Use of third party ultra wideband devices to establish geo-positional data

• US 6,519,464 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Santhoff, John H., Arrieta, Rodolfo T.
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/745,498
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457, 455/524, 455/525, 342/450, 342/457, 342/458, 342/463, 342/464, 342/465, 701/200, 701/300
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/876 Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• 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 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7174 Pulse generation in general H04L25/03834
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7176 Data mapping, e.g. modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1816 with retransmission of the same, encoded, message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for determining a location of a wireless device in a wireless communication system. In general, an initial request is transmitted to wireless devices having known locations for positioning information so that a location can be determined for a first wireless device having an undetermined location. Those wireless devices with known locations that receive the initial request in turn transmit positioning information to the first wireless device. If positioning information from less than a sufficient number of wireless devices with known location is received by the first mobile wireless device, an additional request is then transmitted for responses from these responding other wireless devices. After responses to the request from one or more of these responding other wireless devices are received, communication then occurs with at least a portion of the responding wireless devices to obtain information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the responding wireless devices it is communicating with. Next, a location of the first wireless device is estimated using the information obtained from these responding other wireless devices and the positioning information received from the wireless devices with known locations.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a wireless device, comprising:

transmitting an initial request to wireless devices having known locations for positioning information for determining a location of a first wireless device having an undetermined location, wherein wireless devices having known locations that receive the initial request transmit positioning information to the first wireless device;

if positioning information from less than a sufficient number of wireless devices of known location is received by the first mobile wireless device, transmitting an additional request for responses from other wireless devices that may derive their own location from even more distant known-location wireless devices;

receiving responses to the request from one or more of these responding other wireless devices;

communicating with at least a portion of the responding other wireless devices to obtain information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of the responding other wireless devices; and

estimating a location of the first wireless device using the information obtained from the at least a portion of the responding other wireless device and the positioning information received from the less than sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the estimated location in a memory of the first wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location of the first wireless device from information obtained from the wireless devices having known locations utilizing if positioning information is received from the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations comprises at least three wireless devices having known locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the transmitted requests are coded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted periodically a predetermined number of times.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted at a higher power level if an insufficient number of responses are received in response to the previous transmission of the additional request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of the responding other wireless devices includes a calculated distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of the responding other wireless devices, and a scaling factor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the obtained information to update an internal clock of the first wireless device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wireless devices comprise impulse radio devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the first wireless device is estimated using only the information obtained from the at least a portion of the responding other wireless device if no positioning information is received by the first mobile wireless device from wireless devices having known locations.

12. A system for determining a location of a wireless device, comprising:

logic for transmitting an initial request to wireless devices having known locations for positioning information for determining a location of a first wireless device having an undetermined location, wherein wireless devices having known locations that receive the initial request transmit positioning information to the first wireless device;

if positioning information from less than a sufficient number of wireless devices of known location is received by the first mobile wireless device, logic for transmitting an additional request for responses from other wireless devices having known locations;

logic for receiving responses to the request from one or more of these other wireless devices;

logic for communicating with at least a portion of these other wireless devices to obtain information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these other wireless devices; and

logic for estimating a location of the first wireless device using the information obtained from the at least a portion of the other wireless devices and the positioning information received from the less than sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic for storing the estimated location in a memory of the first wireless device.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic for determining the location of the first wireless device from information obtained from the wireless devices having known locations utilizing if positioning information is received from the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations comprises at least three wireless devices having known locations.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the transmitted requests are coded.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted periodically a predetermined number of times.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted at a higher power level if an insufficient number of responses are received in response to the previous transmission of the additional request.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the obtained information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these responding other wireless devices includes a calculated distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these responding other wireless devices, and a scaling factor.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic for utilizing the obtained information to update an internal clock of the first wireless device.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the wireless devices comprise impulse radio devices.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the location of the first wireless device is estimated using only the information obtained from the at least a portion of the responding other wireless device if no positioning information is received by the first mobile wireless device from wireless devices having known locations.

23. A computer program product for determining a location of a wireless device, comprising:

computer code for transmitting an initial request to wireless devices having known locations for positioning information for determining a location of a first wireless device having an undetermined location, wherein wireless devices having known locations that receive the initial request transmit positioning information to the first wireless device;

if positioning information from less than a sufficient number of wireless devices of known location is received by the first mobile wireless device, computer code for transmitting an additional request for responses from other wireless devices having known locations;

computer code for receiving responses to the request from one or more of these other wireless devices;

computer code for communicating with at least a portion of these other wireless devices to obtain information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these other wireless devices; and

computer code for estimating a location of the first wireless device using the information obtained from the at least a portion of the other wireless devices and the positioning information received from the less than sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising computer code for storing the estimated location in a memory of the first wireless device.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising computer code for determining the location of the first wireless device from information obtained from the wireless devices having known locations utilizing if positioning information is received from the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the sufficient number of wireless devices having known locations comprises at least three wireless devices having known locations.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the transmitted requests are coded.

28. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted periodically a predetermined number of times.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the additional request is re-transmitted at a higher power level if an insufficient number of responses are received in response to the previous transmission of the additional request.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the obtained information relating to the distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these responding other wireless devices includes a calculated distance between the first wireless device and the at least a portion of these responding other wireless devices, and a scaling factor.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising computer code for utilizing the obtained information to update an internal clock of the first wireless device.

32. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the wireless devices comprise impulse radio devices.

33. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the location of the first wireless device is estimated using only the information obtained from the at least a portion of the responding other wireless device if no positioning information is received by the first mobile wireless device from wireless devices having known locations.