Mobile terminal, and locating method and device

• US 9,560,623 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Leng, Wen, Li, Chao
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US14/774,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/446, 370/252, 370/328, 370/342, 340/572.1, 342/394, 342/442
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/14 Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction aerial arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00; combinations of different interacting aerial units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q21/29; aerials or aerial systems providing at least two radiation patterns H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A mobile terminal, and a locating method and device are provided, wherein the mobile terminal includes a first antenna, configured to transmit a first signal to an anchor node, wherein the first signal is used by the anchor node to detect the signal strength of the first antenna; a second antenna, arranged with the first antenna according to a preset angle and configured to transmit a second signal to the anchor node, wherein the second signal is used by the anchor node to detect the signal strength of the second antenna. The preset angle enables the coverage of the first antenna and the second antenna to be overlapped to some extent. The signal strength of the first antenna and the signal strength of the second antenna are used for determining a location of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first antenna, configured to transmit a first signal to an anchor node, wherein the first signal is used by the anchor node to detect the signal strength of the first antenna;

a second antenna, arranged with the first antenna at a preset angle and configured to transmit a second signal to the anchor node, wherein the second signal is used by the anchor node to detect the signal strength of the second antenna, there is an overlap between the coverage of the first antenna and that of the second antenna due to the preset angle, and the signal strength of the first antenna and the signal strength of the second antenna are used for determining the location of the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises:

a radio frequency switch, connected with the first antenna and the second antenna, and configured to control the first antenna and the second antenna not in an open state or a closed state simultaneously.

3. A method for determining an angle between a mobile terminal and an anchor node, comprising:

determining the strength of a first signal transmitted by a first antenna of the mobile terminal;

determining the strength of a second signal transmitted by a second antenna of the mobile terminal, wherein the second antenna is arranged with the first antenna at a preset angle, and there is an overlap between the coverage of the first antenna and that of the second antenna due to the preset angle;

determining a relative angle between the mobile terminal and the anchor node according to a linear relation of a ratio of the strength of the first signal to the strength of the second signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a calculation formula for determining the relative angle φ

between the mobile terminal and the anchor node according to the linear relation of the ratio of the strength of the first signal to the strength of the second signal is as follows;

5. A locating method, comprising:

determining, according to the strength of a first signal received by a plurality of anchor nodes and transmitted by a first antenna of a mobile terminal, and the strength of a second signal transmitted by a second antenna of the mobile terminal, a plurality of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the plurality of anchor nodes, wherein the second antenna and the first antenna are arranged at a preset angle, and there is an overlap between the coverage of the first antenna and that of the second antenna due to the preset angle;

determining the location of the mobile terminal according to the plurality of relative angles with the plurality of anchor nodes.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when there are two anchor nodes, the method comprises:

determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a plurality of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the two anchor nodes;

determining the location of the mobile terminal according to the plurality of relative angles with the two anchor nodes.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining the plurality of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the two anchor nodes according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna comprises:

determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the two anchor nodes, wherein the relative angles comprise;

a first relative angle between the mobile terminal and a first anchor node, and a second relative angle between the mobile terminal and a second anchor node;

determining, according to the signal strength of an antenna group consisting of the first antenna and the second antenna after each rotation of the mobile terminal, a second group of relative angles, a third group of relative angles and a fourth group of relative angles, wherein the mobile terminal is rotated for three times, and is rotated by 90 degrees each time.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the relative angles are in a linear relation with ratio of the strength of first signal received from the first antenna to the strength of the second signal received from the second antenna.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, the first group of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the two anchor nodes comprises:

determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of first relative angles between the first anchor node and the mobile terminal;

determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of second relative angles between the second anchor node and the mobile terminal.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the relative angles are in a linear relation with ratio of the strength of first signal received from the first antenna to the strength of the second signal received from the second antenna.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein after determining, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, the first group of second relative angles between the second anchor node and the mobile terminal, the method further comprises:

determining the location of the mobile terminal according to the first relative angles and the second relative angles.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the operation of determining the location of the mobile terminal according to the plurality of relative angles with the two anchor nodes comprises:

respectively selecting two relative angles with the strongest strength of the first signal or the second signal received by the two anchor nodes;

determining the location of the mobile terminal according to the two relative angles.

13. The method according to claim 5, wherein the relative angles are in a linear relation with ratio of the strength of first signal received from the first antenna to the strength of the second signal received from the second antenna.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a calculation formula of the relative angles φ

is as follows;

15. A locating device, comprising:

a first determining module, configured to determine, according to the strength of a first signal received by a plurality of anchor nodes and transmitted by a first antenna of a mobile terminal, and the strength of a second signal transmitted by a second antenna, a plurality of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the plurality of anchor nodes, wherein there is an overlap between the coverage of the first antenna and that of the second antenna;

a second determining module, configured to determine a location of the mobile terminal according to the plurality of relative angles with the plurality of anchor nodes.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein

the first determining module is further configured to determine, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a plurality of relative angles between the mobile terminal and two anchor nodes;

the second determining module is further configured to determine the location of the mobile terminal according to the plurality of relative angles with the two anchor nodes.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first determining module comprises:

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of relative angles between the mobile terminal and the two anchor nodes, wherein the relative angles comprise;

a first relative angle between the mobile terminal and a first anchor node, and a second relative angle between the mobile terminal and a second anchor node;

the determining unit is further configured to determine, according to the signal strength of an antenna group consisting of the first antenna and the second antenna after each rotation of the mobile terminal, a second group of relative angles, a third group of relative angles and a fourth group of relative angles, wherein the mobile terminal is rotated for three times, and is rotated by 90 degrees each time.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the determining unit comprises:

a first determining sub-unit, configured to determine, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of first relative angles between the first anchor node and the mobile terminal;

a second determining sub-unit, configured to determine, according to the strength of the first signal transmitted by the first antenna and the strength of the second signal transmitted by the second antenna, a first group of second relative angles between the second anchor node and the mobile terminal.

19. A device for determining an angle between a mobile device and an anchor node, comprising:

a third determining module, configured to determine the strength of a first signal transmitted by a first antenna of the mobile terminal;

a fourth determining module, configured to determine the strength of a second signal transmitted by a second antenna of the mobile terminal, wherein there is an overlapped between the coverage of the second antenna and that of the first antenna;

a fifth determining module, configured to determine, according to a linear relation of a ratio of the strength of the first signal to the strength of the second signal, a relative angle between the mobile terminal and the anchor node.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the fifth determining module determines the relative angle φ

according to the following formula;