Base station location determination

• US 9,426,621 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Shankar, Tjio, Lee K., Yang, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seyedvosoghi, Farid
• Application Number:
  US14/189,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A device may determine to initiate a location determination for a base station. The device may identify a set of positioning measurements associated with the location determination. The device may identify a set of other devices to be associated with the set of positioning measurements. The device may provide configuration information for the set of positioning measurements to the set of other devices. The device may determine information associated with the set of positioning measurements based on providing the configuration information. The device may determine a location in which the base station is located based on determining the information associated with the set of positioning measurements.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising:

one or more processors to;

initiate a location determination for the base station;

select a first location determination technique and a second location determination technique for the location determination,

the first location determination technique being different than the second location determination technique;

identify a first positioning measurement, associated with the first location determination technique, and a second positioning measurement associated with the second location determination technique, the first positioning measurement being different than the second positioning measurement;

provide information associated with configuring a first device to perform the first positioning measurement and a second device to perform the second positioning measurement;

provide, to the first device, a first signal for performing the first positioning measurement;

provide, to the second device, a second signal for performing the second positioning measurement;

receive, from the first device, information associated with the first positioning measurement based on providing the first signal;

receive, from the second device, information associated with the second positioning measurement based on providing the second signal; and

determine a location in which the base station is located based on the information associated with the first positioning measurement and the information associated with the second positioning measurement.

2. The base station of claim 1, where the first device is another base station different from the base station;

where the one or more processors, when selecting the first location determination technique or the second location determination technique, are to;

select a base station assisted position determination using user equipment functions technique, the base station assisted position determination using user equipment functions technique being associated with base station sounding via an uplink sounding reference signal; and

where the one or more processors, when providing the first signal for performing the first positioning measurement, are to;

provide the uplink sounding reference signal to the other base station.

3. The base station of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when receiving the information associated with the first positioning measurement, are to:

receive timestamp information associated with the first signal; and

where the one or more processors, when determining the location, are to;

tri-laterate the location based on the timestamp information.

4. The base station of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when receiving the information associated with the first positioning measurement, are to:

receive signal strength information associated with the first signal; and

where the one or more processors, when determining the location, are to;

triangulate the location based on the signal strength information.

5. The base station of claim 1, where the first device is a user device;

where the one or more processors are further to;

determine an accuracy factor for the location associated with the base station;

determine that the accuracy factor does not satisfy an accuracy threshold;

where the one or more processors, when determining to initiate the location determination, are to;

initiate the location determination based on determining that the accuracy factor does not satisfy the accuracy threshold; and

where the one or more processors, when selecting the first location determination technique and the second location determination technique, are to;

select a mobile station assisted reverse position determination technique for the location determination, the mobile station reverse position determination technique being associated with utilizing mobile position estimation for the user device.

6. The base station of claim 1, where the first device is a user device;

where the one or more processors are further to;

select a mobile station assisted reverse position determination technique, the mobile station assisted reverse position determination technique being associated with utilizing a downlink positioning reference signal; and

where the one or more processors, when providing the first signal for performing the first positioning measurement, are further to;

provide the downlink positioning reference signal to the user device.

7. The base station of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine that a global positioning system location determination module is not available for location determination; and

where the one or more processors, when initiating the location determination, are to;

determine to initiate the location determination based on determining that the global positioning system location determination module is not available for location determination.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a base station, cause the one or more processors to;

initiate a location determination for the base station;

provide information associated with configuring a first device, different than the base station, to provide a first signal associated with the location determination, the first device being associated with a first location;

provide information associated with configuring a second device, different than the base station, to provide a second signal associated with the location determination, the second device being associated with a second location;

receive the first signal based on providing the information associated with configuring the first device to provide the first signal;

receive the second signal based on providing the information associated with configuring the second device to provide the second signal;

generate a first positioning measurement associated with the first signal based on receiving the first signal;

generate a second positioning measurement associated with the second signal based on receiving the second signal, the second positioning measurement being different than the first positioning measurement; and

determine a location in which the base station is located based on;

the first positioning measurement and the first location, and the second positioning measurement and the second location.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the first device is another base station that is different than the base station;

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to;

select a base station assisted position determination using user equipment functions technique for location determination, the base station assisted position determination using user equipment functions technique being associated with a coordinated downlink positioning reference signal; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the information associated with configuring the first device, cause the one or more processors to;

provide information associated with configuring the other base station to provide the coordinated downlink positioning reference signal.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the first device is a user device;

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to;

select a mobile station assisted reverse position determination technique for location determination, the mobile station assisted reverse position determination technique being associated with an uplink sounding reference signal; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the information associated with configuring the first device, cause the one or more processors to;

provide information associated with configuring the user device to provide the uplink sounding reference signal.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the information associated with configuring the first device to provide the first signal, cause the one or more processors to:

provide a signal identifier associated with the first signal; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the first signal, cause the one or more processors to;

receive the first signal based on identifying the signal identifier associated with the first signal.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the information associated with configuring the first device to provide the first signal, cause the one or more processor to:

provide signal identification information identifying a time and a frequency associated with the first signal;

configure the base station to identify the first signal based on the signal identification information; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the first signal, cause the one or more processors to;

receive the first signal after configuring the base station to identify the first signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the location in which the base station is located is unknown; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to initiate the location determination for the base station, cause the one or more processors to;

initiate the location determination based on determining that the location in which the base station is located is unknown.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

identify a set of other positioning measurements;

determine a set of weighting factors associated with the first positioning measurement and the set of other positioning measurements;

process the first positioning measurement and the set of other positioning measurements based on the set of weighting factors; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the location in which the base station is located, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the location in which the base station is located based on processing the positioning measurement and the set of other positioning measurements.

15. A method comprising:

determining, by a base station, to initiate a location determination for the base station;

identifying, by the base station, a set of positioning measurements associated with the location determination,

the set of positioning measurements including a first positioning measurement and a second positioning measurement different than the first positioning measurement,

the first positioning measurement being associated with a first location determination technique, and

the second positioning measurement being associated with a second location determination technique that is different than the first location determination technique;

identifying, by the base station, a set of devices to be associated with the set of positioning measurements;

providing, by the base station, configuration information for the set of positioning measurements to the set of devices;

determining, by the base station, information associated with the set of positioning measurements based on providing the configuration information; and

determining, by the base station, a location in which the base station is located based on determining the information associated with the set of positioning measurements.

16. The method of claim 15, where providing the configuration information for the set of positioning measurements comprises:

providing information associated with configuring the set of devices to receive a set of signals for the set of positioning measurements;

providing the set of signals, to the set of devices for reception, based on providing the information associated with configuring the set of devices to receive the set of signals; and

where determining the information associated with the set of positioning measurements comprises;

receiving the information associated with the set of positioning measurements based on providing the set of signals,

the information including the set of positioning measurements, and

the set of positioning measurements having been determined by the set of devices.

17. The method of claim 15, where providing the configuration information for the set of positioning measurements comprises:

providing information identifying a set of signals to be generated by the set of devices;

receiving the set of signals from the set of devices based on providing the information identifying the set of signals to be generated; and

where determining the information associated with the set of positioning measurements comprises;

determining the information associated with the set of positioning measurements based on receiving the set of signals.

18. The method of claim 15, where the set of devices include a set of other base stations;

and

where providing the configuration information further comprises;

identifying one or more particular signals for determining one or more positioning measurements of the set of positioning measurements, the one or more particular signals being associated with one or more communications with the set of other base stations; and

determining the information associated with the one or more positioning measurements based on identifying the one or more particular signals.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying an adjustment to a neighbor list associated with the base station; and

where determining to initiate the location determination for the base station comprises;

determining to initiate the location determination based on identifying the adjustment to the neighbor list.

20. The method of claim 15, where the set of devices includes one or more user devices and/or one or more other base stations;

and

where determining the location in which the base station is located comprises;

determining a set of estimated locations in which the base station is located based on the set of positioning measurements; and

triangulating the location in which the base station is located based on the set of estimated locations.