Method and apparatus for geolocating a wireless communications device

• US 6,891,500 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher J. Hall, Clay S. Turner, Jimmy C. Ray
• Original Assignee: Christopher J. Hall, Clay S. Turner, Jimmy C. Ray
• Inventors: Hall, Christopher J., Ray, Jimmy C., Turner, Clay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US10/292,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20030176196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 342/387, 342/451, 342/463, 342/465, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 342/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The time difference of arrival for a signal received at two or more receiving sites as transmitted from a wireless communications device, is determined by a frequency domain technique. The constituent frequencies of the signals received at the two or more receiving sites are determined, including the phase, or a value representative of the phase, of each frequency component. The phase values for the same frequency are subtracted to yield a phase difference values as a function of frequency. The slope of the function represents the time difference of arrival for the wireless communications device signal as received at the two receiving sites. To determine the mobile location based on the determined time difference of arrival values, a seed or initial location is first assumed for the wireless communications device and the distance difference of arrival (the time difference of arrival multiplied by the speed of light) is calculated. The calculated time difference of arrival is then used to adjust the distance difference of arrival by continuously iterating the position of the wireless communications device until the calculated distance of arrival and the calculated time difference of arrival (as multiplied by the speed of light) are within a predetermined margin.

Claims

1. For a transmitting unit transmitting a signal, a method for determining the time difference of arrival of the a signal received at two or more receiving sites, said method comprising:

(a) for the signal received at the two or more receiving sites, determining a frequency domain representation of the signal, wherein the frequency domain representation comprises a two dimensional number for each of a plurality of frequencies, wherein the two dimensional number comprises a phase and a magnitude;

(b) determining the time difference of arrival using the two-dimensional numbers for like-frequency component pairs from at least two frequency domain representations; and

(c) generating a phase angle versus like-frequency function and determining the time difference of arrival from a slope of the function;

(d) determining the location of the transmitting unit from the determined time difference of arrival, wherein a y-intercept of the function represents a frequency offset between the signal received by at least two of the plurality of receiving sites; and

(e) for a plurality of transmitting units, determining the transmitting unit of interest using radio frequency signature parameters including the frequency offset.