SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOCATING A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20090163224A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Dean, Richard F., Baker, Kenneth R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0273 using multipath or indirect path propagation signals in position determination
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein generate pseudo pilot signals including PN phase offsets corresponding to a plurality of pseudo base stations. The pseudo base stations are (1) a plurality of non-physical base stations, and/or (2) physical base stations outside the reception range of the mobile device. The pseudo pilot signals are combined with communication signals from a physical base station to form a series of composite signals. The composite signals are transmitted for reception by a wireless mobile device and are used to determine the location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a plurality of pseudo pilot signals including PN phase offsets corresponding to pseudo base stations, the pseudo base stations being at least one of the group consisting of;

(1) a plurality of non-physical base stations, and (2) physical base stations outside the reception range of a repeater and a wireless mobile device in the vicinity of the repeater;

combining the pseudo pilot signals with communication signals from a physical base station that is within the reception range of the repeater to form composite signals; and

transmitting the composite signals for reception by the wireless mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the relative power of the pseudo pilot signals with respect to the communication signals received from the physical base station to avoid triggering a handoff to the pseudo base stations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding the PN phase offsets and location information for the pseudo base stations to an almanac that is accessible by an automated position determining entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pilot signals correspond to a sufficient number of different pseudo base stations, and the PN phase offsets are utilized in a trilateration process to determine the location of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pilot signals correspond to a sufficient number of different pseudo based stations, and one of the pseudo pilot signals corresponds to a pseudo base station that is above or below the location of the mobile device, the method further comprising determining the height of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pilot signals are generated by the repeater.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pilot signals are combined with the communication signals.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report of measurements based on the composite signals; and

determining the location of the mobile device based on the PN phase offsets.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the report is received in a position determining entity and the location of the mobile device is determined by the position determining entity.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the composite signals to antenna nodes associated with a distributed antenna system;

modifying the composite signals to identify the antenna node receiving the composite signal; and

transmitting the modified composite signals to the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a more specific location of the mobile device based on the modified composite signals.

12. A system comprising:

a pilot generator circuit configured to communicate with a mobile device in a building or other venue; and

the pilot generator circuit is operable to generate pseudo pilot signals of known PN phase offset and transmit the pseudo pilot signals to the mobile device, wherein the pseudo pilot signals correspond to respective pseudo base stations being at least one of the group consisting of;

(1) non-physical base stations, and (2) physical base stations outside the mobile device'"'"'s operational vicinity.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising.

the location of one of the pseudo base stations is defined above or below the building to enable a trilateration process to determine a building level where a mobile device is located.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a distributed antenna system in communication with the pilot generator circuit and including a plurality of antenna nodes distributed throughout the building, the distributed antenna system further including a modifier circuit operable to;

modify the pseudo pilot signals to identify the antenna node receiving the pseudo pilot signals; and

transmit the modified pseudo pilot signals from the antenna nodes to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a summing circuit operable to combine the pseudo pilot signals with signals received from a physical base station to generate a composite signal.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

an antenna coupled to transmit the composite signal to the mobile device.

17. A computer program product comprising:

tangible computer-readable medium comprising;

code operable to cause at least one computer to;

generate a series of pseudo pilot signals with PN phase offsets corresponding to a plurality of different pseudo base stations, locations of the pseudo base stations being selected to enable trilateration techniques to be used to determine a location of a wireless mobile device that receives the pseudo pilot signals, the pseudo base stations being at least one of the group consisting of;

(1) a plurality of non-physical base stations, and (2) physical base stations outside the reception range of the mobile devicer;

combine the pseudo pilot signals with communication signals from a physical base station to form a series of composite signals; and

output the composite signals for transmission to the wireless mobile device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

code operable to cause at least one computer to;

modify the composite signals to indicate an antenna node in a distributed antenna system receiving the composite signals; and

output the modified composite signals for transmission from the antenna nodes to the mobile device.

19. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code operable to cause the processor to;

receive a series of signals with PN phase offsets corresponding to a plurality of pseudo base stations, the pseudo base stations being at least one of the group consisting of;

(1) a plurality of non-physical base stations, and (2) physical base stations outside the reception range of the mobile device;

determine identities and locations of the pseudo base stations based on the PN phase offsets; and

determine the location of the mobile device based on the locations of the pseudo base stations.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising:

a computer-readable almanac of information pertaining to the locations and identifiers for the plurality of base stations and pseudo base stations.

21. The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising:

code for causing the processor to;

determine a refined location of the mobile device in a geographic vicinity corresponding to an antenna node in a distributed antenna system in the geographic vicinity.

22. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein.

code for causing the processor to:

determine a refined location of the mobile device in a geographic vicinity based on another PN phase offset corresponding to a fourth pseudo base station.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating pseudo pilot signals of known PN phase offset and transmit the pseudo pilot signals to a mobile device, wherein the pseudo pilot signals correspond to respective pseudo base stations being at least one of the group consisting of;

(1) non-physical base stations, and (2) physical base stations outside the mobile device'"'"'s operational vicinity.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising.

the location of one of the pseudo base stations is defined above or below the building to enable a trilateration process to determine a building level where the mobile device is located.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

distributed antenna means for communicating with the means for generating pseudo pilot signals and including a plurality of antenna nodes distributed throughout the building, the distributed antenna system further including;

means for modifying the pseudo pilot signals to identify the antenna node receiving the pseudo pilot signals; and

means for transmitting the modified pseudo pilot signals from the antenna nodes to the mobile device.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for combining the pseudo pilot signals with signals received from a physical base station to generate a composite signal.