Timed fingerprint locating in wireless networks

• US 8,224,349 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon, Austin, Mark, Fix, Jeremy, Zhao, Wenjie, Puthenpura, Sarat
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/712,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20110207470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• 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 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Systems and techniques for determining the location of user equipment (UE) in a wireless network are disclosed. These techniques leverage geometric calculations for an overlaid bin grid framework mapping the wireless network area to store differential values for each frame of the bin grid framework for each pair of relevant NodeBs. A timing offset can be determined, such that when a time value from a target UE is accessed, the location can be quickly determined with minimal real time computation. In an aspect, the target UE time value can be search for in the pre-computed differential value data set indexed by a relevant NodeB site pair to return a set of frames (forming a hyperbola between the site pair) that can be intersected with a second set of frames for a second NodeB site pair for the same UE. The intersecting frames can represent the location of the UE in the wireless network. Further, the data can be leveraged to correct timing in the network.

Claims

1. A method facilitating locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising:

determining, by a system including at least one processor, a set of geographical frame locations for a bin grid framework, the bin grid framework having a predetermined granularity;

determining, by the system, a set of NodeB site pairs (NBSPs) comprising a first NodeB site and a second NodeB site, wherein locations of the first NodeB site and the second NodeB site are known;

determining, by the system, a set of reference frames, wherein the set of NodeB site pairs respectively have at least one reference frame having a known location;

accessing, by the system, a first time value (OV(1)) for a first frame of the bin grid framework correlated to a first known geographic frame location of the geographic frame locations;

accessing, by the system, location information of the first frame for the first known geographic frame location;

determining, by the system, a first differential value (DV(1)) for the first frame, related, at least in part, to a difference between the location information of the first frame and location information of a first NodeB site pair of the set of NodeB site pairs;

accessing, by the system, location information for a first reference frame correlated to the first NodeB site pair;

determining, by the system, a second differential value (DV(2)) for the first reference frame, related, at least in part, to a difference between the location information of the first reference frame and the location information of the first NodeB site pair; and

determining, by the system, a second time value (OV(2)) based, at least in part, on OV(1), DV(1), and DV(2).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the value of OV(2) employs the formula:

OV(2)=OV(1)+DV(2)−

DV(1).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a frame data value set comprising computed differential values for the set of NodeB site pairs and sets of frames within a predetermined distance from NodeB site pairs, wherein the computed differential values are related, at least in part, to respective differences between respective locations of respective frames of the sets of frames and locations of a relevant NodeB site pair, wherein the relevant NodeB site pair is a NodeB site pair within the predetermined distance.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the determining the set of values employs the formula:

DV(NBSP_PQ,X_F)=OV(NBSP_QP, X_F)−

OV(NBSP_QP,X_R)+DV(NBSP_PQ,X_R) for a set of P, set of Q, and set of F, and where R is correlated to P, and wherein P, Q, F and R are index values.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

accessing, by the system, a third time value (OV(3)) for a second UE in the network;

determining, by the system, a subset of relevant NodeB site pairs for the second UE;

determining, by the system, a lookup value based at least in part on OV(3),

accessing, by the system, a first subset of frames for a search through the frame data value set, the search including searching for frames correlated to the lookup value and a NodeB site pair of the subset of relevant NodeB site pairs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining the lookup value employs the formula:

Lookup Value=OV(3)−

OV(2)+DV(2).

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a second relevant NodeB site pair of the subset of relevant NodeB site pairs for the second UE;

accessing, by the system, a second subset of frames for a search through the frame data value set, the search including searching for frames correlated to the lookup value and the second relevant NodeB site pair; and

indicating, by the system, intersecting frames between the first subset of frames and second subset of frames.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the indicating the intersecting frames results in a single intersecting frame being indicated, and the geographic location of the single intersecting frame is a probable location of the UE.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the indicating the intersecting frames, further comprises determining additional intersecting frames from additional subsets of frames including searching the frame data value set for frames correlated to the lookup value and an additional NodeB site pair of the subset of relevant NodeB site pairs including converging on a single frame being a probable location for the UE.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the set of geographical frame locations includes the predetermined granularity of the geographical frame locations being 100 m×

100 m for each frame.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the set of geographical frame locations includes the predetermined granularity of the geographical frame locations being 1×

1 chip for each frame.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing the first time value occurs at a location aware UE.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the accessing occurs at a location aware UE that employs assisted global positioning system technology for location awareness.

10. The method of 9, wherein the determining the additional intersecting frames results in intersecting frames that do not converge.

15. A system to facilitate locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the system comprising:

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least;

communicatively couple to a plurality of NodeBs;

store a data set relating to differential frame values for at least one NodeB site pair of the plurality of NodeBs;

access timing data relating to a user equipment (UE);

compare the timing data to at least a subset of the data set relating to the at least one NodeB site pair to facilitate a determination of a location of the UE within the wireless network,

wherein at least one bin grid framework, with a predetermined level of granularity, is mapped to a geographic area of the wireless network to facilitate location of UEs within particular frames of the at least one bin grid framework based, at least in part, on UE timing data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data set represents a differential distance of a target frame of the at least one bin grid framework from NodeBs of the at least one NodeB site pair calculated by:

DV(ij,X)=OV(ji,X)−

OV(ji,R)+DV(ij,R),

wherein i is one NodeB of the NodeB site pair, j is the other NodeB of the NodeB site pair, X indicates the target frame, R indicates a reference frame, DV indicates a differential value and OV indicates an observed value, and the data set is indexed across NodeB site pair.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor further facilitates the execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform a first lookup that compares a target value with stored values of a subset of the data set, the subset being determined by an index relating to a first NodeB site pair, to facilitate access to a first set of frames that represent possible locations of the UE.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor further facilitates the execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform a second lookup that compares the target value with other stored values of an other subset of the data set, the other subset being determined by an index relating to a second NodeB site pair, to facilitate access to a second set of frames that represent the possible locations of the UE.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor further facilitates the execution of the computer-executable instructions to an intersection of the first and second set of frames to reduce a number of frames that represent the possible locations of the UE.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a single frame results from the determined intersection, and the location of the UE is determined to be within the geographic area of the wireless network mapped by the single frame.

21. A system comprising:

an interface to a wireless network, wherein the wireless network is, at least in part, mapped to a bin grid framework;

at least one processor communicatively coupled to at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions, the processor being operative to facilitate execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least;

access location and timing data related to at least one user equipment of the wireless network through the interface to the wireless network;

determine and store with the at least one memory, differential values related to reference frames of the bin grid framework and designated NodeB site pair for a plurality of NodeB site pairs;

determine and store the differential values related to non-reference frames of the bin grid framework and designated NodeB site pair for a plurality of NodeB site pairs;

index the stored differential values by NodeB site pair;

search the stored differential values to return information relating to the bin grid network; and

determine a search value for a user equipment (UE) of a plurality of NodeB site pairs such that sets of frames of the bin grid framework can be returned, said frames having a probability of indicating a location of the UE.