Wireless device position determining and frequency assigning systems, devices and methods

• US 8,958,835 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Koorapaty, Havish, Balachandran, Kumar, Rahman, Mohammad Imadur, Sachs, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US13/042,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20120231826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/434, 455/509, 4554561-4565
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Wireless communication methods determine a position of a first wireless base station. A wireless communication frequency to be used by the first wireless base station is determined by identifying a common frequency that can be used at a plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined. The first wireless base station may be a femto-base station and the frequency may be an unlicensed frequency. Related systems and devices are also described.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising:

determining a position of a first wireless base station by obtaining a position of a nearby second wireless base station and determining the position of the first wireless base station from the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained and a direction between the first wireless base station and the nearby second wireless base station;

determining a wireless communication frequency to be used by the first wireless base station based upon the position of the first wireless base station that was determined; and

communicating by the first wireless base station over the frequency that was identified,

wherein the determining the wireless communication frequency to be used by the first wireless base station based upon the position of the first wireless base station that was determined comprises querying a database that is external of the first wireless base station to identify the wireless communication frequency that can be used at a respective one of a plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the position of the first wireless base station from the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained comprises identifying the position of the first wireless base station as the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the position of the first wireless base station from the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained comprises determining the position of the first wireless base station from the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained and from a path loss between the first wireless base station and the nearby second wireless base station.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein obtaining a position of a nearby second wireless base station comprises:

requesting the position of a nearby second wireless base station from a core network; and

obtaining the position of the nearby second wireless base station from the core network.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the following:

after requesting the position of a nearby second wireless base station from the core network, identifying the nearby second wireless base station using communications from a wireless user terminal that is receiving signals from both the first wireless base station and the nearby second wireless base station.

6. A wireless communication method, comprising:

determining a position of a first wireless base station by obtaining a position of a nearby second wireless base station and determining the position of the first wireless base station from the position of the nearby second wireless base station that was obtained;

identifying one or more frequencies that can be used at a respective one of a plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined;

comparing the one or more frequencies that were identified for the respective ones of the plurality of locations to identify a common frequency that can be used at the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined; and

communicating by the first wireless base station over the common frequency that was identified,

wherein the identifying the one or more frequencies that can be used at the respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined comprises querying a database that is external of the first wireless base station to identify the one or more frequencies that can be used at the respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station that was determined.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the position of the first wireless base station that was determined defines a region of position uncertainty and wherein the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the first wireless base station span the region of position uncertainty.

8. A wireless base station comprising:

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor that is configured to control the wireless transceiver, to obtain a position of a nearby wireless base station and to determine a position of the wireless base station from the position of the nearby wireless base station that was obtained, wherein the processor is further configured to;

identify one or more frequencies that can be used at a respective one of a plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the wireless base station that was determined by querying a database that is external of the wireless base station to identify the one or more frequencies that can be used at the respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the wireless base station;

compare the one or more frequencies that were identified for the respective ones of the plurality of locations to identify a common frequency that can be used at the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the position of the wireless base station that was determined; and

communicate by the wireless base station over the common frequency that was identified.

9. The wireless base station according to claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to determine a position of the wireless base station from the position of the nearby wireless base station that was obtained by performing operations comprising identifying the position of the wireless base station as the position of the nearby wireless base station that was obtained.

10. The wireless base station according to claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to obtain a position of a nearby wireless base station by performing operations comprising:

requesting the position of the nearby wireless base station from a core network; and

obtaining the position of the nearby wireless base station from the core network.

11. The wireless base station according to claim 10:

wherein the requesting the position of the nearby wireless base station from a core network comprises communicating the requesting the position of the nearby wireless base station from the wireless base station to the nearby wireless base station via the core network; and

wherein the obtaining the position of the nearby wireless base station from the core network comprises communicating the position of the nearby wireless base station from the nearby wireless base station to the wireless base station via the core network.

12. The wireless base station according to claim 8 wherein the wireless base station and the nearby wireless base station are re-deployable wireless base stations.

13. A wireless communication system device comprising:

an input/output interface; and

a processor that is configured to perform operations comprising;

obtaining one or more frequencies that can be used at a respective one of a plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from a wireless base station in response to a measure of a position of the wireless base station that is received from the input/output interface;

comparing the one or more frequencies that were obtained for the respective ones of the plurality of locations to determine a common frequency that can be used at the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the wireless base station; and

communicating the common frequency over the input/output interface,

wherein the obtaining the one or more frequencies that can be used at the respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the wireless base station comprises querying a database to identify the one or more frequencies that can be used at the respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the wireless base station.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the measure of the position of the wireless base station includes a region of position uncertainty and wherein the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the wireless base station span the region of position uncertainty.

15. The device according to claim 13 wherein the one or more frequencies that can be used at a respective one of the plurality of locations surrounding and spaced apart from the wireless base station comprise unlicensed frequencies.

16. The device according to claim 13 wherein the input/output interface and the processor are included in a server or are included in the wireless base station.