Methods and systems for providing enhanced position location in wireless communications

• US 9,955,476 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Black, Peter John, Grob, Matthew Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/288,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 370336, 370342, 370343, 370344, 370345, 342 82, 342367, 342385, 342386, 342463, 342464, 342465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02216 Timing or synchronisation of the receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• 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 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for providing improved position-location (e.g., time-of-arrival) measurement and enhanced position location in wireless communication systems. In an embodiment, an access point may replace information (e.g., data) transmission by a “known” transmission (or “reference transmission”) at a predetermined time known to access terminals in the corresponding sectors. The access terminals may use the received reference transmission to perform a position-location measurement, and report back the measured information. The access point may also send a reference transmission on demand, e.g., in response to a request from an access terminal in need for a location-based service.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

generating, by an access point, a pilot signal and a reference signal, the reference signal comprising a pattern of symbols, wherein the pattern is known to an access terminal before receiving the reference signal;

transmitting the pilot signal to the access terminal on a pilot channel; and

transmitting the reference signal to the access terminal on a traffic channel different from the pilot channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising time-division-multiplexing the pilot signal and the reference signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in lieu of at least a portion of traffic data over the traffic channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal occupies the traffic channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the reference signal at a maximum power.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising code-division-multiplexing the pilot signal and the reference signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern of the reference signal is identical to a pattern of the pilot signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal includes a sector ID.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in response to a request from the access terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the pilot signal and the reference signal on a subset of multiple carriers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pilot signal and the reference signal are transmitted during a same time slot.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a communication device, cause the communication device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a pilot signal to an access terminal on a pilot channel; and

transmitting a reference signal to the access terminal on a traffic channel different from the pilot channel, the reference signal comprising a pattern of symbols, wherein the pattern is known to the access terminal before receiving the reference signal.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the pilot channel is time-division-multiplexed with the traffic channel.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the pattern of the reference signal is identical to a pattern of the pilot signal.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the reference signal includes a sector identifier.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the pilot signal and the reference signal are transmitted during a same time slot.

18. An apparatus adapted for wireless communications, comprising:

means for generating a pilot signal and a reference signal, the reference signal comprising a pattern of symbols, wherein the pattern is known to an access terminal before receiving the reference signal;

means for transmitting the pilot signal to the access terminal on a pilot channel; and

means for transmitting the reference signal to the access terminal on a traffic channel different from the pilot channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for multiplexing the pilot signal and the reference signal in one of a time-division-multiplexed format and a code-division-multiplexed format.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in lieu of at least a portion of traffic data over the traffic channel.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference signal is transmitted in response to a request from the access terminal.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pilot signal and the reference signal are transmitted on a subset of multiple carriers.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pilot signal and the reference signal are transmitted during a same time slot.