MOBILE DEVICE LOCATING USING LONG TERM EVOLUTION SIGNALS

• US 20150181549A1
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Youtz, Andrew E., Bastaldo-Tsampalis, Brigitte, Li, Yuk, Caceres, Manuel E., Venkataramu, Praveen, Batada, Asif N., Kamal, Ashfaq
• Granted Patent: US 9,374,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The described examples provide a system and methods for identifying a location of a mobile device within an indoor venue using cellular communication signals obtained while the mobile device is within the indoor venue. An array of antennas arranged within the indoor venue detects cellular communication signals transmitted by the mobile device. The detected cellular communication signals have detectable and measurable signal parameters that allow the location of the mobile device within the indoor venue and an identifier of the mobile device to be determined. The determined identifier of the mobile device may also be used to identify the mobile device subscriber. The mobile device indoor location information may be used to update an anonymized subscriber profile associated with the mobile device subscriber.

Claims

1. A method, comprising steps of:

detecting, by a plurality of antennas within an indoor venue, a mobile communication data signal transmitted by a mobile device in a time slot and a frequency sub-carrier assigned to the mobile device;

measuring a signal parameter of the mobile communication data signal detected by each of the plurality of antennas in the time slot and frequency sub-carrier;

using the signal parameter measured by each of the plurality of antennas, determining information identifying an approximate location of the at least one mobile device inside the indoor venue; and

storing the approximate location information related to the at least one mobile device in the indoor venue in a location log associated with the mobile device with reference to the time slot and frequency sub-carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

transmitting a request for information related to the mobile device transmitting in the time slot and frequency sub-carrier to a cellular communication management device, wherein the request provides an indication of the time slot and frequency sub-carrier in which the mobile device is transmitting;

in response to the request, obtaining a permanent identifier of the mobile device based on an indication of the time slot and frequency sub-carrier associated with the permanent identifier from the data storage;

retrieving from a data storage a subscriber profile associated with the permanent identifier related to the mobile device;

obtaining the approximate location information of the mobile device transmitting in the time slot and frequency sub-carrier stored in a location log; and

updating the subscriber profile using the approximate location information from the location log.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication data signal is a radio resource connection request transmitted in the time slot and frequency sub-carrier and contains a temporary identifier assigned to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication data signal is an acknowledgement signal indicating that the mobile device has decoded data transmitted to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication data signal is a negative acknowledgement signal indicating that the mobile device is unable to decode data transmitted to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication data signal is any communication transmitted by the mobile device to the cellular communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

requesting, via a venue specific communication path with a cellular communication management device in a cellular network, data including a permanent mobile device identifier corresponding to the time slot and frequency sub-carrier in which the mobile device is communicating;

in response to the request, receiving from the cellular communication management device the permanent identifier of the mobile device;

determining an approximate location of the mobile device within a boundary of the indoor venue whenever the mobile device outputs a mobile communication data signal in the assigned time slot and sub-carrier frequency to communicate with the cellular network;

generating a location log entry in the location log based on the determined approximate location of the mobile device; and

outputting at least some location information from the generated location log entry to a mobile device subscriber profile database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

identifying the time slot and sub-carrier frequency at which the mobile communication data signal is transmitted during a cellular communication session between the mobile device and a cellular communication device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a mobile communication data signal transmitted at the identified time slot and on the identified sub-carrier frequency, wherein the mobile communication data signal is an uplink data packet that includes a temporary mobile device identifier; and

receiving from a cellular communication management device a permanent mobile device identifier that corresponds to the temporary mobile device identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile communication data signal transmitted by the mobile device in the identified time slot and sub-carrier frequency is an acknowledgement signal transmitted in response to a data signal transmitted in a physical downlink shared channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location log contains a plurality of data entries indicating approximate locations within the indoor venue from which the mobile device outputted a signal in the assigned time slot and sub-carrier frequency to a cellular network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining information identifying an approximate location of the at least one mobile device inside the indoor venue, comprises steps of:

receiving the mobile communication data signal transmitted from the mobile device by at least two antennas located within an interior of the indoor venue; and

based on the signal parameter of the received signal at each of the at least two antennas and a known position of each of the at least two antennas, determining coordinates of the approximate location of the mobile device within the indoor venue.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal parameter is signal strength.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a location log entry for the mobile device using the detected time slot and frequency sub-carrier as a reference to the mobile device, wherein the stored approximate location information related to the mobile device includes coordinates of the approximate location in the mobile device location log entry.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

in response to receiving the mobile communication data signal, determining an approximate time indication that the mobile device spent at the determined approximate location.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

identifying coordinates of the mobile device in a coordinate system specific to the indoor venue;

comparing the identified mobile device coordinates to a layout map of the indoor venue, wherein the layout map includes a relative position of features within the indoor venue overlaying the indoor venue-specific coordinate system; and

based on the comparison, determining a specific position within the indoor venue of the mobile device.

16. A system, comprising:

a controller including a processor and cellular communication transceiver;

a data storage device coupled to the controller, and

a plurality of antennas located indoors at an indoor venue, communicatively coupled to the controller via the cellular communication transceiver,

wherein the processor is configured to control operations of the system to perform various functions, functions including to;

receive, at a specific time slot and frequency sub-carrier in a cellular communication protocol, a cellular signal from a mobile device at a plurality of antennas within an indoor venue;

in response to receiving the cellular signal, identify coordinates of the mobile device in the indoor venue using a cellular signal strength relative to each of the respective plurality of antennas that received the cellular signal;

compare the identified mobile device coordinates to a layout map of the indoor venue, wherein the layout map includes a schematic layout diagram of elements within the indoor venue overlaying the indoor venue-specific coordinate system; and

based on the comparison, determine a specific element location within the indoor venue corresponding to the identified coordinates of the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to control operations of the system to perform various functions, functions including to:

in response to a request including the specific time slot and frequency sub-carrier at which a mobile device transmitting, obtain a permanent mobile device identifier for the mobile device;

using the permanent mobile device identifier, access a profile associated with the mobile device in a database; and

using the determined specific location of the mobile device within the indoor area, modify the accessed subscriber profile.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to control operations of the system to perform various functions, functions including to:

in response to receiving the cellular signal, determine an approximate time indication that the mobile device spent at the determined specific element location.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform various functions, functions including to:

at subsequent time, receive, at a different time slot and frequency sub-carrier in a cellular communication protocol, a cellular signal from the mobile device at a plurality of antennas within an indoor venue, wherein the different time slot and frequency sub-carrier was assigned to the mobile device for transmitting another cellular signal;

in response to receiving the another cellular signal in the different time slot and frequency sub-carrier, identify coordinates of the mobile device in a coordinate system specific to the indoor venue;

compare the identified mobile device coordinates to a layout map of the indoor venue, wherein the layout map includes a relative position of features within the indoor venue overlaying the indoor venue-specific coordinate system; and

based on the comparison, determine a subsequent specific element location within the indoor venue of the mobile device when the mobile device transmitted the another cellular signal.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform various functions, functions including to:

determining that the specific element location and the subsequent element location both correspond to the mobile device; and

updating a subscriber profile related to the mobile device with the specific element location and the subsequent element location.