Wireless network hybrid positioning

• US 9,335,419 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Moeglein, Mark, Rowitch, Douglas, Riley, Wyatt, DeLoach, James Douglass Jr., Sheynblat, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US13/354,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20120115508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• 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: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0258 by combining or switching between measurements derived from different systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• 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 position determination and other operations. In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile station uses wireless signals from a plurality of wireless networks (e.g., with different air interfaces and/or operated by different service providers) for position determination (e.g., for data communication, for obtaining time and/or frequency information, for range measurement, for sector or altitude estimation). In one embodiment of the present invention, mobile stations are used to harvest statistical data about wireless access points (e.g., the locations of mobile stations that have received signals from the wireless access points, such as from cellular base stations, wireless local area network access points, repeaters for positioning signals or other wireless communication transmitters) and to derive location information (e.g., position and coverage area of the wireless access points) for the wireless networks from the collected statistical data.

Claims

1. A method of determining a location of a mobile station, the method comprising:

receiving wireless signals from a first wireless access point of a first wireless network, wherein the first wireless network is a cellular network;

receiving wireless signals from a second wireless access point of a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are separate and distinct, the second wireless network is a wireless local area network, the second wireless access point is a wireless local area network access point, and the wireless signals from the second wireless access point indicate a media access control (MAC) address of the second wireless access point;

determining one or more timing measurements and a cellular telephone base station identifier based on the wireless signals from the first wireless network;

accessing a first base station almanac server associated with the first wireless network for a first location of the first wireless access point based on the cellular telephone base station identifier, wherein the first base station almanac server stores locations of multiple wireless access points associated with the first wireless network;

accessing a location server for a coverage area second location of the second wireless access point based on the MAC address, wherein the location second base station almanac server stores coverage areas locations of multiple wireless access points; and

determining the location of the mobile station based at least in part on the first location of the first wireless access point, the coverage area of the second location of the second wireless access point, and the one or more timing measurements.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at a receiver, Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signals from SPS satellites;

wherein the act of determining the location of the mobile station is further based on the SPS signals from the SPS satellites.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are operated by different service providers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network operate different communication protocols and are operated by a common service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the mobile station occurs at the location server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station is not subscribed to the first wireless network, and wherein the mobile station is permitted access to the second wireless network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining assistance data from the first wireless network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the assistance data comprises Satellite Positioning System (SPS) assistance data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining assistance data from the first wireless network; and

transmitting pseudorange measurements to the location server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more timing measurements comprise a pseudorange measurement from the first wireless network; and

the act of determining the location of the mobile station comprises determining the location of the mobile station based on the pseudorange measurement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the mobile station is further based on one or more timing measurements based on wireless signals received from third and fourth wireless networks.

12. An apparatus for determining a location of a mobile station, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving wireless signals from a first wireless access point of a first wireless network, wherein the first network is a cellular network;

means for receiving wireless signals from a second wireless access point of a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are separate and distinct, the second wireless network is a wireless local area network, the second wireless access point is a wireless local area network access point, and the wireless signals from the second wireless access point indicate a media access control (MAC) address of the second wireless access point;

means for determining one or more timing measurements and a cellular telephone base station identifier based on the wireless signals from the first wireless network and;

means for accessing a first base station almanac server associated with the first wireless network for a first location of the first wireless access point based on the cellular telephone base station identifier, wherein the first base station almanac server stores locations of multiple wireless access points associated with the first wireless network;

means for accessing a location server for a coverage area second location of the second wireless access point based on the MAC address, wherein the location second base station almanac server stores coverage areas of multiple wireless access points; and

means for determining the location of the mobile station based at least in part on the first location of the first wireless access point, the coverage area of the second location of the second wireless access point, and the one or more timing measurements.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mobile station is not subscribed to the first wireless network, and wherein the mobile station is permitted access to the second wireless network.

14. A mobile device comprising a processor and a memory wherein the memory comprises software configured to cause the mobile device to:

cause wireless signals to be received from a first wireless access point of a first wireless network, wherein the first wireless network is a cellular network;

cause wireless signals to be received from a second wireless access point of a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are separate and distinct, the second wireless network is a wireless local area network, the second wireless access point is a wireless local area network access point, and the wireless signals from the second wireless access point indicate a media access control (MAC) address of the second wireless access point;

determine one or more timing measurements and a cellular telephone base station identifier based on the wireless signals from the first wireless network;

cause a first base station almanac server associated with the first wireless network to be accessed for a first location of the first wireless access point based on the cellular telephone base station identifier, wherein the first base station almanac server stores coverage areas of multiple wireless access points associated with the first wireless network; and

cause a location server to be accessed for a coverage area second location of the second wireless access point based on the MAC address, wherein the location second base station almanac server stores locations of multiple wireless access points; and

the location of the mobile station is determined based at least in part on the first location of the first wireless access point, the coverage area of the second wireless access point, and the one or more timing measurements.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the mobile station is not subscribed to the first wireless network, and wherein the mobile station is permitted access to the second wireless network.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for determining a location of a mobile station having memory and a processor, said method comprising operations of:

cause wireless signals to be received from a first wireless access point of a first wireless network, wherein the first wireless network is a cellular network;

cause wireless signals to be received from a second wireless access point of a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are separate and distinct, the second wireless network is a wireless local area network, the second wireless access point is a wireless local area network access point, and the wireless signals from the second wireless access point indicate a media access control (MAC) address of the second wireless access point;

determine one or more timing measurements and a cellular telephone base station identifier based on the wireless signals from the first wireless network;

cause a first base station almanac server associated with the first wireless network to be accessed for a first location of the first wireless access point based on the cellular telephone base station identifier, wherein the first base station almanac server stores coverage areas of multiple wireless access points associated with the first wireless network; and

cause a location to be accessed for a coverage area of the second wireless access point based on the MAC address, wherein, the location second base station almanac server stores locations of multiple wireless access points; and

the location of the mobile station is determined based at least in part on the first location of the first wireless access point, the coverage area second location of the second wireless access point, and the one or more timing measurements.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile station is not subscribed to the first wireless network, and wherein the mobile station is permitted access to the second wireless network.