Method and system for locating a wireless device in a wireless communication network

• US 7,925,278 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bani Hani, Mohammad S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitchell; Nathan
• Application Number:
  US11/426,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/145 Using a supplementary range measurement, e.g. based on pseudo-range measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and system for locating a Wireless electronic device (200) in a wireless communication network (100) is provided. The method includes sending a ranging code (504) by the wireless electronic device to a predefined number of base stations. The method further includes replicating (506) the ranging-code by the predefined number of base stations, for calculating the pseudoranges. Moreover, the method includes locating (508) the wireless electronic device, based on calculations of distance, using a ranging-response message sent by the predefined number of base stations to the wireless electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for locating a wireless electronic device, the wireless electronic device functioning in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising a plurality of base stations and a plurality of wireless electronic devices, the method comprising:

decoding a ranging-code by each of the plurality of base stations, wherein the ranging-code is broadcasted by the plurality of wireless electronic devices;

generating a ranging-code replica by the predefined number of base stations;

measuring a code delay at each of the plurality of base stations, wherein the code delay is a time difference between generating the ranging code replica at each of the plurality of base stations relative to the time at which each of the plurality of base stations receives the ranging-code;

calculating a pseudorange at each of the plurality of base stations using the measured code delay; and

broadcasting the calculated pseudorange by each of the plurality of base stations to each wireless electronic device of the plurality of wireless electronic devices.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of base stations are four or more.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the calculated pseudorange comprises measured pseudoranges by base stations, location coordinates of the one or more base stations of the plurality of base stations, power corrections, time-synchronization information and GPS time transfer information.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the ranging-code comprises Media Access Control (MAC) address of the wireless electronic device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing authentication and request of authorization by the wireless electronic device with the wireless communication network;

registering the wireless electronic device with the wireless communication network, wherein registering comprises providing network identification address of the wireless electronic device to the wireless communication network; and

connecting the wireless electronic device to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server which provides a Base Station Identification number (BS-ID) and current local Time of Day (TOD).

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising locating the wireless access electronic device using the BS-ID of the predefined number of base stations.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of base stations is used for calculating position and positioning errors.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each base station of the plurality of base stations comprises Global positioning System (GPS) radio frequency receiver.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the GPS receiver is capable of determining accurate time as per the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) standards and each base station of the plurality of base stations is capable of transferring GPS time to the wireless electronic device for fine time-synchronization.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a minimum of the predefined minimum numbers of base stations of the plurality of base stations are two.

11. A method for locating a wireless electronic device, the wireless electronic device functioning in a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, the WiMAX network comprising a plurality of base stations and a plurality of wireless electronic devices, the method comprising:

decoding a ranging-code by each of the plurality of base stations, wherein the ranging-code is broadcasted by the plurality of wireless electronic devices;

generating a ranging-code replica by each of the plurality of base stations;

measuring a code delay at each of the plurality of base stations, wherein the code delay is a time difference between generating the ranging code replica at each of the plurality of base stations relative to the time at which each of the plurality of base stations receives the ranging-code;

calculating a pseudorange at each of the plurality of base stations using the measured code delay; and

broadcasting the calculated pseudorange by each of the plurality of base stations to each wireless electronic device of the plurality of wireless electronic devices.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the plurality of base stations are three or more.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the calculated pseudorange further comprises location coordinates of the one or more base stations of the plurality of base stations, power corrections and time-synchronization information.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

performing authentication and request of authorization by the wireless electronic device with the wireless communication network;

performing scanning and association of the wireless electronic device with the one or more base stations after a predefined periodic time interval;

registering the wireless electronic device with, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, wherein registering comprises providing network identification address of the wireless electronic device to the WiMAX network; and

connecting the wireless electronic device to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server which provides a current Local Time of Day (TOD).

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising locating the wireless electronic device using the BS-ID of the predefined number of base stations.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of base stations is further used for calculating the wireless electronic device position and positioning errors.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein each base station of the plurality of base stations comprises Global positioning System (GPS) receiver.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the GPS receiver is capable of determining accurate time as per the UTC time standards and each base station of the plurality of base stations is capable of transferring GPS time to the wireless electronic device for fine time-synchronization.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of base stations are a minimum of two.

20. A method for providing a differential GPS correction data to a wireless electronic device in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising a plurality of wireless electronic devices and a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of wireless electronic devices and each of the plurality of base stations comprising a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receiver, each base station of the plurality of the base stations has fixed and surveyed location, the method comprising:

measuring pseudoranges with visible GPS satellites by the DGPS receiver of the wireless electronic device;

measuring pseudoranges with visible GPS satellites by the DGPS receiver of the base station for higher positioning accuracy, wherein the pseudoranges are measured using a ranging-code replica generated at the base station to provide pseudorange correction data to the wireless electronic device and the DGPS receiver; and

broadcasting the differential GPS pseudorange correction data to one or more wireless electronic device of the plurality of wireless electronic devices within a differential correction range of the base station of the plurality of the base stations.