Locating user equipment in a wireless network

• US 9,553,639 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Babaei, Alireza, Campos, Luis Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): ANWAR, MOHAMMAD S
• Application Number:
  US14/471,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and methods presented herein provide for locating user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network. The system includes one or more wireless access points, wherein each wireless access point is operable to detect signal of a UE in the wireless communication network, and to train with the UE to establish a communication link with the UE. The system also includes a network processing element communicatively coupled to the wireless access points and operable to extract channel estimation and signal strength information of the UE from the wireless access points via said training with the UE, to compare the channel estimation and signal strength information of the UE from the wireless access points to stored signatures of the UE, and to determine a location of the UE in the wireless communication network based on the comparisons.

Claims

1. A method of locating user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

detecting signaling of a UE via multiple wireless access points in the wireless communication network while the UE is in an offline phase;

training the wireless access points with the UE while the UE is in the offline phase;

storing signatures via said training with the UE, each stored signature comprising signal strength and Multiple Input/Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) channel estimation information for the multiple wireless access points;

normalizing the MIMO-OFDM channel estimation information of the stored signatures by multiplying antenna orientations of the UE to a ratio of maximum antenna gain of the UE towards each wireless access point;

detecting that the UE has entered an online phase;

comparing MIMO-OFDM channel estimation and signal strength information of the UE for each of the wireless access points, while the UE is in the online phase, to the stored signatures; and

determining a location of the UE in the wireless communication network based on the comparisons.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming multiple UEs into a cluster;

determining which of the UEs in the cluster has a capacity operable to form the UE into a subservient wireless access point; and

directing the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point to the remaining UEs in the cluster.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the capacity comprises a signal strength of the UE, a processor speed of the UE, a memory size of the UE, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

directing the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point further comprises directing the determined UE to communicate to the remaining UEs in the cluster via WiFi, Bluetooth, Infra Red, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless communication network comprises WiFi signaling, Long Term Evolution signaling, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the online phase operates at a higher code rate Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) than the offline phase.

7. A system of locating user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

multiple wireless access points, wherein each wireless access point is operable to detect signaling of a UE in the wireless communication network while the UE is in an offline phase, and to train with the UE while the UE is in the offline phase; and

a network processing element communicatively coupled to the wireless access points and operable to store signatures via said training with the UE, each stored signature comprising signal strength and Multiple Input/Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) channel estimation information for the multiple wireless access points, to normalize the MIMO-OFDM channel estimation information of the stored signatures by multiplying antenna orientations of the UE to a ratio of maximum antenna gain of the UE towards each wireless access point, to detect that the UE has entered an online phase, to compare MIMO-OFDM channel estimation and signal strength information of the UE for each of the wireless access points, while the UE is in the online phase, to the stored signatures, and to determine a location of the UE in the wireless communication network based on the comparisons.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the network processing element is further operable to determine a location of another UE in the wireless communication network via the wireless access points, form the UEs into a cluster, determine which of the UEs in the cluster has a capacity operable to form the UE into a subservient wireless access point, and to direct the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point to the remaining UEs in the cluster.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the capacity comprises a signal strength of the UE, a processor speed of the UE, a memory size of the UE, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the network processing element is further operable to direct the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point further comprises directing the determined UE to communicate to the remaining UEs in the cluster via WiFi, Bluetooth, Infra Red, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the wireless communication network comprises WiFi signaling, Long Term Evolution signaling, or a combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the online phase operates at a higher code rate Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) than the offline phase.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium operable in a network processing element of a wireless communication network, the computer readable medium comprising instruction that, when executed by the network processing element, direct the network processing element to:

detect signaling of a UE via multiple wireless access points in the wireless communication network while the UE is in an offline phase;

train the wireless access points with the UE while the UE is in the offline phase;

store signatures via said training with the UE, each stored signature comprising signal strength and Multiple Input/Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) channel estimation information for the multiple wireless access points;

normalize the MIMO-OFDM channel estimation information of the stored signatures by multiplying antenna orientations of the UE to a ratio of maximum antenna gain of the UE towards each wireless access point;

detect that the UE has entered an online phase;

compare MIMO-OFDM channel estimation and signal strength information of the UE for each of the wireless access points, while the UE is in the online phase, to the stored signatures; and

determine a location of the UE in the wireless communication network based on the comparisons.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that direct the network processing element to:

form multiple UEs into a cluster;

determine which of the UEs in the cluster has a capacity operable to form the UE into a subservient wireless access point; and

direct the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point to the remaining UEs in the cluster.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the capacity comprises a signal strength of the UE, a processor speed of the UE, a memory size of the UE, or a combination thereof.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that direct the network processing element to:

direct the determined UE to operate as the subservient wireless access point further comprises directing the determined UE to communicate to the remaining UEs in the cluster via WiFi, Bluetooth, Infra Red, or a combination thereof.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the online phase operates at a higher code rate Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) than the offline phase.