METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETERMINE A BASE STATION LOCATION

• US 20150341896A1
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ngai, Dominic, Sonnaila, Sreenivas
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to determine a base station location are disclosed herein and include determining which signals are transmitted from a first base station by identifying a first set of signals having a first signal identifier, identifying a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value, identifying a first location associated with the first signal, identifying a second set of signals having a second signal identifier, identifying a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value, identifying a second location associated with the second signal, determining a first distance between the first location and the second location, comparing the first distance to a first threshold distance, associating the first signal and the second signal with the first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance, and estimating a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to estimate a location of a base station comprising:

determining which signals are transmitted from a first base station by;

identifying a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identifying a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a first location associated with the first signal;

identifying a second set of signals having a second signal identifier;

identifying a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a second location associated with the second signal;

determining a first distance between the first location and the second location;

comparing the first distance to a first threshold distance; and

associating the first signal and the second signal with the first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

estimating a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the estimating of the location of the first base station includes determining the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further including distinguishing signals from a plurality of base stations that reuse a same signal identifier by:

identifying a third set of signals having the first signal identifier;

identifying a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a third location associated with the third signal;

determining a second distance between the first location and the third location;

comparing the second distance to a second threshold distance, the second threshold distance greater than the first threshold distance;

associating a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associating different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further including:

identifying a third set of signals having a third signal identifier and the first base station identifier;

identifying a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a third location associated with the third signal;

determining a second distance between the first location and the third location;

comparing the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associating the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the estimating of the location of the first base station includes determining the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, further including:

determining a third distance between the second location and the third location;

comparing the third distance to the first threshold distance; and

associating the third signal with the first base station when the third distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

8. An apparatus to estimate a location of a base station comprising:

a signal analyzer to;

identify a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identify a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identify a second set of signals having a second signal identifier; and

identify a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

a signal localizer to;

identify a first location associated with the first signal;

identify a second location associated with the second signal;

determine a first distance between the first location and the second location; and

compare the first distance to a threshold distance;

a tower identification assigner to associate the first signal and the second signal with a first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

a base station estimator to estimate a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the base station estimator is to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the signal analyzer is to identify a third set of signals having the first signal identifier, a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value, further including:

a reuse identification assigner to;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to a second threshold distance;

associate a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associate different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the signal analyzer is to:

identify a third set of signals having a third signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associate the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the base station estimator is to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.

14. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identify a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identify a first location associated with the first signal;

identify a second set of signals having a second signal identifier;

identify a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

identify a second location associated with the second signal;

determine a first distance between the first location and the second location;

compare the first distance to a first threshold distance;

associate the first signal and the second signal with a first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

estimate a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

15. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

16. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as being one of the first location or the second location.

17. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

18. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

identify a third set of signals having the first signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to a second threshold distance;

associate a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associate different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

19. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

identify a third set of signals having a third signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associate the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

20. A storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.