Apparatus, computer-readable medium, and method to determine a user equipment location in a cellular network using signals from a wireless local area network (WLAN)

• US 10,264,397 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Davydov, Alexei, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Morozov, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Washington, Erika A
• Application Number:
  US15/591,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An apparatus, computer-readable medium, and method to determine a user equipment (UE) location in a wireless network using signals from a wireless local-area network are disclosed wireless communication network entity may be configured to send WLAN assistance data to a UE. The WLAN assistance data may include a list of one or more WLAN access points (APs). The wireless communication network entity may receive location information from the UE. The location information may be based on measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs. The wireless communication network entity may determine an estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information and stored information at the wireless communication network. The wireless communication network entity may determine the estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs and a geographic position of the WLAN APs.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE) configured for WLAN-based positioning, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

decode an assistance data message, received from a location server, the assistance data message comprising WLAN location information to assist the UE in wireless local area network (WLAN) based positioning, wherein the WLAN location information is used by the UE to identify one or more WLAN access points (AP) and to provide measurements of the one or more WLAN APs to the location server;

encode a location information message for transmission to the location server, the location information message including WLAN measurement information, wherein the WLAN measurement information comprises one or more of a WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs, one or more beacon received signal strength indicator (beacon RSSI) indicators, or one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators;

decode a capability request message, received from a location server, the capability request message including a request for WLAN location capabilities from the LIE; and

encode a capability response message for transmission to the location server to indicate location capabilities of the UE according to a WLAN protocol, wherein the assistance data message received from the location server is based on the location capabilities of the UE; and

memory, configured to store the WLAN location information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals comprises the one or more beacon RSSI indicators and the one or more RTT indicators.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location information message is to be used by the location server to determine a location estimate for the UE.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN location information includes one or more WLAN AP identifiers and one or more AP channel frequency indicators.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein any of the one or more WLAN AP identifiers is configured to specify a basic server set identifier (BSSID) associated with a respective WLAN AP, any of the one or more beacon RSSI indicators is configured to specify a signal strength of a beacon frame received from a WLAN AP as measured by the UE, any of the one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators is configured to specify a RTT measurement between the UE and a WLAN AP, and any of the one or more AP channel frequency indicators is configured to identify a channel frequency of a WLAN AP.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location information message includes measurements of signals from one or more Evolved Node-B (eNBs).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location server includes at least one of an Evolved Serving Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secured User Plane Location Platform (SLP).

8. A method performed by a user equipment WE) configured for WLAN-based positioning, the method comprising:

decoding an assistance data message, received from a location server, the assistance data message comprising WLAN location information to assist the UE in wireless local area network (WLAN) based positioning, wherein the WLAN location information is used by the UE to identify one or more WLAN access points (AP) and to provide measurements of the one or more WLAN APs to the location server;

encoding a location information message for transmission to the location server, the location information message including WLAN measurement information, wherein the WLAN measurement information comprises one or more of a WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs, one or more beacon received signal strength indicator (beacon RSSI) indicators, or one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators;

decoding a capability request message, received from a location server, the capability request message including a request for WLAN location capabilities from the UE; and

encoding a capability response message for transmission to the location server to indicate location capabilities of the UE according to a WLAN protocol, wherein the assistance data message received from the location server is based on the location capabilities of the UE.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals comprises the one or more beacon RSSI indicators and the one or more RTT indicators.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location information message is to be used by the location server to determine a location estimate for the UE.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the WLAN location information includes one or more WLAN AP identifiers and one or more AP channel frequency indicators.

12. A computer-readable hardware storage device that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for measurement reporting, the operations to configure the one or more processors to:

decode an assistance data message, received from a location server, the assistance data message comprising WLAN location information to assist the UE in wireless local area network (WLAN) based positioning, wherein the WLAN location information is used by the UE to identify one or more WLAN access points (AP) and to provide measurements of the one or more WLAN APs to the location server;

encode a location information message for transmission to the location server, the location information message including WLAN measurement information, wherein the WLAN measurement information comprises one or more of a WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs, one or more beacon received signal strength indicator (beacon RSSI) indicators, or one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators;

decode a capability request message, received from a location server, the capability request message including a request for WLAN location capabilities from the UE; and

encode a capability response message for transmission to the location server to indicate location capabilities of the UE according to a WLAN protocol, wherein the assistance data message received from the location server is based on the location capabilities of the UE.

13. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 12, wherein the WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals comprises the one or more beacon RSSI indicators and the one or more RTT indicators.

14. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 12, wherein the location information message is to be used by the location server to determine a location estimate for the UE.

15. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 12, wherein the WLAN location information includes one or more WLAN AP identifiers and one or more AP channel frequency indicators.

16. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 15, wherein any of the one or more WLAN AP identifiers is configured to specify a basic server set identifier (BSSID) associated with a respective WLAN AP, any of the one or more beacon RSSI indicators is configured to specify a signal strength of a beacon frame received from a WLAN AP as measured by the UE, any of the one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators is configured to specify a RTT measurement between the UE and a WLAN AP, and any of the one or more AP channel frequency indicators is configured to identify a channel frequency of a WLAN AP.

17. A system comprising a location server and a user equipment (UE), the location server configured to:

encode an assistance data message, for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the assistance data message comprising WLAN location information to assist the UE in wireless local area network (WLAN) based positioning, wherein the WLAN location information is used by the UE to identify one or more WLAN access points (AP) and to provide measurements of the one or more WLAN APs to the location server, and wherein the WLAN location information includes one or more of a WLAN AP identifier and an AP channel frequency indicator; and

the UE configured to;

decode the assistance data message received from the location server;

encode a location information message for transmission to the location server, the location information message including WLAN measurement information, wherein the WLAN measurement information comprises one or more of a WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs, one or more beacon received signal strength indicator (beacon RSSI) indicators, or one or more round trip time (RTT) indicators;

decode a capability request message, received from a location server, the capability request message including a request for WLAN location capabilities from the UE; and

encode a capability response message for transmission to the location server to indicate location capabilities of the UE according to a WLAN protocol, wherein the assistance data message received from the location server is based on the location capabilities of the UE.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the WLAN measurement list of measurements of signals comprises the one or more beacon RSSI indicators and the one or more RTT indicators.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the location information message is to be used by the location server to determine a location estimate for the UE.