System and method for locating mobile device in wireless communication network

• US 8,160,610 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harper, Neil, Thomson, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US12/406,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 4554141-4144, 455/440, 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network

Abstract

A method is provided for determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network. The method includes receiving global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements from the mobile device, and receiving terrestrial measurements from corresponding transceivers in the wireless network, each terrestrial measurement indicating a distance between the corresponding transceivers and the mobile device. The method further includes selecting at least one terrestrial measurement having an uncertainty value within a predetermined accuracy threshold. The location of the mobile device is determined as a function of the GNSS measurements and the selected terrestrial measurement.

Claims

1. A method of determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements for the mobile device;

receiving a plurality of terrestrial measurements from a corresponding plurality of transceivers in the wireless network, each terrestrial measurement indicating a distance between the corresponding transceiver and the mobile device;

determining a first dilution of precision (DOP) measure corresponding to the received GNSS measurements;

determining combined DOP measures corresponding to each terrestrial measurement combined with the GNSS measurements;

selecting at least one terrestrial measurement resulting in a corresponding combined DOP measure that is improved over the first DOP measure; and

determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the GNSS measurements and the selected at least one terrestrial measurement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected at least one terrestrial measurement includes all terrestrial measurements resulting in corresponding combined DOP measures less than the first DOP measure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the GNSS measurements comprise measurements from one of a global positioning system (GPS), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo system or a COMPASS Navigation Satellite System (BeiDou).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of terrestrial measurements comprise at least one of uplink-time difference of arrival (U-TDOA) measurements, timing advance (TA) measurements, round-trip time (RTT) measurements, enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD) measurements, angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, power of arrival (POA) measurements, WiFi measurements, and DTV signals.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disregarding at least one terrestrial measurement resulting in a corresponding combined DOP measure that is not improved over the first DOP measure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the disregarded at least one terrestrial measurement includes all terrestrial measurements resulting in corresponding combined DOP measures greater than the first DOP measure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first measurement error corresponding to the received GNSS measurements;

determining combined measurement errors corresponding to each terrestrial measurement combined with the GNSS measurements; and

selecting at least one terrestrial measurement resulting in a corresponding combined measurement error that is improved over the first measurement error, in addition to a corresponding combined DOP measure that is improved over the first DOP measure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first measurement error and the combined measurement errors result from at least one of ionosphere error, troposphere error and multipath effects.

9. A method of determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurement for the mobile device;

receiving at least one terrestrial measurement from a corresponding at least one transceiver in the wireless network, the at least one terrestrial measurement indicating a distance between the corresponding transceiver and the mobile device;

determining a GNSS dilution of precision (DOP) measure corresponding to the received at least one GNSS measurement;

determining a combined DOP measure corresponding to the at least one terrestrial measurement combined with the at least one GNSS measurement;

comparing the combined DOP measure with the GNSS DOP measure; and

determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement and the at least one terrestrial measurement when the combined DOP measure is improved over the GNSS DOP measure.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement, and not the at least one terrestrial measurement, when the combined DOP measure is not improved over the GNSS DOP measure.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one GNSS measurement comprises measurements from one of a global positioning system (GPS), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo system or a COMPASS Navigation Satellite System (BeiDou).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one terrestrial measurement comprises uplink-time difference of arrival (U-TDOA) measurements, timing advance (TA) measurements, round-trip time (RTT) measurements, enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD) measurements, angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, power of arrival (POA) measurements, WiFi measurements, or DTV signals.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving at least one additional terrestrial measurement;

determining a revised combined DOP measure corresponding to the at least one additional terrestrial measurement combined with the at least one terrestrial measurement and the at least one GNSS measurement;

comparing the revised combined DOP measure with the combined DOP measure; and

determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement, the at least one terrestrial measurement and the at least one additional terrestrial measurement when the revised combined DOP measure is improved over the combined DOP measure.

14. A tangible computer readable medium storing a program, executable by a computer, for determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network, the computer readable medium comprising:

first receiving code for receiving at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurement for the mobile device;

second receiving code for receiving at least one terrestrial measurement from a corresponding at least one transceiver in the wireless network, the at least one terrestrial measurement indicating a distance between the corresponding transceiver and the mobile device;

GNSS dilution of precision (DOP) code for determining a GNSS DOP measure corresponding to the received at least one GNSS measurement;

combined DOP code for determining a combined DOP measure corresponding to the at least one terrestrial measurement combined with the at least one GNSS measurement;

comparing code for comparing the combined DOP measure with the GNSS DOP measure; and

determining code for determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement and the at least one terrestrial measurement when the combined DOP measure is improved over the GNSS DOP measure.

15. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining code determines the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement, and not the at least one terrestrial measurement, when the combined DOP measure is not improved over the GNSS DOP measure.

16. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the combined DOP measure is improved over the GNSS DOP measure when combined DOP measure is less than the GNSS DOP measure.

17. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

GNSS error code for determining a GNSS measurement error corresponding to the received at least one GNSS measurement;

combined error code for determining a combined measurement error corresponding to the at least one terrestrial measurement combined with the at least one GNSS measurement; and

error comparing code for comparing the combined measurement error with the GNSS DOP measurement error; and

the determining code for further determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement and the at least one terrestrial measurement when the combined measurement error, as well as the combined DOP measure, is improved over the GNSS measurement error.

18. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the combined measurement error is improved over the GNSS measurement error when the combined measurement error is less than the GNSS measurement error.

19. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the determining code determines the location of the mobile device as a function of the at least one GNSS measurement, and not the at least one terrestrial measurement, when the combined measurement error is not improved over the GNSS measurement error, regardless of whether the combined DOP measure is improved over the GNSS DOP measure.

20. A tangible computer readable medium storing a program, executable by a computer, for determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network, the computer readable medium comprising:

first receiving code for receiving a plurality of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements for the mobile device;

second receiving code for receiving a plurality of terrestrial measurements from a corresponding plurality of transceivers in the wireless network, each terrestrial measurement indicating a distance between the corresponding transceiver and the mobile device;

dilution of precision (DOP) code for a determining a GNSS DOP measure corresponding to the received GNSS measurements, and for determining combined DOP measures corresponding to each terrestrial measurement combined with the GNSS measurements;

selecting code for selecting at least one terrestrial measurement resulting in a corresponding combined DOP measure that is improved over the first DOP measure; and

determining code for determining the location of the mobile device as a function of the GNSS measurements and the selected at least one terrestrial measurement.