Method and Device for Positioning User Equipment, and System

• US 20170111881A1
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yi
• Granted Patent: US 10,149,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network

Abstract

A method, device and system for positioning user equipment (UE). The method is applied to a communications system including a location card, a signal transmitter and a reader. The location card and the signal transmitter are in a one-to-one correspondence, a distance between the location card and the signal transmitter corresponding to the location card is less than a preset value, and the method includes detecting, by the location card, an uplink signal sent by UE, and generating, by the location card, a first signal according to the uplink signal, and sending the first signal to the reader such that the reader determines a location of the UE according to the first signal and a location of the location card. The method not only simplifies a method for positioning UE in other approaches, but also improves accuracy of UE positioning.

Claims

1. A method for positioning user equipment (UE), wherein the method is applied to a communications system, wherein the communications system comprises a location card, a signal transmitter, and a reader, and wherein the method comprises:

detecting, by the location card, an uplink signal sent by the UE;

generating, by the location card, a first signal according to the uplink signal; and

sending the first signal to the reader,

wherein the first signal carries identification information of the location card, and

wherein the first signal is used for instructing the reader to determine a location of the UE according to the first signal and a location of the location card.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the first signal comprises:

generating, by the location card, a first pulse signal according to the uplink signal; and

generating, by the location card, the first signal according to the first pulse signal and the identification information of the location card.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first signal is a pulse signal, and wherein a relationship between a pulse amplitude of the first signal and a signal strength of the uplink signal is a preset proportional relationship.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the location card, an indication signal sent by the reader, wherein the indication signal is used for instructing the location card to send a second signal; and

sending, by the location card, the second signal to at least one location card except the location card.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the location card, the second signal sent by another location card;

generating, by the location card, a third signal according to the second signal; and

sending the third signal to the reader,

wherein the third signal carries the identification information of the location card and identification information of the other location card, and

wherein the third signal is used for instructing the reader to determine, according to an arrival time of the third signal and a sending time of the indication signal, a relative distance between the location card and the other location card.

6. A method for positioning user equipment (UE), wherein the method is applied to a communications system, wherein the communications system comprises a location card, a signal transmitter and a reader, and wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by the reader, a first signal sent by the location card, wherein the first signal is generated by the location card according to an uplink signal sent by the UE, and wherein the first signal carries identification information of the location card; and

determining, by the reader, a location of the UE according to the first signal and a location of the location card.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining the location of the UE comprises:

determining, by the reader, a first distance between the location card and the UE according to a signal strength of the first signal, and determining the location of the UE according to the first distance and the location of the location card;

obtaining, by the reader, the location of the location card according to the first signal, and determining the location of the UE according to the location of the location card and a location of at least one location card except the location card, wherein the at least one location card is a location card that successfully detects the uplink signal of the UE and sends, according to the uplink signal, a signal to the reader;

or

obtaining, by the reader, the location of the location card according to the first signal, and determining the location of the UE according to a movement track of the UE and the location of the location card.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the reader, a notification message to a network side device according to a quantity of location cards that successfully detect the uplink signal and sending, according to the uplink signal, a signal to the reader, wherein the notification message is used for instructing the network side device to adjust a transmit power of the UE;

or

sending, by the reader to the network side device, the signal that is sent according to the uplink signal and by the location card that successfully detects the uplink signal such that the network side device adjusts the transmit power of the UE according to the signal sent by the reader.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein before receiving the first signal sent by the location card, the method further comprises obtaining, by the reader, the location of the location card.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising sending, by the reader, location information of the UE to a network side device.

11. A device for positioning user equipment (UE), wherein the device is a location card, wherein the location card is applied to a communications system, wherein the communications system further comprises a first transmitter and a reader, and wherein the location card comprises:

a receiver configured to receive and detect an uplink signal sent by the UE;

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to generate a first signal according to the uplink signal detected by the receiver; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send the first signal generated by the processor to the reader,

wherein the first signal carries identification information of the location card, and

wherein the first signal is used for instructing the reader to determine a location of the UE according to the first signal and a location of the location card.

12. The location card according to claim 11, wherein the first signal is a pulse signal, and wherein a relationship between a pulse amplitude of the first signal and a signal strength of the uplink signal is a preset proportional relationship.

13. The location card according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive an indication signal sent by the reader, wherein the indication signal is used for instructing the location card to send a second signal, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the second signal, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the second signal to at least one location card except the location card.

14. The location card according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the second signal sent by another location card, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a third signal according to the second signal, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the third signal to the reader, wherein the third signal carries the identification information of the location card and identification information of the other location card, and wherein the third signal is used for instructing the reader to determine, according to an arrival time of the third signal and a sending time of the indication signal, a relative distance between the location card and the other location card.

15. The location card according to claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the identification information of the other location card according to the second signal, and generate the third signal according to the identification information of the other location card, the identification information of the location card, and the second signal;

or

generate the third signal by carrying the identification information of the location card in the second signal, wherein the second signal carries the identification information of the other location card, wherein the third signal carries the identification information of the location card and the identification information of the other location card.

16. A device for positioning user equipment (UE), wherein the device is a reader, wherein the reader is applied to a communications system, wherein the communications system further comprises a location card and a signal transmitter, and wherein the reader comprises:

a receiver configured to receive a first signal sent by the location card, wherein the first signal is generated by the location card according to an uplink signal sent by the UE, and the first signal carries identification information of the location card; and

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to determine a location of the UE according to the first signal received by the receiver and a location of the location card.

17. The reader according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a first distance between the location card and the UE according to a signal strength of the first signal, and determine the location of the UE according to the first distance and the location of the location card;

obtain the location of the location card according to the first signal, and determine the location of the UE according to the location of the location card and a location of at least one location card except the location card, wherein the at least one location card is a location card that successfully detects the uplink signal of the UE and sends, according to the uplink signal, a signal to the reader;

or

obtain the location of the location card according to the first signal, and determine the location of the UE according to a movement track of the UE and the location of the location card.

18. The reader according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the location of the location card.

19. The reader according to claim 18, wherein when obtaining the location of the location card, the processor is further configured to:

send an indication signal, wherein the indication signal is used for instructing another location card to send a second signal;

receive a third signal sent by the location card, wherein the third signal carries the identification information of the location card and identification information of the other location card, and wherein the third signal is generated by the location card according to the second signal sent by the other location card;

determine a relative distance between the location card and the other location card according to an arrival time of the third signal and a sending time of the indication signal; and

determine the location of the location card according to an actual distance between the other location card and any location card except the location card and the other location card.

20. The reader according to claim 16, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send location information of the UE determined by the processor to a network side device.