Remote terminal location algorithm

• US 6,408,246 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2000
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Xircom Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Fox, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/691,451
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/216, 701/300, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/458, 342/463, 342/464, 342/465, 455/67.1, 455/456
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02213 Receivers arranged in a network for determining the position of a transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0246 involving frequency difference of arrival or Doppler measurements G01S5/02685 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

The accuracy of location estimates based on time-of-arrival measurements may be improved using a variety of different approaches. In some approaches, accuracy predictions are made before a location estimate is computed, and the location estimate is only computed when a high accuracy is predicted. In other approaches, a plurality of preliminary location estimates are computed, and the accuracy of each preliminary estimate is determined. A final location estimate is then based on the preliminary location estimates with the best determined accuracy. In some approaches, the accuracy predictions and determinations are based on geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) or a known topography of a region. In another approach, a subset of time-of-arrival measurements is fed into a closed-form algorithm to produce a preliminary location estimate. This preliminary location estimate is then used to initialize an open-form location algorithm. Optionally, more than one of these approaches may be combined.

Claims

1. A method of locating a mobile device comprising the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of time-of-arrival measurements for communications between the mobile device and each of at least four fixed stations;

identifying at least two subsets of the time-of-arrival measurements obtained in the obtaining step;

forming, for each of the subsets identified in the identifying stop respectively, a preliminary location estimate based on the time-of-arrival measurements in the respective subset;

determining an accuracy of each preliminary location estimate formed in the forming step;

selecting at least one of the preliminary location estimates based on the accuracy determined in the determining step; and

forming a final location estimate based on the at least one of the preliminary location estimates selected in the selecting step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the obtaining step, the communications are transmissions from the mobile device to the at least four fixed stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the obtaining step, the communications are transmissions from the at least four fixed stations to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein only one preliminary location estimate having a best determined accuracy is selected in the selecting step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining step, the accuracy of each respective preliminary location estimate is determined based on a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) of a solution geometry between the respective preliminary location estimate and locations of the fixed stations corresponding to the time-of-arrival measurements upon which the respective preliminary location estimate is based.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the accuracy of each respective preliminary location estimate is also based on a quality measurement associated with each time-of-arrival measurement upon which the respective preliminary location estimate is based.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, the accuracy of each respective preliminary location estimate is also based on a carrier to interference ratio (CIR) or a signal to noise ratio (SNR) associated with each time-of-arrival measurement upon which the respective preliminary location estimate is based.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining step, an accuracy of each respective preliminary location estimate is determined based on a quality measurement associated with each time-of-arrival measurement upon which the respective preliminary location estimate is based.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of forming a preliminary location estimate for each subset, three-dimensional preliminary location estimates are formed, and

wherein, in the determining step, the accuracy of each respective three-dimensional preliminary location estimate is determined by comparing the respective preliminary location estimate to a known three-dimensional topography, and assigning a low accuracy to impossible topographical locations.

10. A method of locating a mobile device comprising the steps of:

obtaining a set of time-of-arrival measurements;

identifying a plurality of subsets of the time-of-arrival measurements obtained in the obtaining step;

computing a preliminary location estimate for each of the subsets identified in the identifying step;

determining a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) of a solution geometry for each respective preliminary location estimate based on (a) the respective preliminary location estimate and (b) known locations of fixed stations corresponding to each of the time-of-arrival measurements in a subset from which the respective preliminary location estimate was formed;

selecting a particular subset of time-of-arrival measurements based on the GDOP determined in the determining step for each of the preliminary location estimates; and

computing a location estimate based on the time-of-arrival measurements contained in the subset selected in the selecting step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining step comprises the step of noting a time-of-arrival of a signal from the mobile device at each of the fixed stations.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining step comprises the step of noting a time-of-arrival at the mobile device for each of a plurality of signals arriving from the fixed stations.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein, in the selecting step, the selection of the particular subset is also based on a quality for the time-of-arrival measurements in at least one of the subsets.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, in the selecting step, the selection of the particular subset is based on the GDOP of the particular subset being lower than the GDOP of other subsets.