Positioning of a wireless device

• US 9,930,491 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Burroughs, Kirk Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US15/186,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

Techniques for supporting positioning are described. In an example implementation, a method for use in determining a position of a mobile station is provided, wherein a network-based computing device receives a message from a mobile station, the message indicating an identity of a transmitter device from which the mobile device has received at least one signal; and identifies at least one civil location estimate based at least in part on the message; the at least one civil location estimate representing an estimated location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for use in determining a position of a mobile station, the method comprising, at a network-based computing device:

receiving a message from a mobile station, the message indicating an identity of a transmitter device from which the mobile device has received at least one signal;

determining that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell based on the identity of the transmitter device indicated in the message; and

responsive to a determination that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell, identifying at least one street address associated with the femto cell based at least in part on the message, the at least one street address representing an estimated location of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further indicates at least one signal-based measurement based, at least in part, on the at least one signal.

3. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

at the network-based computing device, determining an estimated location of the transmitter device based, at least in part on the identity of the transmitter device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one street address comprises:

identifying the at least one street address based at least in part on a database comprising a plurality of civil location estimates representing estimated locations of a corresponding plurality of transmitter device identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one street address comprises identifying the at least one street address based, at least in part, on:

(a) an estimated location of the transmitter device;

or (b) the at least one signal-based measurement;

or (c) a combination of (a) and (b).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one signal-based measurement corresponds to least one pseudo-range measurement for an estimated line of sight distance between the mobile station and the transmitter device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based computing device comprises a location server.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a network identification configured to identify the femto cell.

8. A network-based computing device comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processing unit coupled to the transceiver and configured to;

receive a message from a mobile station via the transceiver, the message indicating an identity of a transmitter device from which the mobile device has received at least one signal;

determining that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell based on the identity of the transmitter device indicated in the message; and

responsive to a determination that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell, identifying at least one street address associated with the femto cell based at least in part on the message, the at least one street address representing an estimated location of the mobile station.

9. The network-based computing device of claim 8, wherein the message further indicates at least one signal-based measurement based, at least in part, on the at least one signal.

10. The network-based computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine an estimated location of the transmitter device based, at least in part on the identity of the transmitter device.

11. The network-based computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to identify the at least one street address based at least in part on a database comprising a plurality of civil location estimates representing estimated locations of a corresponding plurality of transmitter device identifiers.

12. The network-based computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to identify the at least one street address based, at least in part, on:

(a) an estimated location of the transmitter device;

or (b) at least one signal-based measurement;

or (c) a combination of (a) and (b).

13. A network-based computing device comprising:

means for receiving a message from a mobile station, the message indicating an identity of a transmitter device from which the mobile device has received at least one signal;

means for determining that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell based on the identity of the transmitter device indicated in the message; and

responsive to a determination that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell, means for identifying at least one street address associated with the femto cell based at least in part on the message, the at least one street address representing an estimated location of the mobile station.

14. The network-based computing device of claim 13, comprising means for determining an estimated location of the transmitter device based, at least in part on the identity of the transmitter device.

15. The network-based computing device of claim 13, comprising means for identifying the at least one street address based at least in part on a database comprising a plurality of civil location estimates representing estimated locations of a corresponding plurality of transmitter device identifiers.

16. A non-transitory computer program product, comprising:

code to cause a processing unit of a network-based computing device to;

receive a message from a mobile station, the message indicating an identity of a transmitter device from which the mobile device has received at least one signal;

determining that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell bases on the identity of the transmitter device indicated in the message; and

responsive to a determination that the transmitter device comprises a femto cell, means for identifying at least one street address associated with the femto cell based at least in part on the message, the at least one street address representing an estimated location of the mobile station.

17. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 16, and further comprising code to cause the processing unit to determine an estimated location of the transmitter device based, at least in part on the identity of the transmitter device.

18. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 16, and further comprising code to cause the processing unit to identify the at least one street address based at least in part on a database comprising a plurality of civil location estimates representing estimated locations of a corresponding plurality of transmitter device identifiers.