SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STORING INFORMATION TO LOCATE A FEMTO CELL

• US 20090098885A1
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gogic, Aleksandar M., Gupta, Rajarshi
• Application Number:
  US12/248,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system, method and computer product for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database with information measured by a femto cell, the method comprising: (a) performing RF measurements by a femto cell; (b) connecting the UE to the femto cell; (c) downloading the RF measurements taken by the femto cell into the UE custom database; (d) maintaining a central database of femto cell measurements, to be used for updating custom UE databases; (e) comparing current RF measurements taken by the UE with the femto cell own RF measurements to estimate proximity to the femto cell.

Claims

1. A method for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database, the method comprising:

performing radio frequency (RF) measurements by a femto cell to determine a location of the femto cell;

connecting the UE to the femto cell; and

downloading the RF measurements taken by the femto cell pertaining to the location of the femto cell into the UE database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

taking RF measurements by the UE; and

comparing current RF measurements taken by the UE with the femto cell'"'"'s own RF measurements to estimate proximity to the femto cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises of macro cell system parameters:

within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication of the RF measurements between the femto cell and the UE uses an over-the-air protocol.

5. A user'"'"'s equipment (UE) comprising:

a database of femto cells acquired by the UE, individualized for the UE and stored on the UE;

wherein a femto cell takes RF measurements, downloads these RF measurements into the UE'"'"'s database when the UE is connected to the femto cell,

wherein the RF measurements pertaining to a location of the femto cell.

6. The user'"'"'s equipment (UE) of claim 5, wherein the UE takes RF measurements and compares current RF measurements taken by the UE with the femto cell'"'"'s own measurements to estimate proximity to the femto cell.

7. The user'"'"'s equipment (UE) of claim 5, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises macro cell system parameters, within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

8. The user'"'"'s equipment (UE) of claim 5, wherein the communication of the RF measurements between the femto cell and the UE uses a protocol.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to perform RF measurements by a femto cell to determine a location of a femto cell;

code for causing at least one computer to connect the UE to the femto cell; and

code for causing at least one computer to download the RF measurements taken by the femto cell pertaining to the location of the femto cell into the UE database.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

code for causing at least one computer to take RF measurements by the UE; and

code for causing at least one computer to compare current RF measurements taken by the UE with the femto cell'"'"'s own RF measurements to estimate proximity to the femto cell.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises of macro cell system parameters:

within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the communication of the RF measurements between the femto cell and the UE uses an over-the-air protocol.

13. An apparatus for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database, comprising:

means for performing RF measurements by a femto cell to determine a location of the femto cell;

means for connecting the UE to the femto cell; and

means for downloading the RF measurements taken by the femto cell pertaining to the location of the femto cell into the UE database.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for taking RF measurements by the UE; and

means for comparing current RF measurements taken by the UE with the femto cell'"'"'s own RF measurements to estimate proximity to the femto cell.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises of macro cell system parameters:

within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication of the RF measurements between the femto cell and the UE uses an over-the-air protocol.

17. A method for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database for locating femto cells, the method comprising:

performing RF measurements by a plurality of UEs, wherein RF measurements determine a location of a femto cell based on the UE'"'"'s location relative to at least one macro cell;

sending the location information from the UEs to a back-end server;

processing at the back-end server the locations to average location for the femto cell;

connecting a UE to the back-end server; and

downloading the average location for the femto cell into the UE'"'"'s database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication of the locations between the back-end server and the UE uses an application running over the existing internet protocol used by the femto cell.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises macro cell system parameters, within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

20. A system for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database for locating femto cells, the system comprising:

a plurality of user'"'"'s equipment (UEs'"'"');

a database of femto cells acquired by the UE, individualized for the UE and stored on the UE;

a back-end server comprising part of a macro cell mobile network;

wherein the UEs perform RF measurements, wherein RF measurements determine a location of a femto cell based on UE'"'"'s location relative to at least one macro cell;

wherein the UEs send the location information to the back-end server;

wherein the back-end server processes the locations to average location for a femto cell;

wherein the UE connects to the back-end server; and

wherein the back-end server downloads the average location for the femto cell into the UE'"'"'s database.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the communication of the locations between the back-end server and the UE comprises an application running over the existing internet protocol used by the femto cell.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises macro cell system parameters:

within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

23. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising

code for causing at least one computer to perform RF measurements by an UE;

code for causing at least one computer to perform RF measurements by a plurality of UE, wherein RF measurements determine a location of a femto cell based on UE'"'"'s location relative to at least one macro cell;

code for causing at least one computer to send the location information from the UEs to a back-end server;

code for causing at least one computer to process at the back-end server the locations to average location for a femto cell;

code for causing at least one computer to connect the UE to the back-end server; and

code for causing at least one computer to download the average location for the femto cell into the UE'"'"'s database.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the communication of the locations between the back-end server and the UE uses an application running over the existing internet protocol used by the femto cell.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises macro cell system parameters, within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

26. An apparatus for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database for locating femto cells, the method comprising:

means for performing RF measurements by a plurality of UEs, wherein RF measurements determine a location of a femto cell based on the UE'"'"'s location relative to at least one macro cell;

means for sending the location information from the UEs to a back-end server;

means for processing at the back-end server the locations to average location for the femto cell;

means for connecting a UE to the back-end server; and

means for downloading the average location for the femto cell into the UE'"'"'s database.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the communication of the locations between the back-end server and the UE uses an application running over the existing internet protocol used by the femto cell.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the location of the femto cell comprises macro cell system parameters, within the area described by a base station (BS) set C, in which pilots exceed threshold E_C/Io vector D, and have a mean pilot phase vector P within tolerance Q.

29. A method for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database, the method comprising:

storing by the UE RF measurements to neighboring macro cells at the time when the UE receives a strongest signal from a femto cell, wherein the strongest signal corresponds to a closest location of the femto cell;

performing by the UE RF measurements pertaining to a macro cell phase offset; and

downloading into the UE'"'"'s database the information pertaining to changes in macro cell environment.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising re-writing the entry into the UE'"'"'s database every time the UE samples a stronger signal from the femto cell.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the RF measurements at the femto cell are used to trigger error conditions at the UE, if there is a wide divergence in the measurements reported by an associated UE and gets erased from the UE'"'"'s database.

32. A system for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database, the system comprising:

a user'"'"'s equipment (UE);

a database of neighboring macro cells acquired by the UE while visiting a neighborhood and stored in the UE'"'"'s database;

wherein the UE stores the RF measurements to neighboring macro cells at the time when the UE receives the strongest signal from a femto cell,

wherein the strongest signal corresponds to the closest location of the femto cell;

wherein the UE performs the RF measurements pertaining to a macro cell phase offsets; and

downloads into the UE'"'"'s database the information pertaining to changes in macro cell environment.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the UE re-writes the entry into the UE'"'"'s database time every time the UE samples a stronger signal from the femto cell.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the RF measurements at the femto cell are used to trigger error conditions at the UE, if there is a wide divergence in the measurements reported by an associated UE and gets erased from the UE'"'"'s database.

35. A computer-program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising

code for causing at least one computer to store, by the UE, the RF measurements to neighboring macro cells at the time when the UE receives the strongest signal from a femto cell, wherein the strongest signal corresponds to the closest location of the femto cell;

code for causing at least one computer to perform, by the UE, RF measurements pertaining to a macro cell phase offset; and

code for causing at least one computer to download into the UE'"'"'s database the information pertaining to changes in macro cell environment.

36. An apparatus for augmenting a user'"'"'s equipment (UE) database, comprising:

means for storing by the UE RF measurements to neighboring macro cells at the time when the UE receives a strongest signal from a femto cell, wherein the strongest signal corresponds to a closest location of the femto cell;

means for performing by the UE RF measurements pertaining to a macro cell phase offset; and

means for downloading into the UE'"'"'s database the information pertaining to changes in macro cell environment.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising means for re-writing the entry into the UE'"'"'s database every time the UE samples a stronger signal from the femto cell.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the RF measurements at the femto cell are used to trigger error conditions at the UE, if there is a wide divergence in the measurements reported by an associated UE and gets erased from the UE'"'"'s database.