Method and apparatus for determining location of a base station using a plurality of mobile stations in a wireless mobile network
First Claim
1. In a wireless communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations in communication with one or more base stations, a method of determining a position of a base station, comprising:
- a. programming a group of mobile stations with a BTS calibration program, thereby providing a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations, wherein each mobile station has a user, and wherein said step of programming a group of mobile stations with the calibration program comprises obtaining consent of the users of said group of mobile phones and then downloading the BTS calibration program into said group of mobile phones;
b. providing a BTS calibration server networked with said base station;
c. requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station;
d. determining a position of said calibration-enabled mobile station(s) in communication with said base station;
e. receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station(s) in communication with said base station;
f. transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server; and
g. in said BTS calibration server, comparing the calibration information with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining a position of a base station in a wireless communication network that includes a mobile station in communication with base stations. A BTS calibration server is networked with the base stations. A BTS calibration program is programmed into a group of mobile stations that have position location capabilities. Using the BTS calibration program, calibration information may be requested by the BTS calibration server, or a session may be initiated by the mobile station. The BTS calibration program also provides privacy features that allow user of the mobile station to prevent it from being used for base station location. If authorized, the BTS calibration program determines the position of the mobile station, and provides calibration information, such as position and base station phase measurements, to the server. The calibration information may be used to calibrate the base station almanac.
-
Citations
75 Claims
-
1. In a wireless communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations in communication with one or more base stations, a method of determining a position of a base station, comprising:
-
a. programming a group of mobile stations with a BTS calibration program, thereby providing a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations, wherein each mobile station has a user, and wherein said step of programming a group of mobile stations with the calibration program comprises obtaining consent of the users of said group of mobile phones and then downloading the BTS calibration program into said group of mobile phones; b. providing a BTS calibration server networked with said base station; c. requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station; d. determining a position of said calibration-enabled mobile station(s) in communication with said base station; e. receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station(s) in communication with said base station; f. transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server; and g. in said BTS calibration server, comparing the calibration information with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A wireless communication network comprising:
-
a. a plurality of base stations, each having a unique location; b. a BTS calibration server networked with said plurality of base stations; c. a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations wirelessly communicating with at least one of said base stations, each of said calibration-enabled mobile stations having a BTS calibration program and a position location system for determining its position, and a means for receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station; d. means for requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station; e. means for determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information, wherein said BTS calibration program provides privacy settings stored in said mobile station to indicate authorization to provide calibration information, and said means for determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information farther comprises checking said privacy settings to verify that the mobile station is authorized to provide calibration information; f. means for transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server; g. a base station almanac networked with said plurality of base stations and said BTS calibration server; and h. means, in said BTS calibration server, for calculating a distance from said mobile station(s) to said base station, comparing it with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. In a wireless communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations in communication with one or more base stations, a method of determining a position of a base station, comprising:
-
a. programming a group of mobile stations with a BTS calibration program, thereby providing a plurality of calibration-enabled mobile stations wherein each mobile station has a user, and wherein said users of said calibration-enabled mobile phones utilize the BTS calibration program to create privacy settings to indicate authorization to provide calibration information; b. providing a BTS calibration server networked with said base station; c. requesting calibration information from at least one of said calibration-enabled mobile stations in communication with a base station, and determining if the mobile station is authorized to communicate calibration information, including checking said privacy settings to verify that the mobile station is authorized to provide calibration information , and if there is no authorization then exiting operation before transmitting calibration information, otherwise completing operation; d. determining a position of said calibration-enabled mobile station(s) in communication with said base station; e. receiving a signal from said base station to said mobile station(s) in communication with said base station; f. transmitting calibration information indicative of said position and said signal from said mobile station(s) to the BTS calibration server; and g. in said BTS calibration server, comparing the calibration information with base station almanac information associated with said base station, and calibrating the position of said base station responsive thereto. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. A method of maintaining accurate base station location information in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
receiving, at a mobile station, a request to report location calibration information related to at least one base station to a base station location calibration server, the requested location calibration information including at least a location estimate of the mobile station and information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; determining position information sufficient to calculate the location estimate of the mobile station; determining the information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; and sending the requested location calibration information to the base station location calibration server. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
-
-
54. A method of maintaining accurate base station location information in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
receiving, at a base station location calibration server, location calibration information related to at least one base station, the location calibration information including at least a location estimate of one or more mobile stations and information indicative of the one or more mobile stations'"'"' distance to at least one base station; determining a location of the at least one base station based at least in part on the received location calibration information; selectively updating a record of the at least one base station'"'"'s location within a base station almanac based on the determined location of the at least one base station, the base station almanac configured to store locations of base stations of a wireless communication system. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
-
-
70. A mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
means for receiving a request to report location calibration information of at least one base station to a base station location calibration server, the requested location calibration information including at least a location estimate of the mobile station and information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; means for determining position information sufficient to calculate the location estimate of the mobile station; and means for determining the information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; and means for sending the requested location calibration information to the base station location calibration server.
-
-
71. A base station location calibration server configured to maintain accurate base station location information in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
means for receiving location calibration information related to at least one base station, the location calibration information including at least a location estimate of one or more mobile stations and information indicative of the one or more mobile stations'"'"' distance to at least one base station; means for determining a location of the at least one base station based at least in part on the received location calibration information; means for selectively updating a record of the at least one base station'"'"'s location within a base station almanac based on the determined location of the at least one base station, the base station almanac configured to store locations of base stations of a wireless communication system.
-
-
72. A mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
a receiver configured to receive a request to report location calibration information of at least one base station to a base station location calibration server, the requested location calibration information including at least a location estimate of the mobile station and information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; a positioning location system configured to determine position information sufficient to calculate the location estimate of the mobile station and further configured to determine the information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; and a transmitter configured to send the requested location calibration information to the base station location calibration server.
-
-
73. A base station location calibration server configured to maintain accurate base station location information in a wireless communications system, comprising:
-
an interface configured to receive location calibration information related to at least one base station, the location calibration information including at least a location estimate of one or more mobile stations and information indicative of the one or more mobile stations'"'"' distance to at least one base station; and a processor configured to determine a location of the at least one base station based at least in part on the received location calibration information and further configured to selectively update a record of the at least one base station'"'"'s location within a base station almanac based on the determined location of the at least one base station, the base station almanac configured to store locations of base stations of a wireless communication system.
-
-
74. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a mobile station in a wireless communications system, cause the mobile station to perform operations, the instructions comprising:
-
program code to receive a request to report location calibration information of at least one base station to a base station location calibration server, the requested location calibration information including at least a location estimate of the mobile station and information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; program code to determine position information sufficient to calculate the location estimate of the mobile station; and program code to determine the information indicative of the mobile station'"'"'s distance to the at least one base station; and program code to send the requested location calibration information to the base station location calibration server.
-
-
75. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a base station location calibration server configured to maintain accurate base station location information in a wireless communications system, cause the base station location calibration server to perform operations, the instructions comprising:
-
program code to receive location calibration information related to at least one base station, the location calibration information including at least a location estimate of one or more mobile stations and information indicative of the one or more mobile stations'"'"' distance to at least one base station; program code to determine a location of the at least one base station based at least in part on the received location calibration information; program code to selectively update a record of the at least one base station'"'"'s location within a base station almanac based on the determined location of the at least one base station, the base station almanac configured to store locations of base stations of a wireless communication system.
-
Specification