Method and apparatus for communicating location of a split-sector in a cellular wireless communication system

• US 8,195,191 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Falk, Alan J., Mott, Darrin C., Giesken, Amy J., Dreiling, Larry R., Hart, Julie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOBILE, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/366,228
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for communicating the location of a split sector in a cellular wireless communication system. A processor receives a definition of the separate coverage areas defining the split sector and programmatically determines whether a minimum composite angle spanning the coverage areas exceeds a threshold such as 180°. If so, the processor establishes an data-representation of the split sector as an omnidirectional sector. Otherwise, the processor establishes a data-representation of the split sector as a non-omnidirectional sector. The processor may then communicate the established data-representation for use as a basis to facilitate a location-based service keyed to the location of the split sector, such as response to an emergency service call for instance.

Claims

1. A method of communicating a geographic location of a split sector of a cellular wireless communication system, to facilitate a location-based service, the method comprising:

receiving into a computer processor a set of data representing the split sector, wherein the split sector defines at least first and second coverage areas each emanating through radio frequency (RF) radiation from a cellular base station to define a respective coverage angle having a respective initial side and a respective terminal side, wherein the set of data includes (i) data defining each coverage angle and (ii) data defining a location of the base station;

the computer processor determining, based on the received set of data, a minimum composite angle that spans the coverage angles of the coverage areas of the split sector;

the computer processor determining a beamwidth for the split sector, by (i) setting the beamwidth to 360°

if the determined minimum composite angle exceeds a threshold, and (ii) setting the beamwidth to less than 360°

if the determined minimum composite angle does not exceed the threshold;

the computer processor establishing a data-representation of a location of the split sector, the data-representation characterizing the location of the split sector by a combination of specifications including (i) an indication of the location of the base station, (ii) an azimuth, and (iii) the determined beamwidth; and

the computer processor communicating the established data-representation of the location of the split sector, to facilitate performance of a location-based service based on the data-representation of the location of the split sector.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the determined minimum composite angle does not exceed the threshold, then the computer processor setting the azimuth in the data-representation to be an angle bisecting the minimum composite angle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold is 180 degrees.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the established data-representation of the location of the split sector comprises transmitting the established data-representation via a communications network for storage as a record in base-station-almanac data usable to determine a coverage location of the base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based service comprises locating a mobile station positioned in the split sector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based service is selected from the group consisting of (i) emergency assistance, (ii) weather reporting, (iii) traffic reporting, (iv) mapping and (v) route planning.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received set of data defines each of the separate coverage areas of the split sector by specifying, respectively for each coverage area, at least a coverage area azimuth and a coverage area beamwidth.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received set of data defines the base station location at least in part with latitude and longitude coordinates.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the set of data comprises receiving the set of data via a communication network from a database system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the split sector is a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) sector, and wherein the first and second separate coverage areas of the split sector share a common PN-offset.

11. An apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code being adapted to be executed to implement a method for generating a data-representation of a location of split sector of a cellular wireless communication system, for use of the data-representation to facilitate a location-based service, the method comprising:

receiving a set of data representing the split sector, wherein the split sector defines at least first and second separate coverage areas each emanating through radio frequency (RF) radiation from a cellular base station to define a respective coverage angle having a respective initial side and a respective terminal side, wherein the set of data includes (i) data defining each coverage angle and (ii) data defining a location of the base station;

determining, based on the received set of data, a minimum composite angle spanning the coverage angles of the coverage areas of the split sector;

determining a beamwidth for the split sector, by (i) setting the beamwidth to 360°

if the determined minimum composite angle exceeds a threshold, and (ii) setting the beamwidth to less than 360°

if the determined minimum composite angle does not exceed the threshold; and

generating as the data-representation a set of output data characterizing the location of the split sector by a combination of specifications including (i) an indication of the location of the base station, (ii) an azimuth, and (iii) the determined beamwidth.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a communication interface; and

a processor;

wherein receiving the set of data comprises the processor receiving the set of data via the communication interface,

wherein the processor stores the received set of data in the computer readable medium,

wherein determining the minimum composite angle comprises the processor determining the minimum composite angle,

wherein determining the beamwidth comprises the processor determining the beamwidth, and

wherein generating the data-representation comprises the processor generating the data-representation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor communicates the established data-representation of the location of the split sector via the communication interface, to facilitate performance of a location-based service based on the data-representation of the location of the split sector.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor communicates the established data-representation via a communications network for storage as a record in base-station-almanac data usable by a position determining entity to determine a coverage location of the base station.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

if the determined minimum composite angle does not exceed the threshold, then the processor sets the azimuth in the data-representation to be an angle bisecting the minimum composite angle.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the threshold is 180 degrees.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the location-based service comprises locating a mobile station positioned in the split sector.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the location-based service is selected from the group consisting of (i) emergency assistance, (ii) weather reporting, (iii) traffic reporting, (iv) mapping and (v) route planning.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;

a processor; and

data storage,

wherein the processor receives a set of data representing a split sector of a cellular wireless communication system, wherein the split sector defines at least first and second separate coverage areas each emanating through radio frequency (RF) radiation from a cellular base station to define a respective coverage angle having a respective initial side and a respective terminal side, wherein the set of data includes (i) data defining each coverage angle and (ii) data defining a location of the base station,

wherein the processor determines, based on the received set of data, a minimum composite angle spanning the coverage angles of the coverage areas of the split sector,

wherein the processor makes a determination of whether the determined minimum composite angle exceeds a threshold,

wherein the processor establishes a data-representation of the split sector, configuring the data-representation to represent the split sector as an omni-sector if the determination is that the determined minimum composite angle exceeds the threshold, and configuring the data-representation to represent the split sector as a non-omni sector if the determination is that the determined minimum composite angle does not exceed the threshold, and

wherein the processor outputs the established data-representation of the split sector for use to facilitate a location based service keyed to coverage location of the split sector.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the threshold is 180 degrees.