Timed fingerprint locating at user equipment

• US 9,046,592 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Austin, Mark, Fix, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US13/495,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20130337824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and techniques for determining the location of user equipment (UE) in a wireless network are disclosed. These techniques leverage geometric calculations for an overlaid local bin grid framework mapping an area of a wireless network to stored differential values for each frame of the local bin grid framework for pairs of relevant NodeB radios. A timing offset can be determined, such that when a time value from the UE is accessed, the location can be quickly determined with minimal real time computation. In an aspect, the UE time value can be searched for in the pre-computed differential value data set indexed by a relevant NodeB radio pair to return a set of frames that can be intersected with a second set of frames for a second NodeB radio pair for the UE. The intersecting frames can represent the location of the UE in the wireless network.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least;

determine differential time value information for at least one frame of a bin grid frame array based on cell site delay information; and

store the determined differential time value information in the at least one memory to facilitate queries of the determined differential time value information based on observed time value information associated with the mobile device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein a geographic area represented by the bin grid frame array is based on a criterion associated with the mobile device.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the criterion is a distance from the mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the criterion is a location of a radio having a radio connection status representative of the radio being in contact with the mobile device and the radio is included in a base station.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the cell site delay information is received from a carrier-side timed fingerprint location system.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the cell site delay information is received from a user equipment-side timed fingerprint location system.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further facilitates the execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least:

query the stored differential time value information based on the observed time value information associated with the mobile device; and

receive, in response to the query, a set of frames of the bin grid frame array.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the set of frames represents a set of probable locations of the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor further facilitates the execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least determine a location of the mobile device based on the set of frames.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the location of the mobile device is based on a subset of frames determined by the intersection of the set of frames and a second set of frames associated with a second query of the stored differential time value information based on second observed time value information associated with the mobile device different from the observed time value information.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system including a processor, differential time value information for at least one frame of a bin grid frame array based on cell site delay information; and

storing, by the system, in at least one memory of a mobile device, the differential time value information to facilitate a query of the differential time value information based on observed time value information associated with the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the differential time value information includes determining, by the system, a geographic area represented by the bin grid frame array based on a criterion associated with the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the differential time value information includes determining the geographic area represented by the bin grid frame array based on a distance from the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the differential time value information includes determining the geographic area represented by the bin grid frame array based on a location of a radio having a radio connection status representative of the radio being in contact with the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the differential time value information includes determining the differential time value information based on cell site delay information determined from carrier-side timed fingerprint location information.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the system in response to the query of the stored differential time value information, a set of frames of the bin grid frame array.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving the set of frames includes receiving the set of frames representing a set of probable locations of the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a location of the mobile device based on the set of frames.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining differential time value information for at least one frame of a bin grid frame array based on cell site delay information; and

facilitating storage, in at least one memory of a mobile device, of the differential time value information to facilitate a query of the differential time value information based on observed time value information associated with the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, in response to the query of the stored differential time value information, a set of frames of the bin grid frame array; and

determining a location of the mobile device based on the set of frames.