Method and system for determining position of a mobile terminal utilizing time of arrival calculation in combination with a time difference of arrival calculation

• US 7,155,237 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fox Digital, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Porcino, Domenico G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D.
• Application Number:
  US09/961,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/524, 455/457, 455/456.6, 455/456.5, 342/457, 342/450, 342/357.06, 342/357.05, 342/357.09, 342/357.08
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 provides for a method of, and related system for, determining the position of a mobile radio terminal (10,M) arranged for communication with a plurality of base stations (BS₁, BS₂) and including the steps of employing a Time Of Arrival calculation in combination with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation, characterized by performing the combined Time of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted in the downlink channel from the base stations (BS₁, BS₂) to the mobile radio terminal (10,M).

Claims

1. A method of determining a position of a mobile radio terminal arranged for communication with a plurality of base stations, comprising:

employing exactly one Time Of Arrival calculation in combination with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation, the combined Time Of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations performed on signals transmitted in a downlink communication channel from the base stations to the mobile radio terminal, and

receiving sector information, including which sector of a cell the mobile radio terminal is located, whereby the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable by signals from two of the base stations including the sector information, wherein the Time Of Arrival calculation is performed exclusively on signals received from the base station with which the mobile radio terminal is in registration.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile radio terminal comprises a cellular telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable using a replica code, the replica code correlated with at least one of the signals from the two base stations to produce a correlation result. a peak in the correlation result used to determine the position of the mobile radio terminal.

4. A mobile radio system, comprising:

a plurality of base stations; and

a mobile radio terminal arranged for communication with one or more of the base stations, wherein the mobile radio terminal includes a calculation device which performs Time Of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted in a downlink channel from the base stations, wherein the calculation device combines exactly one Time Of Arrival calculation with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation and sector information including which sector of a cell the mobile radio terminal is located to determine a position of the radio terminal, whereby the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable from signals from two of the base stations, wherein the Time Of Arrival calculation is performed exclusively on signals received from the base station with which the mobile radio terminal is in registration.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mobile radio terminal comprises a cellular telephone.

6. The mobile radio system of claim 4, wherein the mobile radio terminal is synchronized with only one of the two base stations.

7. The mobile radio system of claim 4, wherein the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable using a replica code, the replica code correlated with at least one of the signals from the two base stations to produce a correlation result, a peak in the correlation result used to determine the position of the mobile radio terminal.

8. A mobile radio terminal, comprising:

a calculation device which performs combined Time Of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted from at least two base stations, wherein the calculation device combines exactly one Time Of Arrival calculation with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation and sector information including which sector of a cell the mobile radio terminal is located to determine a position of the radio terminal, and whereby the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable from signals from two of the base stations, wherein the calculation device is arranged to perform the Time Of Arrival calculation exclusively on signals received from the base station with which it is registered.

9. The mobile radio terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mobile radio terminal comprises a cellular telephone.

10. The mobile radio terminal of claim 8, wherein the mobile radio terminal is synchronized with only one of the two base stations.

11. The mobile radio terminal of claim 8, wherein the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable using a replica code, the replica code correlated with at least one of the signals from the two base stations to produce a correlation result, a teak in the correlation result used to determine the position of the mobile radio terminal.

12. A mobile radio system, comprising:

a plurality of base stations; and

a mobile radio terminal arranged for communication with one or more of the base stations, wherein the mobile radio terminal includes;

means for performing a Time Of Arrival calculation on signals transmitted in a downlink channel from the base stations, and

means for performing a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation on signals transmitted in the downlink from the base stations, wherein a result of a position determination calculation combining exactly one Time of Arrival calculation with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation and sector information including which sector of a cell the mobile radio terminal is located is available directly at the mobile radio terminal; and

whereby the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable from signals from two of the base stations, wherein the Time Of Arrival calculation is performed exclusively on signals received from the base station with which the mobile radio terminal is in registration.

13. The mobile radio system of claim 12, wherein the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable using a replica code, the replica code correlated with at least one of the signals from the two base stations to produce a correlation result, a peak in the correlation result used to determine the position of the mobile radio terminal.

14. A mobile radio terminal, comprising:

a calculation device which performs a combination of exactly one Time Of Arrival calculation and a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation on signals transmitted from less than three base stations, wherein a location of the mobile radio terminal is determined using the signals from the less than three base stations and sector information including which sector of a cell the mobile radio terminal is located, and wherein the calculation device is arranged to perform the Time Of Arrival calculation exclusively on signals received from the base station with which it is registered.

15. The mobile radio terminal of claim 14, wherein the mobile radio terminal is synchronized with only one of the less than three base stations.

16. The mobile radio terminal of claim 14, wherein the position of the mobile radio terminal is determinable using a replica code, the replica code correlated with at least one of the signals from the less than three base stations to produce a correlation result, a peak in the correlation result used to determine the position of the mobile radio terminal.

17. The mobile radio terminal of claim 14, wherein said calculation device is configured to determine the location of the mobile radio terminal further using an approximation of a further Time Of Arrival signal ignoring synchronization errors.