Method and system for mobile station location

• US 8,200,244 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberbit Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Levin, Moshe, Freedman, Avraham, Weinberg, Adam, Veisberg, Meir, Nurick, Ori
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US12/786,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20110287784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 370/254, 370/328, 370/401, 342/174, 342/125, 342/357.06, 709/203
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for locating mobile stations in a wireless communication system such as a cellular system based on at least one received wireless signal and a database of geographical information.

Claims

1. A method of locating a mobile communication device comprising:

receiving at a first receiver unit at least a first instance of a wireless communication signal from a mobile communication device;

determining a first time parameter associated with the received first instance of the wireless communication signal based at least on a time of arrival at said first receiver unit of said first instance of the wireless communication signal;

determining based at least on said first time parameter using a geographic database a first set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication device from the first receiver unit; and

presenting at least one likely location of said mobile communication device based on said first set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication device from the first receiver unit.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving at the first receiver unit a second instance of the wireless communication signal from the mobile communication device;

determining a second time parameter associated with the received second instance of the wireless communication signal based at least on a time of arrival at said first receiver unit of said second instance of the wireless communication signal; and

determining based at least on said second time parameter using said geographic database a second set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication device from the first receiver unit,

wherein presenting said at least one likely location of said mobile communication device comprises presenting said at least one likely location based on said first and second sets of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication device from the first receiver unit.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining at least one point of intersection of said first set of one or more possible distances from said first receiver unit and said second set of one or more possible distances from said first receiver unit, wherein said at least one likely location presented comprises said at least one point of intersection.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said first time parameter is a time difference of arrival (TDOA) derived from a plurality of said time parameters of instances of said wireless signal at said receiver unit.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein determining said first and second time parameters comprises ray tracing of said received first and second instances of said wireless communication signal.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving at a second receiver unit a second instance of said wireless communication signal from said mobile communication device;

determining a second time parameter associated with the second instance of the wireless communication signal based at least on a time of arrival at said second receiver unit of said second instance of the wireless communication signal; and

determining based at least on said second time parameter using said geographic database a second set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication device from the second receiver unit;

wherein presenting said at least one likely location of said mobile communication device comprises presenting said at least one likely location based on said first and second sets of one or more possible locations of the mobile communication device from the first and second receiver units, respectively.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining at least one point of intersection of said first set of one or more possible distances from said first receiver unit and said second set of one or more possible distances from said second receiver unit, wherein said at least one likely location presented comprises said at least one point of intersection.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising synchronizing said first receiver unit and said second receiver unit.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said second time parameter is based on a time difference between said first instance and said second instance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first time parameter is a time of arrival (TOA) of said instance of the wireless signal at said first receiver unit.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic database comprises a correspondence of a plurality of values for said time parameters with a respective plurality of sets of possible distances from said first receiver unit.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic database further comprises artificial structure location information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic database further comprises signal strength information corresponding to geographic features.

14. A system comprising:

one or more receiver units to receive respective instances of at least one wireless communication signal transmitted by a mobile communication device;

one or more location measurement units to determine time parameters associated with said instances of the wireless communication signal received at the respective receiver units based at least on respective times of arrival at the receiver units;

a geographic database to store for each of said receiver units an association of values for said time parameters with a respective plurality of sets of possible distances from said receiver unit; and

a location management unit to determine using said geographic database a set of possible locations of the mobile communication device based on said determined time parameters.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said location management unit is to determine said set of possible locations of the mobile communication device by determining an intersection of a first set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication unit from a first receiver unit and a second set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication unit from a second receiver unit.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said location manager is to further determine an accuracy of a location measurement based on a determined location and a probability density function of an accuracy of a determined location, wherein said probability density function is based at least on physical and electrical properties of said receiver units.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said location management unit is to determine said set of possible locations of the mobile communication device by determining an intersection of a first set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication unit to a first receiver unit based on a first instance of the wireless communication signal received at the first receiver unit and a second set of one or more possible distances of the mobile communication unit to the first receiver unit based on a second instance of the wireless communication signal received at the first receiver unit.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said receiver units are dedicated receiver units adapted to receive said wireless communication signals by mobile communication devices, and having substantially no wireless transmission capability.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said mobile communication devices are cellular communication devices adapted to operate as part of a cellular network and wherein said receiver units are adapted to receive wireless communication signals from cellular communication devices.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein each said receiver unit further comprises a single reading sensor capable of producing a single delay value.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein each said receiver unit further comprises a multiple reading sensor capable of producing a plurality of single delay values.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein each said receiver unit further comprises a multiple antenna sensor capable of producing a plurality of delay values and angle values.