Location of a mobile station in a telecommunication system

• US 8,396,482 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kalliojarvi, Kari
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US10/019,705
• Time in Patent Office: 4,638 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/435.1, 455/433, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/95, 455/513, 455/115.3, 455/456, 455/69, 455/63, 455/522, 455/443, 455/501, 455/517, 455/446, 455/524, 455/67.6, 455/466, 455/67.1, 455/562, 455/440, 370/509, 370/516, 370/518, 342/457, 342/456, 342/465, 342/357.03, 342/357.1
• 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

Abstract

Means and a method for determination of a distance between a transmitting station and a receiving station is disclosed. In the method a characteristic parameter is determined for the radio propagation environment of the receiving station. At least one feature of a signal that has been received at the receiving station is measured, said feature being such that it can be used for the determination of the distance between the stations. The distance is then computed based on said measured signal feature and the characteristic parameter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a characteristic parameter describing line-of-sight conditions of a radio propagation environment of at least for two base stations in a mobile telecommunications system, wherein the characteristic parameter describes excess path lengths caused by obstacles in the environment by means of one of a number of discrete levels;

measuring at least one feature of a signal transmitted between a mobile station and the at least two base stations, the feature being such that it can be used for determination of distances between the mobile station and the two base stations; and

computing the distances between the mobile station and the two base stations using the measured signal feature and the characteristic parameter describing the line-of-sight conditions of the at least two base stations; and

determining a current geographical location of the mobile station based on the determined distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations;

wherein the at least one feature comprises at least travel time or travel time difference of the signal between the mobile station and the at least two base stations.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one feature comprises at least signal travel time differences between the mobile station and the at least two base stations.

3. A method according to claim 1, comprising use of a weighted least square method for determination of distances between the at least two base stations and the mobile station, wherein the used weighting matrix is the inverse of an error covariance matrix.

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

defining radio propagation environments for several stations; and

classifying the stations in different radio propagation environment classes;

wherein the characteristic parameter is based on the class of the station.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data for the characteristic parameter is stored and processed in a location service node implemented in the mobile telecommunications system.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the characteristic parameter comprises:

determining the current geographical location of the mobile station in a way that is external to the telecommunications system; and

inputting the results of the determination to the mobile telecommunications system.

7. A method according to claim 6, comprising use of a satellite based positioning system for the determining the current geographical location of the mobile station.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is transmitted from the two base stations to the mobile station and the signal is measured at the mobile station.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is transmitted from the mobile station to the two base stations and the signal is measured at the two base stations.

10. Apparatus, comprising:

storage device for storing a characteristic parameter describing line-of-sight conditions of a radio propagation environment for at least two base stations,

wherein the characteristic parameter describes excess path lengths caused by obstacles in the radio propagation environment by means of one of a number of discrete levels;

measurement device for measuring a feature of a signal transmitted between the mobile station and the at least two base stations for determination of distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations; and

a controller for receiving an outcome of the measuring for defining the distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations based on the outcome of the measuring and the characteristic parameter, and for determining a current geographical location of the mobile station based on the determined distances between the mobile station and the two base stations;

wherein the feature of the signal is based on travel time or travel time difference of the signal between the mobile station and the at least two base stations.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein different radio propagation environments of different stations are classified in different radio propagation environment classes and the characteristic parameter is based on the class of the station.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the mobile station comprises a sector antenna.

13. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the signal is transmitted from the at least two base stations to the mobile station and the signal is measured at the mobile station.

14. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the signal is transmitted from the mobile station to the at least two base stations and the signal is measured at the two base stations.

15. A location server for use in a telecommunications system for provision of location data of a mobile station having a radio connection with at least two base stations of the telecommunications system, comprising:

means for receiving measurement data from the telecommunications system concerning a feature of the connection between the mobile station and the at least two base stations for determination of distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations;

storage means for storing a characteristic parameter describing the line-of-sight conditions of the radio propagation environment of for the two at least two base stations, wherein the characteristic parameter describes excess path lengths caused by obstacles in the environment by means of one of a number of discrete levels;

control means for defining the distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations on the basis of the received measurement data and the characteristic parameter and for determining a current geographical location of the mobile station based on the determined distances between the mobile station and the at least two base stations;

wherein the feature of the connection is based on travel time or travel time difference of the signal between the mobile station and the at least two base stations.

16. An arrangement, comprising:

a first station in a telecommunications system;

a second station for communicating by radio with the first station in the telecommunications system;

the arrangement configured to define a current geographical location of the first station with a source of location information that is external to the telecommunications system, to determine a feature of a radio signal received by one of the stations from two other stations, and to calculate a parameter describing line-of-sight conditions of a radio propagation environment according to the current geographical location of the first station and the determined feature, wherein the parameter describes excess path lengths caused by obstacles in the environment with one of a number of discrete levels;

wherein the feature of the radio signal is based on travel time or travel time difference of the signal between the station and the other stations.

17. An arrangement according to claim 16, configured to receive signals from a satellite based positioning system.

18. An arrangement according to claim 16, configured to determine if an update of the data concerning the radio propagation environment is required.

19. An arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the first station comprises a portable device.