REVIEW 1 major objections 1 minor 1 cited by
PASS proposes MWSP least-squares and MWMP grid-search positioning from waveguide signals, then relocates PAs for downlink rates whose errors and trade-offs are derived.
Reviewed by Pith at T0; open to challenge. T0 means a machine referee read the full paper against a public rubric. the ladder, T0–T4 →
T0 review · grok-4.3
2026-06-29 16:26 UTC pith:T6CGLVG3
load-bearing objection New multi-waveguide positioning algorithms for PASS with closed-form derivations and error analysis, but all under LOS and single stationary user assumptions that limit the robustness claim. the 1 major comments →
Integrated Positioning and Communications for PASS: A Robust Approach
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
For the MWSP scenario the RSSI-based least-squares algorithm produces lower average positioning error when geometric dilution of precision is small and achieves its best accuracy in regions where distances to the active PAs are nearly equal; for the MWMP scenario the grid-search algorithm on the superposed signal yields improved accuracy with non-parallel waveguide placement, although error grows as the number of PAs increases; noise exerts a double negative effect on downlink rate, establishing a quantifiable trade-off between positioning accuracy and communication performance.
What carries the argument
The MWSP least-squares and MWMP grid-search positioning algorithms that convert received signal strengths or superposed amplitudes into a user-location estimate used to relocate pinching antennas for subsequent downlink transmission.
Load-bearing premise
The derivations and algorithms assume line-of-sight channels together with a single stationary user.
What would settle it
A measurement campaign or simulation in which the user moves or the channel contains non-line-of-sight paths, checking whether the closed-form positioning-error expressions and rate formulas continue to match observed performance.
If this is right
- Smaller geometric dilution of precision directly lowers average positioning error in the MWSP case.
- Even with large GDoP, regions of nearly equal distance to the PAs still give the lowest error.
- Non-parallel waveguide layouts raise positioning accuracy in the MWMP case.
- Increasing the number of PAs raises positioning error in the MWMP case.
- Noise simultaneously degrades both the positioning estimate and the subsequent downlink rate.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The stationary-user assumption implies that an online tracking filter would be needed before the same hardware could serve mobile terminals.
- Because the error analysis is derived under line-of-sight, any practical deployment would require supplementary robustness mechanisms when walls or obstacles are present.
- The demonstrated accuracy-rate trade-off suggests that system designers could treat the number and spacing of waveguides as tunable parameters to meet a target positioning tolerance while preserving rate.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript proposes multi-waveguide single-PA (MWSP) and multi-waveguide multi-PA (MWMP) uplink positioning methods for pinching-antenna systems (PASS) in indoor environments. For MWSP it develops RSSI-based ranging and a least-squares (LS) positioning algorithm with accompanying error analysis; for MWMP it derives a closed-form expression for the superposed signal, proposes a grid-search estimator, and analyzes its error. Based on the positioning result the PAs are relocated for downlink communication, and achievable rates are derived for both scenarios. All derivations and numerical results are obtained under line-of-sight channels and a single stationary user; simulations are used to illustrate GDoP dependence, effects of waveguide geometry and number of PAs, and the positioning-communication trade-off including the double impact of noise on rate.
Significance. If the derivations and numerical trends hold, the work supplies closed-form expressions and explicit error analyses that clarify geometric and noise effects in PASS, together with concrete observations on GDoP, waveguide deployment, and rate-accuracy trade-offs. These analytical contributions are a strength and could guide design in controlled LOS settings.
major comments (1)
- [Title and Abstract] Title and Abstract: the claim of a 'Robust Approach' is not supported by the analysis. All positioning error expressions, GDoP results, MWMP grid-search performance, and rate derivations rest on the explicit assumptions of line-of-sight channels and a single stationary user; these assumptions are load-bearing for the reported trends (smaller GDoP improves accuracy, non-parallel waveguides help, etc.). No analysis or simulation under multipath or mobility is provided, so the robustness claim cannot be substantiated from the presented material.
minor comments (1)
- The abstract states that 'numerical results validate the correctness of our analysis' but does not report simulation parameters, number of Monte-Carlo trials, or confidence intervals; adding these details would make the validation claims easier to assess.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive feedback. We address the single major comment below.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Title and Abstract] Title and Abstract: the claim of a 'Robust Approach' is not supported by the analysis. All positioning error expressions, GDoP results, MWMP grid-search performance, and rate derivations rest on the explicit assumptions of line-of-sight channels and a single stationary user; these assumptions are load-bearing for the reported trends (smaller GDoP improves accuracy, non-parallel waveguides help, etc.). No analysis or simulation under multipath or mobility is provided, so the robustness claim cannot be substantiated from the presented material.
Authors: We agree that the phrase 'A Robust Approach' in the title risks overstating the scope, as all derivations, error analyses, and numerical results are derived under the explicit LOS and single-stationary-user assumptions stated in the abstract. The manuscript does not claim or demonstrate robustness to multipath or mobility. We will therefore revise the title to 'Integrated Positioning and Communications for PASS' and update the abstract and introduction to foreground the modeling assumptions and the resulting scope of the geometric and noise trade-offs that are analyzed. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity; derivations are self-contained under stated assumptions
full rationale
The paper derives RSSI ranging, MWSP LS positioning with GDoP error analysis, MWMP superposed-signal closed form and grid-search estimator, plus post-positioning rate expressions, directly from the channel model and geometry under explicit LOS/single-stationary-user assumptions. Numerical results are presented as validation of these derivations rather than as fitted inputs renamed as predictions. No self-citations, ansatzes smuggled via prior work, or uniqueness theorems are invoked as load-bearing steps; the central claims reduce to standard algebraic manipulations and Monte-Carlo checks of the proposed expressions, remaining independent of the target performance trends.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption Line-of-sight channels
- domain assumption Single, stationary user
read the original abstract
The pinching-antenna systems (PASS), which dynamically activate and relocate the pinching-antennas (PAs) along the dielectric waveguide, offer unprecedented potential for integrated positioning and communication. The multi-waveguide-based uplink positioning approaches for indoor environments are first proposed in this paper, and the downlink communication performance is analyzed. Two possible scenarios, multi-waveguide single-PA (MWSP) and multi-waveguide multi-PA (MWMP), are considered under the assumptions of line-of-sight channels and a single, stationary user. For the MWSP scenario, the received signal strength indication (RSSI)-based ranging method and the MWSP-based least square (LS) positioning algorithm are developed. To gain deeper insights, a comprehensive error analysis of the LS positioning algorithm is conducted. Subsequently, for the MWMP scenario, the closed-form expression of the superposed signal is derived. According to the signal power, the MWMP-based grid search algorithm is proposed and the estimation error of proposed algorithm is analyzed. Then, based on the user's positioning result, the PAs are relocated to provide downlink communication service, and the achievable data rate of MWSP and MWMP scenarios are analyzed. Numerical results validate the correctness of our analysis, which show that: i) For the MWSP scenario, a smaller geometric dilution of precision (GDoP) leads to a lower average positioning error. Furthermore, even when the GDoP is large, the regions where the distances to PAs are nearly equal achieve the best accuracy. ii) For the MWMP scenario, non-parallel waveguide deployment improves positioning accuracy, although errors increase with the number of PAs. iii) The noise has a serious double-impact on data rate. There is a trade-off between positioning accuracy and communication performance.
Figures
Forward citations
Cited by 1 Pith paper
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Uplink Positioning for PASS in Multipath Environments
A multipath-robust uplink positioning framework for pinching-antenna systems, with a matrix-pencil ranging algorithm and a low-complexity rank-one variant, plus closed-form variance and position-error-bound analysis.
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discussion (0)
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