Apparatus and method for CDMA time pseudolite for repeater identification

• US 7,292,188 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rowitch, Douglas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H.
• Application Number:
  US10/955,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.04, 342/357.06, 342/357.1, 342/357.14, 342/386, 342463-464, 455/456.1, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 342/464
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Apparatus and method for resolving repeater location ambiguities in a CDMA network using a CDMA Time Pseudolite. The CDMA Time Pseudolite includes a CDMA receiver to receive a CDMA signal with an embedded CDMA timing, a baseband processor to extract the CDMA timing and to adjust the CDMA timing to derive a signal with GNSS-like timing; and a GNSS transmitter to generate a GNSS-like signal and to transmit the GNSS-like signal to a mobile station. In one embodiment, the CDMA Time Pseudolite is situated at or nearby a CDMA signal repeater so that a mobile station may unambiguously identify a received CDMA signal as being transmitted by a particular CDMA signal repeater and then using that received CDMA signal for position determination of the mobile station.

Claims

1. A CDMA system for determining a position of a mobile station comprising:

a CDMA Base Station for transmitting an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal;

a repeater for receiving the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and for transmitting a repeated CDMA pilot signal to the mobile station;

and a CDMA Time Pseudolite (CTP) situated adjacent to or nearby the repeater, the CTP transmitting a GNSS waveform signal to said mobile station.

2. The CDMA system of claim 1, wherein the GNSS waveform signal is used for repeater identification.

3. The CDMA system of claim 2 wherein the repeated CDMA pilot signal is used for determining the position of the mobile station.

4. The CDMA system of claim 1, wherein the repeated CDMA pilot signal is used for determining the position of the mobile station, and wherein the GNSS waveform signal uses the same coded carrier format as a GNSS signal transmitted by a satellite, but wherein the timing of the GNSS waveform signal is less accurate than the GNSS signal.

5. The CDMA system of claim 1, wherein the CTP comprises:

a CDMA receiver for receiving the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal with embedded CDMA timing;

a baseband processor for extracting the CDMA timing and adjusting the CDMA timing to derive a signal with GNSS-like timing; and

a GNSS transmitter for upconverting the signal to the GNSS waveform signal and transmitting the GNSS waveform signal.

6. The CDMA system of claim 1, wherein the CDMA Base Station is synchronous to GNSS timing.

7. The CDMA system of claim 6, wherein the CDMA Base Station is a CDMA2000 Base Station.

8. The CDMA system of claim 6, wherein the CDMA Base Station is a WCDMA Base Station.

9. The CDMA system of claim 1, wherein the CDMA Base Station is asynchronous to GNSS timing.

10. A CDMA system for determining a position of a mobile station comprising:

at least two CDMA Base Stations for transmitting at least two unrepeated CDMA pilot signals;

at least two repeaters, each of the at least two repeaters receiving one of the at least two unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and transmitting one of at least two repeated CDMA pilot signals to the mobile station; and

at least two CDMA Time Pseudolites (CTP) each of the at least two CTPs situated adjacent to or nearby one of the at least two repeaters and transmitting one of at least two GNSS waveform signals to the mobile station.

11. The CDMA system of claim 10, wherein the at least two GNSS waveform signals are used for repeater identification of each of the at least two repeaters.

12. The CDMA system of claim 11 wherein the at least two repeated CDMA pilot signals are used for determining the position of the mobile station.

13. The CDMA system of claim 10, wherein the at least two repeated CDMA pilot signals are used for determining the position of the mobile station.

14. The CDMA system of claim 10, wherein one of the at least two CTPs comprises:

a CDMA receiver for receiving the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal with embedded CDMA timing;

a baseband processor for extracting the CDMA timing and adjusting the CDMA timing to derive a signal with GNSS waveform timing; and

a GNSS transmitter for upconverting the signal to the GNSS waveform signal and transmitting the GNSS waveform signal.

15. A CDMA system for determining a position of a mobile station comprising:

a first CDMA Base Station for transmitting an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal;

a repeater for receiving the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and for transmitting a repeated CDMA pilot signal to the mobile station;

a CDMA Time Pseudolite (CTP) situated adjacent to or nearby the repeater, the CTP transmitting a GNSS waveform signal to the mobile station; and

a second CDMA Base Station for transmitting a CDMA pilot signal to the mobile station.

16. The CDMA system of claim 15, wherein the GNSS waveform signal is used for repeater identification.

17. The CDMA system of claim 16, wherein the CDMA pilot signal and the repeated CDMA pilot signal are used for determining the position of the mobile station.

18. The CDMA system of claim 15, wherein the CDMA pilot signal and the repeated CDMA pilot signal are used for determining the position of the mobile station.

19. A method for mobile station position determination comprising:

receiving a repeated CDMA pilot signal;

receiving a GNSS waveform signal generated by a non-satellite transmitter;

using the GNSS waveform signal to determine repeater identification; and

determining position of a mobile station using the repeated CDMA pilot signal.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of receiving an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and converting the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to the repeated CDMA pilot signal.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of transmitting the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to a repeater.

22. A method for mobile station position determination comprising:

receiving a repeated CDMA pilot signal;

receiving a GNSS waveform signal generated by a non-satellite transmitter;

receiving a GNSS signal generated by a satellite transmitter;

using the GNSS waveform signal to determine repeater identification; and

determining position of a mobile station using the repeated CDMA pilot signal and the GNSS signal.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the steps of receiving an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and converting the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to the repeated CDMA pilot signal.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of transmitting the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to a repeater.

25. Computer readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer program to perform a method for mobile station position determination, the method comprising:

receiving a repeated CDMA pilot signal;

receiving a GNSS waveform signal generated by a non-satellite transmitter;

using the GNSS waveform signal to determine repeater identification; and

determining position of a mobile station using the repeated CDMA pilot signal.

26. The computer readable media of claim 25 wherein the method further comprising receiving an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and converting the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to the repeated CDMA pilot signal.

27. Computer readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer program to perform a method for mobile station position determination, the method comprising:

receiving a repeated CDMA pilot signal;

receiving a GNSS waveform signal generated by a non-satellite transmitter;

receiving a GNSS signal generated by a satellite transmitter;

using the GNSS waveform signal to determine repeater identification; and

determining position of a mobile station using the repeated CDMA pilot signal and the GNSS signal.

28. The computer readable media of claim 27 wherein the method further comprising receiving an unrepeated CDMA pilot signal and convening the unrepeated CDMA pilot signal to the repeated CDMA pilot signal.