RESTRICTIONS ON AUTONOMOUS MUTING TO ENABLE TIME DIFFERENCE OF ARRIVAL MEASUREMENTS

• US 20110176440A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Frank, Colin D., Krishnamurthy, Sandeep H.
• Application Number:
  US12/973,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20110176440A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0215 Interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A mobile terminal receives a transmission from a base station including a group of Nprs consecutive subframes, where Nprs is a number of subframes constituting the group, and each subframe is capable of transmitting a positioning reference signal (PRS). The group of Nprs consecutive subframes is configured such that a transition between a subframe that does, or does not, include a PRS transmission to a subsequent subframe that does not, or does, include a PRS transmission can occur only after an even number of subframes 2*k, where k=0, 1, 2 . . . . The mobile terminal determines an estimated time of arrival of the transmission from the base station based on a portion of the transmission that includes a PRS transmission.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile terminal, a transmission from a first base station,

the transmission including a group of Nprs consecutive subframes, where Nprs is a number of subframes constituting the group of consecutive subframes and where Nprs=2 or Nprs=6,

each subframe, of the group of Nprs consecutive subframes, capable of transmitting a positioning reference signal (PRS),

the group of Nprs consecutive subframes configured such that a transition between a subframe that does, or does not, include a PRS transmission to a subsequent subframe that does not, or does, include a PRS transmission can occur only after an even number of subframes 2*k, where k=0, 1, 2 . . . ; and

determining an estimated time of arrival of the transmission from the first base station based on a portion of the transmission that includes a PRS transmission.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the estimated time of arrival based on determining which Nprs/2 blocks of subframes contain a PRS transmission, wherein each block comprises 2 consecutive subframes.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a transmission from a second base station indicating whether autonomous muting of the first base station is enabled, the autonomous muting enabling the first base station to mute PRS transmissions in the group of Nprs consecutive subframes.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a transmission from a second base station indicating whether Nprs is either 2 or 6.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second base station is a serving base station and the transmission corresponds to either a system information block or a radio resource control message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein Nprs=6, further comprising receiving a PRS transmission on at least 2 consecutive subframes in the group of Nprs consecutive subframes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second base station is a serving base station and the transmission corresponds to either a system information block or a radio resource control message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining which of Nprs/2 blocks of subframes received from the first base station include a PRS transmission, wherein each block of subframes comprises two consecutive subframes configured for PRS transmission.

9. A method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile terminal, a transmission from a first base station, the transmission including a group of Nprs consecutive subframes, where Nprs is a number of subframes constituting the group of consecutive subframes and where Nprs=6,

each subframe, of the group of Nprs consecutive subframes, capable of transmitting a positioning reference signal (PRS),

the group of Nprs consecutive subframes configured such that a transition between non-transmission and transmission of PRS on a subframe can occur only at a beginning of even numbered subframes 2*k and transition between transmission and non-transmission of PRS on a subframe can occur only at a beginning of even numbered subframes 2*(k+j), where k=0, 1, 2 and where j=1 to 3−

k; and

determining a time of arrival of the transmission from the first base station based on a portion of the transmission that includes a PRS transmission.

10. The method of claim 9, where j=1.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a transmission from a second base station indicating whether autonomous muting of the first base station is enabled, the autonomous muting enabling the first base station to mute PRS transmissions in the group of Nprs consecutive subframes.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a transmission from a second base station indicating whether Nprs is either 2 or 6.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second base station is a serving base station and the transmission corresponds to either a system information block or a radio resource control message.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein Nprs=6, further comprising receiving a PRS transmission on at least 2 consecutive subframes in the group of Nprs consecutive subframes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second base station is a serving base station and the transmission corresponds to either a system information block or a radio resource control message.

16. A method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile terminal, a transmission from a first base station, the transmission including a group of Nprs consecutive subframes, where Nprs is a number of subframes constituting the group of consecutive subframes and where Nprs=2,

each subframe, of the group of Nprs consecutive subframes, capable of transmitting a positioning reference signal (PRS),

all subframes in the group of Nprs consecutive subframes configured either to include a PRS transmission or not to include a PRS transmission; and

determining a time of arrival of the transmission from the first base station based on the group of Nprs consecutive subframes received when the group of Nprs consecutive subframes include a PRS transmission.

17. A method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile terminal, information pertaining to Nprs, which is a number of subframes configured for PRS transmission from a serving base station;

determining that Nprs=1 or Nprs=2 based on the information received from the serving base station;

receiving a signal including Nprs subframes configured for PRS transmission from a neighbor base station;

determining that the neighbor base station transmitted PRS on at least one subframe;

estimating a time of arrival of transmission from the neighbor base station based on the PRS transmitted on the at least one subframe.

18. A method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving information pertaining to Nprs, which is a number of subframes configured for PRS transmission from a serving base station, where Nprs=2 or Nprs=6;

receiving a signal including Nprs subframes configured for PRS transmission from a neighbor base station;

determining which of Nprs/2 blocks of subframes received from the neighbor base station include a PRS, where each block of subframes comprises two consecutive subframes configured for PRS transmission;

estimating a time of arrival of the transmission from the neighbor base station based on the PRS transmission.