LOCATION ESTIMATION

• US 20120129548A1
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Anantharaman, Karthik, Rao, Bharath Narasimha, Chaudhary, Madhusudan
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A current location of a mobile system in a wireless network can be determined by using information provided by a base station in communication with the mobile system. The information can include a system identifier (SID) table and a local time offset (LTM_OFF) value and a daylight savings time (DAYLT) value. The SID table is used to provide a mobile country code (MCC) associated with a country in which the mobile device is located. The LTM_OFF value is used to provide a range of longitude values in which the mobile device is located. The current location of the mobile device is based upon at least the range of longitude values and the current country.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a wireless communication network,

acquiring a service by a mobile system by receiving information from a base station; and

using the information from the base station to determine a current location of the mobile system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving information from the base station comprises:

receiving a pilot signal from the base station; and

accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the information includes at least system identification (SID) table, the SID table comprising at least an SID and an associated Mobile Country Code (MCC), the MCC indicating a country associated with the SID, wherein the information further includes at least a local time offset value (LTM_OFF) and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT).

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

determining the MCC corresponding to the SID of the acquired system from the SID table.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the using the information to determine the current location of the mobile system comprises:

using the LTM_OFF and the MCC associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with the current location

6. The method as recited claim 5, further comprising;

determining if a paging channel is available;

retrieving GPS based base station location information; and

using the GPS based base station location information to enhance the accuracy of the current location.

7. A wireless mobile system, comprising:

a wireless interface, the wireless interface configured for wirelessly communication with a wireless base station;

a memory device, the memory device arranged to store data, the data including at least a preferred roaming list (PRL); and

a processor, the processor coupled to the wireless interface and the memory device, the processor arranged to determine a current location of the wireless mobile system by;

receiving information from the base station at the wireless interface;

using the information from the base station to determine a current location of the mobile system.

8. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 7, wherein the processor receives information from the base station by receiving a pilot signal from the base station, and accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

9. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 8, wherein the information includes at least system identification (SID) table, the SID table comprising at least an SID and an associated Mobile Country Code (MCC), the MCC indicating a country associated with the SID, wherein the information further includes at least a local time offset value (LTM_OFF) and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT).

10. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor uses the information to determine the current location of the mobile system by using the LTM_OFF and the MCC associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with the current location.

11. The wireless mobile system as recited claim 10, the processor

determines if a paging channel is available by retrieving GPS based base station location information, and using the GPS based base station location information to enhance the accuracy of the current location.

12. Non-transitory computer readable medium executable by a processor in a mobile system for establishing a communication channel between the mobile system and a base station in a wireless communication network, comprising:

computer code for receiving information from a base station at a mobile system; and

computer code for using the information from the base station to determine a current location of the mobile system.

13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the receiving information from the base station comprises:

computer code for receiving a pilot signal from the base station;

computer code for accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the information includes at least system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT).

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the computer code for using the information to determine the current location of the mobile system comprises:

computer code for using the LTM_OFF and a MCC associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with the current location.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

computer code for tagging the list of SIDs comprises;

computer code for storing the current location information at a current entry in a location data base; and

computer code for linking the current location information at the current entry with the SID.

17. The computer readable medium as recited claim 16, further comprising;

computer code for determining if a paging channel is available;

computer code for retrieving GPS based base station location information; and

computer code for using the GPS based base station location information to enhance the accuracy of the current location.

18. A wireless network, comprising:

a base station; and

a mobile system, wherein the mobile system determines a current location of the mobile system by,

receiving a pilot signal from the base station,

accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station, wherein the information includes at least system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT),

using the LTM_OFF and a MCC associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with the current location.

19. The wireless network as recited in claim 18, wherein the accuracy of the current location is enhanced by retrieving GPS based base station location information from a paging channel and using the GPS based base station location information to enhance the accuracy of the current location.

20. The wireless network as recited in claim 19, wherein the GPS based base station information includes at least a base station latitude (BASE_LAT) and a base station longitude (BASE_LONG).

21. The wireless network as recited in claim 20, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network.

22. The wireless network as recited in claim 21, wherein the information is associated with an available service provider.

23. The wireless network as recited in claim 22, wherein the information is associated with a service provider that is not available