Positioning for WLANs and other wireless networks

• US 10,568,062 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Edge, Stephen William, Wachter, Andreas Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Grey, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US14/980,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Techniques to support positioning for access points and terminals in WLANs and other wireless networks are described. In one aspect, WLAN positioning is supported with Secure User Plane Location (SUPL). A terminal obtains measurements for an access point in a WLAN and/or receives measurements made by the access point for the terminal. The terminal determines WLAN AP information for the access point and/or the terminal based on the measurements and sends the WLAN AP information to a SUPL Location Platform (SLP). The SLP determines a location estimate for the terminal based on the WLAN AP information. In another aspect, the terminal receives supported network information from the SLP. The terminal obtains network measurement information (e.g., measurements) for a radio access network and determines which particular network measurement information to send based on the supported network information. The terminal sends network measurement information permitted by the supported network information to the SLP.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), the SET comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine access point (AP) information of an AP in a wireless local area network (WLAN);

receive a SUPL message from a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), the SUPL message including one or more parameters identifying network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, the network measurement information supported by the SLP comprising one or more types of radio access networks and associated network measurement device and signal characteristic information for at least one of the one or more types of radio access networks;

responsive to a determination that the one or more types of supported radio access networks includes the WLAN, and further responsive to a determination that the AP information includes the network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, filter the AP information based on the one or more parameters, the filtered AP information including only the network measurement information supported by the SLP for the WLAN; and

send a second SUPL message to the SLP, the second SUPL message including the filtered AP information; and

a memory coupled to the processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

obtain measurements for signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), or round trip delay (RTD) for the AP, and

determine the AP information based on the measurements.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive measurements for signal strength or signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) made by the AP for the SET, and

determine the AP information based on the measurements.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SUPL message includes a SUPL INIT message or a SUPL RESPONSE message, wherein the second SUPL message includes a SUPL POS INIT message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more parameters identifies a WLAN positioning method.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second SUPL message includes information that is based on transmission sequences transmitted periodically by the AP.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second SUPL message includes location identification information indicating one or more of AP identity, AP location coordinates, WLAN technology type, or WLAN device type.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second SUPL message includes a Location ID parameter or a Multiple Location IDs parameter, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes one or more of AP Location ID information, Relative Timestamp information, and Serving Cell Flag information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network measurement information includes one or more of AP transmit power, AP antenna gain, AP signal-to-noise received at the SET, device type, AP signal strength at the SET, AP channel or frequency, round trip delay (RTD) between the SET and the AP, SET transmit power, SET antenna gain, SET signal-to-noise received at the AP, SET signal strength at the AP, or AP reported location.

10. A method of supporting Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), the method comprising:

determining access point (AP) information of an AP in a wireless local area network (WLAN);

receiving, by a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), a SUPL message from a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), the SUPL message including one or more parameters identifying a network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, the network measurement information supported by the SLP comprising one or more types of radio access networks and associated network measurement device and signal characteristic information for at least one of the one or more types of radio access networks;

responsive to a determination that the one or more types of supported radio access networks includes the WLAN, and further responsive to a determination that the AP information includes the network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, filtering the AP information based on the one or more parameters, the filtered AP information including only the network measurement information supported by the SLP for the WLAN; and

sending a second SUPL message to the SLP, the second SUPL message including the filtered AP information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the AP information comprises obtaining measurements for signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), or round trip delay (RTD) for the AP, and wherein the AP information is determined based on the measurements.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the AP information comprises receiving measurements for signal strength or signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) made by the AP for the SET, and wherein the AP information is determined based on the measurements.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the second SUPL message includes sending a SUPL POS INIT message, the SUPL POS INIT message indicating one or more of an AP identity, AP location coordinates, a WLAN technology type, or a WLAN device type.

14. An apparatus including a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP), the SLP comprising:

a processor configured to;

initiate transmission of a SUPL message including one or more parameters identifying network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, the network measurement information supported by the SLP comprising one or more types of radio access networks and associated network measurement device and signal characteristic information for at least one of the one or more types of radio access networks, the transmission being to an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) to enable the SET to;

determine that the one or more types of supported radio access networks includes the WLAN, and

filter, based on the one or more parameters, access point (AP) information obtained by the SET to generate filtered AP information, the AP being in the WLAN, and the filtered AP information including only network measurement information supported by the SLP;

receive a second SUPL message from the SET, the second SUPL message including the filtered AP information; and

determine location information for the SET based on the filtered AP information; and

a memory coupled to the processor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the SUPL message includes a SUPL INIT message or a SUPL RESPONSE message, and wherein the second SUPL message includes a SUPL POS INIT message.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to initiate transmission of a third SUPL message to a SUPL agent external to the SET, and wherein the third SUPL message includes location information associated with a location of the SET determined based on the filtered AP information.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second SUPL message includes location identification information indicating one or more of an AP identity, AP location coordinates, a WLAN technology type, or a WLAN device type.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second SUPL message includes a Location ID parameter or a Multiple Location IDs parameter, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes one or more of AP Location ID information, Relative Timestamp information, and Serving Cell Flag information.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the network measurement information includes one or more of AP transmit power, AP antenna gain, AP signal-to-noise received at the SET, device type, AP signal strength at the SET, AP channel or frequency, round trip delay (RTD) between the SET and the AP, SET transmit power, SET antenna gain, SET signal-to-noise received at the AP, SET signal strength at the AP, or AP reported location.

20. A method of supporting Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), the method comprising:

transmitting, by an SUPL Location Platform (SLP), a SUPL message including one or more parameters identifying network measurement information that is supported by the SLP, the network measurement information supported by the SLP comprising one or more types of radio access networks and associated network measurement device and signal characteristic information for at least one of the one or more types of radio access networks, to an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) to enable the SET to;

determine that the one or more types of supported radio access networks includes the WLAN, and

filter, based on the one or more parameters, access point (AP) information obtained by the SET to generate filtered AP information, the AP being in the WLAN, and the filtered AP information including only network measurement information supported by the SLP;

receiving a second SUPL message from the SET, the second SUPL message including the filtered AP information; and

determining location information for the SET based on the filtered AP information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second SUPL message includes information that is based on transmission sequences transmitted periodically by the AP.