Enhanced pilot signal

• US 9,119,026 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Black, Peter John, Wu, Qiang, Padovani, Roberto, Zhao, Wanlun, Tokgoz, Yeliz, Naguib, Ayman Fawzy, Dayal, Pranav, Agashe, Parag Arun, Bhushan, Naga, Kim, Je Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): MURPHY, RHONDA L
• Application Number:
  US12/113,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/185 the determination of the range being based on more than one digital output value, e.g. on a running average, a power estimation or the rate of change
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/261 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment, a method of transmitting signals is provided. Signal waveforms are transmitted from at least two respective sectors. The at least two respective sectors are from at least two different sets of a superset of sectors. The transmitted signal waveforms include signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension. An advantage of such an embodiment, for example, is reduced signal interference.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting signals comprising:

transmitting Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from at least two different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sectors capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal dimension comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of transmissions of the signal waveforms are capable of being set.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of transmissions of the signal waveforms are capable of being modified.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein signal waveforms transmitted from respective sectors are at least mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said sets of sectors comprise non-overlapping sets of said superset of sectors.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting said signal waveforms comprises transmitting multiple signal waveforms from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising time division multiplexed (TDM) signal waveforms.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said TDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted in dedicated time slots associated with particular cell sectors.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said TDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted in time slots pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting said signal waveforms comprises transmitting multiple signal waveforms from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising frequency divisional multiplexed (FDM) signal waveforms.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said FDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at frequencies pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said FDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at dedicated frequencies associated with particular cell sectors.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting said signal waveforms comprises transmitting multiple signal waveforms from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising OFDM signal waveforms.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said OFDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at frequencies and/or in time slots pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said OFDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at dedicated frequencies and/or in dedicated time slots associated with particular cell sectors.

17. A method of receiving signals at a position location comprising:

receiving at least two respective Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms having been transmitted from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sectors capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein signal waveforms transmitted from respective sectors are at least mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said sets of sectors comprise non-overlapping sets of said superset of sectors.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said signal dimension comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

22. The method of claim 21, and further comprising processing said received signal waveforms to estimate a position location of the receiver receiving the signal waveforms.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving said signal waveforms comprises receiving multiple signal waveforms having been transmitted from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising time division multiplexed (TDM) signal waveforms.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said TDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted in dedicated time slots associated with particular cell sectors.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said TDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted in time slots pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said signal waveforms comprise multiple signal waveforms from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising frequency divisional multiplexed (FDM) signal waveforms.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said FDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at dedicated frequencies associated with particular cell sectors.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said FDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at frequencies pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein said signal waveforms comprise multiple signal waveforms from multiple sectors, said multiple sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the signal waveforms comprising OFDM signal waveforms.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said OFDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at dedicated frequencies and/or in dedicated time slots associated with particular cell sectors.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said OFDM signal waveforms comprise highly detectable pilot (HDP) signals transmitted at frequencies and/or time slots pseudo randomly associated with particular cell sectors.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein said at least one signal dimension comprises time;

and further comprising;

more accurately estimating the position location of the receiver by processing additional transmitted signal waveforms received by the receiver after said multiple signal waveforms.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said at least one signal dimension includes a second signal dimension, said second signal dimension comprising frequency.

34. The method of claim 21, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of transmissions of the signal waveforms are capable of being set.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of transmissions of the signal waveforms are capable of being modified.

36. The method of claim 17, and further comprising transmitting position location information to a PDE based, at least in part, on said received signal waveforms.

37. A method of reducing interference between signal transmissions, said method comprising:

emanating signal transmissions from a variety of locations, the signal transmissions being nearly mutually orthogonal along a particular signal dimension, said locations being partitioned into a distinct number of sets, wherein each set includes a plurality of locations having one of a plurality of Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms associated with the same particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sectors capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the signal transmissions are nearly mutually orthogonal along at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the signal transmissions are mutually orthogonal along at least one signal dimension.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the signal transmissions are mutually orthogonal along at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, or any combinations thereof.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of the signal transmissions are capable of being set.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein mutually orthogonal aspects of the signal transmissions are capable of being modified.

43. An apparatus comprising:

a signal transmitter arranged to emanate transmissions of Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms from a location, the signal transmissions to be emanated in a manner to produce nearly mutually orthogonal along a particular signal dimension with signal transmission emanating from one or more other locations, said locations being partitioned into a distinct number of sets, wherein each set includes a plurality of locations having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of locations are assigned a plurality of PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the signal transmissions to be emanated are nearly mutually orthogonal along at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

45. A mobile station comprising:

a receiver operable to process at least two respective Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms having been transmitted from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

46. The mobile station of claim 45, wherein said signal dimension comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

47. The mobile station of claim 46, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

48. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter arranged to transmit Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms from at least one sector location, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension with signal waveforms to be transmitted from one or more other sector locations, said at least two respective sector locations being from at least two different sets of a superset of sector locations, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said signal dimension of the signal waveforms to be transmitted comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein transmissions of the to be transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

51. An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting Position Location Pilot (PLP) signals-waveforms;

said means for transmitting signals arranged to emanate signal transmissions from a location, said means for transmitting signals comprising means for producing nearly mutually orthogonal signal transmissions along a particular signal dimension with signal transmissions from one or more other locations, said locations being partitioned into a distinct number of sets, wherein each set includes a plurality of locations having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of locations are assigned a plurality of PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the signal transmissions are nearly mutually orthogonal along at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

53. A mobile station comprising:

means for receiving at least two respective Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms and means for processing said at least two respective signal waveforms, said at least two respective signal waveforms having been transmitted from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

54. The mobile station of claim 53 wherein said signal dimension comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

55. The mobile station of claim 54, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

56. An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting Position Location Pilot (PLP) signals-waveforms;

said means for transmitting signals arranged to transmit signal waveforms from at least one sector location, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension with signal waveforms to be transmitted from one or more other sector locations, said sector locations being from at least two different sets of a superset of sector locations, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

58. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, if executed, direct a computing platform to transmit Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from at least two different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

59. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 58, wherein said signal dimension to comprises at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

60. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 59, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms to have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

61. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, if executed, direct a computing platform to process at least two respectively received Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms having been transmitted from at least two respective sectors, said at least two respective sectors being from different sets of a superset of sectors, the transmitted signal waveforms comprising signal waveforms at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension, wherein each set includes a plurality of sectors having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of sectors are assigned a plurality of respective PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

62. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 61, wherein said signal dimension to comprise at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.

63. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 62, wherein transmissions of the transmitted signal waveforms to have reduced interference relative to transmissions of signal waveforms that are not at least nearly mutually orthogonal at least along a particular signal dimension.

64. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, if executed, direct a transmitter to transmit from a location signal transmissions carrying Position Location Pilot (PLP) signal waveforms nearly mutually orthogonal along a particular signal dimension with signal transmissions to be transmitted from one or more other locations, said locations being partitioned into a distinct number of sets, wherein each set includes a plurality of locations having a signal waveform associated with the same particular signal dimension, and wherein said plurality of locations are assigned a plurality of PLP zones, each of the sets capable of re-using at least one segment of said signal dimension, wherein the PLP signal waveforms are transmitted in bursts in predetermined time slots within each of a plurality of time frames, and wherein each of the PLP signal waveforms occupies a different time slot within each of two immediately adjacent time frames.

65. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 64, wherein the signal transmissions to be nearly mutually orthogonal along at least one of the following signal dimensions:

time, frequency, phase, amplitude, spreading code, signal strength or any combinations thereof.