Determination of base station location based on other serving locations available to client devices

• US 9,253,595 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Talley, Ryan S., Allen, Kyle C., Antoun, Nicolas A. Nehme
• Primary Examiner(s): Prez-Gutirrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pannell, Mark G.
• Application Number:
  US14/168,275
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 340/8.1, 3423572-35764, 342/450, 342/451, 342/453, 342/457, 455/404.2, 455/440, 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for determining base station location from neighbor lists of client devices is disclosed. When base station attempts and fails to acquire a satellite-based location fix, it can identify client devices operating within its service range, and query them for their respective neighbor lists. Upon receiving neighbor lists from one or more of the queried client devices, the base station can merge the lists into a composite list. The base station can then determine the locations of the base stations in the composite list, and compute a centroid from the locations. The base station can then adopt the centroid location as its own location.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a base station of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

initiating wireless data communications with each of a group of wireless communication devices within a coverage area of the base station;

subsequent to initiating the wireless data communications, transmitting a request to each respective wireless communication device of the group for a respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device;

in response to the request, receiving respective lists from one or more wireless communication devices of the group;

merging the received respective lists into a composite list of other base stations available for serving the one or more wireless communication devices of the group;

estimating a location of the base station based on a centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list;

the base station adopting the centroid as a determined location of the base station; and

the base station using the determined location in a request for authorization to operate in the wireless communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station includes a satellite-based positioning system receiver,

and wherein initiating the wireless data communications is responsive to the base station attempting and failing to acquire a satellite-based positioning system fix with the satellite-based positioning system receiver.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the base station attempting and failing to acquire a satellite-based positioning system fix with the satellite-based positioning system receiver comprises the base station failing to acquire a satellite-based positioning system fix within a predetermined amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication system comprises one or more macro base stations and one or more micro base stations,

and wherein the base station is micro base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device includes information indicating an identity for each base station in the list,

and wherein estimating the location of the base station based on the centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list comprises:

determining respective locations for a plurality of base stations in the composite list; and

determining a centroid location based on the respective locations for the plurality.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the base station and the base stations in the composite list are communicatively connected by a backhaul network of the wireless communication system,

and wherein determining the respective locations for the plurality of base stations in the composite list comprises:

sending a location request to each respective base station of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network; and

receiving a respective response from each of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network, each respective response including information indicating a location of the respective base station.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the respective locations for the plurality of base stations in the composite list comprises:

sending information indicating the identity for each base station in the composite list to a server device in the wireless communication system; and

receiving from the server device a response including information indicating a location of each of the plurality of base stations in the composite list.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device includes information indicating an identity for each base station in the list,

and wherein estimating the location of the base station based on the centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list comprises:

sending information indicating the identity for each base station in the composite list to a server device in the wireless communication system; and

receiving from the server device a response including a centroid location of a plurality of base stations in the composite list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to operate according to at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), 1X Radio Transmission Technology (1X-RTT), or Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO),

and wherein the respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device is a neighbor list of available wireless coverage areas, each of the wireless coverage areas being a cell or a sector.

10. A base station configured for operating in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

one or more processors;

memory accessible by the one or more processors; and

machine-readable instructions stored in the memory, that upon execution by the one or more processors cause the base station to carry out functions including;

initiating wireless data communications with each of a group of wireless communication devices within a coverage area of the base station,

subsequent to initiating the wireless data communications, transmitting a request to each respective wireless communication device of the group for a respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device,

in response to the request, receiving respective lists from one or more wireless communication devices of the group,

merging the received respective lists into a composite list of other base stations available for serving the one or more wireless communication devices of the group, and estimating a location of the base station based on a centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list;

the base station adopting the centroid as a determined location of the base station; and

the base station using the determined location in a request for authorization to operate in the wireless communication system.

11. The base station of claim 10, further comprising a satellite-based positioning system receiver,

and wherein initiating the wireless data communications is responsive to the base station attempting and failing to acquire a satellite-based positioning system fix with the satellite-based positioning system receiver.

12. The base station of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication system comprises one or more macro base stations and one or more micro base stations,

and wherein the base station is micro base station.

13. The base station of claim 10, wherein each respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device includes information indicating an identity for each base station in the list,

and wherein estimating the location of the base station based on the centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list comprises:

determining respective locations for a plurality of base stations in the composite list; and

determining a centroid location based on the respective locations for the plurality.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the base station and the base stations in the composite list are communicatively connected by a backhaul network of the wireless communication system,

and wherein determining the respective locations for the plurality of base stations in the composite list comprises:

sending a location request to each respective base station of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network; and

receiving a respective response from each of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network, each respective response including information indicating a location of the respective base station.

15. The base station of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to operate according to at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), 1X Radio Transmission Technology (1X-RTT), or Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO),

and wherein the respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device is a neighbor list of available wireless coverage areas, each of the wireless coverage areas being a cell or a sector.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by one or more processors of a base station, cause the base station to carry out functions including:

initiating wireless data communications with each of a group of wireless communication devices within a coverage area of the base station;

subsequent to initiating the wireless data communications, transmitting a request to each respective wireless communication device of the group for a respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device;

in response to the request, receiving respective lists from one or more wireless communication devices of the group;

merging the received respective lists into a composite list of other base stations available for serving the one or more wireless communication devices of the group; and

estimating a location of the base station based on a centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list;

the base station adopting the centroid as a determined location of the base station; and

the base station using the determined location in a request for authorization to operate in the wireless communication system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising a satellite-based positioning system receiver,

and wherein initiating the wireless data communications is responsive to the base station attempting and failing to acquire a satellite-based positioning system fix with the satellite-based positioning system receiver.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,

wherein each respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device includes information indicating an identity for each base station in the list,

and wherein estimating the location of the base station based on the centroid of the locations of the base stations in the composite list comprises:

determining respective locations for a plurality of base stations in the composite list; and

determining a centroid location based on the respective locations for the plurality.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the base station and the base stations in the composite list are communicatively connected by a backhaul network of the wireless communication system,

and wherein determining the respective locations for the plurality of base stations in the composite list comprises:

sending a location request to each respective base station of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network; and

receiving a respective response from each of the plurality of base stations via the backhaul network, each respective response including information indicating a location of the respective base station.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to operate according to at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), 1X Radio Transmission Technology (1X-RTT), or Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO),

and wherein the respective list of other base stations available for serving the respective wireless communication device is a neighbor list of available wireless coverage areas, each of the wireless coverage areas being a cell or a sector.