Methods and apparatus for wireless device positioning in multicarrier configurations

• US 9,363,782 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tenny, Nathan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US13/529,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20120329476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

The described aspects include methods and apparatus for performing positioning for a user equipment (UE). The UE can communicate with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, and can indicate a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server. The positioning server can obtain location information corresponding to at least a portion of a plurality of cells, or related eNBs, related to the plurality of serving cell identifiers, and can communicate the location information to the UE. The UE can perform positioning based at least in part on the location information.

Claims

1. A method for performing positioning for a user equipment (UE), comprising:

communicating with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers;

indicating a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server;

receiving, from the positioning server, location information for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in response to the message, wherein the location information for one of the plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a serving cell additionally corresponds to neighboring cells of the corresponding serving cell or other cells selected based at least in part on the corresponding serving cell; and

performing positioning for a UE based at least in part on the received location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the other cells are within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of serving cells, use a similar operating frequency as at least one of the plurality of serving cells, or are within radio visibility of at least one of the plurality of serving cells.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of serving cell identifiers correspond to a global cell identifier, an operating frequency of the plurality of serving cells, or a carrier identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicating comprises including the plurality of serving cell identifiers as a Location ID in the SUPL message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicating comprises including the plurality of serving cell identifiers in a list of Multiple Location IDs in the SUPL message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indicating comprises setting a serving cell flag to TRUE for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the indicating comprises specifying that each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs have the same timestamp.

10. An apparatus for performing positioning for a user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for communicating with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers;

means indicating a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server;

means for receiving, from the positioning server, location information for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in response to the message, wherein the location information for one of the plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a serving cell additionally corresponds to neighboring cells of the corresponding serving cell or other cells selected based at least in part on the corresponding serving cell; and

means for performing positioning for a UE based at least in part on the received location information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the other cells are within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of serving cells, use a similar operating frequency as at least one of the plurality of serving cells, or are within radio visibility of at least one of the plurality of serving cells.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of serving cell identifiers correspond to a global cell identifier, an operating frequency of the plurality of serving cells, or a carrier identifier.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the message is a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for indicating includes the plurality of serving cell identifiers as a Location ID in the SUPL message.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for indicating includes the plurality of serving cell identifiers in a list of Multiple Location IDs in the SUPL message.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for indicating sets a serving cell flag to TRUE for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for indicating specifies that each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs have the same timestamp.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code comprising:

code for communicating with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers;

code for indicating a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server;

code for receiving, from the positioning server, location information for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in response to the message, wherein the location information for one of the plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a serving cell additionally corresponds to neighboring cells of the corresponding serving cell or other cells selected based at least in part on the corresponding serving cell; and

code for performing positioning for a UE based at least in part on the received location information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the other cells are within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of serving cells, use a similar operating frequency as at least one of the plurality of serving cells, or are within radio visibility of at least one of the plurality of serving cells.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of serving cell identifiers correspond to a global cell identifier, an operating frequency of the plurality of serving cells, or a carrier identifier.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the message is a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the code for indicating includes the plurality of serving cell identifiers as a Location ID in the SUPL message.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the code for indicating includes the plurality of serving cell identifiers in a list of Multiple Location IDs in the SUPL message.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the cod for indicating sets a serving cell flag to TRUE for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the code for indicating specifies that each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs have the same timestamp.

28. An apparatus for performing positioning for a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to;

communicate with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers;

indicate a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server;

receive, from the positioning server, location information for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in response to the message, wherein the location information for one of the plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a serving cell additionally corresponds to neighboring cells of the corresponding serving cell or other cells selected based at least in part on the corresponding serving cell; and

perform positioning for a UE based at least in part on the received location information.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the other cells are within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of serving cells, use a similar operating frequency as at least one of the plurality of serving cells, or are within radio visibility of at least one of the plurality of serving cells.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the plurality of serving cell identifiers correspond to a global cell identifier, an operating frequency of the plurality of serving cells, or a carrier identifier.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the message is a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the instructions being executable by the processor to indicate the plurality of serving cell identifiers specify the plurality of serving cell identifiers as a Location ID in the SUPL message.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the instructions being executable by the processor to indicate the plurality of serving cell identifiers specify the plurality of serving cell identifiers in a list of Multiple Location IDs in the SUPL message.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the instructions being executable by the processor to indicate the plurality of serving cell identifiers set a serving cell flag to TRUE for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the instructions being executable by the processor to indicate the plurality of serving cell identifiers specify that each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs have the same timestamp.

37. An apparatus for performing positioning for a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a multicarrier communicating component configured to communicate with a plurality of serving cells in a multicarrier configuration, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers;

a serving cell identifier providing component configured to indicate a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to the plurality of serving cells in a message to a positioning server;

a location information receiving component configured to receive, from the positioning server, location information for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in response to the message, wherein the location information for one of the plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a serving cell additionally corresponds to neighboring cells of the corresponding serving cell or other cells selected based at least in part on the corresponding serving cell; and

a positioning component configured to perform positioning for a UE based at least in part on the received location information.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the other cells are within a threshold distance of at least one of the plurality of serving cells, use a similar operating frequency as at least one of the plurality of serving cells, or are within radio visibility of at least one of the plurality of serving cells.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the plurality of serving cell identifiers correspond to a global cell identifier, an operating frequency of the plurality of serving cells, or a carrier identifier.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the message is a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the serving cell identifier providing component is further configured to include the plurality of serving cell identifiers as a Location ID in the SUPL message.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the serving cell identifier providing component is further configured to include the plurality of serving cell identifiers in a list of Multiple Location IDs in the SUPL message.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the serving cell identifier providing component is further configured to set a serving cell flag to TRUE for each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the serving cell identifier providing component is further configured to specify that each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers in the list of Multiple Location IDs have the same timestamp.

46. A method for providing location information to a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving a message comprising a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells related to a UE, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier with the UE and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers with the UE;

obtaining location information corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of serving cells related to each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers, wherein obtaining location information comprises including location information of one or more nearby cells related to each of the plurality of serving cells; and

communicating the location information to the UE.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein:

obtaining the location information comprises obtaining intra-frequency location information corresponding to one or more other cells utilizing a similar operating frequency as the plurality of serving cells; and

communicating the location information comprises communicating the intra-frequency location information to the UE along with one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more other cells.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message or a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

49. An apparatus for providing location information to a user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for receiving a message comprising a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells related to a UE, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier with the UE and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers with the UE;

means for obtaining location information corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of serving cells related to each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers, the location information including location information of one or more nearby cells related to each of the plurality of serving cells; and

means for communicating the location information to the UE.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the means for obtaining further obtains intra-frequency location information corresponding to one or more other cells utilizing a similar operating frequency as the plurality of serving cells, and the means for communicating further communicates the intra-frequency location information to the UE along with one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more other cells.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message or a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

52. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code comprising:

code for receiving a message comprising a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells related to a UE, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier with the UE and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers with the UE;

code for obtaining location information corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of serving cells related to each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers, the location information including location information of one or more nearby cells related to each of the plurality of serving cells; and

code for communicating the location information to the UE.

53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the code for obtaining further obtains intra-frequency location information corresponding to one or more other cells utilizing a similar operating frequency as the plurality of serving cells, and the code for communicating further communicates the intra-frequency location information to the UE along with one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more other cells.

54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message or a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

55. An apparatus for providing location information to a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to;

receive a message comprising a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells related to a UE, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier with the UE and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers with the UE;

obtain location information corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of serving cells related to each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers, the location information including location information of one or more nearby cells related to each of the plurality of serving cells; and

communicate the location information to the UE.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the instructions being further executable by the processor to:

obtain the location information including intra-frequency location information corresponding to one or more other cells utilizing a similar operating frequency as the plurality of serving cells; and

communicate the location information including the intra-frequency location information to the UE along with one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more other cells.

57. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message or a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.

58. An apparatus for providing location information to a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a serving cell identifier receiving component configured to receive a message comprising a plurality of serving cell identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells related to a UE, wherein the plurality of serving cells include a serving cell associated with a primary component carrier with the UE and one or more other serving cells associated with one or more secondary component carriers with the UE;

a location information determining component configured to obtain location information corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of serving cells related to each of the plurality of serving cell identifiers, the location information including location information of one or more nearby cells related to each of the plurality of serving cells; and

a location information communicating component configured to communicate the location information to the UE.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the location information determining component is configured to obtain the location information including intra-frequency location information corresponding to one or more other cells utilizing a similar operating frequency as the plurality of serving cells, and wherein the location information communicating component is configured to communicate the location information including the intra-frequency location information to the UE along with one or more identifiers corresponding to the one or more other cells.

60. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the message is a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) message or a secure user plane location (SUPL) message.