Device location determination when attached to one or more wireless repeaters

• US 9,942,702 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McMullen, Michael P., Bartlett, Roger Danforth, Peden, Mark Douglas, Reeves, Raymond Emilio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAQUE, ABUSAYEED M
• Application Number:
  US15/210,315
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A base station exchanges session communications with a UE during a communication session, receives a location request for a device location of the UE, determines an amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE, and submits a query to a database system for a location of a wireless repeater to which the UE is connected, wherein the query includes an identifier of the base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications. The database system processes the identifier of the base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications to identify and return the location of the wireless repeater to the base station. The base station receives the location of the wireless repeater from the database system and transfers the location of the wireless repeater in response to the location request for the device location of the UE.

Claims

1. A method of operating a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication system to facilitate device location determinations, the method comprising:

in an LTE base station, exchanging session communications with a User Equipment (UE) device during a communication session, wherein the LTE base station is attached to one or more wireless repeaters;

in the LTE base station, receiving a location request for a device location of the UE device;

in the LTE base station, determining an amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device;

in the LTE base station, submitting a query to a database system for a location of a wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected, wherein the query includes an identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications;

in the database system, processing the identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications to identify the wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected, and returning the location of the wireless repeater to the LTE base station in response to the query; and

in the LTE base station, receiving the location of the wireless repeater from the database system and transferring the location of the wireless repeater in response to the location request for the device location of the UE device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the database system includes base station location information, wireless repeater location information, and wireless repeater delay information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more wireless repeaters are configured to apply timestamps to packets during the communication session, and wherein the LTE base station determining the amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device comprises the LTE base station processing the timestamps to determine the amount of delay time associated with the session communications.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in the LTE base station, receiving an identifier of the wireless repeater from the database system and transferring a request to the wireless repeater to determine a precise location of the UE device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, request the precise location of the UE device from the UE device.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, utilize multiple antennas to determine the precise location of the UE device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the LTE base station receiving the location request for the device location of the UE device comprises the LTE base station receiving the location request from a public-safety answering point (PSAP).

8. A Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication system to facilitate device location determinations, the LTE communication system comprising:

an LTE base station configured to exchange session communications with a User Equipment (UE) device during a communication session, wherein the LTE base station is attached to one or more wireless repeaters, receive a location request for a device location of the UE device, determine an amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device, and submit a query to a database system for a location of a wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected, wherein the query includes an identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications;

the database system configured to process the identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications to identify the wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected and return the location of the wireless repeater to the LTE base station in response to the query; and

the LTE base station further configured to receive the location of the wireless repeater from the database system and transfer the location of the wireless repeater in response to the location request for the device location of the UE device.

9. The LTE communication system of claim 8 wherein the database system includes base station location information, wireless repeater location information, and wireless repeater delay information.

10. The LTE communication system of claim 8 wherein the one or more wireless repeaters are configured to apply timestamps to packets during the communication session, and wherein the LTE base station configured to determine the amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device comprises the LTE base station configured to process the timestamps to determine the amount of delay time associated with the session communications.

11. The LTE communication system of claim 8 wherein the LTE base station is further configured to receive an identifier of the wireless repeater from the database system and transfer a request to the wireless repeater to determine a precise location of the UE device.

12. The LTE communication system of claim 11 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, request the precise location of the UE device from the UE device.

13. The LTE communication system of claim 11 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, utilize multiple antennas to determine the precise location of the UE device.

14. The LTE communication system of claim 8 wherein the LTE base station configured to receive the location request for the device location of the UE device comprises the LTE base station configured to receive the location request from a public-safety answering point (PSAP).

15. A computer apparatus to operate a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) base station to facilitate device location determinations, the computer apparatus comprising:

software instructions configured, when executed by the LTE base station, to direct the LTE base station to exchange session communications with a User Equipment (UE) device during a communication session, wherein the LTE base station is attached to one or more wireless repeaters, receive a location request for a device location of the UE device, determine an amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device, submit a query to a database system for a location of a wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected, wherein the query includes an identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications, receive the location of the wireless repeater from the database system, and transfer the location of the wireless repeater in response to the location request for the device location of the UE device, wherein the database system is configured to process the identifier of the LTE base station and the amount of delay time associated with the session communications to identify the wireless repeater to which the UE device is connected and return the location of the wireless repeater to the LTE base station in response to the query; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the software instructions.

16. The computer apparatus of claim 15 wherein the database system includes base station location information, wireless repeater location information, and wireless repeater delay information.

17. The computer apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more wireless repeaters are configured to apply timestamps to packets during the communication session, and wherein the software instructions configured to direct the LTE base station to determine the amount of delay time associated with the session communications of the UE device comprises the software instructions configured to direct the LTE base station to process the timestamps to determine the amount of delay time associated with the session communications.

18. The computer apparatus of claim 15 wherein the software instructions are further configured to direct the LTE base station to receive an identifier of the wireless repeater from the database system and transfer a request to the wireless repeater to determine a precise location of the UE device.

19. The computer apparatus of claim 18 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, request the precise location of the UE device from the UE device.

20. The computer apparatus of claim 18 wherein the wireless repeater is configured to, responsive to the request to determine the precise location of the UE device, utilize multiple antennas to determine the precise location of the UE device.