RADIO REPEATER SYSTEM FOR AVOIDING MOBILE DEVICE LOCATION INTERFERENCE

• US 20150065160A1
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Austin, Mark, Martinez, Francisco
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0026 of multi-user interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A radio repeater system is described that disables itself to avoid interfering with mobile network performed multilateration of mobile devices. The radio repeater provides additional network coverage for a localized area. The localized area can include enclosed spaces such as buildings or transportation terminals. The radio repeater system can monitor the signals received from cell towers, and if there are at least three signals of a predetermined signal strength, the radio repeater can disable itself to avoid interfering with mobile locating performed by the network. The radio repeater can remain disabled until the conditions that led to the disabling have passed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to facilitate execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

determining a number of base station devices from which signals are received;

determining whether the signals and the number of base station devices satisfy a defined criterion, wherein the defined criterion relates to a parameter associated with locating a mobile device; and

in response to the defined criterion being determined to be satisfied, disabling a repeater device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the disabling comprises disabling the repeater device in response to determining that the signals were received from at least three base station devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined criterion is based on a signal strength of each of the signals received from the base station devices satisfying a determined value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise disabling the repeater device for a duration of time during which the defined criterion is determined to be satisfied.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise re-enabling the repeater device in response to the defined criterion being determined not to be satisfied.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing metadata associated with the signals to determine a set of network devices associated with the signals; and

in response to the analyzing indicating that the set of network devices comprises a network device associated with the repeater device, determining whether the signals match the defined criterion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined criterion is based on a function of data representing a signal strength loss associated with a coverage area of the repeater device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing signal strengths of other signals received from mobile devices in a coverage area of the repeater device to determine a change in signal strength loss.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining a change in signal strength loss, adjusting the defined criterion based on the change in signal strength loss.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising a processor, signals from a set of base station devices;

determining a number of base station devices that the set of base station devices comprises;

determining whether the signals satisfy a criterion, wherein the criterion is associated with signal strength; and

in response to the criterion being determined to be satisfied for the signals from at least three base station devices, disabling a repeater device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising re-enabling the repeater device in response to the predetermined criterion being determined not to be satisfied for the signals from the at least three base station devices.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the criterion is based on a signal strength of the signals satisfying at least a defined value.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising disabling the repeater device for a time period during which the criterion is determined to be satisfied.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising analyzing metadata associated with the signals to determine a network identity associated with the signals.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the signals match the criterion in response to determining that the network identity another network identity associated with the repeater device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising analyzing signal strengths of other signals received from mobile devices in a coverage area of the repeater device to determine a change in data representing signal strength loss.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting the criterion based on the change in the data representing the signal strength loss.

18. A computer-readable storage device storing executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a number of base station devices from which signals are received;

determining whether the signals and the number of base station devices satisfy a defined criterion, wherein the defined criterion relates to a parameter associated with locating a mobile device; and

in response to the defined criterion being determined to be satisfied, disabling a repeater device.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the disabling the repeater device comprises disabling the repeater device in response to determining that the signals were received from at least three base station devices, and that the signals exceeded a predetermined signal strength.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise re-enabling the repeater device in response to the defined criterion being determined not to be satisfied for the signals from at least three base station devices.