Location Determination Using RF Fingerprinting

• US 20100227626A1
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Dressler, Robert Morris, Spain, David Stevenson JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for determining the location of a mobile unit (MU) in a wireless communication system and presenting it to a remote party. The location of a remote MU is determined by comparing a snapshot of a predefined portion of the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum taken by the MU to a reference database containing multiple snapshots taken at various locations. The result of the comparison is used to determine if the MU is at a specific location. The comparison may be made in the MU, or at some other location situated remotely from the MU. In the latter case, sufficient information regarding the captured fingerprint is transmitted from the MU to the remote location. The database may be pre-compiled or generated on-line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing;

(i) a first snapshot of a first signal at a first time, wherein the first signal is processed by a mobile unit, and

(ii) a second snapshot of a second signal at a second time, wherein the second signal is processed by the mobile unit;

generating;

(i) a first result based on a comparison of the first snapshot with the contents of a database of RF fingerprints that associates RF fingerprints with locations, and

(ii) a second result based on a comparison of the second snapshot with the contents of the database of RF fingerprints; and

estimating a location of the mobile unit based on;

(i) the first result,

(ii) the second result, and

(iii) the temporal order of the first time and the second time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein estimating the location of the mobile unit is also based on the amount of time between first time and the second time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal is processed by the mobile unit through a receiver.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second signal is processed by the mobile unit through a receiver.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second signal is processed by the mobile unit through a transmitter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal is processed by the mobile unit through a transmitter.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second signal is processed by the mobile unit through a transmitter.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal is a radio signal and is processed by the mobile unit through an antenna.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first signal and the second signal are processed by the mobile unit through the same antenna at different times.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal and the second signal are processed by the mobile unit through different antennas.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a measurement for a first trait of a signal processed by a mobile unit and a measurement for a second trait of the signal; and

estimating the location of the mobile unit based on;

(1) comparing the measurement of the first trait to a predicted value of the first trait at a first location,

(2) comparing the measurement of the first trait to a predicted value of the first trait at a second location,

(3) comparing the measurement of the second trait to a predicted value of the second trait at the first location, and

(4) comparing the measurement of the second trait to a predicted value of the second trait at the second location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein comparing the measurement of the first trait to the predicted value of the first trait at the first location is weighed more heavily than comparing the measurement of the second trait to the predicted value of the second trait at the first location.