Apparatus, computer-readable medium, and method to determine a user equipment location in a cellular network using signals from a wireless local area network (WLAN)

• US 9,668,099 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Davydov, Alexei, Morozov, Gregory, Fwu, Jong-Kae
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US14/669,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 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

An apparatus, computer-readable medium, and method to determine a user equipment (UE) location in a wireless network using signals from a wireless local-area network are disclosed. A wireless communication network entity may be configured to send WLAN assistance data to a UE. The WLAN assistance data may include a list of one or more WLAN access points (APs). The wireless communication network entity may receive location information from the UE. The location information may be based on measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs. The wireless communication network entity may determine an estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information and stored information at the wireless communication network. The wireless communication network entity may determine the estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs and a geographic position of the WLAN APs.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a wireless communication network entity, the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to;

in response to receiving a request for a location of a user equipment (UE) from a 911 service send wireless local area network (WLAN) assistance data to the UE, wherein the WLAN assistance data comprises a list of one or more WLAN access points (APs);

receive location information from the UE, wherein the location information is based on measurements of signals from one or more of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, wherein the measurements of the signals include one or more from the following group;

received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), and average noise power indicator (ANPI);

determine an estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information; and

send the estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information to the 911 service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the list of one or more WLAN APs are identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list of one or more WLAN APs further comprises, for at least one AP, at least one from the following group:

one or more frequency channels and a beacon time interval.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN assistance data further comprises an initial estimate of the location of the UE;

and

wherein the initial estimate of the location of the UE is determined based on one from the following group;

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), and Enhanced Cell ID (ECID).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location information includes measurements of the signals of the one or more WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine the estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the one or more WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs and a geographic position of each of the one or more WLAN APs.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN assistance data further comprises a list of one or more evolved NodeB (eNBs);

and

wherein the location information includes measurements of the signals of the one or more WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs and measurements of one or more eNBs of a list of one or more eNBs.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine the estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the one or more WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, a geographic position of the one or more WLAN APs, measurements of the signals of the one or more eNBs of the list of one or more eNBs, and a geographic position of the one or more eNBs.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network entity is at least one from the following group:

an evolved NodeB (eNB), an Evolved Serving Location Center (E-SMLC), a Secured User Plane Location Platform (SLP), and a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication network entity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

send a request for UE location capabilities to the UE;

receive a response to the request for the UE location capabilities; and

determine the list of one or more WLAN APs based on which WLAN APs from which the UE can measure signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN assistance data to the UE is sent through a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network and the wireless communication network entity is an LTE network entity.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising memory coupled to the one or more processors.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising one or more network interfaces coupled to the one or more processors.

14. A method performed by an apparatus of a network entity, the method comprising:

in response to receiving a request for a location of a user equipment (UE) from a 911 service, sending wireless local area network (WLAN) assistance data to the UE, wherein the WLAN assistance data comprises a list of one or more WLAN access points (APs);

receiving location information from the UE comprising measurements of signals of WLAN APs from the list of one or more WLAN APs;

determining an estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, and a geographic position of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, wherein the measurements of the signals include one or more from the following group;

received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), and average noise power indicator (ANPI); and

send the estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information to the 911 service.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the WLAN assistance data further comprises a list of one or more evolved NodeB (eNBs), and receiving further comprises receiving from the UE location information comprising measurements of signals of eNBs from the list of one or more evolved eNBs;

and

wherein determining comprises;

determining the estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, a geographic position of the WLAN APs of the one or more WLAN APs, measurements of the signals of the eNBs of the list of one or more eNBs, and a geographic position of the eNBs of the one or more eNBs.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs includes one or more from the following group:

received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), average noise power indicator (ANPI), beacon received signal strength indicator (beacon RSSI), and beacon signal to noise ratio (beacon SNR).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network entity is at least one from the following group:

an evolved NodeB (eNB), an Evolved Serving Location Center (E-SMLC), a Secured User Plane Location Platform (SLP), and a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication network entity.

18. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

circuitry coupled to the memory, the circuitry configured to;

request 911 services;

in response to the request for 911 services, receive a request for UE capabilities from a 911 service;

send UE location capabilities to the 911 service;

receive wireless local-area network (WLAN) assistance data from the 911 service, wherein the WLAN assistance data comprises a list of one of more WLAN access points (APs);

measure signals of WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs included in the assistance data, wherein the measurements of the signals include one or more from the following group;

received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), and average noise power indicator (ANPI);

determine location information based on the signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs; and

send the location information to the 911 service.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the WLAN assistance data is received through a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, and the network entity is a LTE network entity;

and

wherein the APs are identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID).

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

memory coupled to the circuitry; and

one or more antennas configured to communicate using a wireless communication protocol and a institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol, wherein the one or more antennas are coupled to the circuitry.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein determine further comprises one from the following group:

determine the location information to be an estimate of the location of the UE based on the measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs from the list of one or more WLAN APs and a geographic position of the WLAN APs of the one or more WLAN APs; and

determine the location information to be the measured signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs included in the assistance data.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations, the operations to configure the one or more processors to cause an apparatus of a wireless communication device to:

in response to receiving a request for a location of a user equipment (UE) from a 911 service, send wireless local area network (WLAN) assistance data to the UE, the UE configured to operate with both Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and Long-Term Evolution wireless protocols, wherein the WLAN assistance data comprises a list of one or more WLAN access points (APs) identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID);

receive from the UE location information, the location information based on the WLAN assistance data, wherein the location information includes measurements of the signals of the WLAN APs of the list of one or more WLAN APs, and wherein the measurements of the signals include one or more from the following group;

received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal to noise indicator (RSNI), and average noise power indicator (ANPI);

determine an estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information; and

send the estimate of the location of the UE based on the location information to the 911 service.