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the first pilot signal/reference signal and/or the second pilot signal/reference signal is a known signal with respect to at least one of:

• a CSI-RS sequence and/or mapping,

• a DMRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a PRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a SRS sequence and/or mapping,

• a reference signal and/or control signal, e.g., of an estimated and/or known and/or configured message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a Data signal and/or user signals of a known message space with associated sequence and/or mapping,

• a known or configured temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping

• a temporal use of resources, RS signal sequences and/or mapping wherein the temporal use identifies a message, e.g., a trigger referring to an event or to a temporal reference point for a past current or future event of procedure to happen (start, duration, end,...)

24. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the second BWP is adjacent to the first BWP.

25. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the second BWP is not adjacent to or spaced from the first BWP, e.g., fragmented BWPs like in CA with fragmented CCs, e.g., having a certain frequency gap between CCs, e.g., 50 MHz or 70 MHz, or supplementary CC, e.g., supplemental downlink, SDL, or supplemental uplink, SUL, or dual active protocol stacks, DAPS, or a CC belonging to a primary cell, PCell, or to one or more secondary cells, e.g., SCells.

26. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 25, wherein the first pilots signal/reference signal and the second pilots signal/reference signal are configured or correlated with at least one of:

• a fixed or known phase or timing relationship, e.g., coherent or time-aligned (synced) effective carriers.

• an unknown or random phase or timing relationship, e.g., non-coherent/non-time- aligned effective carriers.

27. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 26, wherein the second BWP has a same or a different bandwidth when compared to the first BWP.

28. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 27, wherein the second BWP has a same or a different duration in the time domain when compared to the first BWP.

29. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 28, wherein a first numerology such as a subcarrier spacing, SCS, assigned to pilot signals in the first BWP is same or different when compared to a second numerology assigned to pilot signals in the second BWP.

30. The network entity of claim claims 19 to 29, wherein the first numerology and the second numerology is at least partially equal; wherein the network entity is not to utilize at least one pilot signal of the first BWP and/or at least one pilot signal of the second BWP to obtain a mismatch between an distribution of used pilot signals in the first BWP and of used pilot signals in the second BWP.

31 . The network entity of one of claims 19 to 30, wherein to each of the first BWP and the second BWP there is linked at least one of: a numerology, e.g., a particular subcarrier spacing, SCS, e.g., a mixed numerology, a particular frame structure, e.g., a radio frame length, a slot structure, a number of symbols per slot, reference signals, e.g., PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc., distribution using phase-locked signal generation, and a duplex mode, e.g., a number of uplink/downlink/flexible/sidelink slots.

32. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 31 , wherein pilot symbols with respect to the pilot symbol position are unequally spaced in the frequency domain.

33. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 32, wherein the first BWP and the second BWP are assigned directly adjacent to one another or spaced in the frequency domain.

34. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 33, wherein the first pilot signal BWP and the second pilot signal have a different length in time or different distribution in frequency domain.

35. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 34, wherein the network entity is configured for utilizing a tracking based on periodic or semi-persistent reference signals over time and/or periodic phase signalling across different BWPs, reference signals from different BWPs with different numerologies shall be placed such that tracking over time and periodic phase signalling across BWPs can be utilized.

36. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 35, wherein the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal are part of a plurality of pilot signals spread across unequal configurations of different BWPs, e.g., by using pilot symbol positions which are well-defined on a time/frequency-grid.

37. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 36, wherein the first and/or second pilot signal is implemented in at least one of:

• transmitted interference free, such that other devices such as base stations are muted on these resource elements, RE, e.g., related to NZP/ZP reference signals;

• segregated in a code domain, e.g., using CDMA techniques such as orthogonal cover codes, OCC;

• transmitted phase-locked, e.g., using a same reference clock;

• transmitted in different bands and with a fixed relative phase;. transmitted in different bands and in including phase tracking symbols, evaluated with regard to a phase offset being indicated, by another device such as a Positioning Calculation Unit.

38. The network entity of one of claims 19 to 37, adapted to communicate in the first BWP being operated with a non-cell-defining system synchronization block, SSB, wherein the second BWP is operated with a cell-defining SSB.

39. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the improvement procedure comprises at least one of:

• a procedure to improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction,

• a procedure for speed estimation,

• a procedure for position estimation in 2D and/or 3D, or localization within a certain zone or geolocation,

• a procedure to improve communication in a different channel or BWP using, e.g., non-cell-defining, NCD-SSB, or in cell-defining CD-SSB,

• a procedure for obtaining training data for using AI/ML,

• a procedure for beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR, beam refinement,

• a procedure for interference management, interference estimation,

• a procedure for mobility or handover optimization, or conditional handover, CHO, estimation;

• a procedure to improve power saving at the UE or at a base station,

• a procedure to improve communication resilience, e.g., against interference, jamming, spoofing, channel collisions, and

• a procedure to improve synchronization, e.g., for synchronization to another cell, in order to improve HO procedure or boost capacity, e.g., in case of dual connectivity or carrier aggregation or dual active protocol stack, DAPS.

40. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the network entity comprises a user equipment, UE, adapted for participating in an uplink positioning procedure.

41. The network entity of one of previous claims, wherein the network entity comprises a user equipment, UE, adapted for participating in a downlink positioning procedure.

42. The network entity of claim 41 , adapted to receive the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal and possibly further pilot signals from different transmitters such as transmission reception points, TRPs, other nodes, e.g., UEs, satellites, positioning anchors and/or base stations.

43. The network entity of one of previous claims, comprising: an input, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster of access points (DCC devices, APs, TRPs), DCC, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC and a device to be located; a calculator configured for determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; wherein the network entity is configured for providing information related to the location.

44. A wireless communication network comprising a plurality of network entities according to one of previous claims.

45. The wireless communication network of claim 44, adapted to configure neighboring devices to avoid transmission of same pilot signals and/or to use same resource elements for the pilot signals.

46. The wireless communication network of claim 44 or 45, adapted to avoid transmissions on the reference signal positions, zero power, ZP; and/or reduce power when transmitting on these reference signal positions, in order to reduce interference for systems using the second BWP.

47. The wireless communication network of claim 46, adapted to reduce power when transmitting on these reference signal positions, in order to reduce interference for systems using the second BWP based on a position of at least one UE using the second BWP.

48. The wireless communication network of one of claims 44 to 47, wherein at least one network entity is adapted to receive or access a report of other devices, the report indicating a measured interference and to transmit the second pilot signal based on the interference.

49. A wireless communication network configured for providing an improvement procedure for devices or network entities operating in the wireless communication network; wherein the wireless communication network comprises a plurality of transmitters such as base stations and/or TRPs; wherein a network controller is adapted to select a subset of the plurality of transmitters for a joint transmission of pilot signals for an improvement procedure, the pilot signals arranged in different bandwidth parts, BWPs.

50. The wireless communication network of claim 49, wherein the network controller is adapted to control each transmitter of the subset to send a subset of pilot signals on particular reference symbol positions

51 . The wireless communication network of claim 49 or 50, wherein the network controller is adapted to control each transmitter of the subset to jointly send pilot signals on same reference symbol positions in order to boost the power transmitted.

52. The wireless communication network of one of claims 49 to 51 , wherein the network controller is adapted to control the transmitter of the subset to transmit using a same cell ID of the wireless communication network; or to operate cell-free for transmitting joint signals from different positions to a device.

53. The wireless communication network of one of claims 49 to 52, wherein the improvement procedure comprises at least one of:

• a procedure to improve channel estimation, channel extrapolation, channel prediction,

• a procedure for speed estimation,

• a procedure for position estimation in 2D and/or 3D,

• a procedure for obtaining training data for using AI/ML,

• a procedure for beam management, e.g., beam prediction, beam failure recovery, BFR,

• a procedure for interference management, interference estimation, and a procedure for handover optimization.

54. A method for operating a device for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the method comprises: transmitting a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and transmitting a second pilot signal/reference signal in a second BWP for the improvement procedure.

55. A method for operating a device for communicating in a wireless communication network and for participating in improvement procedure, wherein the method comprises: receiving a first pilot signal/reference signal in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and receiving a second pilot signal/reference signal in a second BWP for the improvement procedure.

56. A computer readable digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program having a program code for performing, when running on a computer, a method according to claim 54 or 55.

57. A device such as a user equipment, UE, or a station, STA, comprising a Position Calculation Unit, wherein the UE is adapted to wirelessly receive information comprising at least one of

• information about a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, configuration;

• a configuration of reference signals transmitted by at least one transmission reception point, TRP, within the DCC

• a deployment information from a network entity or a communication processor wherein the device is adapted to perform a measurement on at least one of the reference signals transmitted by at least one TRP within the DCC.

58. The device of claim 57, wherein the device is adapted to compute, e.g., using the Position Calculation Unit, position or location related parameters such as a velocity or a movement status of the device based on the received information and/or to report the measurements to a second entity, e.g., another device or a network node.

59. The device of claim 57 or 58, wherein the device is adapted to receive at least one information about potential error sources e.g., AP position, synchronisation errors, calibration uncertainties or an estimation quality of an H matrix, and to determine the position or location related parameters based on the error information.

60. The device of one of claims 57 to 59, wherein the position calculation unit comprises an AI/ML model, wherein in order to evaluate a consistency of training data for an inference of the model, the device is adapted to request the network to send a reference signal for evaluation; and/or to request to change at least one node of the DCC.

61 . The device of one of claims 57 to 60, adapted to report at least one sensor value like a movement, a gyroscope-related information or information derived from using sensor values such as a step detection, a movement pattern, to the network.

62. The device according to one of claims 57 to 61 , wherein the device comprises a calculation unit adapted for calculating an estimate of a spatial origin of at least one of the reference signals, wherein the spatial origin indicates at least one of the following:

• a LOS or N LOS indication

• an estimate of the location of the reflector

• an Radar cross sectional area, RCA, estimate of the reflector object.

63. The device of claim 62, adapted to report the estimate to the network or to provide the estimate to a higher layer application for further use

64. The device of claim 62 or 63, adapted to report to a network entity such as a gNB, a sensing function, a location management function, or an operation and maintenance function, O&M, at least two of the following information:

• a timestamp of the calculation and/or of the measurement

• a device location information

• an estimate of location of the reflector,

• an Radar cross sectional area, RCA, estimate of the reflector object.

65. The device according to one of claims 57 to 64, wherein the location of the reflector comprises one or more of the following

• a range and direction estimate

• a range and direction estimate with radar cross section (RCS) estimate

• coordinates in a plane (2D) or in 3D

• a location described using any geographical area description (GAD) such as eclipse with uncertainty angle.

66. The device according to 65, wherein the location of the reflector further comprises one or more of the following

• an error in estimation of the location of reflector

• an uncertainty in estimation of location of reflector

• an integrity information corresponding to the location of reflector.

67. The device of one of claims 57 to 66, wherein the device is to transmit a reference signal or to provide a report based on a start and/or stop trigger provided by a communication interface such as a MAC trigger, an RRC configuration, an NR Positioning Protocol, LPP, signalling, e.g., ProvideLocationReport.

87. The device of one of claims 57 to 67, wherein the device is adapted to provide feedback information to the network, e.g., a communication process and/or a positioning processor, comprising information allowing a receiver to

• adjust at least one parameter for communication;

• adjust at least one AP within the DCC set for positioning (e.g. for improving DOP);

• select a different DCC set from a set of DCC set signalled to the device; and/or

• indicate at least one parameter indicating/request the network entity to enable a TRP or a set of TRPs to transmit positioning reference.

69. The device of one of claims 57 to 68, adapted to perform the measurements and/or to provide a report derived therefrom as one of the following:

• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD, between two signals transmitted by different nodes of the DCC, e.g., Aps;

• a Round trip time between a first node and a second node of the DCC

• a Phase information on the signal between an device of the DCC and the device;

• a relative phase difference on the signal received at the device from two different devices of the DCC; Doppler values

70. The device of one of claims 57 to 69, wherein the DCC Configuration is one or more of the following;

• providing assistance data using the LPP ProvideAssistanceData method, wherein the ProvideAssistanceData contains the information on the TRPs and/or their location;

• providing the information about the DCC configuration using a system message such as SIB or posSibs.

71. The device of one of claims 57 to 70, adapted to operate in a wireless communication network and adapted to initiate a Mobile Originated Location Request, MO-LR, towards the wireless communication network or a RAN node thereof: or adapted to receive a Mobile Terminated Location Request, MT-LR, from the wireless communication network or the RAN node, wherein the location result is associated with a temporary identifier on RAN-node with which the UE is known within the network, e.g., the RAN network, such as NG-RAN, or access network.

72. A device adapted to operate in a wireless communication system, wherein the device is adapted to operate in a network comprising a plurality of Access Points, APs and/or transmission reception points TRPs, wherein the device is adapted to

• receive a configuration of at least one reference signal to transmit;

• receives a configuration and/or a trigger indicating a time when to transmit the reference signal;

• transmits the said reference signal or the said reference signals.

73. The device of claim 66, wherein the configuration received by the device comprises one or more of the following:

• at least two reference signals having a different start frequencies and/or bandwidth

• an indication of antenna port or antenna panel over which the two reference signals are to be transmitted;

• an indication of time multiplexing of the two reference signals.

74. A Position Calculation Unit, e.g., a PPU for a wireless communication network, wherein the position calculation unit comprises: an input, e.g., comprising an interface, adapted for receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, of DCC devices and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC, such as APs, and a device to be located; a calculator configured for determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; wherein the Position Calculation Unit is configured for providing information related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network.

75. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 74, wherein the DCC comprises at least one of:

• at least two APs, adapted to transmit to and/or receive from a user equipment on a given frequency resource one or more reference signals and/or one or more data signals, either concurrently or time-multiplexed;

• at least two APs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are configured to transmit and/or receive reference signals from a UE;

• at least two TRPs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are configured to the UE, which the UE is expected to perform measurements on;

• at least two TRPs, wherein the subset comprises at least two APs, that are selected by a PCU for performing measurements on at least one signal transmitted by the UE.

76. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 74 or 75, wherein the information related to the DCC is indicated by system information and/or a dedicated signalling such as NR Positioning Protocol, LPP, ProvideAssistanceData or one or more ProvideMeasurementReport messages, e.g., carried on the New Radio Positioning Protocol A, NRPPa, interface or using an RRC Signalling.

77. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 74 to 76, wherein the channel estimation result comprises at least one of:

• an H-matrix;

• a sampled H-matrix

• part of H-matrix (e.g. certain paths are not measured or not reported).

• a channel state information, CSI; and a channel impulse response, CIR.

78. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 74 to 77, wherein the channel estimation result is based on one or more communication reference signals of the wireless communication network such as a DeModulation Reference Signal, DMRS, related to a Channel State Information, CSI-RS, related to a Phase Tracking Reference Signal, PTRS.

79. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 74 to 78, adapted to further receive, using the same or a different input, position information indicating positions of devices contributing to the DCC; wherein the Position Calculation Unit is adapted to determining the location of the device based on the position information.

80. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 79, adapted to determine a selection of devices as a subset or as superset of candidate devices to contribute to the DCC based on a position of the candidate devices and to signal, via the input, the selection of devices.

81. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 80, wherein the input is adapted to support a procedures to start and/or stop a data delivery in order to enable positioning including determining the location of the device, e.g., either initiated on a communication processor unit, CPU, side or on a position calculation unit, PPU, side.

82. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 81 , adapted to support a procedure for joint communications and sensing/positioning, ISAC.

83. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 82, wherein the input is configured for providing a feedback on a configuration of information, e.g. to feedback on an update rate or a shape of channel estimation results to be provided to the Position Calculation Unit.

84. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 83, wherein the input is configured for providing a feedback of results obtained by the Position Calculation Unit, e.g., reflector location information such as a sensing of passive objects.

85. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 84, configured for receiving error information related to potential error sources, e.g. AP position, sync or calibration uncertainties; estimation quality of H; and to determine the location of the device based on the error information.

86. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 85, configured for determining, using the channel estimation result, estimates of spatial origins of signals such as line-of-sight- signals and/or reflections.

87. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 86, configured for determining the location of the device to comprise a final UE position as a final result, e.g., for a LoS and/or a non-LoS scenario, such as detected non-LoS origins equivalent to virtual anchors useful for NLOS positioning.

88. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 87, configured for sensing, the sensing comprising determining, from a spatial origin of reflections, a position of a passive object, an angle of the spatial origin and/or a time of travel of a signal reflected by the spatial origin of reflection.

89. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 88, being at least a part of at least one of:

• a core network, CN, of the wireless communication network, e.g., a network function, NF and/or a location management function, LMF;

• a Radio Access Network, RAN,

• a distributed unit, DU,

• a central unit, CU, of the wireless communication network;

• a base station, BS, or gNB, or other entities of the NG-RAN network;

• externally connected to the wireless communication network, e.g., via the Internet, e.g., being in a remote location such as a data centre,

• within a non-3GPP node, e.g., a WiFi station, STA, or access point, AP; and

• a user equipment, UE.

90. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 89, being implemented at least in parts in the UE for a UE based positioning in a distributed cell-based configuration or a cell-free configuration.

91 . The Position Calculation Unit of claim 89 or 90, wherein the base station is a part of an eNB, a gNB, a satellite, a non-terrestrial network component (NTN) as part of a NTN architecture, a repeater, a relay node and/or a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) or a WiFi node.

92. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 91 , adapted to determine the location of the device based on a time of arrival, TOA, and/or an angle of arrival, AOA, of an uplink signal transmitted by the device, e.g., received with a base station of the wireless communication network.

93. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 92, configured for determining the location of the device with calculations of separate estimation algorithms per device, e.g., an access point, AP, of the DCC and/or per single parameter of signal components or path components between the device and the DCC.

94. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 93, wherein the single parameter is part of a set of parameters comprising at least one of:

• an azimuth of an angle of arrival, AOA, of a signal received from or received with the device;

• an elevation of the AOA

• a Delay,

• a multi-path component

• a Doppler for one, a set or all devices followed by a second algorithms comprising at least one stage, the second algorithm combining the parameters towards a final positioning result.

95. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 94, configured for calculating at least one joint estimation algorithm for multiple parameters and per device, e.g., an access point, AP, of the DCC such as a distributed Joint Angle and Distance Estimation, JADE, per device to obtain a position estimate of each device of the DCC for which the joint estimation algorithm is calculated.

96. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 95, configured for combining the estimated per- device-positions in a further algorithm, e.g. a weighted average.

97. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 96, configured for calculating at least one joint estimation algorithm for multiple parameters of several or all devices, e.g., APs, of the DCC contributing at a time such as all APs contributing to the Dynamic Cooperation Cluster DCC of APs in the cell-free-distributed-massive-M I MO-network at that time, in a single algorithm to obtain the position result for each signal component.

98. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 97, configured for determining the location information by further using at least one legacy method and/or evaluating at least one sensor signal.

99. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 98, configured for receiving the channel estimation result in a predefined format.

100. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 99, wherein the predefined format is based or indicates at least one of:

• an antenna configuration;

• heterogeneous device parameters of devices of the DCC;

• support of one or multiple bands.

101 . The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 100, being implemented completely or in parts in a user equipment, UE to perform a UE based positioning.

102. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 101 , adapted to determine the channel estimation result for a DCC of an actual or current cell-free configuration based on DL signals received with the UE.

103. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 101 or 102 adapted to receive information such as information indicating locations of the APs currently contributed to the DCC via an input, e.g., an interface.

104. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 101 to 103, configured for receiving the channel estimation result from the wireless communication network, wherein the UE is adapted to determine the information related to the location based on the channel estimation result.

105. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 101 to 104, wherein the UE is a part of a device to be used by a human, a vehicular UE, an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV, an automated guided vehicle, AGV, a drone, a satellite, g., a UE-type NTN component, a robot, etc.

106. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 105, adapted to provide or support on- demand a full bandwidth burst for communication based on a full resolution of the channel estimation result.

107. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 106, adapted to receiving the information related to the DCC and/or the channel estimation result from at least one user equipment, UE and/or

Provide the information related to the location to a device or network node, e.g., for direct use, for further post-processing, or for forwarding to a connected device and/or positioning processor for further processing or storage.

108. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 107, adapted to receive, via the input and for determining the location, one or more of:

• Reference symbols, e.g., CSI-RS, SSB, SRS,

• sidelink reference signals,

• positioning reference signals, PRS, and

• WiFi preambles.

109. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 108, adapted to receive, via the input and for determining the location, one or more measurement reports.

110. The Position Calculation Unit of claim 109, where the measurement report comprises one or more of:

• CQI, PMI, Rl, channel estimation result, e.g., the estimated channel or a representation of the estimated channel, e.g., a H-matrix or covariance matrix. The H-matrix can represent the channel itself (explicit description in spatial, time and/or frequency domain) or the propagation statistics between transmitter and receiver; o Transmit antennas, o Receive antennas, o Power amplifiers, e.g., high power or low power amplifiers, e.g., low noise amplifiers, LNAs, o Predistortion algorithms, o Beamformers, e.g., TX and/or Rx beamformers, o Any component in the transmit and/or receive branch generating a noise figure, e.g., ADC/DAC converters, etc. o Waveform characteristics, e.g., resulting effects caused by the chosen waveform which can be one or more of:

■ OFDM, MIMO-OFDM, SC-FDMA or any other type of single carrier waveform, OTFS, or GFDMA, FBMC or filtered waveforms, or any other 6G waveform.

• RSSI, RSRQ, RSRP or any other forms of received signal strength reporting,

• Signal strength and/or RTT measurement obtained from WiFi signals,

• GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area,

• Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory,

• Beam-related information, e.g., beam index, beam patterns, beam interference, beam direction, beam-failure-recovery, BFR, -related information,

• L1 , L2, or L3-filtered measurements

• Timestamps, validity, probability, integrity, accuracy-related information with respect to at least one input data or sets of input data, top-m statistics,

• Assistance data received from one or more of:

• UE(s), base station(s), CN or NFs, e.g., via LMF, or via the Internet

• Non-3GPP nodes, e.g., WiFi STA or AP.

111. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 110, adapted to provide the information related to the location as a calculated value and/or as a prediction.

112. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 111 , adapted to provide the information related to the location to comprise one or more of:

• GPS information or geo-location, e.g., latitude, longitude, heights, orientation, a restricted area, e.g., a geo-fenced area,

• Mobility-related data, e.g., speed, acceleration, movement, trajectory,

• Beam-related information if applicable, e.g., beam-direction, beam IDs, beam interference, beam failure recovery, other spatial information, number and/or order of beams, e.g., top-m beams,

• Zone-related information, e.g., cell-free area, node cooperation cluster or area Handover-related information, e.g., HO candidate list, neighbourhood lists, conditional handover, CHO, related information (e.g. in the 5G context, for which DCC is not yet introduced)

113. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 112, adapted to determine the location of the device using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning.

114. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 113, forming a part of a frontend at a RAN node, e.g., as part of a distributed unit, DU, located beside Radio Units (AP) and/or a central unit CU; wherein the Position Calculation Unit implements a Local-LMF-function in the RAN.

115. The Position calculation unit one of claims 74 to 114, wherein a position output comprising the information related to the location is associated with a temporary identifier for a client of the positioning service residing in a RAN network of the wireless communication network.

116. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 115, being a part of a device configured for hybrid beamforming.

117. The Position Calculation Unit one of claims 74 to 116, adapted to request additional channel measurements from APs that have been previously identified by the DCC but not selected as active APs for communications in the DCC; and to use channel measurements received responsive to the request to augment the channel estimation result; and/or adapted to request measurements from a legacy method to improve the positioning performance by fusion of the information from the channel estimation result and the requested legacy measurements; and/or adapted to request from a Communication Processing Unit, CPU, a reclustering of the active devices in at least one DCC to include a larger number of active APs and/or APs with specific properties, e.g., APs with locations that are preferred for positioning performance.

118. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claim 117, adapted to repeat augmentations of the channel estimation result until a quality or usability of the channel state information has reached a predefined threshold.

119. The Position Calculation Unit of one of claims 74 to 118, wherein the channel estimation result relates to a measurement of a first pilot signal/reference signal transmitted in a first bandwidth part, BWP, for communication in the first BWP; and a second pilot signal/reference signal transmitted in a second BWP.

120. A Communications Processor Unit, CPU, for a wireless communication network, configured for controlling a set of access points of a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, of access points, APs, and adapted for determining a channel estimation result of a channel between the DCC and a device such as a user equipment, UE, wherein the communications processor comprises an output, e.g., an interface, and is configured for, using the output, to

• signal the channel estimation result, e.g. an H-matrix

• signal information about the DCC and optional further information, like the positions of the APs currently contributing to the DCC;

• signal a feedback on a configuration of information provided, e.g. feedback on an update rate or a shape of channel estimation results to be received with the CPU.

121. The Communications Processor Unit, CPU, of claim 120, comprising an input adapted to

• receive, e.g., from a Position Calculation Unit, feedback on the DCC selections; wherein the CPU is adapted for selecting devices of the DCC based on the feedback, e.g. in order to achieve a better dilution of precision

• receive, e.g., from a Position Calculation Unit, a request to start or stop measurements or data delivery and/or to receive a configuration change;

• receive results obtained, e.g., by the Position Calculation Unit, such as a UE location information or reflector location information obtained by sensing of passive objects can be provided to the CPU; wherein the CPU is adapted to improve communication based on the results.

122. A user equipment comprising a Position Calculation Unit according to one of claims 74 to 119.

123. The user equipment of claim 122, adapted to receive information from another UE as input data, e.g., the information related to the DCC and/or the channel estimation result.

124. The user equipment of claim 122 or 123, wherein the user equipment is configured for assisting one or more different UEs with the information related to the device.

125. A user equipment configured for operating in a wireless communication network and for providing input data for another UE comprising a Position Calculation Unit.

126. The user equipment of claim 125, adapted to receive a result of a positioning procedure from the another UE as a support of operation.

127. The user equipment of one of claims 122 to 126, being one of a plurality of UEs, e.g., located in a collaboration zone, wherein the UE is adapted to exchange input and/or output information with respect to the Positioning Calculation Unit, e.g., assistance data.

128. A wireless communication network comprising a plurality of Position Calculation Units of one of claims 74 to 119, wherein each Position Calculation Unit is associated with a unique or derived identifier, e.g., PPID.

129. The wireless communication network of claim 128, wherein a first Position Calculation Unit of the plurality of Position Calculation Units is operated as a default positioning processor and a second Position Calculation Unit of the plurality of Position Calculation Units is operated as fallback positioning processor, wherein devices which initially connect or wake-up from a discontinuous reception, DRX, cycle, are provided with information which Position Calculation Unit to connect to.

130. The wireless communication network of claim 128 or 129, wherein the plurality of Position Calculation Units are listed and optionally ranked as available Position Calculation Units, wherein a device in the wireless communication network is provided with information which possible fallback positioning processors to use with the list.

131. The wireless communication network of one of claims 128 to 130, adapted to select devices of the DCC for communication based on an SINR, e.g., as exclusive basis; and for selecting the devices of the DCC for position procedures differently, e.g., based on a geometry, e.g., relating to a Dilution of Precision, DoP, and/or a number of devices; or to use the same DCC for communication and for positioning.

132. A method for operating a device such as a user equipment, UE, or a station, STA, comprising a Position Calculation Unit, the method comprising: wirelessly receiving information comprising at least one of

• information about a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, configuration;

• a configuration of reference signals transmitted by at least one transmission reception point, TRP, within the DCC

• a deployment information from a network entity or a communication processor performing a measurement on at least one of the reference signals transmitted by at least one TRP within the DCC,

133. The method of claim 132, further comprising: calculating, e.g., using the Position Calculation Unit, position or location related parameters such as a velocity or a movement status of the device based on the received information and/or reporting the measurements to a second entity, e.g., another device or a network node.

134. A method for operating a Position Calculation Unit in a wireless communication network, wherein the method comprises: receiving information related to a dynamic cooperation cluster, DCC, devices such as access points, APs and/or TRPs, and adapted for receiving a channel estimation result related to a channel between devices of the DCC and a device to be located; determining a location of the device based on the information related to the DCC and the channel estimation result; and providing information related to the location, e.g., for a location based service and/or for use by the network.

135. A method for operating a wireless communication network for providing an improvement procedure for devices operating in the wireless communication network, the method comprising: selecting a subset from a plurality of transmitters such as base stations and/or TRPs for a joint transmission of pilot signals for the improvement procedure, the pilot signals arranged in different bandwidth parts, BWPs.

136. A computer readable digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program having a program code for performing, when running on a computer, a method according to one of claims 132 to 135.