Various embodiments disclosed herein enable a mobile device to accurately locate where the mobile device is located indoors by measuring geomagnetic fields, and tracing relative changes in the magnetic fields as the mobile device is moved. The relative changes can be compared to a fingerprint signal map, and a trace of a portion of the path can be determined by matching the relative changes in the magnetic fields to relative changes in the fingerprint signal map. A collection of the path portions can then be connected by determining a shortest path that connects each of the path portions. In another embodiment, a step counter can also be used to constrain possible locations, and fuse the geomagnetic field and step counter information for joint indoor localization.

A method for generating a wireless signal fingerprint database includes: obtaining an initial atmospheric pressure value, in which the initial atmospheric pressure value is an atmospheric pressure value collected when a terminal enters indoors; obtaining periodically a current wireless signal fingerprint and a current atmospheric pressure value collected by the terminal; and determining a floor corresponding to the current wireless signal fingerprint based on the initial atmospheric pressure value and the current atmospheric pressure value, to obtain the wireless signal fingerprint database.

An edge device includes a first antenna array that includes a first portion and one or more second portions. The edge device includes control circuitry that senses a surrounding area of the edge device in a first frequency by use of the first portion of the first antenna array. The control circuitry executes beamforming to direct a first beam of radio frequency (RF) signal in a second frequency having a signal strength greater than a threshold to a first user equipment (UE) in motion, by use of the one or more second portions of the first antenna array, where the first frequency is different from the second frequency.

In aspects of object tracking based on UWB tags, a system includes ultra-wideband (UWB) tags located for association with respective objects in an environment, where each UWB tag is identified with a digital label indicative of the association with one or more of the objects. A tracking service is implemented to receive initial location data for the objects from each of the UWB tags that are associated with the objects, and generate an object identity database in which each of the objects are identified by their respective initial location data. The tracking service can monitor for movement of an object that is identified by the initial location data based on subsequent positioning data associated with the object. The movement of an object is monitored for an unauthorized relocation of the object, for a cluster of multiple objects moving together, and/or for an abnormal proximity of multiple objects in the environment.

To acquire distance information with high accuracy with a simple configuration, and perform highly reliable positioning.

A communication device includes a distance acquisition unit that acquires distance information calculated on the basis of a propagation channel characteristic, and an altitude acquisition unit that acquires altitude information.

A method is provided that includes obtaining one or more pieces of crowd-sourced information. A respective crowd-sourced information is at least indicative of a location at which the respective crowd-sourced information was gathered. The method determines a set of tiles at least partially based on the one or more geographical areas. For at least one tile, the method obtains one or more pieces of fingerprint information comprised by the one or more pieces of crowd-sourced information that were gathered within the respective area of the respective tile and determines an area type and/or context information indicative of a type of venue located within the respective tile and/or context the respective area of the respective tile is used for. The area type and/or context information is determined at least partially based on the one or more pieces of fingerprint information. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

A method includes obtaining or holding available first radio map information representing a first radio map for a first environment. The method also includes determining, at least partially based on said first radio map information, second radio map information representing a second radio map for a second environment. The second radio map contains or represents a respective radio coverage model for each radio device of a group of radio devices. A portion of the second environment at least partially covers the first environment. A density of radio coverage models contained in or represented by said second radio map in the portion of said second environment and at least partially covering the first environment is higher than a density of radio coverage models contained in or represented by the second radio map in a remaining portion of the second environment. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

A hybrid method of estimating position of a mobile device which utilizes both received signal power and timing measurements. Received signal power of signals received by the mobile device from a plurality of cells are measured and corresponding received signal power measurements are stored. The method further includes measuring, at the mobile device, times of arrival of signals received from the plurality of cells. A plurality of time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements are determined from the times of arrival. A power-time hybrid Gaussian maximum likelihood estimator and positioning assistance data for the plurality of cells are used to generate a maximum likelihood estimate of the position of the mobile device by evaluating a joint conditional probability of the received signal power measurements and the plurality of TDOA measurements. Gaussian random variables may be used to represent the received signal power measurements and the TDOA measurements.

An edge device includes a first antenna array that includes a first portion and one or more second portions. The edge device includes control circuitry that senses a surrounding area of the edge device by use of the first portion of the first antenna array. The control circuitry executes beamforming to direct a first beam of radio frequency (RF) signal having a signal strength greater than a threshold to a first user equipment (UE), by use of the one or more second portions of the first antenna array.

A method is disclosed that includes gathering one or more pieces of crowdsourcing information indicative of one or more positions at which the at least one mobile device is located during the gathering. The method also includes collecting one or more performance indicators indicative of measurable information associated with the gathering of the one or more pieces of crowdsourcing information. The one or more performance indicators enable an evaluation of the gathering of the one or more pieces of crowdsourcing information. The method further includes providing the collected one or more performance indicators. An according apparatus, computer program and system are also disclosed.