Method to modify calibration data used to locate a mobile unit

• US 8,400,358 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geoscope Technologies Pte. Ltd. (Transpacific IP Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alles, Martin, Carlson, John, Maher, George, Mazlum, Selcuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US12/424,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 342/451, 342/457, 342463-465, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method of modifying calibration data used to geo-locate a mobile station located in an indoor environment is disclosed. When a mobile station is located indoors, the signal strength of signals received and/or transmitted by the mobile station have the tendency to be lower than the strength of the signals received by a mobile station located outdoors. As a result of these lower signal strengths, geo-location efforts which rely on signal strengths may result in unsatisfactory location accuracy. Modifying pre-existing calibration data obtained outdoors may provide a way to simulate indoor calibration data characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a mobile station, comprising:

providing a database of previously-gathered calibration data for a predetermined region in a wireless network;

collecting observed network measurement data;

modifying said observed network measurement data; and

comparing said modified network measurement data with said database of calibration data by positioning determining equipment to thereby determine the location of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data at one or more predetermined calibration points within said region.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data at one or more predetermined calibration points is combined to form previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said observed network measurement data includes data collected at the mobile station.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes signal strength information measured at a predetermined calibration point within said region for a signal transmitted from a known location within or in proximity to said region.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes signal strength information measured by a receiver at a known location within or in proximity to said region for a signal transmitted from a predetermined calibration point within said region.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes round trip time information for signals traveling between a predetermined calibration point within said region and a known location within or in proximity to said region.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes time difference of arrival information for a first signal traveling between a first known location and a predetermined calibration point within said region and a second signal traveling between a second known location and said calibration point.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes information identifying a serving cell of a transmitter transmitting a signal received at a predetermined calibration point within said region.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes information identifying a serving sector of a transmitter transmitting a signal received at a predetermined calibration point within said region.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes information regarding a state of said wireless network.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes calibration data gathered at a predetermined calibration point within said region wherein said predetermined calibration point is not located within a structure.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said observed network measurement data is collected at a mobile station located within a structure.

15. A system for determining a location of a mobile station, comprising:

a database of previously-gathered calibration data for a predetermined region in a wireless network;

circuitry for collecting observed network measurement data;

circuitry for modifying said observed network measurement data; and

circuitry for comparing said modified network measurement data with said database of calibration data to thereby determine the location of the mobile station.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data at one or more predetermined calibration points within said region.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising circuitry for combining said previously-gathered calibration data at one or more predetermined calibration points to thereby form previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said mobile station includes said circuitry for collecting observed network measurement data.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for measuring signal strength at a predetermined calibration point within said region for a signal transmitted from a known location within or in proximity to said region.

21. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for measuring signal strength at a receiver at a known location within or in proximity to said region for a signal transmitted from a predetermined calibration point within said region.

22. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for determining round trip time for signals traveling between a predetermined calibration point within said region and a known location within or in proximity to said region.

23. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for determining time difference of arrival for a first signal traveling between a first known location and a predetermined calibration point within said region and a second signal traveling between a second known location and said calibration point.

24. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for identifying a serving cell of a transmitter transmitting a signal received at a predetermined calibration point within said region.

25. The system of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for identifying a serving sector of a transmitter transmitting a signal received at a predetermined calibration point within said region.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes information regarding a state of said wireless network.

27. The system of claim 15 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes calibration data gathered at a predetermined calibration point within said region wherein said predetermined calibration point is not located within a structure.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said observed network measurement data is collected at a mobile station located within a structure.

29. A method for determining a location of a mobile station, comprising:

providing a database of previously-gathered calibration data for a predetermined region in a wireless network, wherein said network includes a serving transmitter;

collecting observed network measurement data including a first signal characteristic from said serving transmitter;

modifying said observed network measurement data using said first signal characteristic; and

comparing said modified network measurement data with said database of calibration data by positioning determining equipment to thereby determine the location of the mobile station.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein said observed network measurement data includes data collected at the mobile station.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes calibration data gathered at a predetermined calibration point within said region wherein said predetermined calibration point is not located within a structure.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said observed network measurement data is collected at a mobile station located within a structure.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein said first signal characteristic is signal strength.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said collecting observed network measurement data further includes collecting a second signal characteristic from a neighboring transmitter wherein said second signal characteristic is signal strength.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the modifying of said calibration data uses a difference between said first and second signal characteristics.

37. The method of claim 29 wherein said first signal characteristic is signal strength of a control channel transmitted by said serving transmitter and received by said mobile station.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said collecting observed network measurement data further includes collecting a second signal characteristic from a neighboring transmitter wherein said second signal characteristic is signal strength of a control channel transmitted by said neighboring transmitter and received by said mobile station.

39. The method of claim 29 wherein said observed network measurement data includes a data set comprising:

[P₁, . . . P_n, TA]

where;

P₁ represents the signal strength of said serving transmitter as measured at said mobile station,

P_n represents a signal strength of at a n^th neighboring transmitter as measured at said mobile station, and

TA represents a timing advance parameter;

and wherein said modified network measurement data includes a data set comprising;

[0, . . . P₁-P_n-1,P₁-P_n, TA]

where;

0 represents a difference between P₁ and P₁,

P₁-P_n-1 represents a difference between P₁ and P_n-1, and

P₁-P_n represents a difference between P₁ and P_n.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said first neighboring transmitter is not a member of said wireless network.

41. A method for determining a location of a mobile station, comprising:

providing a database of previously-gathered calibration data for a predetermined region in a wireless network;

collecting observed network measurement data from each of a plurality of transmitters including a signal characteristic from each one of said plural transmitters;

determining an average value for select ones of said signal characteristics;

modifying said observed network measurement data using said average value; and

comparing said modified network measurement data with said database of calibration data by positioning determining equipment to thereby determine the location of the mobile station.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein said database comprises previously-gathered calibration data for one or more non-uniform grid points within said region.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein said observed network measurement data includes data collected at the mobile station.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein said previously-gathered calibration data includes calibration data gathered at a predetermined calibration point within said region wherein said predetermined calibration point is not located within a structure.

45. The method of claim 41 wherein said observed network measurement data is collected at a mobile station located within a structure.

46. The method of claim 41 wherein said signal characteristic is signal strength.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the modifying of said calibration data uses a difference between said average value and said signal characteristic for a first one of said plural transmitters.

48. The method of claim 41 wherein said signal characteristic is signal strength of a control channel.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein the observed network measurement data includes received signal strength of said transmitters as said mobile station.

50. The method of claim 41 wherein said observed network measurement data includes a data set comprising:

[P₁, P₂, P₃, TA]

where;

P₁ represents the signal strength of a first one of said plural transmitters as measured at said mobile station,

P₂ represents a signal strength of a second one of said plural transmitters as measured at said mobile station wherein P₂>

P₁,

P₃ represents a signal strength of a third one of said plural transmitters as measured at said mobile station wherein P₂>

P₃, and

TA represents a timing advance parameter;

and wherein said modified network measurement data includes a data set comprising;

[P₁-P_AVG, P₂-P_AVG, P₃-P_AVG, TA]

where;

P_AVG represents an average value of P₁, P₂, and P₃,

P₁-P_AVG represents a difference between P₁ and P_AVG,

P₂-P_AVG represents a difference between P₂ and P_AVG,

P₃-P_AVG represents a difference between P₃ and P_AVG.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein said first transmitter is a serving transmitter for said mobile station and said second and third transmitters are neighboring transmitters.

52. The method of claim 41 wherein at least one of said plurality of transmitters is not a member of said wireless network.