Single station communications localization system

• US 6,288,675 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Holding, Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: KSI Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Inventors: Maloney, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US09/511,628
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450, 342/457, 701/207, 455/456, 455/32.1
• US Class Current: 342/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The present invention combines the measured characteristics of a radio signal in a communications environment with collateral information to produce an accurate and economical way to locate a mobile transmitter station, such as a mobile telephone, in a cellular telephone network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for locating a mobile radio communications transceiver in an operating environment served by a wireless communications system, comprising:

at least a single sensor station having a directionally sensitive antenna and signal receiver to receive radio signals from the mobile transceiver;

a signal characterization processing unit for measuring at least one signal characteristic based on the signal representations received from the mobile radio transceiver by said signal sensor station;

a source of collateral information including a database of position-dependent, propagation-affected, signal characteristics measured from the operating environment of the mobile transceiver;

a multidimensional parametric correlation processing unit for determining a probable position of the mobile transceiver directly from the correlation of the measured signal-characteristic information from said single sensor station and the collateral information; and

an output indicative of the probable position of the mobile transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signal characteristic includes directionally sensitive information.

3. A method for locating a mobile radio communications transceiver operating in an environment served by a cellular communications system, comprising the steps of:

(1) measuring at least one signal characteristic based on the signal representations received from the mobile radio transceiver by at least a single sensor station with a directionally sensitive antenna and signal receiver;

(2) accessing collateral information including a database of position-dependent, propagation-affected, signal characteristics measured from the operating environment of the mobile transceiver;

(3) correlating a probable position of the mobile transceiver directly from the measured signal-characteristic information from said single sensor station and said collateral information; and

(4) indicating a probable position of the mobile transceiver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said signal characteristic includes directionally sensitive information.

5. An apparatus for locating a mobile radio communications transceiver in an operating environment served by a wireless communications system, comprising:

at least a single sensor station having a directionally sensitive antenna and signal receiver to receive radio signals from the mobile transceiver;

a signal characterization processing unit for measuring at least one positionally sensitive signal characteristic based on the signal representations received from the mobile radio transceiver by said single sensor station;

a source of collateral information which comprises data sensitive to the position of the mobile transceiver within its operating environment;

a multidimensional parametric correlation processing unit for determining a probable position of the mobile transceiver directly from the correlation of the measured signal-characteristic information from said single sensor station and the collateral information; and

an output indicative of the probable position of the mobile transceiver.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said signal characteristic comprises range-related, travel-time information.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said signal characteristic comprises directionally sensitive information.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the collateral information comprises GPS-based information.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the collateral information comprises communicated information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communicated information comprises GPS-based information.

11. A method for locating a mobile radio communications transceiver operating in an environment served by a cellular communications system, comprising the steps of:

(1) measuring at least one positionally sensitive signal characteristic based on the signal representations received from the mobile radio transceiver by at least a single sensor station with a directionally sensitive antenna and signal receiver;

(2) accessing collateral information which comprises data sensitive to the position of the mobile transceiver within its operating environment;

(3) correlating a probable position of the mobile transceiver directly from the measured signal-characteristic information from said single sensor station and said collateral information; and

(4) indicating a probable position of the mobile transceiver.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said signal characteristic comprises directionally sensitive information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said signal characteristic comprises range-related, travel-time information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the collateral information comprises GPS-based information.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the collateral information comprises communicated information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communicated information comprises GPS-based information.