Method, apparatus, and medium for performing time measurement exchange between stations

A computing apparatus comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the computing apparatus to:
• determine a channel stability of a first channel between an initiating station (ISTA) and a first responding station (RSTA);
• send, between the ISTA and the first RSTA, a request for a first timing-measurement exchange;
• negotiate parameters for the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the first RSTA based on the determined channel stability;
• perform the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and first RSTA in accordance with the parameters and generating thereby a first set of times;
• determine, based on historical data and one or more current network measurements, a preferred subset of access points (APs) among a set of APs in a neighborhood of the ISTA for use as responding stations for timing-measurement exchanges;
• steer the ISTA to perform another timing-measurement exchange with a second RSTA in the preferred subset by causing at least one AP outside the preferred subset to decline a timing-measurement exchange request from the ISTA;
• perform the another timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the second RSTA to generate a second set of times;
• determine a location of the ISTA based on the first set of times and the second set of times;
• and
• select, after negotiating the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the first RSTA, a next AP for the ISTA to request a timing-measurement exchange,
• wherein the next AP is selected based on a prediction by a machine learning (ML) method that has been trained using historical data of sequences of fine timing measurement (FTM) exchanges in a neighborhood of the ISTA.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• determine a channel stability of a first channel between an initiating station (ISTA) and a first responding station (RSTA);
• send, between the ISTA and the first RSTA, a request for a first timing-measurement exchange;
• negotiate parameters for the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the first RSTA based on the determined channel stability;
• perform the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and first RSTA in accordance with the parameters and generating thereby a first set of times;
• determine, based on historical data and one or more current network measurements, a preferred subset of access points (APs) among a set of APs in a neighborhood of the ISTA for use as responding stations for timing-measurement exchanges;
• steer the ISTA to perform another timing-measurement exchange with a second RSTA in the preferred subset by causing at least one AP outside the preferred subset to decline a timing-measurement exchange request from the ISTA;
• perform the another timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the second RSTA to generate a second set of times;
• and
• determine a location of the ISTA based on the first set of times and the second set of times;
• select, after negotiating the first timing-measurement exchange between the ISTA and the first RSTA, a next AP for the ISTA to request a timing-measurement exchange,
• wherein the next AP is selected based on a prediction by a machine learning (ML) method that has been trained using historical data of sequences of fine timing measurement (FTM) exchanges in a neighborhood of the ISTA.