Selection of location measurement units for determining the position of a mobile communication station

• US 6,282,427 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Larsson, Erik, Kangas, Ari, Fischer, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US09/353,239
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/456, 455/67.1, 455/525, 455/423, 342/357, 342/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal received from a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, a possible position of the mobile station in the network is identified. The location measurement units to be used in measuring the uplink signal can then be identified by evaluating one or more of relative positional relationships between the possible position of the mobile station and a plurality of further positions respectively associated with a plurality of location measurement units in the network; path loss measures predicted for each of a plurality of location measurement units relative to the possible position of the mobile station; and geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) values determined for each of a plurality of groups of location measurement units with respect to the possible position of the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal transmitted by a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

determining a geographic area of the network in which the mobile station is possibly located;

identifying a first position within the area;

determining relative positional relationships between the first position and a plurality of further positions respectively associated with a plurality of location measurement units in the network; and

choosing a subset of the plurality of location measurement units for measuring the uplink signal based on the relative positional relationships.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying step includes defining the first position to be located substantially centrally within the area, and including defining the further positions based on location coordinates and antenna normal vectors associated with the respective location measurement units.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said choosing step includes choosing a subset of the location measurement units whose associated further positions within the network are closest to the first position.

4. The method of claim 1, including predicting for each location measurement unit of the subset a path loss measure with respect to a possible position of the mobile station in the area and choosing a further subset of location measurement units from the first-mentioned subset of location measurement units based on the predicted path loss measures.

5. The method of claim 4, including selecting from the further subset of location measurement units a plurality of groups of location measurement units, determining for each group of location measurement units a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) value with respect to a possible position of the mobile station in the area, and selecting one of the groups of location measurement units based on the GDOP values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining the geographic area includes determining the geographic area based on location coordinates and an antenna normal vector associated with a fixed-site transceiver serving the mobile station and also based on a timing advance value associated with the mobile station.

7. The method of claim 1, including receiving from the mobile station a measurement report including information indicative of signal strength of a control signal received at the mobile station from a fixed-site transmitter cosited in the network with a location measurement unit and, in response to the measurement report, selectively including the cosited location measurement unit in the subset of location measurement units.

8. A method of selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal transmitted by a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

identifying a possible position of the mobile station in the network;

predicting for each of a plurality of location measurement units in the network a respective path loss measure relative to the possible position of the mobile station; and

choosing a subset of the plurality of location measurement units to measure the uplink signal based on the path loss measures.

9. The method of claim 8, including predicting for each of the plurality of location measurement units a plurality of path loss measures corresponding to a plurality of possible positions of the mobile station in the network, selecting for each of the plurality of location measurement units a highest of its associated path loss measures, and choosing a subset of the location measurement units whose associated highest path loss measures are lowest.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said predicting step includes predicting a path loss measure for a location measurement unit based on a distance between the location measurement unit and the possible position of the mobile station and also based on an angle between an antenna normal vector of the location measurement unit and a further vector that defines said distance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said predicting step includes identifying, for each of the plurality of location measurement units, an antenna gain function associated with the location measurement unit, using the antenna gain function to calculate an antenna gain of the location measurement unit at said angle, calculating a value of a distance function based on said distance, and multiplying said value of said distance function by said antenna gain to produce the path loss measure associated with the location measurement unit.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said identifying step includes identifying the possible position of the mobile station based on location coordinates and an antenna normal vector associated with a fixed-site transceiver serving the mobile station and also based on a timing advance value associated with the mobile station.

13. The method of claim 8, including receiving from the mobile station a measurement report including information indicative of signal strength of a control signal received at the mobile station from a fixed-site transmitter cosited in the network with a location measurement unit and, in response to the measurement report, selectively including the cosited location measurement unit in the subset of location measurement units.

14. A method of selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal received from a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

identifying a possible position of the mobile station in the network;

determining for each of a plurality of groups of location measurement units in the network a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) value with respect to the possible position of the mobile station; and

selecting one of the groups of location measurement units based on the GDOP values.

15. The method of claim 14, including determining for each group of location measurement units a plurality of GDOP values respectively corresponding to a plurality of possible positions of the mobile station in the network, selecting for each group of location measurement units a highest of its associated GDOP values, and selecting from the plurality of groups one group whose highest GDOP value is lower than the highest GDOP values of the remaining groups.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said determining step includes determining the GDOP values independently of any uplink signal measurement information provided by location measurement units.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said determining step includes determining the GDOP values based on uplink signal measurement information provided by location measurement units in the plurality of groups.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said identifying step includes identifying the possible position of the mobile station based on location coordinates and an antenna normal vector associated with a fixed-site transceiver serving the mobile station and also based on a timing advance value associated with the mobile station.

19. The method of claim 14, including receiving from the mobile station a measurement report including information indicative of signal strength of a control signal received at the mobile station from a fixed-site transmitter cosited in the network with a location measurement unit and, in response to the measurement report, selectively including the cosited location measurement unit in the one selected group of location measurement units.

20. An apparatus for selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal received from a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

a first determiner having an input for receiving network information from which can be determined a geographic area of the network in which the mobile station is possibly located, said first determiner responsive to said network information for determining said geographic area and identifying a first position therein;

a second determiner coupled to said first determiner for receiving therefrom position information indicative of said first position, said second determiner having an input for receiving further network information indicative of positioning of a plurality of location measurement units in the network, said second determiner responsive to said position information and said further network information for determining relative positional relationships between said first position and a plurality of further positions respectively associated with said plurality of location measurement units; and

a selector coupled to said second determiner for receiving therefrom positional relationship information indicative of said relative positional relationships, said selector responsive to said positional relationship information for selecting from said plurality of location measurement units a subset of location measurement units for measuring the uplink signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said first determiner is operable to define said first position to be located substantially centrally within said area, and wherein said further network information includes location coordinates and antenna normal vectors associated with the respective location measurement units.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said selector is responsive to said positional relationship information for selecting said subset to include location measurement units whose associated further positions within the network are closest to said first position.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the communication network is a GSM network and said apparatus is a GSM Mobile Location Center.

24. An apparatus for selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal received from a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

a path loss determiner having an input for receiving network information from which can be determined a possible position of the mobile station in the network, said network information further indicative of positioning of a plurality of location measurement units in the network, said path loss determiner responsive to said network information for identifying a possible position of the mobile station in the network, said path loss determiner further responsive to said network information for predicting, for each of said plurality of location measurement units, a respective path loss measure relative to said possible position of the mobile station; and

a selector coupled to said path loss determiner for receiving therefrom path loss information indicative of said path loss measures, said selector responsive to said path loss information for selecting from said plurality of location measurement units a subset of location measurement units to measure the uplink signal.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the communication network is a GSM network and said apparatus is a GSM Mobile Location Center.

26. An apparatus for selecting location measurement units for measuring an uplink signal received from a mobile communication station operating in a wireless communication network in order to locate the position of the mobile communication station in the wireless communication network, comprising:

a determiner for receiving network information from which can be determined a possible position of the mobile station in the network, said network information further indicative of positioning of a plurality of location measurement units in the network, said determiner responsive to said network information for identifying a possible position of the mobile station in the network, and said determiner further responsive to said network information for determining, for each of a plurality of groups of said location measurement units, a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) value with respect to said possible position of the mobile station; and

a selector coupled to said determiner for receiving therefrom GDOP information indicative of said GDOP values, said selector responsive to said GDOP information for selecting one of said groups of location measurement units to measure the uplink signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the communication network is a GSM network and said apparatus is a GSM Mobile Location Center.