Intercepting an uplink signal to assist in timing or positioning calculations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11009580-B2
Application number	US-201716466282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2017
Priority date	Dec 1, 2016
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for sharing, by a first User Equipment, interception-assistance information relating to an uplink signal transmitted by the first User Equipment. The interception-assistance information may be used to assist a second User Equipment to intercept the uplink signal and measure at least one characteristic of it. Calculation-assistance information may be used to assist in the calculation of a position or time, based on the measured characteristic.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A second User Equipment (UE) in a wireless infrastructure network, the second UE comprising:
a first receiver configured to intercept a first uplink signal transmitted from a first UE to a first base station serving the first UE;
a transmitter configured to transmit a second uplink signal to a second base station serving the second UE;
a second receiver configured to receive a downlink signal transmitted from the second base station;

and
a processor configured to:
obtain interception-assistance information related to the first uplink signal, wherein at least a portion of the interception-assistance information is originated from the first UE;
control the first receiver to intercept the first uplink signal based on the interception-assistance information;
measure at least one characteristic of the first uplink signal; and
perform an operation of:
using the measured characteristic to determine positions of one or more devices or local times of the one or more devices; or
sending the measured characteristic to a remote electronic device for the remote electronic device to determine the positions of the one or more devices or the local times of the one or more devices,

wherein the processor is configured to share the interception-assistance information with a third UE before the second uplink signal is transmitted, to assist the third UE to intercept the second uplink signal, wherein the interception-assistance information is related to at least one of the second UE or the second uplink signal.

2. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the downlink signal is a first downlink signal, the interception-assistance information comprising at least one of:
identity information of the first UE;
at least one of position information or velocity information of the first UE;
information about one or more antennas used by the first UE to transmit the first uplink signal;
first parameters of the first uplink signal;
second parameters of the first uplink signal that are specific to the first UE;
third parameters of a second downlink signal transmitted from the first base station; or
information relevant to configuration of the first UE, wherein the information is sent from the first base station in the second downlink signal.

3. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the measured at least one characteristic comprises at least one of:
a time of arrival of the first uplink signal at the first receiver;
a received signal strength of the first uplink signal;
an angle of arrival of the first uplink signal; or
a carrier phase of the first uplink signal.

4. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the measured at least one characteristic comprises a difference between a characteristic of the first uplink signal and a corresponding characteristic of another signal.

5. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the measured at least one characteristic comprises at least one of:
a time difference between another signal and the arrival of the first uplink signal;
a signal strength difference between another signal and the first uplink signal;
an angular difference between a direction of another signal and a direction of the first uplink signal; or
a phase difference between a carrier phase of the first uplink signal and a carrier phase of another signal.

6. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein:
the first receiver and the second receiver are provided by a common receiver, and
the processor is configured to control the common receiver to switch between receiving the downlink signal and intercepting the first uplink signal.

7. The second UE of claim 1 , further comprising:
a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver,
wherein the processor is further configured to control the GNSS receiver to send GNSS positioning data to an electronic device.

8. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to obtain the interception-assistance information via user plane data communication.

9. The second UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
report a device description to a computer providing a supporting service,
wherein the device description includes an uplink-interception capability of the first receiver.

10. A second User Equipment (UE) in a wireless infrastructure network, the second UE comprising:
a first receiver configured to intercept a first uplink signal transmitted from a first UE to a first base station serving the first UE;
a transmitter configured to transmit a second uplink signal to a second base station serving the second UE;
a second receiver configured to receive a downlink signal transmitted from the second base station;

and
a processor configured to:
obtain interception-assistance information related to the first uplink signal, wherein at least a portion of the interception-assistance information is originated from the first UE;
control the first receiver to intercept the first uplink signal based on the interception-assistance information;
measure at least one characteristic of the first uplink signal; and
perform an operation of:
using the measured characteristic to determine positions of one or more devices or local times of the one or more devices; or
sending the measured characteristic to a remote electronic device for the remote electronic device to determine the positions of the one or more devices or the local times of the one or more devices,

wherein the processor is configured to control the transmitter to transmit the second uplink signal in response to the first receiver intercepting the first uplink signal.

11. The second UE of claim 10 , wherein the downlink signal is a first downlink signal, the interception-assistance information comprising at least one of:
identity information of the first UE;
at least one of position information or velocity information of the first UE;
information about one or more antennas used by the first UE to transmit the first uplink signal;
first parameters of the first uplink signal;
second parameters of the first uplink signal that are specific to the first UE;
third parameters of a second downlink signal transmitted from the first base station; or
information relevant to configuration of the first UE, wherein the information is sent from the first base station in the second downlink signal.

12. The second UE of claim 10 , wherein the measured at least one characteristic comprises at least one of:
a time of arrival of the first uplink signal at the first receiver;
a received signal strength of the first uplink signal;
an angle of arrival of the first uplink signal; or
a carrier phase of the first uplink signal.

13. The second UE of claim 10 , wherein the first receiver and the second receiver are provided by a common receiver, and
the processor is configured to control the common receiver to switch between receiving the downlink signal and intercepting the first uplink signal.

14. A second User Equipment (UE) in a wireless infrastructure network, the second UE comprising:
a first receiver configured to intercept a first uplink signal transmitted from a first UE to a first base station serving the first UE;
a transmitter configured to transmit a second uplink signal to a second base station serving the second UE;
a second receiver configured to receive a downlink signal transmitted from the second base station;

and
a processor configured to:
obtain interception-assistance information related to the first uplink signal, wherein at least a portion of the interception-assistance information is originated from the first UE;
control the first

Assignees

• Ublox Ag

Inventors

• Marshall Christopher
• Herczog Pascal
• Vujadinovic Dusko

Classifications

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• G01S5/0236 Primary

  Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac · CPC title

• G01S5/0036

  of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station · CPC title

• G01S5/145

  Using a supplementary range measurement, e.g. based on pseudo-range measurements · CPC title

• G01S5/0018

  Transmission from mobile station to base station · CPC title