Apparatus, and associated method, for determining geographical positioning of a mobile station operable in a radio communication system

• US 6,697,628 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Green, Marilynn P., Wang, Shu-Shaw
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US10/087,531
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 455/65, 455/456, 342/357.01, 342/361, 342/450, 375/285, 375/341
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for determining the geographical positioning of a mobile station operable in a mobile radio communication system. Wideband signals are generated during pseudo-random time periods by a plurality of base transceiver stations. The ultra-wideband signals are of large bandwidths, e.g., 2 GHz, and of low signal energy levels. The mobile station detects the wideband signals sent thereto and, responsive thereto, determination of the geographical positioning of the mobile station is determined.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system operable to communicate communication signals upon a common bandwidth, the radio communication system having a network part installed to encompass a geographical area and a mobile station positionable therein, the radio communication system defining a noise floor level upon the common bandwidth, an improvement of apparatus for facilitating determination of geographical positioning of the mobile station, said apparatus comprising:

at least a first wideband signal generator for generating at least a first wideband signal for communication upon at least a first channel allocated to at least a first network station upon which to transmit a first signal, the first wideband signal generated during first pseudorandom time periods, together with the first signal and the first wideband signal of a bandwidth greater than a corresponding first-signal bandwidth of the first signal and the first wideband signal of a signal level less than a corresponding first-signal signal strength, and the signal level of the first wideband signal less than the noise floor level;

a transmitter coupled to said first wideband signal generator, said transmitter for transmitting the first signal upon the first channel, the first signal used, subsequent to detection at the mobile station, to facilitate the determination of the geographic positioning of the mobile station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least the first wideband signal generator further comprises a second wideband signal generator for generating a second wideband signal for communication upon a second channel allocated to a second network station upon which to transmit a second signal, the second wideband signal generated during second pseudorandom time periods together with the second wideband signal, the second wideband signal of a bandwidth greater than a corresponding second-signal bandwidth of the second signal and the second wideband signal of a signal level less than a corresponding second-signal signal strength, and the signal level of the second wideband signal less than the noise floor level;

and a second transmitter coupled to said first wideband signal generator, said second transmitter for transmitting the second signal upon the second channel, the second signal used, subsequent to detection at the mobile station, to facilitate the determination of the geographic positioning of the mobile station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first network station is spaced-apart from the second network station, wherein the first wideband signal is broadcast by said first transmitter to which said first wideband signal generator is coupled, and wherein the second wideband signal is broadcast by said second transmitter to which said second wideband signal generator is coupled.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first pseudorandom time periods and the second pseudorandom time periods comprise non-overlapping periods.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said at least the first wideband signal generator further comprises a third wideband signal generator for generating a third wideband signal for communication upon a third channel allocated to a third network station upon which to transmit a third signal, the third wideband signal generated during third pseudorandom time periods together with the third wideband signal, the third wideband signal of a bandwidth greater than a corresponding third-signal bandwidth of the third signal and the third wideband signal of a signal level less than a corresponding third-signal signal strength.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first wideband signal generated by said first wideband signal generator includes a first sequence of values, the first sequence of values identifying the first wideband signal as being generated by said first network station.

7. In the radio communication system of claim 1, a further improvement of apparatus for determining the geographical positioning of the mobile station, said apparatus comprising:

a detector for detecting reception at the mobile station of the at least the first wideband signal generated by said at least first wideband signal generator and transmitted by said first transmitter;

a position determiner coupled to receive indications of detections made by said detector, said position determiner for determining the geographical positioning of the mobile station responsive to indicia associated with the at least the first wideband signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the indicia associated with the at least the first wideband signal comprises indicia identifying a time at which the at least the first wideband signal is received at the mobile station.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the indicia associated with the at least the first wideband signal comprises indicia at least permitting determination of a position of the at least the first network station at which the at least first wideband signal is broadcast.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said position determiner comprises a correlator coupled to receive values of the at least the first wideband signal detected by said detector, said correlator for performing correlation operations upon the values, results of the correlation operations performed thereat used to determine the geographical positioning of the mobile station.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said determiner is positioned at the mobile station.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said determiner is positioned external to the mobile station.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said determiner is positioned at the network part of the radio communication system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said apparatus further comprises an indicia signal generator coupled to said detector, said indicia signal generator for generating an indicia signal for communication to said position determiner to provide said position determiner with the indications of the detections made by said detector.

15. In a method for communicating in a radio communication system operable to communicate communication signals upon a common bandwidth, the radio communication system having a network part installed to encompass a geographical area and a mobile station positionable therein, an improvement of a method for facilitating determination of geographical positioning of the mobile station, said method comprising:

generating at least a first wideband signal upon at least a first channel allocated to at least a first network station upon which to transport a first signal, the at least the first wideband signal of a bandwidth greater than a corresponding first-signal bandwidth of the first, signal and the first wideband signal of a signal level less than a corresponding first-signal signal strength and the first wideband signal including coded values identifying the at least the first network station from which the at least the first wideband signal is broadcast;

transmitting, during at least a first pseudorandom time period, the at least the first wideband signal upon the at least the first channel;

detecting at the mobile station, the at least the first wideband signal transmitted upon the at least the first channel; and

determining, responsive to indications of detections made during said operation of detecting, the geographical positioning of the mobile station by performing correlation operations upon indications of the at least the first wideband signal detected during said operations of detecting.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of determining is performed at the mobile station.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the communication system defines a noise floor level and wherein the signal level of the at least the first wideband signal is less than the noise floor level.