Uplink coordinated multipoint positioning

1. A network node configured to communicate with a wireless device (WD), the network node comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing software instructions configured to control the at least one processor to implement a process including:

employing a coordinated multipoint process to decode data from a WD using signals received from the WD by the network node and from signals received from the WD by a plurality of cooperating network nodes;

converting the decoded WD data into a time domain reference signal and convert the signals received from the plurality of cooperating network nodes into time domain neighbor signals;

cross-correlating the time domain reference signal with the time domain neighbor signals to determine a time difference of arrival for each of the plurality of time domain neighbor signals; and

calculating a position of the WD based on the time differences of arrival and based on locations of the cooperating network nodes.

2. A method implemented in a network node to estimate a time difference of arrival, TDoA, of signals received from a wireless device, the method comprising:

employing a coordinated multipoint process to decode data from a WD using signals received from the WD by the network node and from signals received from the WD by a plurality of cooperating network nodes;

converting the decoded WD data into a time domain reference signal and convert the signals received from the plurality of cooperating network nodes into time domain neighbor signals;

cross-correlating the time domain reference signal with the time domain neighbor signals to determine a time difference of arrival for each of the plurality of time domain neighbor signals; and

calculating a position of the WD based on the time differences of arrival and based on locations of the cooperating network nodes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising providing a reportConfigEUTRA WD measurement report with a negative A3-Offset greater than 19.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising performing geometric dilution of precision calculations to select a set of cooperating network nodes for use in positioning calculations.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising bounding a channel impulse response in the time domain using a calculated channel impulse response of a demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbol from at least one of the plurality of time domain neighbor signals.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising using a reference signal transmitted by the WD in every resource block to confirm a channel impulse response calculated from the cross correlation.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a reference signal is selected from signals received from the WD by the network node as a signal having a signal to noise ratio, SNR, of at least 10 dB.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising using trilateration based on reference signal received power, RSRP, to provide an initial estimate of WD location followed by subsequent iterations based on cross correlation of the time domain reference signal with the time domain neighbor signals.

9. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the network node is located remote from the cooperating network nodes and wherein positions of WDs are determined at the remote location.

10. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the received signals are transmitted over a full transmission time interval, TTI, consisting of 14 symbols.

11. A network node configured to communicate with a wireless device (WD), the network node comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing software instructions configured to control the at least one processor to implement a process including:

employing a coordinated multipoint process to decode data from a WD using signals received from the WD by the network node and from signals received from the WD by a plurality of cooperating network nodes;

converting the decoded WD data into a frequency domain reference signal and converting the signals received from the plurality of cooperating network nodes into frequency domain neighbor signals;

multiplying a complex conjugate of the frequency domain reference signal by each of the plurality of frequency domain neighbor signals to produce a plurality of product signals;

converting each of the product signals into a time domain signal to provide a time difference of arrival of each frequency domain neighbor signal; and

calculating a position of the WD based on the time difference of arrival of each frequency domain neighbor signal and based on locations of the cooperating network nodes.

12. A method implemented in a network node to estimate a time difference of arrival, TDoA, of signals received from a wireless device, the method comprising:

employing a coordinated multipoint process to decode data from a WD using signals received from the WD by the network node and from signals received from the WD by a plurality of cooperating network nodes;

converting the decoded WD data into a frequency domain reference signal and converting the signals received from the plurality of cooperating network nodes into frequency domain neighbor signals;

multiplying a complex conjugate of the frequency domain reference signal by each of the plurality of frequency domain neighbor signals to produce a plurality of product signals;

converting each of the product signals into a time domain signal to provide a time difference of arrival of each frequency domain neighbor signal; and

calculating a position of the WD based on the time difference of arrival of each frequency domain neighbor signal and based on locations of the cooperating network nodes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising providing a reportConfigEUTRA WD measurement report with a negative A3-Offset greater than 19.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising performing geometric dilution of precision calculations to select a set of cooperating network nodes for use in positioning calculations.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising bounding a channel impulse response in the time domain using a calculated channel impulse response of a demodulation reference signal, DIMS, symbol from at least one of the plurality of frequency domain neighbor signals.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising using a reference signal transmitted by the WD in every resource block to confirm a channel impulse response calculated from the cross correlation.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a reference signal is selected from signals received from the WD by the network node as a signal having a signal to noise ratio, SNR, of at least 10 dB.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising using trilateration based on reference signal received power, RSRP, to provide an initial estimate of WD location followed by subsequent iterations based on cross correlation of a time domain reference signal with time domain neighbor signals.

19. The method as darned in claim 12 , wherein the network node is located remote from the cooperating network nodes and wherein positions of WDs are determined at the remote location.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the received signals are transmitted over a full transmission time interval, TTI, consisting of 14 symbols.