DYNAMIC LOCATION ALMANAC FOR WIRELESS BASE STATIONS

• US 20070077945A1
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.500
• 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 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method of dynamically updating an almanac of base stations with wireless phones that are controlled by end users. First, second, and third location information are received respectfully from a first, second, and third wireless phones. A position of each wireless device is known. The distance between each wireless device an uncooperative base station is determined while accounting for an uncertainty factor. A location of the uncooperative base station is calculated using the first, second, and third location information and the distances. The almanac is updated with the location.

Claims

1. A dynamic almanac system that updates locations with information from end-user wireless devices, comprising:

a first wireless device in a first position for gathering first location information related to an uncooperative base station;

a second wireless device in a second position for gathering second location information related to the uncooperative base station;

a third wireless device in a third position for gathering third location information related to the uncooperative base station; and

an almanac processor that;

calculates a location of the uncooperative base station using the first, second, and third location information and the first, second, and third positions, assigns a location uncertainty factor to the location, and updates an almanac with the location,

wherein one of the first, second, and third wireless devices is controlled by an end user, and the uncooperative base station would not normally allow data or voice transport of at least one of the first, second, and third wireless devices.

2. The dynamic almanac system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the first, second, and third wireless devices is the same wireless device in two different locations.

3. The dynamic almanac system of claim 1 further comprising determining that the uncooperative base station has moved.

4. The dynamic almanac system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the first, second, and third wireless devices is the same wireless device at two different times.

5. The dynamic almanac system of claim 1 wherein the almanac processor is co-located with a cooperative base station in communication with at least one of the first, second, and third wireless devices.

6. The dynamic almanac of claim 1 further comprising a cooperative base station in communication with at least two of the almanac processor and the first, second, and third wireless devices.

7. The dynamic almanac of claim 1 wherein at least one of the wireless devices is at least one of a tracking device, a child or parolee monitor, a navigational device, a wireless pager, and a wireless computer.

8. The dynamic almanac system of claim 1 wherein the first, second, and third positions are geographically separate.

9. A method for dynamically updating an almanac of base stations with a plurality of wireless devices that are controlled by end users, comprising:

receiving first location information from a first wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

retrieving a first position of the first wireless device;

determining a first distance between the first position and an uncooperative base station;

receiving second location information from a second wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

retrieving a second position of the second wireless device;

determining a second distance between the second position and the uncooperative base station;

receiving third location information from a third wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices;

retrieving a third position of the third wireless device;

determining a third distance between the third position and the uncooperative base station;

assigning an uncertainty factor to at least one of the first, second, and third distances;

calculating a location of the uncooperative base station using the first, second, and third location information and the first, second, and third distances; and

updating the almanac with the location.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said calculating comprises weighting at least one of the first, second, and third distances with the uncertainty factor.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the uncertainty factor is aged with time to become more uncertain.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

ascertaining if a wireless device indicates the uncooperative base station to be outside a predetermined threshold from the location;

purging old location information from the almanac based upon said ascertaining; and

storing new location information.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

ascertaining if a wireless device indicates the uncooperative base station is away from the location and within a predetermined threshold of variance from the location;

waiting for confirmation from another wireless device; and

storing new location information and purging the old location information if said ascertaining is confirmed during said waiting.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the wireless devices includes at least one of a tracking device, a child or parolee monitor, a navigational device, a wireless pager, and a wireless computer.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the uncooperative base station does not normally allow data or voice transport of at least one of the first, second, and third wireless devices.

16. A method for dynamically updating an almanac of base stations with wireless phones, comprising:

locating first, second, and third positions respectively of first, second, and third wireless phones;

estimating first, second, and third distances respectively between the first, second, and third wireless phones and an uncooperative base station that does not allow data and voice transport of at least one of the first, second, and third wireless phones;

reporting to a point away from the first wireless phones first, second, and third location information that is respectively related to the first, second, and third distances;

determining a location of the uncooperative base station from the first, second, and third location information and the first, second, and third distances;

updating the almanac using the location;

wherein at least one of the first, second, and third wireless phones is carried by an end user during said locating.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising assigning an uncertainty factor to each of the first, second, and third distances.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the first location information comprises information to derive a unique identifier for the uncooperative base station.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of said assigning an uncertainty factor to each of the first, second, and third distances;

three reportings comprise reporting to a cooperative base station.

20. The of claim 16 wherein at least one of said estimatings and said locating is performed away from the wireless phone.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of said estimating distances is performed by a wireless phone.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein said determining a location is performed by a wireless phone.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein each of said estimating distances comprises:

receiving information that can be used to create a unique identifier for a base station; and

presuming a distance to the base station based upon at least one of;

a response delay, a signal strength, and a signal range.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the location is adjusted over time with new location information from wireless phones.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein older location information in the almanac is deemphasized over time.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of the first, second, and third wireless phones is owned by an end user.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the uncooperative base station is a local area network base station.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the uncooperative base station is a cellular phone base station for another service provider not under a roaming agreement.

29. The of claim 16 further comprising:

determining a likelihood the uncooperative base station will move from the location; and

preventing the location from being used in the almanac.

30. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable of claim 17.

31. A dynamic almanac system that updates an almanac of base stations with information from a plurality of wireless phones that are controlled by end users, comprising:

means for receiving first location information from a first wireless phone of the plurality of wireless phones;

means for retrieving a first position of the first wireless phone;

means for determining a first distance between the first position and an uncooperative base station;

means for receiving second location information from a second wireless phone of the plurality of wireless phones;

means for retrieving a second position of the second wireless phone;

means for determining a second distance between the second position and the uncooperative base station;

means for receiving third location information from a third wireless phone of the plurality of wireless phones;

means for retrieving a third position of the third wireless phone, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third wireless phones is under control of an end user;

means for determining a third distance between the third position and the uncooperative base station;

means for calculating a location of the uncooperative base station using the first, second, and third location information and the first, second, and third distances;

means for assigning a location uncertainty factor to the location that is related to the first, second, and third wireless phones; and

means for updating the almanac with the location.

32. The dynamic almanac system of claim 31 wherein the wireless phone cannot use the uncooperative base station to transport data or voice.