Method and system for providing location information for emergency services

• US 8,611,923 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• 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: Burke, Scott B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/912,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20110039515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Emergency Services architecture for determining the location of a wireless caller. The architecture leverages a synchronization feature of GSM networks of the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) to enable employment of sparse networks by removing WLS (Wireless Location Sensor) equipment from selected cell sites. Thus, the location of a wireless caller within a sparse site can be determined. Sparse network location services can be provided further utilizing Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) technology, and other network-based location technologies such as Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD) and Angle of Arrival (AOA). Hybrid network-based/handset-based location technologies may also be used with the disclosed invention.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

facilitating a synchronization of a sparse transceiver station device with a non-sparse transceiver station device within a wireless communication network based on common timing reference data, wherein the sparse transceiver station device is not communicatively coupled to a wireless location sensor and the non-sparse transceiver station device is communicatively coupled to the wireless location sensor, and

receiving, from the non-sparse transceiver station device, timing information associated with a mobile station device coupled to the sparse transceiver station device, in accordance with the synchronization, wherein the timing information is employed to determine location data indicative of a location of the mobile station device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the timing information based on an angle of arrival associated with a transmission between the non-sparse transceiver station device and mobile station device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining intersection location information based on a direction of arrival of the mobile station device at the non-sparse transceiver station device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining coordinate data associated with the location of the mobile station device based on the timing information, the intersection location information, and global positioning data received from a global positioning system device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the global positioning system device is coupled to the non-sparse transceiver station device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the global positioning system device is communicatively coupled to a geolocation control system device that is associated with a mobile switching center device of the wireless communication network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transmission of a signal from the non-sparse transceiver station device to the mobile station device, in response to which the mobile station device determines time difference data indicative of a time difference of the signal by employing an enhanced observed time difference determination.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining coordinates data associated with the location of the mobile station device based on the timing information, the time difference data, and global positioning data received from a global positioning system device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the global positioning system device is coupled to the non-sparse transceiver station device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the global positioning system device is coupled to a geolocation control system device that is associated with a mobile switching center device of the wireless communication network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network is a code division multiple access network.

12. A method, comprising:

based on common timing reference data, facilitating, by a system comprising a processor, a synchronization of a sparse site device that does not comprise a wireless location sensor with a non-sparse site device that comprises the wireless location sensor;

receiving, by the system, timing information associated with a mobile station device from the non-sparse site device in accordance with the synchronization; and

determining, by the system, location information representing a location of the mobile station device based on the timing information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises determining the location information in response to determining that an emergency call is received from the mobile station device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises determining coordinate data associated with the mobile station device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving comprises determining the timing information based on intersection location information that is received from the non-sparse site device and is determined based on an angle of arrival determination.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

facilitating, by the system, a transmission of the location information to a public safety answering point device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving comprises determining the timing information based on time difference information that is determined by the mobile station device in response to a signal transmitted to the mobile station device from the non-sparse site device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the facilitating the synchronization comprises facilitating an alignment of respective clocks of the sparse site device and the non-sparse site device with global positioning system data.

19. A computer readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

based on common timing reference data, facilitating a synchronization of a sparse cell site device with a non-sparse cell site device, wherein the sparse cell site device is not coupled to a wireless location sensor and the non-sparse cell site device is coupled to the wireless location sensor;

in accordance with the synchronization, receiving, from the non-sparse cell site device, timing information associated with a user equipment that is coupled to the sparse cell site device; and

based on the timing information, determining location data indicative of a location of the user equipment.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the determining comprises receiving the location data from a global positioning system device based on the timing information.