User equipment positioning utilizing motion of high altitude platform

• US 9,571,978 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ananth, Sharath
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh
• Application Number:
  US15/071,785
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/550.1, 455/12.1, 342/357.21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The systems and methods of the disclosure relate to estimating the location of a remote device, e.g., a mobile phone or other user equipment (“UE”), that is in communication with equipment aboard a high altitude platform (“HAP”). Because the HAP is in motion, the location of the equipment aboard the HAP is not at a fixed location. While this breaks some forms of traditional UE location positioning techniques, it creates new information that can be used instead. Thus, when traditional GPS or ground-station based location services are unavailable, a remote device in communication with equipment aboard a HAP can still be positioned.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining identification of a first location for a mobile base station at a first moment in time, wherein the mobile base station is in wireless communication with a user equipment at a remote location from the mobile base station;

obtaining a first measurement for a characteristic of a first wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first location;

obtaining identification of a second location for the mobile base station at a second moment in time, the second location different from the first location;

obtaining a second measurement for the characteristic of a second wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second location; and

determining the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining measurements for relative signal strengths of multiple signal beams contemporaneously transmitted from the mobile base station to the user equipment; and

determining the remote location of the user equipment further based on a comparison of the relative signal strengths of the multiple signal beams.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a third measurement for a second characteristic of a third wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first moment in time;

obtaining a fourth measurement for the second characteristic of a fourth wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second moment in time; and

determining the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, the fourth measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile base station broadcasts a plurality of different signals in a pattern over a coverage area, the method further comprising:

obtaining reception characteristics from the user equipment for one or more of the plurality of different signals; and

positioning the user equipment within the coverage area based on the reception characteristics and the pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is one of:

a transmission delay time, a round trip time, or observed time of arrival.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first measurement and the second measurement in a computer-readable memory;

storing, in the computer-readable memory, additional measurements for the first characteristic of other wireless signal transmissions between the mobile base station and a plurality of additional user equipment;

storing, in association with at least one additional measurement, a respective location of a corresponding user equipment; and

comparing the first measurement, second measurement, and the at least additional measurement.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

correlating the first measurement to similar measurements for other user equipment with known locations; and

positioning the user equipment based on a correlation to another user equipment with a known location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising

obtaining a third measurement for the characteristic of a third wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and a fixed-location base station, wherein the fixed-location base station is at a third location;

and

determining the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, the second location of the mobile base station, and the third location of the fixed-location base station.

9. A system comprising:

a positioner comprising a computer-readable memory and at least one computing processor, the computing processor configured to;

obtain identification of a first location for a mobile base station at a first moment in time, wherein the mobile base station is in wireless communication with a user equipment at a remote location from the mobile base station;

obtain a first measurement for a characteristic of a first wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first location;

obtain identification of a second location for the mobile base station at a second moment in time, the second location different from the first location;

obtain a second measurement for the characteristic of a second wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second location; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

10. The system of claim 9, the computing processor further configured to:

obtain measurements for relative signal strengths of multiple signal beams contemporaneously transmitted from the mobile base station to the user equipment; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment further based on a comparison of the relative signal strengths of the multiple signal beams.

11. The system of claim 9, the computing processor further configured to:

obtain a third measurement for a second characteristic of a third wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first moment in time;

obtain a fourth measurement for the second characteristic of a fourth wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second moment in time; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, the fourth measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile base station broadcasts a plurality of different signals in a pattern over a coverage area, the computing processor further configured to:

obtain reception characteristics from the user equipment for one or more of the plurality of different signals; and

position the user equipment within the coverage area based on the reception characteristics and the pattern.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the characteristic is one of:

a transmission delay time, a round trip time, or observed time of arrival.

14. The system of claim 9, the computing processor further configured to:

store, in the computer-readable memory, additional measurements for the first characteristic of other wireless signal transmissions between the mobile base station and a plurality of additional user equipment;

store, in association with at least one additional measurement, a respective location of a corresponding user equipment; and

compare the first measurement, second measurement, and the at least additional measurement.

15. The system of claim 9, the computing processor further configured to:

obtain a third measurement for the characteristic of a third wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and a fixed-location base station, wherein the fixed-location base station is at a third location; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, the second location of the mobile base station, and the third location of the fixed-location base station.

16. A computer-readable memory storing non-transitory computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing processor, cause the computing processor to:

obtain identification of a first location for a mobile base station at a first moment in time, wherein the mobile base station is in wireless communication with a user equipment at a remote location from the mobile base station;

obtain a first measurement for a characteristic of a first wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first location;

obtain identification of a second location for the mobile base station at a second moment in time, the second location different from the first location;

obtain a second measurement for the characteristic of a second wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second location; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, the instructions further causing the computing processor to:

obtain measurements for relative signal strengths of multiple signal beams contemporaneously transmitted from the mobile base station to the user equipment; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment further based on a comparison of the relative signal strengths of the multiple signal beams.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, the instructions further causing the computing processor to:

obtain a third measurement for a second characteristic of a third wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the first moment in time;

obtain a fourth measurement for the second characteristic of a fourth wireless signal transmission between the user equipment and the mobile base station at the second moment in time; and

determine the remote location of the user equipment based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, the fourth measurement, the first location of the mobile base station, and the second location of the mobile base station.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, the instructions further causing the computing processor to:

obtain reception characteristics from the user equipment for one or more of the plurality of different signals; and

position the user equipment within the coverage area based on the reception characteristics and the pattern.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, the instructions further causing the computing processor to:

store, in the computer-readable memory, additional measurements for the first characteristic of other wireless signal transmissions between the mobile base station and a plurality of additional user equipment;

store, in association with at least one additional measurement, a respective location of a corresponding user equipment; and

compare the first measurement, second measurement, and the at least additional measurement.