Base station for mobile terminal positioning system

• US 20050090268A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogino, Atsushi, Yamasaki, Ryota, Tamaki, Tsuyoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/875,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090268A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Method and device for detecting the position of a base station in mobile terminal positioning system, which improves the success rate for detecting the position and improves the detection accuracy. The device is composed of a memory to record the received signals, a counter to record the time the signals were received, and a register to temporarily store the counter values; and also a position module interrupt signal sent to the memory during recording of a signal, and a data link interrupt signal issued during data link processing, and a position module information table for recording information relating to the memory, and a MAC information table for recording information relating to MAC processing. The counter value is stored in the register during issue of a position module interrupt, and the counter value is recorded in the position module information table. The counter value stored in the register is stored in the MAC information table during issue of a data link interrupt. A matching record RM is searched for by utilizing the base station MAC address, terminal MAC address and the signal type; and a record RL where the record RM matches the counter value is searched for in the position module information table. Signal data in the memory matching the buffer ID recorded in the record RL is handled as the position detection packet.

Claims

1. A measurement base station device in a mobile terminal positioning system configured to detect a position of a wireless terminal using a differential in propagation times for a measurement signal calculated from receive timing of measurement signals received on multiple measurement base stations, the measurement base station device comprising:

a wireless module;

a position detection module;

a base station control section;

wherein the wireless module is configured to output a received signal to the position detection module, analyze an address of the received signal, and when analysis of that address is completed, output an address analysis signal to the base station control section to report address analysis results;

wherein the position detection module includes a first memory to record the received signal input from the wireless module, and a counter to measure a recorded time the received signal is recorded in the first memory, and a register to store a counter value for the recorded time, the position detection module being configured to output a recording notification signal to the base station control section;

wherein the base station control section is configured to store address information on the measurement signal, and when the recording notification signal is inputted, the based station control section stores the stored counter value in the register, and when the address analysis signal is inputted, the base station control section records the address analysis results and counter value stored in the register and determines whether the address analyzed signal is the measurement signal based on a comparison of the address analysis results and the measurement signal address information, and when the measurement signal is determined to be that address analyzed signal, the base station control section loads a receive signal from the first memory, the receive signal corresponding to a counter value identical to the counter value matching the address analyzed signal as the measurement signal.

2. The measurement base station device of claim 1, wherein the wireless module includes

a wireless section to convert the received wireless signals into baseband signals;

and

a baseband section to accept the input of baseband signals and detect the receiving of the signals, and output the baseband signals to the position detection modules as received signals, and output signal detection notification signal to the position detection module to report detection of the signal;

wherein the position detection module includes a position detection control section to control the first memory, and after the position detection module replies to the input of the position detection notification signal and records a baseband signal with a fixed length in the first memory, the position detection control section stops the recording, outputs instructions, and records into the first memory counter values of the counter according to recording of the baseband signal.

3. The measurement base station device of claim 2, wherein

the first memory includes multiple buffer regions, the receive signals being configured to be recorded in respectively different buffer regions, and

when the recording notification signal has been input, the base station control section stores the buffer region information showing the buffer region where the received signal is recorded, along with the counter value, and when loading the received signal from the first memory, loads the buffer region showing the buffer region information corresponding to the counter value.

4. The measurement base station device of claim 3, wherein

the base station control section includes a second memory and a processing section, the second memory being configured to record address information for the measurement signals and to record an address information table and to record a record signal table with information on signals recorded in the memory;

and

the processor section is configured to record onto the recording signal table the counter values recorded on the register and a buffer ID on the first memory, the counter values and the buffer ID corresponding to the input of a recording notification signal from the position detection control section; and

the processor section further records address information on address analyzed signals and counter values recorded in the register, onto the address information table, in response to input of address analysis signals from the wireless module; and

when the stored address information matches the measurement signal address information, the processor section searches the record signal table for a counter value identical to the counter values recorded in the address information table; and

when this search is successful, the processor section decides that the signal stored in the buffer ID corresponding to that counter value is the measurement signal.

5. The measurement base station device of claim 1, wherein

the address information for the measurement signal includes a wireless terminal address, a base station address and a signal type of the measurement signal;

and

the address analysis determines a source address, a destination address and a signal type of the received signal.

6. A measurement base station device of claim 5, wherein

the address information for the measurement signal further includes a signal classification of measurement signals;

and

the address analysis further decides a signal type of the received signal.

7. The measurement base station device of claim 1, wherein when the address analyzed signal determined to be the measurement signal is loaded from the first memory, information on this loaded signal is sent to a position calculation server.

8. The measurement base station device of claim 7, wherein a counter value corresponding to the loaded signal is sent along with the received signal information.

9. A method of measurement signal discrimination for a measurement base station device of a terminal position detection system configured to detect a position of a wireless terminal using a differential in propagation times for a measurement signal calculated from receive timing of measurement signals received on multiple measurement base stations, the terminal position detection system including a wireless terminal, a base station for wireless communication with the wireless terminal, multiple measurement base stations for receiving the measurement signals sent and received between the wireless terminal and the base station, and a position measurement server connected by way of a network with the base station and multiple measurement base stations, the method comprising:

receiving and storing the measurement signal address information from the position measurement server by way of the network;

assigning an identifier for identifying the address information;

by way of a wireless module, receiving a received signal into a wireless module, outputting the received signal to the position detection module, analyzing an address of the received signal, and when analysis of that address is completed, outputing an address analyzed signal to the base station control section to report address analysis results;

by way of a position detection module, recording the received signal input from the wireless module into a first memory, identifying the recorded signal, assigning an identifier as a link to the address information, outputing a recording notification signal to the base station control section to report storing of the received signal; and

by way of the base station control section, when a recording notification signal is input, identifying whether the address analyzed signal is the measurement signal based on a comparison of the address analysis results and the measurement signal address information, and when determined that the address analysis signal is the position detection signal, loading an identifier assigned to the address analysis signal and a received signal with a same identifier from the first memory as the measurement signal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

by way of the wireless module, converting the received signal into a baseband signal, outputing the baseband signal to the position detection module as the received signal;

detecting the receiving of the baseband signal that was input;

outputing a signal detection notification signal to the position detection module to report detection of the baseband signal; and

by way of the position detection module, instructing recording of the baseband signal in the first memory in response to input of the position detection notification signal, and recording a counter value of a counter in response to recording of the baseband signal into the first memory.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

by way of the first memory, and recording received signals in respectively different buffer regions; and

by way of the base station control section, storing buffer region information showing which buffer region each received signal is recorded along with each counter value, when the recording notification signal was input and when the received signal was loaded from the first memory, loading buffer region information corresponding to each counter value from each buffer region.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising by way of the base station control section:

recording address information for reported measurement signals, an address information table, and a record signal table with information on signals recorded in the memory;

recording on the recording signal table, the counter values recorded on the register and the buffer ID on the first memory storing signals reported from the position detection module, the counter values and buffer ID corresponding to the input of a recording notification signal from the position detection control section;

recording address information on address analyzed signals and counter values recorded in the register, onto the address information table, in response to input of address analysis signals from the wireless module;

when the stored address information matches the measurement signal address information, searching the record signal table for a counter value identical to the counter values recorded in the address information table; and

when this search is successful, deciding that the signal stored in the buffer ID corresponding to that counter value is the measurement signal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the address information for the measurement signal contains a wireless terminal address and a base station address, and wherein the step of analyzing the address includes determining a source address and a destination address of the received signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the address information for the measurement signal contains a signal classification of measurement signals, and the step of analyzing the address further includes deciding the signal type of the received signal.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the measurement signal;

loading the measurement signal from the first memory; and

sending information on this loaded measurement signal to the position calculation server as the received signal information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a counter value corresponding to the loaded signal along with the received signal information.