METHOD, SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR POSITIONING MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20120040694A1
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhou, Lei, Zheng, Xufeng, Zhao, Zheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention provides a method, system and device for positioning a mobile terminal. The method includes: instructing, by a serving base station or an upper level relay, measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal, and instructing two relays in a serving cell to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal; and calculating, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, a position of the mobile terminal according to the transmission time of the positioning signal, the position of the serving base station or the upper level relay and the position of the two relays. The method, system and device provided by the present invention can reduce communication overhead in mobile terminal positioning, and improve the positioning accuracy of mobile terminal positioning.

Claims

1. A method for positioning a mobile terminal, comprising:

instructing, by a serving base station or an upper level relay, measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal, and instructing two relays in a serving cell to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal; and

calculating, by the serving, base station or the upper level relay, a position of the mobile terminal according to the transmission time of the positioning signal, the position of the serving base station or the upper level relay and the position of the two relays.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the process of instructing, by a serving base station or an upper level relay, measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal, the method further comprises:

receiving, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, a positioning request having an identifier of the mobile terminal being carried therein, and determining, the mobile terminal to be positioned.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the serving base station or the upper level relay calculates the position of the mobile terminal according to the obtained transmission time of the positioning signal, the position of the serving base station or the upper level relay and the position of the two relays using a Math Figure as follows:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning signal is an uplink ranging signal, and the process of instructing measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal and instructing two relays in a serving cell to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal comprises:

allocating, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, an uplink resource for the mobile terminal;

sending, by the mobile terminal, the uplink ranging signal over the uplink resource;

measuring, by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays respectively, the required transmission time when receiving the uplink ranging signal;

sending, by the two relays, the transmission time required for receiving the uplink ranging signal obtained by performing the measurement to the serving base station or the upper level relay.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the process of allocating, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, an uplink resource for the mobile terminal comprises:

setting, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, a reference signal in a downlink system frame, and sending the reference signal having information of the uplink resource being carried therein to the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reference signal is sent in a timeslot of a preamble sequence of the downlink system frame.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the process of sending, by the mobile terminal, the uplink ranging signal over the uplink resource comprises:

setting, with respect to the reference signal, an advanced timeslot for sending, and sending the uplink ranging signal in the advanced timeslot having been set.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning, signal is a downlink positioning signal, and the process of instructing measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal and instructing two relays in a serving cell to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal comprises:

allocating, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, a downlink resource for itself and the two relays and notifying, the mobile terminal;

sending, by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays respectively, the downlink positioning signal over the allocated downlink resource; and

receiving, by the mobile terminal, the downlink positioning signal respectively in a downlink timeslot corresponding to the allocated downlink resource and measuring the required transmission time, and then sending the transmission time of the downlink positioning signal obtained by performing the measurement to the serving base station or the upper level relay.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning signal is a downlink positioning signal, and the process of instructing measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal and instructing two relays in a serving cell to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal comprises:

allocating, by the serving base station or the upper level relay, a downlink resource for itself and the two relays and notifying, the mobile terminal;

sending, by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays respectively, the downlink positioning signal over the allocated downlink resource; and

receiving, by the mobile terminal, the downlink positioning signal respectively in a downlink timeslot corresponding to the allocated downlink resource and measuring the required transmission time, and then sending a difference in the transmission time of the positioning, signal respectively between each of the two relays and the serving base station or the upper level relay obtained by performing calculation to the serving base station or the upper level relay.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the downlink positioning signal sent by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays over the allocated downlink resource respectively comprises:

an orthogonal sequence inserted into a downlink system frame, or a spread spectrum sequence being orthogonal to a preamble timeslot that is inserted into a preamble sequence timeslot in a downlink system;

or the downlink positioning signal that is sent comprises;

the preamble sequence timeslot in the downlink system.

11. The method according to claim 8 wherein the process of sending, by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays, the downlink positioning signal over the allocated downlink resource respectively includes:

setting, with respect to the allocated downlink resource, an advanced timeslot for sending, and sending the downlink positioning signal in the advanced timeslot for sending that has been set.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein the downlink positioning signal sent by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays over the allocated downlink resource respectively comprises:

an orthogonal sequence inserted into a downlink system frame, or a spread spectrum sequence being orthogonal to a preamble timeslot that is inserted into a preamble sequence timeslot in a downlink system;

or the downlink positioning signal that is sent comprises;

the preamble sequence timeslot in the downlink system.

20. The method according to claim 9, wherein the process of sending, by the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays, the downlink positioning signal over the allocated downlink resource respectively includes:

setting, with respect to the allocated downlink resource, an advanced timeslot for sending, and sending the downlink positioning signal in the advanced timeslot for sending that has been set.

12. A system for positioning a mobile terminal, comprising:

the mobile terminal, two relays in a serving cell, and a serving base station or an upper level relay, wherein

the serving base station or the upper level relay is adapted to instruct measuring a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal, to instruct the two relays to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal, and to obtain the transmission time of the positioning signal respectively between itself as well as the two relays and the mobile terminal; and

to obtain a position of the mobile terminal by performing calculation according to the obtained transmission time of the positioning signal, the position of the serving base station or the upper level relay and the position of the two relays;

the two relays are adapted to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the mobile terminal according to the instruction from the serving base station or the upper level relay; and

the mobile terminal is adapted to measure the transmission time of the positioning signal with the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays respectively according to the instruction from the serving base station or the upper level relay.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the positioning signal is an uplink ranging signal, and the system further comprises:

the serving base station or the upper level relay, adapted to send a measurement notification message to the two relays, to obtain the transmission time by performing measurement when receiving the uplink ranging signal sent from the mobile terminal, and to receive the transmission time of the uplink ranging signal sent from the two relays;

the two relays, adapted to obtain the transmission time by performing measurement when receiving the uplink ranging signal sent from the mobile terminal after receiving the measurement notification message from the serving base station or the upper level relay, and to send the obtained transmission time of the uplink ranging signal to the serving base station or the upper level relay; and

the mobile terminal, adapted to send the uplink ranging signal.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the positioning, signal is a downlink positioning signal, and the system further comprises:

the serving base station or the upper level relay, adapted to send a measurement notification message to the two relays, to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal, and to receive the transmission time of the downlink positioning signal sent from the mobile terminal;

the two relays, adapted to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal after receiving, the measurement notification message from the serving base station or the upper level relay; and

the mobile terminal, adapted to measure the required transmission time when receiving the downlink positioning signal sent respectively from the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays, and then send the transmission time of the downlink positioning signal obtained by performing the measurement to the serving base station or the upper level relay.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the positioning signal is a downlink positioning signal, and the system further comprises:

the serving base station or the upper level relay, adapted to send a measurement notification message to the two relays, to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal, and to receive a difference in the transmission time of the downlink positioning signal respectively between each of the two relays and the serving base station or the upper level relay sent from the mobile terminal;

the two relays, adapted to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal after receiving the measurement notification message from the serving base station or the upper level relay; and

the mobile terminal, adapted to measure the required transmission time when receiving the downlink positioning signal sent respectively from the serving base station or the upper level relay and the two relays, and then send the difference in the transmission time of the downlink positioning signal respectively between each of the two relays and the serving base station or the upper level relay obtained by performing calculation to the serving base station or the upper level relay.

16. A relay for positioning a mobile terminal, comprising:

a positioning unit and a transceiver unit, wherein

the transceiver unit is adapted to receive an instruction from a serving base station or an upper level relay, and to send the same to the positioning unit; and

the positioning unit is adapted to measure a transmission time of a positioning signal with the mobile terminal according to the instruction from the serving base station or the upper level relay.

17. The relay according to claim 16, wherein the positioning signal is an uplink ranging signal, and the relay further comprises:

the transceiver unit, adapted to receive a measurement notification message from the serving base station or the upper level relay and send the same to the positioning unit, and to send the obtained transmission time of the uplink ranging, signal to the serving base station or the upper level relay; and

the positioning unit, adapted to obtain the transmission time by performing measurement when receiving the uplink ranging signal sent from the mobile terminal, and to send the obtained transmission time of the uplink ranging signal to the transceiver unit.

18. The relay according to claim 16, wherein the positioning signal is a downlink positioning signal, and the relay further comprises:

the transceiver unit, adapted to receive a measurement notification message from the serving base station or the upper level relay and send the same to the positioning unit, and to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal according to an instruction from the positioning unit; and

the positioning unit, adapted to instruct the transceiver unit to send the downlink positioning signal to the mobile terminal after receiving the measurement notification message sent from the transceiver unit.