Fingerprinting with Radio Channel Related Information

• US 20130109405A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Siomina, Iana, Wigren, Karl Torbjrn
• Granted Patent: US 9,594,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/012 Identifying whether indoors or outdoors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Example Embodiments presented herein are directed towards a radio node (101, 130, 102), and corresponding methods therein, for fingerprinting positioning measurements. The radio node may be configured to provide a fingerprinting measurement result comprising radio channel related information. Non-limiting examples of radio channel information may be Doppler, speed and/or delay spread information. Example embodiments presented herein may also be directed towards a positioning node (140), and corresponding methods therein, for fingerprinting positioning management. The positioning node may be configured to receive radio channel related information from the radio node and generate a radio fingerprint based on the received radio channel related information.

Claims

1-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A method for fingerprinting positioning measurement, the method being implemented by a radio node in a wireless communications network and comprising:

performing a fingerprinting positioning measurement based on a location-related request; and

reporting a measurement result of the fingerprinting positioning measurement in a positioning-related message to a network node, the measurement result comprising radio channel-related information.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein the radio channel-related information comprises at least one of:

Doppler information;

speed information;

delay spread information.

57. The method of claim 55 wherein the fingerprinting positioning measurement, the measurement result, or both, are associated with at least one of:

an Adaptive Enhanced Cell Identification;

an Enhanced Cell Identification;

Radio Frequency fingerprinting;

pattern matching.

58. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving the location-related request from a network node.

59. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving the location-related request within the radio node based on an internal configuration setting.

60. The method of claim 55 wherein the performing further comprises:

analyzing the measurement result with respect to a reference measure;

obtaining a relative difference or ratio based on the analyzing.

61. The method of claim 55 wherein the performing further comprises analyzing the measurement result with respect to at least one pre-defined threshold related to an environmental characteristic.

62. The method of claim 55 wherein the performing further comprises performing the fingerprinting positioning measurement based on uplink or downlink physical signals and/or channels.

63. The method of claim 55 wherein the fingerprinting positioning measurement is performed in an intra-frequency configuration, an inter-frequency configuration, or an inter-Radio Access Technology configuration.

64. The method of claim 55 wherein the performing further comprises aggregating the measurement result to reflect multiple cells.

65. The method of claim 55 further comprising:

receiving, from the network node, alteration instructions based on the measurement result;

altering the fingerprinting positioning measurement based on the alteration instructions.

66. The method of claim 65 wherein the altering comprises selecting or reselecting positioning assisting radio nodes or a positioning method.

67. The method of claim 65 wherein the altering comprises selecting or reselecting a type of fingerprinting positioning measurement to be performed.

68. The method of claim 55 wherein the positioning-related message is an assistance data request message or a measurement report message.

69. The method of claim 55 wherein the measurement result comprises a radio fingerprint.

70. A radio node for fingerprinting positioning measurement, the radio node being part of a wireless communications network and comprising:

measurement circuitry configured to perform a fingerprinting positioning measurement according to a location-related request;

a transmitter port configured to report, to a network node, a measurement result of the fingerprinting positioning measurement in a positioning message, the measurement result comprising radio channel-related information.

71. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the network node is a positioning node or a gateway node.

72. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the radio node is one of:

a user equipment;

a base station;

a Location Measurement Unit;

or

a gateway node.

73. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the radio channel-related information comprises at least one of:

Doppler information;

speed information;

delay spread information.

74. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the fingerprinting positioning measurement, the measurement result, or both, are associated with at least one of:

an Adaptive Enhanced Cell Identification;

an Enhanced Cell Identification;

Radio Frequency fingerprinting;

pattern matching.

75. The radio node of claim 70 further comprising a receiver port configured to receive the location-related request from the network node.

76. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measuring circuitry is further configured to receive the location-related request based on an internal configuration setting.

77. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to analyze the measurement result with respect to a reference measure and obtain a relative difference or ratio based thereon.

78. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to analyze the measurement result with respect to at least one pre-defined threshold related to an environmental characteristic.

79. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to perform the fingerprinting positioning measurement based on uplink or downlink physical signals and/or channels.

80. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to perform the fingerprinting positioning measurement in an intra-frequency configuration, an inter-frequency configuration, or an inter-Radio Access Technology configuration.

81. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to aggregate the measurement result to reflect multiple cells.

82. The radio node of claim 70:

wherein the receiver port is further configured to receive, from the network node, alteration instructions based on the measurement result;

wherein the measurement unit is further configured to alter the fingerprinting positioning measurement based on the alteration instructions.

83. The radio node of claim 82 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to select or reselect positioning assisting radio nodes or a positioning method.

84. The radio node of claim 82 wherein the measurement circuitry is further configured to select or reselect a type of fingerprinting positioning measurement to be performed.

85. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the measurement result comprises a radio fingerprint.

86. The radio node of claim 70 wherein the positioning-related message is an assistance data request or a measurement report message.

87. A method for fingerprinting positioning management, the method being implemented by a positioning node in a wireless communications network and comprising:

receiving, from a radio node, radio channel-related information associated with a positioning measurement;

generating a radio fingerprint based on the received radio channel-related information.

88. The method of claim 87 wherein the radio channel-related information comprises at least one of:

Doppler information;

speed information;

delay spread information.

89. The method of claim 87 wherein the generating of the radio fingerprint comprises utilizing at least one of:

an Adaptive Enhanced Cell Identification;

an Enhanced Cell Identification;

Radio Frequency fingerprinting; and

a pattern matching method.

90. The method of claim 87 further comprising:

calculating a position based on the radio fingerprint;

reporting the position to the radio node.

91. The method of claim 87 further comprising:

receiving high precision geographical location data, the high precision geographical location data being associated with the received radio channel-related information;

storing the radio fingerprint and high precision geographical location data in a fingerprinting database.

92. The method of claim 91 wherein the high precision geographical location data is received from the radio node.

93. The method of claim 87 further comprising:

configuring positioning measurement instructions based on the received radio channel-related information;

sending the positioning measurement instructions to the radio node.

94. The method of claim 93 wherein the configuration positioning measurement instructions comprise instructions for selecting or reselecting positioning assisting radio nodes or a positioning method.

95. The method of claim 93 wherein configuration positioning measurement instructions comprise instructions for selecting or reselecting a type of fingerprinting measurement to be performed.

96. The method of claim 93 wherein the configuring further comprises transmitting, to the radio node, configuration positioning measurement instructions for altering an antenna configuration for transmitting signals used for positioning measurements.

97. The method of claim 87, wherein the configuring further comprises estimating, based on the received radio channel-related information, a quality of other positioning methods associated with the radio node, other radio nodes, or both.

98. A positioning node, for fingerprinting positioning management, the positioning node being part of a radio network and comprising:

a receiver port configured to receive, from a radio node, radio channel-related information associated with a positioning measurement configuration;

calculating circuitry configured to generate a radio fingerprint based on the received radio channel-related information.

99. The positioning node of claim 98 wherein the radio node is one of:

a user equipment;

a base station;

a Location Measurement Unit;

or

a gateway node.

100. The positioning node of claim 98 wherein the radio channel-related information comprises at least one of:

Doppler information;

speed information;

delay spread information.

101. The positioning node of claim 98 wherein the calculating circuitry is further configured to utilize at least one of the following when generating the radio fingerprint:

an Adaptive Enhanced Cell Identification;

an Enhanced Cell Identification;

Radio Frequency fingerprinting;

a pattern matching method.

102. The positioning node of claim 98:

wherein the calculating circuitry is further configured to calculate a position using the radio fingerprint;

wherein a transmitter port is configured to send the position to the radio node.

103. The positioning node of claim 98:

wherein the receiver port is configured to receive high precision geographical location data that is associated with the received radio channel-related information;

wherein the positioning node further comprises memory configured to store the radio fingerprint and high precision geographical location data together in a fingerprinting database.

104. The positioning node of claim 103, wherein the receiver port is further configured to receive the high precision geographical location data from the radio node.

105. The positioning node of claim 98:

wherein the calculating circuitry is further configured to provide positioning measurement instructions based on the received radio channel-related information;

wherein the positioning node further comprises a transmitter port configured to send the positioning measurement instructions to the radio node.

106. The positioning node of claim 105 wherein the positioning measurement instructions comprise instructions for at least one of:

selecting or reselecting positioning assisting radio nodes;

selecting or reselecting a type of fingerprinting measurement to be performed;

altering an antenna configuration for transmitting signals used for positioning measurements.

107. The positioning node of claim 105 wherein the calculation circuitry is further configured to estimate a quality of other measurements or other positioning methods, associated with the radio node, other radio nodes, or both, based on the received radio channel-related information.

108. The positioning node of claim 98 wherein the positioning node serves as at least one of:

a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Centre (SLC) node;

an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Centre node; and

a SUPL Positioning Centre (SPC) node.