CROWDSOURCING INFORMATION IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK USING SMALL CELLS

• US 20140171097A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: FISCHER, Sven, FARMER, Dominic, BURROUGHS, Kirk Alla
• Granted Patent: US 9,661,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for using a small cell as a reliable crowd-sourcing agent are presented. In some embodiments, a small cell installed at a known location may observe one or more wireless signals at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals. Subsequently, the small cell may provide, to at least one crowdsourcing server, information that identifies the location and describes one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals. In at least one arrangement, the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals. In at least one arrangement, the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is configured to be used by the at least one crowdsourcing server in providing position assistance information.

Claims

1. A small cell-based method for crowdsourcing wireless signals comprising:

observing, by a small cell installed at a known location, one or more wireless signals at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals; and

providing, by the small cell, to at least one crowdsourcing server, information that identifies the known location and describes one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals, wherein the information is used by the at least one crowdsourcing server in providing position assistance information to one or more mobile devices located in a vicinity of the known location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the small cell is a microcell, picocell or femtocell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information that identifies the known location and describes the one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals includes at least one of:

one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time of arrival (TOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements corresponding to at least two of the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more angle of arrival (AOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a network listening receiver observes the one or more wireless signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server includes at least one of:

one or more base station locations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more base station timings relative to a GNSS time corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more pilot signal configurations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the GNSS time is a GNSS fine time assistance measurement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is provided periodically, when requested by the at least one crowdsourcing server or when the information changes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless signals include at least one of:

GSM signals;

UMTS signals;

LTE signals;

CDMA signals; and

WLAN signals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the known location is derived from an A-GNSS module inside the small cell.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a local database can provide the small cell with location information for a base station or access point.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information provided by the small cell to at least one crowdsourcing server is measurement data.

14. A small cell for crowdsourcing wireless signals comprising:

one or more small cell baseband processors; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more small cell baseband processors, cause the small cell to;

observe one or more wireless signals at a known location at which the small cell is installed, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals; and

provide, to at least one crowdsourcing server, information that identifies the known location and describes one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals, wherein the information is used by the at least one crowdsourcing server in providing position assistance information to one or more mobile devices located in a vicinity of the known location.

15. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

16. The small cell of claim 15, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

17. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the small cell is a microcell, picocell or femto cell.

18. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the information that identifies the known location and describes the one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals includes at least one of:

one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time of arrival (TOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements corresponding to at least two of the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more angle of arrival (AOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

19. The small cell of claim 14, wherein a network listening receiver observes the one or more wireless signals.

20. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server includes at least one of:

one or more base station locations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more base station timings relative to a GNSS time corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more pilot signal configurations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

21. The small cell of claim 20, wherein the GNSS time is a GNSS fine time assistance measurement.

22. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is provided periodically, when requested by the at least one crowdsourcing server or when the information changes.

23. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the one or more wireless signals include at least one of:

GSM signals;

UMTS signals;

LTE signals;

CDMA signals; and

WLAN signals.

24. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the known location is derived from an A-GNSS module inside the small cell.

25. The small cell of claim 14, wherein a local database can provide the small cell with location information for a base station or access point.

26. The small cell of claim 14, wherein the information provided by the small cell to at least one crowdsourcing server is measurement data.

27. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for crowdsourcing wireless signals that, when executed, cause one or more computing devices included in a small cell to:

observe one or more wireless signals at a known location at which the small cell is installed, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals; and

provide, to at least one crowdsourcing server, information that identifies the known location and describes one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals, wherein the information is used by the at least one crowdsourcing server in providing position assistance information to one or more mobile devices located in a vicinity of the known location.

28. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

29. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 28, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

30. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the small cell is a microcell, picocell or femtocell.

31. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the information that identifies the known location and describes the one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals includes at least one of:

one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time of arrival (TOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements corresponding to at least two of the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more angle of arrival (AOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

32. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein a network listening receiver observes the one or more wireless signals.

33. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server includes at least one of:

one or more base station locations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more base station timings relative to a GNSS time corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more pilot signal configurations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

34. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 33, wherein the GNSS time is a GNSS fine time assistance measurement.

35. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is provided periodically, when requested by the at least one crowdsourcing server or when the information changes.

36. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the one or more wireless signals include at least one of:

GSM signals;

UMTS signals;

LTE signals;

CDMA signals; and

WLAN signals.

37. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the known location is derived from an A-GNSS module inside the small cell.

38. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein a local database can provide the small cell with location information for a base station or access point.

39. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the information provided by the small cell to at least one crowdsourcing server is measurement data.

40. A small cell for crowdsourcing wireless signals comprising:

means for observing, by a small cell installed at a known location, one or more wireless signals at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals; and

means for providing, by the small cell, to at least one crowdsourcing server, information that identifies the known location and describes one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals, wherein the information is used by the at least one crowdsourcing server in providing position assistance information to one or more mobile devices located in a vicinity of the known location.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the small cell is a microcell, picocell or femtocell.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the information that identifies the known location and describes the one or more detected properties of the one or more observed wireless signals includes at least one of:

one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time of arrival (TOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements corresponding to at least two of the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more angle of arrival (AOA) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server includes at least one of:

one or more base station locations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals;

one or more base station timings relative to a GNSS time corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals; and

one or more pilot signal configurations corresponding to the one or more observed wireless signals.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the GNSS time is a GNSS fine time assistance measurement.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein the information provided to at least one crowdsourcing server is provided periodically, when requested by the at least one crowdsourcing server or when the information changes.

48. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more wireless signals include at least one of:

GSM signals;

UMTS signals;

LTE signals;

CDMA signals; and

WLAN signals.

49. The method of claim 40, wherein the known location is derived from an A-GNSS module inside the small cell.

50. The method of claim 40, wherein a local database can provide the small cell with location information for a base station or access point.

51. The method of claim 40, wherein the information provided by the small cell to at least one crowdsourcing server is measurement data.

52. A crowdsourcing server comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the crowdsourcing server to;

receive, from a small cell installed at a known location, information describing one or more wireless signals observed by the small cell at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals;

update a database based on the received information; and

provide location assistance information to one or more mobile devices using information included in the database.

53. The crowdsourcing server of claim 52, wherein the received information is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

54. The crowdsourcing server of claim 53, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

55. The crowdsourcing server of claim 52, wherein the database includes signal observation information provided by a plurality of small cells installed at a plurality of different locations.

56. The crowdsourcing server of claim 52, wherein the database further includes signal observation information received from other mobile devices.

57. A method for crowdsourcing wireless signals using a crowdsourcing server comprising:

receiving, from a small cell installed at a known location, information describing one or more wireless signals observed by the small cell at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals;

updating a database based on the received information; and

providing location assistance information to one or more mobile devices using information included in the database.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the received information is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

60. The method of claim 57, wherein the database includes signal observation information provided by a plurality of small cells installed at a plurality of different locations.

61. The method of claim 57, wherein the database further includes signal observation information received from other mobile devices.

62. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for crowdsourcing wireless signals that, when executed, cause one or more computing devices included in a crowdsourcing server to:

receive, from a small cell installed at a known location, information describing one or more wireless signals observed by the small cell at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals;

update a database based on the received information; and

provide location assistance information to one or more mobile devices using information included in the database.

63. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 62, wherein the received information is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

64. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 63, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

65. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 62, wherein the database includes signal observation information provided by a plurality of small cells installed at a plurality of different locations.

66. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 62, wherein the database further includes signal observation information received from other mobile devices.

67. A crowdsourcing server comprising:

means for receiving, from a small cell installed at a known location, information describing one or more wireless signals observed by the small cell at the known location, wherein the small cell comprises a built-in network listen receiver for observing cellular downlink signals;

means for updating a database based on the received information; and

means for providing location assistance information to one or more mobile devices using information included in the database.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the received information is a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration based on an observed LTE downlink signals.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the PRS configuration includes at least one of:

one or more PRS bandwidth information elements;

one or more PRS Configuration Indices;

one or more Number of PRS Subframes information elements; and

one or more PRS Muting Information elements.

70. The method of claim 67, wherein the database includes signal observation information provided by a plurality of small cells installed at a plurality of different locations.

71. The method of claim 67, wherein the database further includes signal observation information received from other mobile devices.