Autonomous calibration of a wireless-global positioning system

• US 20020175855A1
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Calin, Doru, Richton, Robert E., Jeske, Daniel R., Budka, Kenneth C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,570,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02527 Detecting or resolving anomalies in the radio frequency fingerprints of the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0268 by deriving positions from different combinations of signals or of estimated positions in a single positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A wireless-global positioning system determines the location of a wireless mobile communication device from reliable position measurements and wireless network downlink measurements. The wireless network downlink measurements obtained are then used in conjunction with a database for pattern matching or contour matching. The difficulty of building and maintaining that database is alleviated by using those network downlink measurements associated with the reliable position measurements to populate the database, such as GPS measurements or those obtained through enhanced based positioning technique (EOTD). The increased database accuracy subsequently improves the quality of position location measurements from the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating a position location system, comprising:

receiving position signals, at a plurality of locations, by at least one wireless mobile communication device;

determining downlink information from signals received by at least one wireless mobile communication device, at each of the plurality of locations; and

associating location information, obtained from received position signals, with downlink information determined at each of the plurality of locations, to thereby calibrate the position location system..

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received position signals are global positioning signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received position signals are signals derived from network originated signals.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received position signals are derived from an enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) technique.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining whether or not the received global positioning signals are reliable based upon signal characteristics of the received global positioning signals, wherein only reliable global positioning signals are associated in the database.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

determining whether or not the received position signals are reliable, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining whether or not the received position signals are reliable, wherein only reliable 1 position signals are associated in the database.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined downlink information includes signal strength information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined downlink information includes mobile assisted hand-off (MAHO) information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing advance (TA) information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibrated position location system is useable to determine a location of a wireless mobile communication device by correlating its received downlink information with stored downlink information, and by determining a location associated with the stored downlink information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the calibrated position location system is useable to determine a location of a wireless mobile communication device by correlating its received signal strength information with stored signal strength information, and by determining a location associated with the stored signal strength information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the calibrated position location system is useable to determine a location of a wireless mobile communication device by correlating its received timing information with stored timing information, and by determining a location associated with the stored timing information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the calibrated position location system is useable to determine a location of a wireless mobile communication device by correlating its received MAHO information with stored MAHO information, and by determining a location associated with the stored MAHO information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the calibrated position location system is useable to determine a location of a wireless mobile communication device by correlating its received TA information with stored TA information, and by determining a location associated with the stored TA information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the received position signals are global positioning signals.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the received position signals are signals derived from network originated signals.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the received position signals are derived from an enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) technique.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein only reliable global positioning signals are associated in the database, reliability of the received global positioning signals being determined based upon signal characteristics of the received global positioning signals.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

33. The system of claim 24 wherein the determined downlink information includes signal strength information.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the determined downlink information includes mobile assisted hand-off (MAHO) information.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing information.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing advance (TA) information.

37. The system of claim 24, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the controller is adapted to correlate received MAHO information of a wireless mobile communication device with MAHO information of the database, and is adapted to determine a location of the wireless mobile unit based upon location information associated with the correlated MAHO information of the database.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the controller is adapted to correlate received TA information of a wireless mobile communication device with TA information of the database, and is adapted to determine a location of the wireless mobile unit based upon location information associated with the correlated TA information of the database.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

24. A system, comprising:

a database, populated with location information of a plurality of locations, obtained from position signals received by at least one wireless mobile communication device, and associated downlink information, obtained from signals received by at least one wireless communication device at each of a plurality of locations; and

controller, adapted to correlate received downlink information of a wireless mobile communication device with downlink information of the database, and adapted to determine a location of the wireless mobile communication device based upon location information associated with the correlated downlink information of the database.

42. A memory for use in a position location system, comprising:

location information of a plurality of locations, obtained from position signals received by at least one wireless mobile communication device; and

associated downlink information, obtained from signals received by at least one wireless communication device at each of a plurality of locations.

43. The memory of claim 42, wherein the received position signals are global positioning signals.

44. The memory of claim 42, wherein the received position signals are signals derived from network originated signals.

45. The memory of claim 44, wherein the received position signals are derived from an enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) technique.

46. The memory of claim 43, wherein only reliable global positioning signals are associated in the database, reliability of the received global positioning signals being determined based upon signal characteristics of the received global positioning signals.

47. The memory of claim 44, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database.

48. The memory of claim 45, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database.

49. The memory of claim 46, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

50. The memory of claim 42, wherein the determined downlink information includes signal strength information.

51. The memory of claim 42, wherein the determined downlink information includes mobile assisted hand-off (MAHO) information.

52. The memory of claim 42, wherein the determined downlink information includes signal strength information.

53. The memory of claim 42, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing advance (TA) information.

54. The memory of claim 42, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information.

55. A method, comprising:

determining whether or not a wireless mobile communication device has received reliable position signals;

correlating downlink information of the wireless mobile communication device with downlink information of a database upon determining that the wireless mobile communication device has not received reliable position signals, the database including location information of a plurality of locations obtained from position signals received by at least one wireless mobile communication device and associated downlink information obtained from signals received by at least one wireless communication device at each of a plurality of locations; and

determining a location of the wireless mobile communication device based upon location information associated with the correlated downlink information of the database, upon determining that the wireless mobile communication device has not received reliable position signals.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the received position signals are global positioning signals.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the received position signals are signals derived from network originated signals.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the received position signals are derived from an enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) technique.

59. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

determining a location of the wireless mobile communication device based upon the received reliable position signals, upon determining that the wireless mobile communication device has received reliable position signals.

60. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

determining a location of the wireless mobile communication device based upon the received reliable global positioning signals, upon determining that the wireless mobile communication device has received reliable global positioning signals.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the received position signals are signals derived from network originated signals.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the received position signals are derived from an enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) technique.

63. The method of claim 55, wherein correlating includes contour matching.

64. The method of claim 55, wherein the downlink information includes signal strength information.

65. The method of claim 55, wherein the downlink information includes timing information.

66. The method of claim 64, wherein only reliable position signals are associated in the database, reliability of the received position signals being determined based upon signal characteristics of received global positioning signals.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein reliability of any global positioning signals received by the wireless mobile communication device is determined based upon signal characteristics of the received global positioning signals.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

69. The method of claim 67, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

70. The method of claim 55, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information.

71. A method of determining location of a wireless mobile communication device, comprising:

correlating received downlink information of a wireless mobile communication device with downlink information of a database, the database including location information of a plurality of locations obtained from global positioning signals received by at least one wireless mobile communication device and associated downlink information, obtained from signals received by at least one wireless communication device at each of a plurality of locations; and

determining a location of the wireless mobile communication device based upon location information associated with the correlated downlink information of the database.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein only reliable global positioning signals are associated in the database, reliability of the received global positioning signals being determined based upon signal characteristics of the received global positioning signals.

73. The method of claim 72, wherein the signal characteristics include carrier to noise ratios and RMS measurement errors.

74. The method of claim 71, wherein the determined downlink information includes signal strength information.

75. The method of claim 71, wherein the determined downlink information includes mobile assisted hand-off (MAHO) information.

76. The method of claim 71, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information.

77. The method of claim 71, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing information.

78. The method of claim 71, wherein the determined downlink information includes timing advance (TA) information.

79. The method of claim 75, wherein the received MAHO information of a wireless mobile communication device is correlated with MAHO information of the database, and a location of the wireless mobile communication device is determined based upon location information associated with the correlated MAHO information of the database.

80. The method of claim 79, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information, and wherein the latitude and longitude of the wireless mobile communication device is determined based upon latitude and longitude information associated with the correlated MAHO information of the database.

81. The method of claim 78, wherein the received TA information of a wireless mobile communication device is correlated with TA information of the database, and a location of the wireless mobile communication device is determined based upon location information associated with the correlated TA information of the database.

82. The method of claim 81, wherein the location information includes latitude and longitude information, and wherein the latitude and longitude of the wireless mobile communication device is determined based upon latitude and longitude information associated with the correlated TA information of the database.

83. The method of claim 71, wherein the step of correlating includes contour matching.

84. The method of claim 79, wherein the step of correlating includes contour matching.

85. The method of claim 81, wherein the step of correlating includes contour matching.