Repeater with positioning capabilities

• US 7,457,584 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid, Willis, Daniel, Baker, Kenneth, Wheatley, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/128,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20050208889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/456, 455/404.2, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/558, 455/440, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/457, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/9, 370/315, 716/5, 716/6, 716/8, 716 10- 14
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow

Abstract

A repeater of a wireless communication system includes a positioning unit, such as a GPS receiver, in order to calculate the location of the repeater. In addition, various techniques are described that exploit the positioning information generated by the repeater in order to improve the wireless communication system.

Claims

1. A repeater of a wireless communication system comprising:

repeating circuitry to communicate signals between a base station in the wireless communication system and a subscriber unit in the wireless communication system;

a positioning unit to receive positioning signals and calculate a position of the repeater based at least in part on the positioning signals; and

sending circuitry to send information indicative of the position of the repeater to a position determining entity in the wireless communication system, via the base station in the wireless communication system, to permit the position determining entity to generate position assistance information for the subscriber unit.

2. The repeater of claim 1, wherein the positioning signals comprise satellite positioning signals received from positioning satellites and the positioning unit comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

3. The repeater of claim 1, wherein the repeater is adapted to receive the signal from the base station via a first wireless link and repeat the signal to the subscriber unit via a second wireless link.

4. The repeater of claim 1, wherein the repeater receives the signal from the base station via a physical transmission line and repeats the signal to the subscriber unit via a wireless link.

5. A method comprising:

receiving positioning information sent from a repeater of a wireless communication system, via the base station in the wireless communication system, indicative of a location of the repeater, wherein the repeater is adapted to communicate signals between a base station in the wireless communication system and a subscriber unit in the wireless communication system;

generating position assistance information for the subscriber unit;

receiving, via the base station in the wireless communication system, information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit of the wireless communication system; and

generating position assistance information for the subscriber unit based at least in part on the positioning information received from the repeater and the information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending, via the base station in the wireless communication system, the position assistance information to the subscriber unit.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the position assistance information identifies a set of positioning system satellites that are in view to the subscriber unit.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit includes phase offsets, and the signals are associated with base stations of the wireless communication system.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving positioning information for the subscriber unit;

receiving positioning information for the base station;

receiving observed information indicative of signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit; and

calculating a repeater delay for signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater based at least in part on the positioning information for the repeater, the positioning information for the subscriber unit, the positioning information for the base station, and the observed information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein calculating the repeater delay includes:

identifying a predicted delay based on distances between the base station and the repeater and the repeater and the subscriber unit;

identifying an observed delay from the observed information; and

calculating the repeater delay as a difference between the observed delay and the predicted delay.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the observed delay includes identifying from the observed information a phase offset of pilot symbols relative to system time associated with the wireless communication system.

12. A position determination entity (PDE) of a wireless communication system comprising:

a receiver to receive from a repeater of the wireless communication system, via a base station in the wireless communication system, positioning information for the repeater indicative of a location of the repeater and to receive, via the base station in the wireless communication system, information indicative of signals detected by a subscriber unit, wherein the repeater is adapted to communicate signals between the base station in the wireless communication system and the subscriber unit in the wireless communication system; and

a position assistance unit to generate position assistance information for the subscriber unit based at least in part on the positioning information for the repeater and the information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit.

13. The PDE of claim 12, further comprising a transmitter to send, via the base station in the wireless communication system, the position assistance information to the subscriber unit.

14. The PDE of claim 12, wherein the position assistance information identifies a set of positioning system satellites that are in view to the subscriber unit.

15. The PDE of claim 12, wherein the information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit includes a plurality of phase offsets, associated with a plurality of base stations of the wireless communication system.

16. A position determination entity of a wireless communication system comprising:

a receiver to receive from a base station in the wireless communication system positioning information indicative of a first location of a repeater of the wireless communication system, a second location of the base station of the wireless communication system, and a third location of a subscriber unit of the wireless communication system, and to receive observed information indicative of signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater, wherein the first, second and third locations are different from each other; and

a control unit to calculate a repeater delay for signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater based on the positioning information indicative of the first, second and third locations, and the observed information indicative of signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater.

17. The position determination entity of claim 16, wherein the control unit is adapted to calculate the repeater delay by identifying a predicted delay based at least in part on distances between the base station and the repeater and the repeater and the subscriber unit, identifying an observed delay from the observed information, and calculating the repeater delay as a difference between the observed delay and the predicted delay.

18. The position determination entity of claim 17, wherein identifying the observed delay includes identifying from the observed information a phase offset of pilot symbols relative to system time based at least in part on information sent from the subscriber unit indicative of signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater.

19. A computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions that if executed in a position determination entity (PDE) of a wireless communication system enable the PDE to generate position assistance information for a subscriber unit in the wireless communication system based at least in part on receiving from a repeater, via a base station in the wireless communication system, positioning information indicative of a location of the repeater and information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit, wherein the repeater is adapted to communicate signals between the base station in the wireless communication system and the subscriber unit in the wireless communication system.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the PDE to send, via the base station in the wireless communication system, the position assistance information to the subscriber unit.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the position assistance information identifies a set of positioning system satellites that are in view to the subscriber unit to permit the subscriber unit to locate a position of the subscriber unit on or near the earth'"'"'s surface responsive to receiving positioning signals sent from the set of positioning system satellites, and wherein the position determination entity is adapted to maintain a record of a topology of the wireless communication system including the location of the repeater in the wireless communication system.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the information indicative of signals detected by the subscriber unit includes a plurality of phase offsets, associated with a plurality of base stations of the wireless communication system.

23. A computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions that if executed in a position determination entity of a wireless communication system enable the position determination entity to calculate a repeater delay for signals sent from a base station to a subscriber unit through a repeater based at least in part on receiving from the base station in the wireless communication system positioning information associated with a first location of the repeater, a second location of the base station and a third location of the subscriber unit, and observed information indicative of signals sent from the base station to the subscriber unit through the repeater, wherein the first, second and third locations are different from each other.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein calculating the repeater delay includes:

identifying a predicted delay based at least in part on distances between the base station and the repeater and the repeater and the subscriber unit;

identifying an observed delay from the observed information; and

calculating the repeater delay as a difference between the observed delay and the predicted delay.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein identifying the observed delay includes identifying from the observed information a phase offset of pilot symbols relative to system time associated with the wireless communication system.

26. A repeater of a wireless communication system comprising:

means for communicating signals between a base station in the wireless communication system and

a subscriber unit in the wireless communication system;

means for receiving positioning signals;

means for calculating a position of the repeater based at least in part on the positioning signals; and

means for sending information indicative of the position of the repeater to a position determining entity in the wireless communication system, via the base station in the wireless communication system, to permit the position determining entity to generate position assistance information for the subscriber unit.