LOCATION TRACKING FOR MOBILE TERMINALS AND RELATED COMPONENTS AND METHODS

• US 20150005005A1
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Neukirch, Ulrich Wilhelm Heinz, Sauer, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/486,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20150005005A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/10 providing dedicated supplementary positioning signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A distributed communications system with a downlink input configured to receive downlink communications signals using a first protocol and a communications interface configured to receive and provide the downlink communications signals to a remote unit. The remote unit has a global positioning device configured to determine location information from satellite signals received from one or more global positioning satellites, and a secondary protocol transmitter configured to provide the location information to a wireless client within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit using a secondary protocol.

Claims

1. A distributed communications system, comprising:

at least one downlink input configured to receive downlink communications signals using a first protocol; and

at least one communications interface configured to receive and provide the downlink communications signals to a remote unit,

the remote unit comprising;

a global positioning device configured to determine location information from satellite signals received from one or more global positioning satellites; and

a secondary protocol transmitter comprising a wireless fidelity (WiFi) protocol transmitter and configured to provide the location information to a wireless client within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit using a secondary protocol.

2. The distributed communications system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning device comprises a device compatible with a global satellite system selected from the group consisting of:

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and COMPASS.

3. The distributed communications system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning device comprises a device compatible with a plurality of global satellite positioning systems.

4. The distributed communications system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of global satellite positioning systems are selected from the group consisting of:

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and COMPASS.

5. The distributed communications system of claim 1, wherein the distributed communications system comprises a distributed antenna system comprising a plurality of remotes distributed in at least two floors of a building infrastructure, each remote comprising at least one antenna capable of transmitting RF communications into an antenna coverage area.

6. The distributed communications system of claim 5, further comprising at least one optical fiber configured to communicatively couple the at least one communications interface to at least one of the remote units.

7. The distributed communications system of claim 5, further comprising a controller configured to establish a location for the remote unit based on intermittent signals from the one or more global positioning satellites.

8. A distributed communications system deployed in a building infrastructure, comprising:

at least one downlink input configured to receive downlink communications signals using a first protocol; and

at least one communications interface configured to receive and provide the downlink communications signals to at least one of a plurality of remote units distributed in at least two floors of the building infrastructure,

each remote unit comprising;

a global positioning device configured to determine location information from satellite signals received from one or more global positioning satellites; and

a secondary protocol transmitter configured to provide the location information to a wireless client within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit using a secondary protocol.

9. The distributed communications system of claim 8, further comprising at least one optical fiber configured to communicatively couple the at least one communications interface to at least one of the remote units.

10. The distributed communications system of claim 9, wherein the global positioning device comprises a device compatible with a global satellite system selected from the group consisting of:

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and COMPASS.

11. The distributed communications system of claim 9, further comprising a controller configured to establish a location for the remote unit based on intermittent signals from the one or more global positioning satellites.

12. A method to assist in provision of location based services in a distributed communications system, comprising:

receiving downlink communications signals at at least one downlink input using a first protocol;

providing the downlink communications signals to a remote unit;

at least intermittently receiving signals from one or more satellites in a global positioning satellite constellation at a device in the remote unit;

calculating a location for the remote unit based on the signals from the one or more satellites; and

providing through a secondary protocol transmitter comprising a wireless fidelity (WiFi) protocol transmitter from the remote unit location information to a wireless client within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least intermittently receiving signals from one or more satellites comprises receiving signals from a global satellite system selected from the group consisting of:

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and COMPASS.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least intermittently receiving signals from one or more satellites comprises receiving signals from a plurality of global satellite positioning systems.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving signals from the plurality of global satellite positioning systems comprises receiving signals from a plurality of satellites selected from the group consisting of:

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and COMPASS.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the distributed communications system comprises a distributed antenna system comprising a plurality of remote units distributed in at least two floors of a building infrastructure, each remote unit receiving RF communication signals over at least one optical fiber.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising establishing, using a controller, a location for the remote unit based on intermittent signals from the one or more satellites.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising positioning the controller in a head-end unit.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising positioning the controller in the remote unit.