Method and apparatus for improving radio location accuracy with measurements

• US 9,014,719 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid, Riley, Wyatt T
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US14/049,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20140038637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/404.4
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus to utilize a set of measurements (either partial or compete) to improve the accuracy of an initial position estimate for a wireless terminal. The initial position estimate for the terminal is first obtained (e.g., based on a cell-ID or an enhanced cell-ID solution). Measurements are obtained for the terminal. The initial position estimate is then updated with the measurements to obtain a revised position estimate for the terminal. The updating may be performed by (1) deriving a measurement vector based on the initial position estimate and the measurements, (2) forming an observation matrix for the measurements, (3) determining a matrix of weights, (4) deriving a correction vector based on the measurement vector, the observation matrix, and the weight matrix, and (5) updating the initial position estimate with the correction vector.

Claims

1. A method of determining a position estimate for a wireless terminal, comprising:

obtaining an initial position estimate for the terminal using a first position determination scheme based at least in part on one or more signals from a first wireless communication system;

obtaining a set of one or more measurements using at least one additional position determination scheme based on at least one signal from at least one additional wireless communication system that is distinct from the first wireless communication system; and

updating the initial position estimate based on the set of one or more measurements,

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a partial set of one or more measurements that is insufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with a threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme, or

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a complete set of one or more measurements that is sufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a cellular communication system or a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first position determination scheme corresponds to a WiFi-based position determination scheme, a Bluetooth-based position determination scheme, an Ultra-Wide Bandwidth (UWB) position determination scheme, cell-ID position determination scheme, an enhanced cell-ID position determination scheme, a LAPS-based position determination scheme, an Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (A-FLT) position determination scheme, an Uplink Time of Arrival (U-TOA) or Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (U-TDOA) position determination scheme, an Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD) position determination scheme, and/or an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) position determination scheme.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to the LAPS.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the LAPS is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or WiFi communication system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a Satellite Positioning System (SPS).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes one or more pseudorange measurements to one or more satellite or pseudolite transmitters.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes the cellular communication system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes at least one measurement of an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) for the at least one signal.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to the cellular communication system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the initial position estimate is obtained based on the one or more signals of the cellular communication system using a cell-ID position determination scheme or an enhanced cell-ID position determination scheme.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes the LAPS.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the LAPS is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or WiFi communication system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes a set of one or more WiFi-based or WLAN-based round trip time (RTT) measurements measured using the at least one signal from the WLAN or WiFi communication system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional position determination scheme includes a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) position determination scheme, a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS) position determination scheme, an Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (A-FLT) position determination scheme, a hybrid SPS+A-FLT position determination scheme, an Uplink Time of Arrival (U-TOA) or Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (U-TDOA) position determination scheme, an Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD) position determination scheme, and/or an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) position determination scheme.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a cellular communication system, a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS) and/or a satellite communication system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes a LAPS-based measurement and a cellular-based measurement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the cellular-based measurement is a measurement of an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA).

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the LAPS is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or WiFi communication system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the LAPS-based measurement is a WiFi-based or WLAN-based round trip time (RTT) measurement.

21. The method of claim 1,

wherein the initial position estimate is a best available position estimate that is independently derived by via any available position determining scheme, and

wherein the set of one or more measurements used to update the initial position estimate is obtained in conjunction with an earlier attempt to independently derive the position estimate of the wireless terminal by the at least one additional position determination scheme.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more measurements is the partial set of one or more measurements that is insufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the threshold level of accuracy is established based on an application-specific accuracy requirement for the position estimate.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more measurements is the complete set of one or more measurements that is sufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the threshold level of accuracy is established based on an application-specific accuracy requirement for the position estimate.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a single wireless communication system.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes multiple additional wireless communication systems.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional position determination scheme is associated with higher accuracy position estimates as compared to the first position determination scheme.

29. The method of claim 1,

wherein the updating includes weighting the set of one or more measurements based on an expected degree of error, and

wherein a degree to which the initial position estimate is adjusted during the updating is based on the weighting.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating adjusts a latitude component, a longitude component and/or an altitude component associated with the initial position estimate based on the set of one or more measurements.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes at least one ranging measurement to a transmitter.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more measurements includes at least two ranging measurements to different transmitters.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least two ranging measurements include at least one terrestrial ranging measurement to at least one terrestrial transmitter and at least one satellite ranging measurement to at least one satellite or pseudolite transmitter.

34. An apparatus configured to determine a position estimate for a wireless terminal, comprising:

means for obtaining an initial position estimate for the terminal using a first position determination scheme based at least in part on one or more signals from a first wireless communication system;

means for obtaining a set of one or more measurements using at least one additional position determination scheme based on at least one signal from at least one additional wireless communication system that is distinct from the first wireless communication system; and

means for updating the initial position estimate based on the set of one or more measurements,

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a partial set of one or more measurements that is insufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with a threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme, or

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a complete set of one or more measurements that is sufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

35. The apparatus of claim 34,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a cellular communication system, and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS) and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).

36. The apparatus of claim 34,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS), and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a cellular communication system and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).

37. An apparatus configured to determine a position estimate for a wireless terminal, comprising:

a processor configured to obtain an initial position estimate for the terminal using a first position determination scheme based at least in part on one or more signals from a first wireless communication system, to obtain a set of one or more measurements using at least one additional position determination scheme based on at least one signal from at least one additional wireless communication system that is distinct from the first wireless communication system and to update the initial position estimate based on the set of one or more measurements,

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a partial set of one or more measurements that is insufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with a threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme, or

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a complete set of one or more measurements that is sufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

38. The apparatus of claim 37,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a cellular communication system, and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS) and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).

39. The apparatus of claim 37,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS), and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a cellular communication system and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).

40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by an apparatus configured to determine a position estimate for a wireless terminal, cause the apparatus to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

at least one instruction configured to cause the apparatus to obtain an initial position estimate for the terminal using a first position determination scheme based at least in part on one or more signals from a first wireless communication system;

at least one instruction configured to cause the apparatus to obtain a set of one or more measurements using at least one additional position determination scheme based on at least one signal from at least one additional wireless communication system that is distinct from the first wireless communication system; and

at least one instruction configured to cause the apparatus to update the initial position estimate based on the set of one or more measurements,

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a partial set of one or more measurements that is insufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with a threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme, or

wherein the set of one or more measurements is a complete set of one or more measurements that is sufficient to independently derive the position estimate for the terminal with the threshold level of accuracy using the at least one additional determination scheme.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a cellular communication system, and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS) and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40,

wherein the first wireless communication system corresponds to a Local Area Positioning System (LAPS), and

wherein the at least one additional wireless communication system includes a cellular communication system and/or a satellite positioning system (SPS).