Location apparatus and method in a mobile telecommunications system

• US 6,347,228 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lopes, Luis, Ludden, Brendan Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Persino, Raymond B.
• Application Number:
  US09/327,652
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/440, 455/441, 455/457, 455/435, 455/432, 455/433, 455/414, 455/560, 455/418, 455/461, 455/417, 455/517, 342/456, 342/457, 342/463, 342/450, 342/465
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0081 Transmission between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

Apparatus for determining the location of a subscriber unit (1) in a mobile telecommunications network, and particularly in a GSM cellular network, includes the provision of several receiver stations (4, 5, 6) positioned at separate known locations within each cell. Each of the receiver stations (4, 5, 6), which are synchronised by means of an on-board GPS receiver (10), measures the time of arrival of a message transmitted from the subscriber unit (1). The time of arrival measurements recorded by each receiver station (4, 5, 6) are then transmitted to a base transceiver station (2) for computation of the subscriber unit'"'"'s location relative to the receiver stations. The apparatus can provide a reasonably accurate means for location with a low susceptibility to interference.

Claims

1. Apparatus for determining the location of a mobile station in a mobile telecommunications system, the apparatus comprising:

a computation device;

a master station, and

a plurality of slave stations positioned at known locations;

in which the master station is adapted to communicate with the mobile station and with the plurality of slave stations, and in which each slave station incorporates synchronization means, a receiver for receiving signals from the mobile station, measuring means for measuring the time of arrival of the signals and a transmitter for facilitating transmission of the time of arrival measurements to the computation device for calculating the location of the mobile station, said transmission of the time of arrival measurements being at least partly over an uplink channel between the slave stations and the master base station and using a protocol prescribed for mobile stations communicating with the base station.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said master station is adapted to perform an estimate of the location of the mobile station and to determine which slave stations to communicate with.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which said master station is configured to generate transmission instructions to the mobile station.

4. A method for determining the location of a mobile station in a mobile telecommunications system, a method including the steps of:

receiving at a plurality of time-synchronized slave stations, control signals from a master station;

receiving at each of the slave stations, signals from the mobile station;

measuring at each of the slave stations, the time of arrival of the signals from the mobile station;

transmitting from each of the slave stations, at least partly over an uplink channel between the slave station and the master base station and using a protocol prescribed for mobile stations communicating with the base station, the time of arrival measurements to a computation device;

and computing in the computation device, the location of the mobile station with respect to the slave stations according to the time of arrival measurements.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 and further comprising the step of:

in the master station, receiving a location request from the mobile station.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4 and further including the step of, in the master station, instructing the mobile station when to transmit signals to the slave stations.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4 and further including the step of, in the master station, performing an estimate of the location of the mobile station, designating particular slave stations for receiving signals from the mobile station and for performing time of arrival measurements and transmitting a designation message to each designated slave station.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 and including the further step of, at each slave station, transmitting a message to the master station confirming receipt of the designation message.