Measurement systems and methods for fingerprinting positioning

• US 8,611,922 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Wigren, Torbjrn, Willars, Per, Bolin, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Irace, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/864,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20100317372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,898 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457, 455/456.1, 455/456.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/007 for management of a communication system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0045 Transmission from base station to mobile station G01S5/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system, computer software and method for collecting, in addition to position data, additional positioning data in a user terminal served by a communication network. The method includes initiating, by generating a message within the user terminal, collection of the positioning data, where the positioning data includes information based on which a physical location of the user terminal is determined; measuring, by the user terminal, at least one parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to the message; producing, within the user terminal, measurement reports that include the at least one parameter; selecting, within the user terminal, one or more measurement reports that were generated in response to the message generated by the user terminal; reporting the selected one or more measurement reports to an interface within the user terminal; and transmitting, from the interface, the reported one or more measurement reports to an external server or to the communication network.

Claims

1. A method in a user terminal served by a communication network, for collecting, in addition to position information requested by the communication network, additional position related information, the method comprising:

initiating, by generating a message within the user terminal independently of any instructions received from the communication network, collection of the additional position related information, wherein the additional position related information includes information based on which a physical location of the user terminal is determined, and wherein the message includes a measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders;

measuring, by the user terminal, at least one parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to the message, wherein the additional position related information is obtained as a result from the measurement of the at least one parameter;

producing, within the user terminal, measurement reports that include the additional position related information, wherein one or more of said measurement reports are produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal;

selecting, within the user terminal, based on the measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders, the one or more measurement reports that were produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal;

reporting the one or more measurement reports to an interface within the user terminal; and

transmitting, from the interface, the reported one or more measurement reports to an external server or to the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional position related information comprises at least one of a result of SFN-SFN type 1 and 2 measurements, a result of E-OTD measurements, and/or a result of inter-radio access technology, “

inter-RAT”

, measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step comprises:

injecting the message, generated by a message generator or by the interface of the user terminal, into a stream of messages received by the user terminal from the communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring, by the user terminal, another parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to a request from the communication network, wherein the another parameter is one of a cell ID, broadcast information received by the user terminal from a cell, quantized path loss of a received signal, signal strength, quantized noise rise, radio connection information, and quantized time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reporting step comprises:

reporting, to the interface only, the one or more measurement reports produced in response to the message; and

reporting measurements of the another parameter only to the communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is related to SFN-SFN type 1 or 2 measurements, E-OTD measurements, or inter-radio access technology measurements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information, which includes assisted global positioning information, and the additional position related information are collected simultaneously and sent together to the external server or communication network so as to enable the external server or the communication network to build a database of fingerprinted positions.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the physical position of the user terminal in the external server, based only on the additional position related information transmitted from the user terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information requested by the communication network is Assisted Global Positioning System, “

A-GPS”

, position information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring the at least one parameter when receiving the message generated within the user terminal and when receiving a message from the communication network.

11. A user terminal configured to collect, in addition to position information requested by a communication network, additional position related information, the user terminal being served by the communication network, the user terminal comprising:

a processor configured to

initiate, by generating a message independently of any instructions received from the communication network, collection of the additional position related information, wherein the additional position related information includes information based on which a physical location of the user terminal is determined, and wherein the message includes a measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders,

instruct a measuring unit to measure at least one parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to the message, wherein the additional position related information is obtained as a result from the measurement of the at least one parameter,

generate measurement reports that include the additional position related information, wherein one or more of said measurement reports are produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal,

instruct a selecting unit to select, based on the measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders, the one or more measurement reports that were produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal, and report the one or more measurement reports to an interface within the user terminal; and

a transceiver connected to the processor and configured to transmit the reported one or more measurement reports to an external server or to the communication network.

12. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the additional position related information comprises at least one of a result of SFN-SFN type 1 and 2 measurements, a result of E-OTD measurements, and/or a result of inter-radio access technology, “

inter-RAT”

, measurements.

13. The user terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a generation unit configured to generate and inject the message into a stream of messages received by the user terminal from the communication network.

14. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to generate and inject the message into a stream of messages received by the user terminal from the communication network.

15. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the measuring unit to measure another parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to a request from the communication network, wherein the another parameter is one of a cell ID, broadcast information received by the user terminal from a cell, quantized path loss of a received signal, signal strength, quantized noise rise, radio connection information, and quantized time.

16. The user terminal of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to report, to the interface only, the one or more measurement reports produced in response to the message;

and

report measurements of the another parameter only to the communication network.

17. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter is related to SFN-SFN type 1 and/or 2 measurements, E-OTD measurements, or inter-radio access technology measurements.

18. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to collect the position information, which includes assisted global positioning information, and the additional position related information simultaneously, and wherein the transceiver is configured to send the position information and the additional position related information together to the external server or communication network so as to enable the external server or the communication network to build a database of fingerprinted positions.

19. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the external server determines the physical position of the user terminal based only on the additional position related information transmitted from the user terminal.

20. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the measuring unit is configured to measure the at least one parameter when receiving the message generated within the user terminal and when receiving a message from the communication network.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor in a user terminal served by a communication network, cause the processor to collect, in addition to position information requested by the communication network, additional position related information, the instructions comprising:

initiating, by generating a message within the user terminal, independently of any instructions received from the communication network, collection of the additional position related information, wherein the additional position related information includes information based on which a physical location of the user terminal is determined and wherein the message includes a measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders;

measuring, by the user terminal, at least one parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to the message and wherein the message includes a measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders;

producing, within the user terminal, measurement reports that include the at additional position related information wherein one or more of said measurement reports are produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal selecting, within the user terminal and based on a measurement identity reserved for user terminal initiated measurement orders, one or more measurement reports that were produced in response to the message generated by the user terminal;

reporting the one or more measurement reports to an interface within the user terminal; and

transmitting, from the interface, the reported one or more measurement reports to an external server or to the communication network”

.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the additional position related information comprises at least one of a result of SFN-SFN type 1 and 2 measurements, a result of E-OTD measurements, and/or a result of inter-radio access technology, inter-RAT”

, measurements.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

measuring, by the user terminal, another parameter related to the physical location of the user terminal in response to a request from the communication network, wherein the another parameter is one of a cell ID, broadcast information received by the user terminal from a cell, quantized path loss of a received signal, signal strength, quantized noise rise, radio connection information, and quantized time.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one parameter is related to SFN-SFN type 1 or 2 measurements, E-OTD measurements, or inter-radio access technology measurements.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the position information, which includes assisted global positioning information, and the additional position related information are collected simultaneously and sent together to the external server or communication network so as to enable the external server or the communication network to build a database of fingerprinted positions.