Location estimation

• US 8,831,628 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rao, Bharath Narasimha, Chaudhary, Madhusudan, Anantharaman, Karthik
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US13/110,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20120129548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A current location of a mobile system in a wireless network can be determined by using information provided by a base station in communication with the mobile system. The information can include a system identifier (SID) table and a local time offset (LTM_OFF) value and a daylight savings time (DAYLT) value. The SID table is used to provide a mobile country code (MCC) associated with a country in which the mobile device is located. The LTM_OFF value is used to provide a range of longitude values in which the mobile device is located. The current location of the mobile device is based upon at least the range of longitude values and the current country.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

acquiring a service by a mobile system by receiving information from a base station of a wireless communication network, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT);

using the LTM_OFF and a mobile country code (MCC) associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with a current location of the mobile system;

querying a table with the current location to determine a geographical region associated with the current location, the table stored on the mobile system, the geographical region being one of a plurality of geographical regions within a carrier network'"'"'s scope of operation, wherein a boundary of the geographical region is defined at least in part based on a tag identifying a previous location of a device while receiving a signal associated with the geographical region; and

using the geographical region to access a scan list to identify one or more frequencies to be scanned for communicating with the wireless communication network, the scan list stored on the mobile system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving information from the base station comprises:

receiving a pilot signal from the base station; and

accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID) table, the SID table comprising the SID and the associated MCC, the MCC indicating a country associated with the SID.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

determining the MCC corresponding to the SID of the acquired system from the SID table.

5. The method as recited claim 1, further comprising;

retrieving GPS based base station location information; and

using the GPS based base station location information to enhance accuracy of the current location.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographical region is defined based on a range of longitudes and a range of latitudes.

7. A wireless mobile system, comprising:

a wireless interface, the wireless interface configured for wirelessly communication with a wireless base station;

a memory device, the memory device arranged to store data, the data including at least a preferred roaming list (PRL); and

a processor, the processor coupled to the wireless interface and the memory device, the processor arranged to determine a frequency for the wireless mobile system to scan by;

receiving information from the base station at the wireless interface, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT);

using the LTM_OFF and a mobile country code (MCC) associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with a current location of the mobile system;

querying a table with the current location to determine a geographical region associated with the current location, the table stored on the memory device, the geographical region being one of a plurality of geographical regions within a carrier network'"'"'s scope of operation, wherein a boundary of the geographical region is defined at least in part based on a tag identifying a previous location of a device while receiving a signal associated with the geographical region; and

using the geographical region to access a scan list to identify one or more frequencies to be scanned for communicating with the wireless communication network, the scan list stored on the memory device.

8. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 7, wherein the processor receives information from the base station by receiving a pilot signal from the base station, and accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

9. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 7, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID) table, the SID table comprising the SID and the associated MCC, the MCC indicating a country associated with the SID.

10. The wireless mobile system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor determines the MCC corresponding to the SID of the acquired system from the SID table.

11. The wireless mobile system as recited claim 10, wherein the processor retrieves GPS based base station location information, and uses the GPS based base station location information to enhance accuracy of the current location.

12. Non-transitory computer readable medium executable by a processor in a mobile system for establishing a communication channel between the mobile system and a base station in a wireless communication network, comprising:

computer code for receiving information from a base station at a mobile system, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT);

computer code for using the LTM_OFF and a mobile country code (MCC) associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with a current location of the mobile system;

computer code for querying a table with the current location to determine a geographical region associated with the current location, the table stored on the mobile system, the geographical region being one of a plurality of geographical regions within a carrier network'"'"'s scope of operation, wherein a boundary of the geographical region is defined at least in part based on a tag identifying a previous location of a device while receiving a signal associated with the geographical region; and

computer code for using the geographical region to access a scan list to identify one or more frequencies to be scanned for communicating with the wireless communication network, the scan list stored on the mobile system.

13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the computer code for receiving information from the base station comprises:

computer code for receiving a pilot signal from the base station;

computer code for accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID) table, the SID table comprising the SID and the associated MCC, the MCC indicating a country associated with the SID.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising computer code for determining the MCC corresponding to the SID of the acquired system from the SID table.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

computer code for storing the current location information at a current entry in a location data base; and

computer code for linking the current location information at the current entry with the SID.

17. The computer readable medium as recited claim 12, further comprising;

computer code for retrieving GPS based base station location information; and

computer code for using the GPS based base station location information to enhance accuracy of the current location.

18. A wireless network, comprising:

a base station; and

a mobile system, wherein the mobile system determines a current location of the mobile system by;

receiving a pilot signal from the base station,

accessing a sync channel message included in the pilot signal, the sync channel message including the information from the base station, wherein the information includes a system identification (SID), a local time offset value (LTM_OFF), and a daylight saving time offset (DAYLT),

using the LTM_OFF and a MCC associated with the SID to determine a range of longitude values and latitude values associated with the current location,

querying a table with the current location to determine a geographical region associated with the current location, the table stored on the mobile system, the geographical region being one of a plurality of geographical regions within a carrier network'"'"'s scope of operation, wherein a boundary of the geographical region is defined at least in part based on a tag identifying a previous location of a device while receiving a signal associated with the geographical region; and

using the geographical region to access a scan list to identify one or more frequencies to be scanned for communicating with the wireless communication network, the scan list stored on the mobile system.

19. The wireless network as recited in claim 18, wherein accuracy of the current location is enhanced by retrieving GPS based base station location information from a paging channel and using the GPS based base station location information to enhance the accuracy of the current location.

20. The wireless network as recited in claim 19, wherein the GPS based base station information includes at least a base station latitude (BASE_LAT) and a base station longitude (BASE_LONG).

21. The wireless network as recited in claim 18, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network.

22. The wireless network as recited in claim 18, wherein the information is associated with an available service provider.

23. The wireless network as recited in claim 18, wherein the information is associated with a service provider that is not available.