System and method for location assurance of a mobile device

• US 8,718,673 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Maple Acquisition LLC (Verso Corporation)
• Inventors: Harper, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/112,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20110287779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4565
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether an estimated location of a wireless device includes one or more forged location measurements. A first estimated location of the wireless device using a first set of location measurements is determined, and a second estimated location of the wireless device using a second set of location measurements is determined. The first estimated location may be compared to the second estimated location. One of the determined locations may then be identified as having one or more forged location measurements if the comparison between the first estimated location and second estimated location is greater than a predetermined threshold. The second set of location measurements may be produced using a location technology different than the location technology used to produce the first set of location measurements.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether an estimated location of a wireless device includes one or more forged location measurements, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a first estimated location of the wireless device using a first set of location measurements;

(b) determining a second estimated location of the wireless device using a second set of location measurements;

(c) comparing the first estimated location to the second estimated location, wherein the comparing comprises;

comparing the first estimated location and the first estimated location'"'"'s uncertainty at a first confidence that defines a first region to the second estimated location and the second estimated location'"'"'s uncertainty at a second confidence that defines a second region, wherein the distance between the first region and the second region is greater than zero; and

(d) identifying one of the determined locations as having one or more forged location measurements if the distance between the first region and the second region is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

(e) identifying the determined locations as valid if the distance between the first region and the second region is less than the predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set and second set of location measurements are produced using a location technology selected from the group consisting of:

Cell-identification (Cell-ID), Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD), Enhanced Cell-ID (e-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Power Difference of Arrival (PDOA), Power of Arrival (POA), Time of Arrival (TOA), Frequency Difference of Arrival (FDOA), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Near field communications (NFC), hybrid technologies, proximity location technologies, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the GNSS is selected from the group consisting of:

a Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo system, GLONASS system, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Beidou satellite system, Compass satellite system, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of location measurements is produced using a location technology different than the location technology used to produce the first set of location measurements.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first estimated location is determined using location measurements from signals received from a first set of satellites.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second estimated location is determined using location measurements from signals received from a second set of satellites.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second set of satellites is mutually exclusive of the first set of satellites.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the second set of satellites is a subset of the first set of satellites.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined threshold is a function of the uncertainty of the location technology utilized to produce the first and second set of location measurements.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of location measurements is provided by a database having information from a reference station network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first estimated location is determined as a function of coarse acquisition (“

C/A”

) code phase shift information, Doppler information or signals provided by a cellular network.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining a third estimated location of the wireless device from signals using a third set of location measurements, the third set excluding one or more location measurements from the set of location measurements having a forged measurement.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of:

cellular device, text messaging device, computer, portable computer, vehicle locating device, vehicle security device, communication device, and wireless transceiver.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of utilizing network signaling to validate a reported Cell identification.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of identifying further comprises identifying one of the determined locations as having one or more forged location measurements if the comparison between the first estimated location and second estimated location is greater than the predetermined threshold or if the reported Cell identification is invalid.