Method and apparatus for determining location of a base station using a plurality of mobile stations in a wireless mobile network

• US 20060009235A1
• Filed: 10/21/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid, Wrappe, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining a position of a base station in a wireless communication network that includes a mobile station in communication with base stations. A BTS calibration server is networked with the base stations. A BTS calibration program is programmed into a group of mobile stations that have position location capabilities. Using the BTS calibration program, calibration information may be requested by the BTS calibration server, or a session may be initiated by the mobile station. The BTS calibration program also provides privacy features that allow user of the mobile station to prevent it from being used for base station location. If authorized, the BTS calibration program determines the position of the mobile station, and provides calibration information, such as position and base station phase measurements, to the server. The calibration information may be used to calibrate the base station almanac.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations in communication with one or more base stations, a method of determining a position of a base station, comprising:

a. programming a group of mobile stations with a BTS calibration program, thereby providing a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations;

b. providing a BTS calibration server networked with said base station;

c. requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station;

d. determining a position of said calibration-enabled mobile station(s) in communication with said base station;

e. receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station(s) in communication with said base station;

f. transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server; and

g. in said BTS calibration server, comparing the calibration information with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising a step of determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information, if there is no authorization then exiting operation before transmitting calibration information, otherwise completing operation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each mobile station has an user, and wherein said users of said calibration-enabled mobile phones utilize the BTS calibration program to create privacy settings to indicate authorization to provide calibration information, and said step of determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information further comprises checking said privacy settings to verify that the mobile station is authorized to provide calibration information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each mobile station has an user, and wherein said step of programming a group of mobile stations with a calibration program comprises obtaining consent of the users of said group of mobile phones and then downloading the BTS calibration program into said group of mobile phones.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of obtaining consent of the users further comprises creating privacy settings to indicate authorization to provide calibration information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of requesting calibration information is initiated by said BTS calibration software when in communication with said base station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of requesting calibration information comprises communicating from said BTS calibration server to at least one of the software-enabled mobile stations.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said BTSCS selects a target base station, said step of requesting calibration information comprises communicating from said BTS calibration server to at least one of the calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with the target base station.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile stations have global satellite receivers, and the positions of the mobile stations are determined from signals received by the mobile stations from global satellites.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positions of the mobile stations are determined by Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) of each mobile station from base stations having known positions.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile stations comprise hybrid telephone handsets including global satellite receivers, the positions of the mobile stations are determined from signals received by the mobile stations from global satellites, and the position of the base station is determined from the positions of the mobile stations using time difference of arrival.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said time difference of arrival is provided using Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT).

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile stations comprise hybrid telephone handsets including global satellite receivers, the positions of the mobile stations are determined from signals received by the mobile stations from global satellites, said base stations comprise at least one Wireless LAN base station, and the position of said Wireless LAN base station is determined from the positions of the mobile stations in communication with said Wireless LAN base station, using Wireless LAN signals.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the Wireless LAN base station comprises a WiFi access point.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station includes measuring signal path delays of the signals transmitted between the base station and the mobile stations to determine distances between the base station and the mobile stations.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of receiving a signal comprises measuring the time difference of arrival of said signal using TDOA system.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said step of measuring the time difference of arrival comprises measuring a phase shift using an AFLT system.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of receiving a signal comprises measuring the time of arrival of said signal using a TOA system.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of receiving a signal comprises measuring the round trip delay of said signal between said base station and said mobile station.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of comparing said calibration information comprises calculating a distance from said mobile station(s) to said base station.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of comparing said calibration information comprises determining an error in the distance from said mobile station(s) to said base station.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of calibrating the position of said base station comprises updating almanac information associated with said base station.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position of the base station antenna determined from the positions of the mobile stations is compared to a position for the base station contained in a base station almanac in order to verify the position for the base station contained in the base station almanac.

24. A wireless communication network comprising:

a. a plurality of base stations, each having a unique location;

b. a BTS calibration server networked with said plurality of base stations;

c. a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations wirelessly communicating with at least one of said base stations, each of said calibration-enabled mobile stations having a BTS calibration program and a position location system for determining its position, and a means for receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station;

d. means for requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station;

e. means for transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server;

f. a base station almanac networked with said plurality of base stations and said BTS calibration server; and

g. means, in said BTS calibration server, for calculating a distance from said mobile station(s) to said base station, comparing it with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto.

25. The network of claim 24, further comprising means for determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information;

26. The network of claim 24, wherein said BTS calibration program provides privacy settings stored in said mobile station to indicate authorization to provide calibration information, and said means for determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information further comprising checking said privacy settings to verify that the mobile station is authorized to provide calibration information.

27. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position location system comprises a TDOA system for measuring distance.

28. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position location system comprises a RTD system for measuring distance.

29. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position location system comprises a TOA system for measuring distance.

30. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position location system in said mobile stations include global satellite receivers, so that the positions of the mobile stations can be determined from signals received by the mobile stations from global satellites.

31. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position location system in said mobile stations include an Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) system that determines the positions of the mobile stations from base stations having known positions.

32. The network as claimed in claim 24, wherein the mobile stations comprise hybrid telephone handsets including global satellite receivers and AFLT systems.

33. The network of claim 24, wherein the means for calibrating the position of said base station comprises means for updating almanac information associated with said base station.