Mobile station position determination in a wireless communication system

• US 5,945,949 A
• Filed: 01/13/1997
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Paul Munsang
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US08/782,354
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 342/387, 342/457, 342/463, 342/126, 455/456
• US Class Current: 342/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for determining mobile station position in a wireless communication system are disclosed. A mobile station of the wireless system includes a silent echo generation circuit which receives a transmit time stamp transmitted in a sync channel from a base station, and processes the transmit time stamp to generate a receive time stamp. The silent echo generation circuit transmits the receive time stamp back to the base station on a spurious-like echo carrier which is offset from a data carrier of the wireless system. The base station processes the transmit and receive time stamps to compute a first ranging value, receives corresponding second and third ranging values computed by two other system base stations which receive the echo carrier and its time stamp, and processes the first, second and third ranging values to determine a position vector indicative of the position of the mobile station. The base station then further processes the position vector to determine a bearing for the vector, and converts the result into latitude and longitude coordinates of the mobile station position. The silent echo generation circuit provides mobile position determination capability in the wireless system without significantly increasing the cost, size, weight and power consumption of the mobile station, without requiring a multilayer user interface, and without degrading system voice quality.

Claims

1. A method of determining the position of a mobile station in a wireless communications system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first time information signal from a base station of the wireless system;

processing the first time information signal in the mobile station to generate a second time information signal; and

transmitting the second time information signal to the system base station using a low-power offset carrier signal, offset in frequency from a mobile-to-base data carrier signal of the system, and having a substantially lower power level than the data carrier signal, wherein the base station utilizes the first and second time information signals in conjunction with range information received from at least one other system base station to determine the position of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the offset carrier signal has a power level less than or equal to a maximum spurious signal power level requirement of the wireless communication system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the second time information signal to a system base station further includes the step of modulating the second time information signal onto the offset carrier signal to generate a narrow band FM signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the second time information signal to a system base station further includes the step of modulating the second time information signal onto the offset carrier signal to generate a CDMA signal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first time information signal corresponds to a transmit time stamp generated by the base station and transmitted to the mobile station via a sync channel.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the first time information signal to generate the second time information signal further includes the steps of:

extracting a time coordinate from the first time information signal;

gating the time coordinate using a mobile station clock signal to thereby generate a coarse time stamp;

dividing the coarse time stamp down to a desired ranging resolution to thereby generate a higher resolution time stamp; and

adding an internal delay correction factor to the higher resolution time stamp to thereby generate the second time information signal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of gating the time coordinate using a mobile station clock signal further includes the step of gating the time coordinate using an access channel frame clock.

8. A mobile station suitable for use in a wireless communications system having a mobile position determination capability, the mobile station comprising:

a receiver for receiving a first time information signal from a base station of the wireless system; and

an offset carrier generation circuit having an input connected to receive the first time information signal from the receiver, wherein the generation circuit is operative to process the first time information signal to generate a second time information signal and to transmit the second time information signal to the system base station using a low-power offset carrier signal, offset in frequency from a mobile-to-base data carrier signal of the system, and having a substantially lower power level than the data carrier signal, such that the base station utilizes the first and second time information signals in conjunction with range information received from at least one other system base station to determine the position of the mobile station.

9. The mobile station of claim 8 wherein the offset carrier signal has a power level less than or equal to a maximum spurious signal power level requirement of the wireless communication system.

10. The mobile station of claim 8 wherein the generation circuit is operative to transmit the second time information signal to a system base station by modulating the second time information signal onto the offset carrier signal to generate a narrow band FM signal.

11. The mobile station of claim 8 wherein the generation circuit is operative to transmit the second time information signal to a system base station by modulating the second time information signal onto the offset carrier signal to generate a CDMA signal.

12. The mobile station of claim 8 wherein the first time information signal corresponds to a transmit time stamp generated by the base station and transmitted to the mobile station via a sync channel.

13. The mobile station of claim 8 wherein the generation circuit further includes:

a time tag generator circuit for gating a time coordinate extracted from the first time information signal to thereby generate a coarse time stamp; and

a divider circuit for dividing the coarse time stamp down to a desired ranging resolution to thereby generate a higher resolution time stamp.

14. The mobile station of claim 13 wherein the time tag generator circuit gates the time coordinate extracted from the first time information signal using an access channel frame clock of the mobile station.

15. A method of determining the position of a mobile station in a wireless communications system, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first time information signal from a first base station of the wireless systems;

receiving in the first base station a second time information signal generated by the mobile station in response to the first information signal, wherein the second time information signal is transmitted from the mobile station to the first base station using a low-power offset carrier signal, offset in frequency from a mobile-to-base data carrier signal of the system and having a substantially lower power level than the data carrier signal; and

processing the first and second time information signals in the first base station in conjunction with range information received from at least one other system base station to determine the position of the mobile station.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the offset carrier signal is transmitted to the first base station at a power level less than or equal to a maximum spurious signal power level requirement of the wireless communication system.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first time information signal corresponds to a transmit time stamp generated by the first base station and transmitted to the mobile station via a sync channel.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of processing the first and second time information signals in the first base station to thereby determine the position of the mobile station further includes the steps of:

synchronizing time in the first base station with time in second and third base stations of the wireless system;

computing a first ranging value in the first base station using a transmit time stamp transmitted as part of the first time information signal from the first base station to the mobile station and a receive time stamp transmitted on the offset carrier signal from the mobile station to the first base station;

receiving corresponding second and third ranging values computed in the second and third base stations, respectively; and

processing the first, second and third ranging values to generate a position vector indicative of mobile station position.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of computing a first ranging value in the first base station further includes the steps of measuring a time difference between the transmit time stamp and the receive time stamp, and correcting the result for internal delays of the mobile station and the first base station.

20. A base station suitable for use in a wireless communications system having a mobile position determination capability, the base station comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a first time information signal to a mobile station of the wireless system;

a receiver for receiving a second time information signal generated by the mobile station in response to the first information signal, wherein the second time information signal is transmitted from the mobile station to the base station using low-power offset carrier signal, offset in frequency from a mobile-to-base data carrier signal of the system and having a substantially lower power level than the data carrier signal; and

a processor for processing the first and second time information signals in conjunction with range information received from at least one other system base station to determine the position of the mobile station.

21. The base station of claim 20 wherein the offset carrier signal has a power level less than or equal to a maximum spurious signal power level requirement of the wireless communication system.

22. The base station of claim 20 wherein the first time information signal corresponds to a transmit time stamp generated by the base station and transmitted to the mobile station via a sync channel.

23. The base station of claim 20 wherein the base station processor is further operative to synchronize time in the base station with time in second and third base stations of the wireless system, to compute a first ranging value using a transmit time stamp transmitted as part of the first time information signal to the mobile station and a receive time stamp transmitted on the offset carrier signal from the mobile station, to receive corresponding second and third ranging values computed in the second and third base stations, respectively, and to process the first, second and third ranging values to generate a position vector indicative of mobile station position.

24. The base station of claim 23 wherein the processor is operative to compute a first ranging value in the base station by measuring a time difference between the transmit time stamp and the receive time stamp, and correcting the result for internal delays of the mobile station and the base station.

25. A wireless communication system having a mobile position determination capability, the system comprising:

at least one mobile station; and

a plurality of base stations including at least first, second and third base stations;

the first base station including a transmitter for transmitting a first time information signal to the mobile station, a receiver in the first base station for receiving a second time information signal generated by the mobile station in response to the first information signal, wherein the second time information signal is transmitted from the mobile station to the first base station using a low-power offset carrier signal, offset in frequency from a mobile-to-base data carrier signal of the system and having a substantially lower power level than the data carrier signal, and a processor for processing the first and second time information signals in the base station in conjunction with range information received from at least one other system base station to determine the position of the mobile station.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the offset carrier signal has a power level less than or equal to a maximum spurious signal power level requirement of the wireless communication system.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the first time information signal corresponds to a transmit time stamp generated by the first base station and transmitted to the mobile station via a sync channel.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the first base station processor is further operative to synchronize time in the first base station with time in second and third base stations of the wireless system, to compute a first ranging value using a transmit time stamp transmitted as part of the first time information signal to the mobile station and a receive time stamp transmitted on the offset carrier signal from the mobile station, to receive corresponding second and third ranging values computed in the second and third base stations, respectively, and to process the first, second and third ranging values to generate a position vector indicative of mobile station position.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the processor computes the first ranging value in the first base station by measuring a time difference between the transmit time stamp and the receive time stamp, and corrects the result for internal delays of the mobile station and the first base station.