Methods and apparatus for location based services in wireless networks

• US 8,391,894 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Venkatachalam, Muthaiah
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US11/475,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,444 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 4554041-4042, 4554141-4143, 455450-4522, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for location based services provided through wireless networks. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a location agent (LA) located within a base station of an internet protocol (IP)-based wireless network, a location measurement radio request message, from a location controller (LC), the location measurement radio request message to request at least one radio parameter of a mobile station (MS) within the wireless network, wherein the at least one radio parameter comprises a frame number, sub-channel number, symbol range, or symbol offset;

transmitting, from the base station, a request to the MS for a list of one or more neighboring base stations;

receiving, from the MS, the list of one or more neighboring base stations;

transmitting, from the LA, a location measurement radio response message, to the LC, that includes the at least one radio parameter for distribution to at least one other LA, the at least one other LA being located within a different base station of the one or more neighboring base stations;

receiving, at the LA, a signal sent by the MS, the signal being sent based on the at least one radio parameter wherein receiving the signal comprises receiving at least one protocol data unit (PDU) sent from the MS as an uplink (UL) reference signal; and

measuring, at the LA, the signal sent by the MS to obtain a location measurement, wherein measuring the signal comprises analyzing the at least one PDU to obtain the location measurement and wherein the location measurement is not a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location measurement; and

transmitting, from the LA, the location measurement to the LC for use in calculating a location of the MS.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering, by the LA, a location determination for the MS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring, at the LA, comprises measuring a time of arrival of the signal at the LA.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring, at the LA, comprises measuring an angle of arrival of the signal at the LA.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the LA, a request for the at least radio parameter from the MS.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, at the LA, the at least one radio parameter from the MS.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP-based network is configured to operate according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16e standard.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the location determination for the MS is triggered based upon an emergency call made from the MS.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the location controller is located in an access service network (ASN) gateway of the IP-based wireless network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the location controller is located in the base station with the LA that receives the location measurement radio request message.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDU is analyzed using a location technique that includes at least on of observed time of arrival (OTOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), angle of arrival (AOA), hybrid OTOA/TDOA, and hybrid TDOA/AOA.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the LA, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) from another LA located at the MS; and

analyzing, at the LA, the at least one PDU to obtain another location measurement.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the LA, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) from the at least one other LA; and

analyzing, at the LA, the at least one PDU to obtain another location measurement.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a receive block configured to receive, at a location agent (LA) located within a base station of an internet protocol (IP)-based wireless network, a location measurement radio request message from a location controller (LC), the location measurement radio request message to request at least one radio parameter of a mobile station (MS) within the wireless network, the receive block being further configured to receive a signal sent by the MS, the signal including at least one protocol data unit (PDU) sent from the MS as an uplink (UL) reference signal, the signal being sent based on the at least one radio parameter, wherein the at least one radio parameter comprises a frame number, sub-channel number, symbol range, or symbol offset;

a transmit block configured to transmit a location measurement radio response message, from the LA to the LC, that includes the at least one radio parameter for distribution to at least one other LA, the at least one other LA being located within a different base station, the transmit block being further configured to transmit a location measurement to the LC for use in calculating a location of the MS, the transmit block being further configured to transmit a request to the MS for a list of one or more neighboring base stations, the one or more neighboring base stations including the different base station; and

a control block configured to measure, at the LA, the signal sent by the MS to obtain the location measurement by analysis of the at least one PDU wherein the location measurement is not a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location measurement,

wherein the receive block is further configured to receive, from the MS, the list of the one or more neighboring base stations.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control block is configured to determine a time of arrival at the LA of the signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control block is configured to determine an angle of arrival at the LA of the signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmit block is further configured to transmit a request for the at least radio parameter from the MS.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the receive block is further configured to receive the at least one radio parameter from the MS.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control block is further configured to trigger a location determination for the MS.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmit and receive blocks are part of a transceiver having at least one common component.