Base station identification based location quality data determination

• US 10,206,195 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2018
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Cottrill, William, Tipton, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Casca, Fred
• Application Number:
  US15/923,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20180213502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 455423, 4554561, 455296, 455418, 455 412, 455425, 4554261, 4554321, 455434, 455515, 340 81
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/061 using feedback from receiving side
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/30 Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Determining a location quality based on base station identification is disclosed. The location quality can be based on an error attributed to a location determined based on historical data related to an identified base station. Application of supplemental data to the historical base station data can improve location quality by reducing the error. Supplemental data can comprise Voronoi data, geographic data, historical UE density data, historical UE timing advance data, or combinations thereof. Voronoi data can be associated with an area less than a service area of the base station. Geographic data can indicate areas where UEs are not likely to be located. UE density data can indicate probably UE locations. Timing advance data can indicate annular regions where a UE should be located. As such, the supplemental data can constrain a location determined for a UE and correspondingly can reduce error associated with the location.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining a base station location of a base station device;

receiving Voronoi data representing at least a portion of a Voronoi cell corresponding to the base station device;

receiving exclusion area data representing at least a region of the Voronoi cell that is determined to exclude occupation by a first user equipment;

determining an edge location based on a shape defined by a combination of the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data;

determining a location error value based on the base station location and the edge location; and

in response to a location inquiry, enabling access to the location error value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the exclusion area data is based at least in part on geographic data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the exclusion area data is based at least in part on historical user equipment density data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the exclusion area data is based at least in part on historical user equipment timing advance data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station location is substituted for a user equipment location of a second user equipment located in the Voronoi cell.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a user equipment location of a second user equipment located in the Voronoi cell is based on an adjusted base station location resulting from adjusting the base station location based on the exclusion area data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the edge location based on the shape defined by the combination of the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data results in the edge location being closer to the base station location than a Voronoi edge corresponding to the Voronoi data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the edge location comprises determining an average distance between the base station location and a point on the shape defined by the combination of the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the average distance is an average of a root mean square distance between the base station location and the point on the shape defined by the combination of the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data.

10. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a base station location of a base station device;

receiving, by the system, Voronoi data representing a portion of a Voronoi cell corresponding to the base station device;

receiving, by the system, exclusion area data representing a region of the Voronoi cell that provides wireless service to less than a determined number of user equipments;

determining, by the system, an edge location based on the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data;

determining, by the system, a location error value based on the base station location and the edge location; and

in response to a request for user equipment location data, providing, by the system, access to the user equipment location data and the location error value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining the edge location employs the exclusion area data comprising geographic data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining the edge location employs the exclusion area data comprising historical user equipment density data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining the edge location employs the exclusion area data comprising historical user equipment timing advance data corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the providing the access to the user equipment location data comprises substituting the base station location for a user equipment location of a user equipment located in the Voronoi cell.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the providing the access to the user equipment location data comprises substituting an adjusted base station location, resulting from adjusting the base station location based on the exclusion area data, for a user equipment location of a user equipment located in the Voronoi cell.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining a base station location of a base station device;

determining Voronoi data representing at least a portion of a Voronoi cell corresponding to the base station device;

determining exclusion area data representing at least a portion of the Voronoi cell based on at least the portion of the Voronoi cell being determining to satisfy a rule relating to supporting wireless communication for at least a determined number of user equipments;

determining an edge location based on the Voronoi data and the exclusion area data;

storing a location error value corresponding to the base station device at a data store, wherein the location error value is based on the base station location and the edge location; and

enabling access to the location error value via the data store to facilitate providing the location error value in response to a request for user equipment location data.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the exclusion area data comprises map data at least in part corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the exclusion area data comprises user equipment density data at least in part corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the exclusion area data comprises user equipment timing advance data at least in part corresponding to the Voronoi cell.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein a user equipment location of a user equipment located in the Voronoi cell is based on the base station location based and the exclusion area data.