System for automatically determining cell transmitter parameters to facilitate the location of wireless devices
First Claim
1. A system for automatically collecting and storing key cell transmitter information for use in locating a mobile wireless device operating in a wireless communications network (WCN), wherein the WCN includes a network of base stations including base station transmitters configured to transmit broadcast signals in one or more prescribed wireless frequency bands, wherein the broadcast signals from different base station transmitters are not synchronized with one another, comprising:
- a location processing node configured to determine key transmitter information concerning base station transmitters of the WCN, wherein said key transmitter information is determined using information automatically determined by wireless scanning devices;
a plurality of wireless scanning devices, wherein each of said wireless scanning devices is configured to communicate with said location processing node via a communications link, and to scan available wireless bands and to make scanning measurements of unsynchronized base station broadcast signals from one or more geographically distributed base station transmitters of the WCN, wherein each wireless scanning device is further configured to assist the location processing node in determining said key transmitter information, including cell identification information, cell transmitter location information, and cell transmitter signal timing information, by receiving and measuring characteristics of said signals and providing information about said characteristics via the communications link to said location processing node; and
a location server configured to communicate with a mobile station (MS) to be located, and to cause said MS to be located to make signal measurements of signals from one or more WCN cell transmitters and to provide measurement information, including signal timing and received power level, to said location processing node;
wherein the system is configured such that, once a set of cell transmitter positions is established, these positions are assumed to be correct in the future and are not solved for on a frequent basis, and wherein the system periodically checks for new cell identification information and determines the coordinates for new cell transmitters.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Several techniques for locating wireless devices involve the Mobile Stations (MS) making measurements of the signals transmitted by geographically distributed base stations within a wireless network. If some key site information is known about these transmitters, such as the transmitter location, transmit signal power, signal propagation, and transmit signal timing, measurements of these transmit signals by a MS can be used to determine the position of the MS. An automatic method to detect transmitters, identify key transmitter information, and utilize the base station transmit signals to perform location is presented. In addition, this method facilitates the use of cell site transmit signals that are part of multiple wireless networks.
59 Citations
63 Claims
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1. A system for automatically collecting and storing key cell transmitter information for use in locating a mobile wireless device operating in a wireless communications network (WCN), wherein the WCN includes a network of base stations including base station transmitters configured to transmit broadcast signals in one or more prescribed wireless frequency bands, wherein the broadcast signals from different base station transmitters are not synchronized with one another, comprising:
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a location processing node configured to determine key transmitter information concerning base station transmitters of the WCN, wherein said key transmitter information is determined using information automatically determined by wireless scanning devices; a plurality of wireless scanning devices, wherein each of said wireless scanning devices is configured to communicate with said location processing node via a communications link, and to scan available wireless bands and to make scanning measurements of unsynchronized base station broadcast signals from one or more geographically distributed base station transmitters of the WCN, wherein each wireless scanning device is further configured to assist the location processing node in determining said key transmitter information, including cell identification information, cell transmitter location information, and cell transmitter signal timing information, by receiving and measuring characteristics of said signals and providing information about said characteristics via the communications link to said location processing node; and a location server configured to communicate with a mobile station (MS) to be located, and to cause said MS to be located to make signal measurements of signals from one or more WCN cell transmitters and to provide measurement information, including signal timing and received power level, to said location processing node; wherein the system is configured such that, once a set of cell transmitter positions is established, these positions are assumed to be correct in the future and are not solved for on a frequent basis, and wherein the system periodically checks for new cell identification information and determines the coordinates for new cell transmitters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for locating a mobile station (MS), comprising:
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instructing at least one wireless scanning device to communicate with a location processing node via a communications link, and to make scanning measurements of broadcast signals from one or more unsynchronized, geographically distributed transmitters, and further instructing said at least one wireless scanning device to receive and measure characteristics of said signals and provide information about said characteristics via the communications link to said location processing node, wherein said characteristics are useful to determine key transmitter information; instructing a MS to be located to make signal measurements of signals from one or more transmitters and to provide measurement information to said location processing node; determining the key transmitter information using information automatically determined by the wireless scanning device(s), said key transmitter information including cell identification information, cell transmitter position information, and cell transmitter signal timing information; periodically checking for new cell identification information and determining the coordinates for new cell transmitters; and at the location processing node, using said key transmitter information and said measurement information to determine the geographic location of said MS to be located; wherein the method is performed such that, once a set of cell transmitter positions is established, these positions are assumed to be correct in the future and are not solved for on a frequent basis. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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Specification