Method and System for Improving the Location of Fixed Wireless CBSD Nodes

• US 20170180938A1
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rivada Networks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rivada Research, Llc (Rivada Networks, LLC)
• Inventors: Smith, Clint
• Granted Patent: US 10,237,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for determining a more precise location of a fixed wireless device and providing an enhanced location based service (eLBS). A fixed wireless device may be configured to determine its approximate location (e.g., a current location waypoint, etc.), communicate with other fixed or mobile wireless devices to receive location information, and determine a more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the received location information. The fixed wireless device may use the computed location information to provide a location based service and/or send the more precise location to another wireless device for use in providing a location based service.

Claims

1. A method of providing an enhanced location based service (eLBS), comprising:

determining, via a processor in a fixed wireless device, an approximate location of the fixed wireless device;

receiving, via the processor, location information from a wireless device; and

determining a more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device comprises generating a longitude value, a latitude value, and an altitude value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the more precise location of the wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the fixed wireless device comprises generating location information for each of a plurality of individual antennas in a distributed antenna system of the fixed wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving location information from the fixed wireless device comprises receiving location information from another fixed wireless device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless device is a mobile computing device; and

the fixed wireless device is a citizen band service device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed wireless device is an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that has GPS capabilities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed wireless device is an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that does not have GPS capabilities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the fixed wireless device includes a sensor hub; and

determining the approximate location of the fixed wireless device comprises determining the approximate location based on information received from the sensor hub.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information received from sensor hub includes information collected from one or more of:

an accelerometer;

a two-axis gyroscope;

a three-axis compasses;

altimeters;

or

barometers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the fixed wireless device includes a distributed antenna; and

the distributed antenna includes one or more sensor hubs.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether new location information is available;

computing a variance estimate value that considers an accuracy of the more precise location in response to determining that new location information is available; and

extrapolating the more precise location and increasing a variance value that considers the age of the location in response to determining new location information is not available.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether new location information is available comprises determining:

whether new dead reckoning location information is available;

whether new GPS location information is available;

whether new network-provided location information is available; and

whether new trilateration location information is available.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining via a processor of a fixed wireless device whether information obtained via a geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is accurate;

collecting location information from a plurality of fixed wireless devices in a communication group in response to determining that the information obtained via the geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is not accurate;

computing more precise location information for the fixed wireless device based on the location information collected from the plurality of fixed wireless devices, the more precise location information including three-dimensional location and position information; and

using the computed more precise location information to provide the location based service.

14. A fixed wireless device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

determining an approximate location of the fixed wireless device;

receiving location information from a wireless device; and

determining a more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device.

15. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining the more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device comprises generating a longitude value, a latitude value, and an altitude value.

16. The fixed wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining the more precise location of the wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the fixed wireless device comprises generating location information for each of a plurality of individual antennas in a distributed antenna system of the fixed wireless device.

17. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that receiving location information from the fixed wireless device comprises receiving location information from another fixed wireless device.

18. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving in a citizen band service device location information from a mobile computing device.

19. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving in an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that has GPS capabilities from the wireless device.

20. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving the location information in an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that does not have GPS capabilities from the wireless device.

21. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, further comprising a sensor hub, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining the approximate location of the fixed wireless device comprises determining the approximate location based on information received from the sensor hub.

22. The fixed wireless device of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining the approximate location based on information received from the sensor hub comprises determining the approximate location based on information collected from one or more of:

an accelerometer;

a two-axis gyroscope;

a three-axis compasses;

altimeters;

or

barometers.

23. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, further comprising a distributed antenna coupled to the processor, wherein the distributed antenna includes one or more sensor hubs.

24. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether new location information is available;

computing a variance estimate value that considers an accuracy of the more precise location in response to determining that new location information is available; and

extrapolating the more precise location and increasing a variance value that considers the age of the location in response to determining new location information is not available.

25. The fixed wireless device of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining whether new location information is available comprises determining:

whether new dead reckoning location information is available;

whether new GPS location information is available;

whether new network-provided location information is available; and

whether new trilateration location information is available.

26. The fixed wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether information obtained via a geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is accurate;

collecting location information from a plurality of fixed wireless devices in a communication group in response to determining that the information obtained via the geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is not accurate;

computing more precise location information for the fixed wireless device based on the location information collected from the plurality of fixed wireless devices, the more precise location information including three-dimensional location and position information; and

using the computed more precise location information to provide the location based service.

27. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor in a fixed wireless device to perform operations comprising:

determining an approximate location of the fixed wireless device;

receiving location information from a wireless device; and

determining a more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the more precise location of the fixed wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the wireless device comprises generating a longitude value, a latitude value, and an altitude value.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the more precise location of the wireless device based on the approximate location and the location information received from the fixed wireless device comprises generating location information for each of a plurality of individual antennas in a distributed antenna system of the fixed wireless device.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving location information from the fixed wireless device comprises receiving location information from another fixed wireless device.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving in a citizen band service device location information from a mobile computing device.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving in an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that has GPS capabilities from the wireless device.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the location information from the wireless device comprises receiving the location information in an eNodeB, small cell device, a femto cell device, or a beacon device that does not have GPS capabilities from the wireless device.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein:

the fixed wireless device includes a sensor hub; and

the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the approximate location of the fixed wireless device comprises determining the approximate location based on information received from the sensor hub.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the approximate location based on information received from the sensor hub comprises determining the approximate location based on information collected from one or more of:

an accelerometer;

a two-axis gyroscope;

a three-axis compasses;

altimeters;

or

barometers.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein:

the fixed wireless device includes a distributed antenna;

the distributed antenna includes one or more sensor hubs; and

the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the approximate location of the fixed wireless device comprises determining the approximate location based on information received from the one or more sensor hubs.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether new location information is available;

computing a variance estimate value that considers an accuracy of the more precise location in response to determining that new location information is available; and

extrapolating the more precise location and increasing a variance value that considers the age of the location in response to determining new location information is not available.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining whether new location information is available comprises determining:

whether new dead reckoning location information is available;

whether new GPS location information is available;

whether new network-provided location information is available; and

whether new trilateration location information is available.

39. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether information obtained via a geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is accurate;

collecting location information from a plurality of fixed wireless devices in a communication group in response to determining that the information obtained via the geospatial system of the fixed wireless device is not accurate;

computing more precise location information for the fixed wireless device based on the location information collected from the plurality of fixed wireless devices, the more precise location information including three-dimensional location and position information; and

using the computed more precise location information to provide the location based service.