Method and mobile station for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation

• US 20040203539A1
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Benes, Stanley J., Gutowski, Gerald, Downing, Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/101
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method (900) and a mobile station (160) for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation are described herein. The mobile station (160) may receive information associated with a plurality of sectors (200) from a base station (140) having a plurality of antennas. Each of the plurality of antennas may provide communication service to one of the plurality of sectors (200). The information associated with the plurality of sectors (200) may be an antenna pattern, a boresight, a downtilt, and a signal strength value associated with each of the plurality of antennas. Based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors (200), the mobile station (160) may determine an antenna gain difference, which in turn, is used to determine the angle of arrival (AOA) estimation.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication cell includes a plurality of sectors, a method for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation of a mobile station, the method comprising:

receiving within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas, each of the plurality of antennas providing communication services to one of the plurality of sectors in the communication cell;

determining an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors; and

determining the angle of arrival (AOA) estimation within the mobile station based on the antenna gain difference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas comprises receiving one of an antenna pattern, a boresight, a downtilt, and a signal strength value associated with an antenna corresponding to one of the plurality of sectors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving within the mobile station information associated with one of the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas comprises receiving information associated with one of the plurality of sectors within the mobile station via one of a pilot signal strength measurement message and a measurement report message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors comprises:

calculating an effective radiated power (ERP) of each of a first downlink signal and a second downlink signal, the first downlink signal being associated with a first antenna and the second downlink signal being associated with a second antenna;

calculating a signal difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs;

normalizing the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs; and

determining the antenna gain difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the normalized first and second downlink signals and the signal difference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the angle of arrival (AOA) estimation within the mobile station based on the antenna gain difference comprises determining a bearing along a first downlink signal associated with a first antenna, the first downlink signal having a greater effective radiated power relative to a second downlink signal associated with a second antenna.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system is one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication system and a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication system.

7. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication cell includes a plurality of sectors, and wherein a mobile station configured to autonomously determine an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation, the mobile station comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas, each of the plurality of antennas providing communication services to one of the plurality of sectors in the communication cell; and

a controller operatively coupled to the receiving unit, the controller having a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory,

the controller being programmed to the controller being programmed to determine an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors, and

the controller being programmed to determine an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation based on the antenna gain difference.

8. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the information associated with the plurality of sectors is information associated with one of an antenna pattern, a boresight, a downtilt, and a signal strength value of an antenna corresponding to one of the plurality of sectors.

9. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to calculate an effective radiated power (ERP) of each of a first downlink signal and a second downlink signal, the first downlink signal being associated with a first antenna and the second downlink signal being associated with a second antenna,

the controller is configured to calculate a signal difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs,

the controller is configured to normalize the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs, and

the controller is configured to determine the antenna gain difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the normalized first and second downlink signals and the signal difference.

10. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the angle of arrival (AOA) estimation is a bearing along a first downlink signal associated with a first antenna, the first downlink signal having a greater effective radiated power relative to a second downlink signal associated with a second antenna.

11. The mobile station of claim 7 is operable in accordance with one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication protocol, and a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication protocol.

12. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication cell includes a plurality of sectors, and wherein a processor operates in accordance with a computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation of a mobile station, the computer program comprising:

a first routine that directs the processor to receive within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas, each of the plurality of antennas providing communication services to one of the plurality of sectors in the communication cell;

a second routine that directs the processor to determine an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors; and

a third routine that directs the processor to determine an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation within the mobile station based on the antenna gain difference.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the first routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to receive one of an antenna pattern, a boresight, a downtilt, and a signal strength value associated with an antenna corresponding to one of the plurality of sectors.

14. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the first routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to receive within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station via one of a pilot signal strength measurement message and a measurement report message.

15. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the second routine comprises:

a routine that directs the processor to calculate an effective radiated power (ERP) of a first downlink signal and a second downlink signal, the first downlink signal being associated with a first antenna and the second downlink signal being associated with a second antenna;

a routine that directs the processor to calculate a signal difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs;

a routine that directs the processor to normalize the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs; and

a routine that directs the processor to determine the antenna gain difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the normalized first and second downlink signals and the signal difference.

16. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the third routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to determine a bearing along a first downlink signal associated with a first antenna, the first downlink signal having a greater effective radiated power relative to a second downlink signal associated with a second antenna.

17. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the medium is one of paper, a programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, erasable programmable read only memory, read only memory, random access memory, magnetic media, and optical media.

18. The computer program of claim 12 is operable in accordance with one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication protocol, and a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication protocol.

19. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication cell includes a plurality of sectors, a mobile station for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation, the mobile station comprising:

a means for receiving within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas, each of the plurality of antennas providing communication service to one of the plurality of sectors in the communication cell;

a means for determining an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors; and

a means for determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation within the mobile station based on the antenna gain difference.

20. The mobile station of claim 19, wherein the means for determining an antenna gain difference based on the information associated with the plurality of sectors comprises:

a means for calculating an effective radiated power (ERP) of each of a first downlink signal and a second downlink signal, the first downlink signal being associated with a first antenna and the second downlink signal being associated with a second antenna;

a means for calculating a signal difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs;

a means for normalizing the first and second downlink signals based on the ERPs; and

a means for determining the antenna gain difference between the first and second downlink signals based on the normalized first and second downlink signals and the signal difference.

21. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication cell includes a plurality of sectors, a method for autonomously determining an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation of a mobile station, the method comprising:

requesting within the mobile station information associated with the plurality of sectors from a base station having a plurality of antennas, each of the plurality of antennas providing communication service to one of the plurality of sectors in the communication cell;

receiving the requested information associated with the plurality of sectors;

determining a signal difference between a first downlink signal and a second downlink signal based on the requested information associated with the plurality of sectors, the first downlink signal being associated with a first antenna of the base station and the second downlink signal being associated with a second antenna of the base station;

normalizing the first and second downlink signals to determine an antenna gain difference between the first and second downlink signals; and

determining a bearing along the first downlink signal in which the signal difference matches the antenna gain difference, the first downlink signal having greater signal strength than the second downlink signal.