Method and apparatus for compensating signal timing measurements for differences in signal frequencies

• US 9,462,563 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Siomina, Iana, Kazmi, Muhammad
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hanh N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JOSE L
• Application Number:
  US13/257,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 370/421, 370503-520, 455/456.1, 455/67.11, 455/456.2, 375/355, 375/362, 375/363, 375/364, 375/371, 375/373
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/004 compensating for timing error of reception due to propagation delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods (100) and apparatuses (12, 24, 38) taught herein advantageously facilitate use of timing measurements in wireless communication networks (10) where radio signal timing measurements involve signals at different carrier frequencies. The methods and apparatuses in particular compensate such timing measurements for expected discrepancies in the measurements that arise from frequency-dependent differences in the propagation behavior of the radio signals being measured. In a non-limiting example, measurements at two or more frequencies may be compensated for the frequency distance between those frequencies, or with respect to a reference frequency. In such cases, timing measurements determined for one or more other radio signals are compensated as a function of the frequency distance between the reference frequency and the frequencies of such other radio signals.

Claims

1. A method of compensating timing measurement values obtained in a wireless communication network having multiple carriers operating at different carrier frequencies, said method implemented in a single first node configured for operation in the wireless communication network and comprising:

obtaining, by the single first node, a first timing measurement value for a first radio signal transmitted by the single first node at a first carrier frequency to a single second node;

obtaining, by the single first node, a second timing measurement value for a second radio signal transmitted by the single first node at a second carrier frequency to the single second node, the second radio signal being associated with the first radio signal;

determining, by the single first node, whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value, based at least in part, on an association with an emergency call and a frequency distance between the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency;

responsive to determining that timing compensation is needed, deriving, by the single first node, a compensation value based on frequency-dependent propagation differences between the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency, wherein adjusting either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value using the compensation value substantially accounts for the frequency-dependent propagation differences; and

providing, by the single first node to the single second node or other node configured for operation in the wireless communication network, the compensation value for use in compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value when used in processing by the single second node or the other node dependent on either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said processing comprises measurement processing for position estimation of the single first node or another positioning target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second carrier frequencies belong to different frequency bands.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a reference carrier frequency is pre-determined or decided prior to the compensation and the compensation is applied with respect to the reference carrier frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value comprises at least one of:

identifying the pair of radio carriers corresponding to the first and second carriers frequencies and determining whether timing compensation is indicated for the identified pair;

or comparing the frequency distance to one or more defined frequency distance thresholds or ranges that determine whether timing compensation is needed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the compensation value as a function of the frequency distance either by computing the compensation value according to an expression that depends at least on the frequency distance, or selecting, based on at least the frequency distance, a precomputed compensation value from among a plurality of precomputed compensation values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value comprises deciding whether timing compensation is needed based on the frequency distance and further based on one or more parameters indicative of the propagation environment in which timing measurements associated with either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value were made.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of:

a velocity calculation associated with a node that made the timing measurements; and

a radio environment value indicating or bearing on the time dispersiveness of the propagation environment in which the timing measurements were made.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the single first node is a user equipment and wherein the method includes determining either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value at the user equipment as one of:

a received signal timing difference between the first and second radio signals;

a receive-transmit signal timing difference involving the first and second radio signals;

a round-trip-time measurement determined from the first and second radio signals;

a one way propagation delay determined from the first and second radio signals or a timing advance determined from the first and second radio signals.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving at the user equipment signaling for use in determining the compensation value to use for compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the signaling comprises radio resource control signaling from a base station or from a network controller in the wireless communication network, or comprises positioning protocol signaling from a positioning node in the wireless communication network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the single first node comprises one of a base station, a location measurement unit, a network controller or a positioning node, and wherein the method further includes receiving either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value at the single first node from the single second node or another node in the wireless communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the compensation value from the single first node at the single second node, for compensation of either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether timing compensation is needed includes determining an accuracy requirement for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value, such that timing compensation is or is not applied for a given frequency distance in dependence on the accuracy requirement applicable to either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value or applicable to a calculation dependent on either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the compensation value to use for compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value based on at least one of a parameter indicating the type of propagation environment in which the timing measurements were determined, and an accuracy requirement associated with either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the single first node or the single second node is a user equipment that is moving, and the determination whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value is based, at least in part, on how quickly the user equipment is moving.

16. A single first node configured for operation in a wireless communication network having multiple carriers operating at different carrier frequencies, said single first node comprising:

a communication interface configured for communicating with one or more other nodes within the wireless communication network; and

one or more processing circuits;

at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the node to;

obtain a first timing measurement value for a first radio signal transmitted from the single first node at a first carrier frequency to a single second node;

obtain a second timing measurement value for a second radio signal transmitted from the single first node at a second carrier frequency to the single second node, the second radio signal being associated with the first radio signal;

determine whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value, based at least in part, on an association with an emergency call and a frequency distance between the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency;

derive a compensation value to provide the timing compensation, the compensation value based on frequency-dependent propagation differences between the first and second carrier frequencies of the first radio signal and second radio signal transmitted from the single first node to the single second node or one or more other nodes in the network, where adjusting either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value using the compensation value substantially accounts for the frequency-dependent propagation differences; and

provide the compensation value to the single second node or another of the one or more other nodes for use in compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value when used in processing dependent on said either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

17. The node of claim 16, wherein a reference carrier frequency is pre-determined or decided prior to the timing compensation and wherein the single first node is configured to apply the compensation with respect to the reference carrier frequency.

18. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value based on at least one of:

identifying a pair of radio carriers corresponding to the first and second radio carriers and determining whether timing compensation is indicated for the identified pair; and

comparing the frequency distance to one or more defined frequency distance thresholds or ranges that determine whether timing compensation is needed.

19. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine the compensation value as a function of the frequency distance either by computing the compensation value according to an expression that depends on the frequency distance, or selecting, based on the frequency distance, a precomputed compensation value from among a plurality of precomputed compensation values.

20. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine whether timing compensation is needed for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value based on the frequency distance and further based on one or more parameters indicative of the propagation environment in which timing measurements associated with either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value were made.

21. The node of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of:

a velocity calculation associated with a node that made the timing measurements; and

a radio environment value indicating or bearing on the time dispersiveness of the propagation environment in which the timing measurements were made.

22. The node of claim 16, wherein the single first node is a user equipment and wherein the one or more processing circuits of the user equipment are configured to determine either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value as at least one of:

a received signal timing difference between the first and second radio signals;

a receive/transmit signal timing difference involving the first and second radio signals;

a round-trip-time measurement determined from the first and second radio signals;

a one way propagation delay determined from the first and second radio carriers or timing advance determined from the first and second radio signals.

23. The node of claim 22, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless communication interface and wherein the single second node is a base station in communication with the user equipment and the user equipment is configured to receive, via the communication interface, signaling indicating the compensation value to use for compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

24. The node of claim 23, wherein the signaling comprises radio resource control signaling from a base station in the wireless communication network, or comprises positioning protocol signaling from a positioning node in the wireless communication network, and wherein the user equipment is configured to implement at least one of a radio resource control protocol for processing radio resource control protocol signaling and a positioning protocol for processing positioning protocol signaling.

25. The node of claim 16, wherein the single first node comprises a base station or a positioning node, and wherein the one or more other node is user equipment in the wireless communication network.

26. The node of claim 25, wherein the single second node is configured to receive the compensation value from the single first node, for compensation of either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

27. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine whether timing compensation is needed further based on an accuracy requirement for either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value, such that timing compensation is or is not applied for a given frequency distance in dependence on the accuracy requirement applicable to either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value or applicable to a calculation dependent on either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

28. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to determine the compensation value to use for compensating either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value based on at least one of a parameter indicating the type of propagation environment in which timing measurements associated with either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value were determined, and an accuracy requirement associated with either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value.

29. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits comprises a timing measurement compensation circuit that is configured to apply the compensation value to either or both of the first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value, thereby obtaining one or more compensated timing measurement values.

30. The node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to provide the one or more compensated timing measurement values for use in processing dependent on said either or both first timing measurement value or the second timing measurement value based on one of:

providing the one or more compensated timing measurement values to a local processing circuit within the single first node, for use by the local processing circuit in performing said processing dependent on the one or more compensated timing measurement values;

or providing the one or more compensated timing measurement values for transmission from a communication interface of the single first node, for sending the one or more compensated timing measurement values to the single second node or another of the one or more other nodes that performs said processing dependent on the one or more compensated timing measurement values.