Methods and systems for providing enhanced position location in wireless communications

• US 8,773,308 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Black, Peter John, Grob, Matthew Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US13/024,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 342/82, 342/367, 342385-387, 342/450, 342/463, 342/465
• US Class Current: 342/385
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02216 Timing or synchronisation of the receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• 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 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for providing improved position-location (e.g., time-of-arrival) measurement and enhanced position location in wireless communication systems. In an embodiment, an access point may replace information (e.g., data) transmission by a “known” transmission (or “reference transmission”) at a predetermined time known to access terminals in the corresponding sectors. The access terminals may use the received reference transmission to perform a position-location measurement, and report back the measured information. The access point may also send a reference transmission on demand, e.g., in response to a request from an access terminal in need for a location-based service.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving a reference signal in a time slot, the reference signal comprising a sequence of symbols known to a receiver before being received; and

performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the reference signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time slot includes a pilot channel time-division-multiplexed with a traffic channel, the pilot channel carrying a pilot signal and the traffic channel carrying the reference signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying the reference signal carried by the traffic channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a pilot signal and the reference signal in the time slot.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the performing comprises performing the position-location measurement based on the pilot signal and the reference signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is received in lieu of at least a portion of traffic data over a traffic channel.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the pilot signal and the reference signal are code-division-multiplexed in the time slot.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprises searching for the pilot signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the searching for the pilot signal is based on the received reference signal.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the reference signal is substantially identical to the pilot signal.

11. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for receiving a time slot having a traffic channel, wherein the traffic channel comprises a reference signal having information that is known at a receiver before being received; and

means for performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the reference signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for searching for a pilot signal.

13. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving a portion of a control channel, wherein information received over the portion of the control channel is known at a receiver before being received; and

performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the portion of the control channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the portion of the control channel includes a preamble.

15. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

logic configured to receive a reference signal in a time slot, the reference signal comprising a sequence of symbols known to a receiver before being received; and

logic configured to perform a position-location measurement based at least in part on the reference signal.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communications, comprising:

at least one instruction for receiving a reference signal in a time slot, the reference signal comprising a sequence of symbols known to a receiver before being received; and

at least one instruction for performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the reference signal.

17. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for receiving a portion of a control channel, wherein information received over the portion of the control channel is known at a receiver before being received; and

means for performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the portion of the control channel.

18. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

logic configured to receive a portion of a control channel, wherein information received over the portion of the control channel is known at a receiver before being received; and

logic configured to perform a position-location measurement based at least in part on the portion of the control channel.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communications, comprising:

at least one instruction for receiving a portion of a control channel, wherein information received over the portion of the control channel is known at a receiver before being received; and

at least one instruction for performing a position-location measurement based at least in part on the portion of the control channel.