Methods and apparatuses for beacon assisted position determination systems

• US 9,137,771 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wrappe, Thomas Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/547,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20080280624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,183 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/404.2, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455/562.1, 455440-444, 4554561-4566, 370331-333, 342/357.03, 342/357.06, 342/357.2, 342/357.25, 342/357.28, 342/357.29, 342/357.3, 342/357.31, 342/357.39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for microcell beacon assisted position determination. In one embodiment, microcell beacons that are based on low cost, mass market electronics for wireless local area data communication (e.g., Bluetooth or WiFi) are used to broadcast to mobile stations location information and/or identification information, which can be used to look up for the location information, to improve the precision of position solutions in a wide area position determination system (e.g., a GPS system, an AFLT system, or a hybrid system). In one embodiment, the location information and/or the identification information are site specific; and, the distribution and the transmission strength of the microcell beacons are adjusted to prevent misidentification. In one embodiment, the microcell beacons have the transmission capability but not the receiving capability for wireless local area data communication; and, the mobile station has the receiving capability but not the transmission capability for wireless local area data communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, first signals from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

obtaining, by the mobile device, one or more first measurements based, at least in part, on the first signals;

receiving, by the mobile device, second signals broadcasted from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

determining, by the mobile device, a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

obtaining, by the mobile device, one or more second measurements based, at least in part, on the second signals, wherein obtaining at least one of the second measurements includes computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for the second signals broadcast from the first one of the microcell beacon stations; and

combining the first and second measurements and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations to compute an estimated location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one of the microcell beacon stations includes a Bluetooth transmitter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one of the microcell beacon stations includes a WiFi transmitter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wide area position system transmitters are part of a satellite positioning system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the location comprises a street address associated with a location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the location comprises latitude and longitude position coordinates associated with a location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information indicative of the location further comprises altitude position coordinates associated with the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations.

8. A mobile device comprising:

a first receiver to acquire first signals transmitted from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

a second receiver to acquire second signals transmitted from one or more local microcell beacons, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations; and

a processor to;

obtain one or more first measurements based, at least in part, on the first acquired signals;

determine a received signal strength level of each of the acquired second signals;

obtain one or more second measurements based, at least in part, on the second signals, wherein obtaining at least one of the second measurements includes computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for the second respective second signals; and

combine the first and second measurements and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations to compute an estimated location of the mobile device.

9. An article comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable medium containing computer program instructions which, when retrieved from the medium and executed by one or more processors of a mobile device, instruct the one or more processors to;

receive first signals from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

obtain one or more first measurements based, at least in part, on the first signals;

receive second signals broadcasted from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

determine a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

obtain one or more second measurements based, at least in part, on the second signals, wherein obtaining at least one of the second measurements includes computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for the second signals broadcast from the first one of the microcell beacon stations; and

combine the first and second measurements and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations to compute an estimated location of the mobile device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, by a mobile device, first signals from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters and for receiving, by the mobile device, second signals broadcasted from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

means for determining, by the mobile device, a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

means for obtaining, by the mobile device, one or more first measurements based, at least in part, on the first signals;

means for obtaining, by the mobile device, one or more second measurements based, at least in part, on the second signals, wherein obtaining at least one of the second measurements includes computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for the second signals broadcast from the first one of the microcell beacon stations; and

means for combining the first and second measurements and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations to compute an estimated location of the mobile device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, first signals transmitted from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

computing a position solution for a position of the mobile device based on the first signals;

determining that an accuracy of the position solution has degraded below a threshold level;

receiving, by the mobile device, second signals broadcasted from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

determining, by the mobile device, a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for signals received from the at least first one of the microcell beacon stations;

modifying the computed position solution or computing a new position solution based on the first range and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations in response to determining that an accuracy of the position solution computed based on the received first signals has degraded below the threshold level.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more wide area position determination system transmitters are part of a satellite positioning system (SPS).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the SPS includes at least one global positioning system (GPS) transmitter.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more wide area position determination system transmitters include one or more cellular transmitters.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second signals are transmitted from locally fixed beacon stations.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations includes latitude and longitude coordinates of the first one of the microcell beacon stations.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations includes a street address of the first one of the microcell beacon stations.

18. A mobile device comprising:

a first receiver to acquire first signals transmitted from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

a second receiver to acquire second signals broadcast from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

a processor to;

compute a position solution for a position of the mobile device based on the first signals;

determine that an accuracy of the position solution has degraded below a threshold level;

determine a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

compute at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for signals acquired from the at least first one of the microcell beacon stations; and

modify the computed position solution or compute a new position solution based on the first range and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations in response to determining that an accuracy of the position solution computed based on the acquired first signals has degraded below the threshold level.

19. An article comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable medium containing computer program instructions which, when retrieved from the medium and executed by one or more processors of a mobile device, instruct the one or more processors to;

receive first signals from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

compute a position solution based on the first signals;

determine that an accuracy of the position solution has degraded below a threshold level;

receive second signals broadcasted from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

determine a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

compute at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for signals acquired from the at least first one of the microcell beacon stations;

modify the computed position solution or compute a new position solution based on the first range and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations in response to determining that an accuracy of the position solution computed based on the first signals has degraded below the threshold level.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving first signals transmitted from one or more wide area position determination system transmitters;

means for computing a position solution for a position of the mobile device based on the first signals;

means for receiving second signals broadcast from one or more microcell beacon stations, the second signals including a transmission strength level of the respective second signals and information indicative of a location of the respective microcell beacon stations;

means for determining that an accuracy of the position solution has degraded below a threshold level;

means for determining that a received signal strength level of each of the second signals;

means for computing at least a first range to at least a first one of the microcell beacon stations based, at least in part, on the transmission strength level and the determined received signal strength level for signals acquired from the at least first one of the microcell beacon stations; and

means for modifying the computed position solution or computing a new position solution based on the first range and the information indicative of the location of the first one of the microcell beacon stations in response to determining that an accuracy of the position solution computed based on the first signals has degraded below the threshold level.