Determining device locations based on random access channel signaling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11523438-B2
Application number	US-202017007916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) device may determine its location with a high degree of precision, beyond the capability of other current methodologies. Specifically, a UE device may obtain High Precision (HIP) coordinates of its location based on Random Access Channel (RACH) messages that the UE device exchanges with multiple wireless stations. Using RACH messages to obtain HIP coordinates imposes little communication overhead or computational burden on the UE device and the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
an interface to communicate with wireless stations in a network; and
a processor configured to:
perform a partial Random Access Chanel (RACH) procedure for each wireless station of a plurality of wireless stations, wherein the partial RACH procedure for each wireless station of the plurality of wireless stations includes:
starting a RACH procedure;
selecting and transmitting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) preamble to the wireless station;
receiving a Random Access Response (RAR) message from the wireless station;
extracting a parameter value from the RAR message;
storing the extracted parameter value; and
terminating the RACH procedure before completing the RACH procedure, wherein the device includes a User Equipment (UE) device.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the extracted parameter value includes:
a value of a Timing Advance parameter in the RAR message.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a location of the device based on the extracted parameter values from performing, for each of the plurality of wireless stations, the partial RACH procedure.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein when the processor determines the location, the processor is configured to:
apply multilateration based on the extracted parameter values.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein when the processor applies multilateration, the processor is configured to:
determine a distance from the device to each of the plurality of wireless stations.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein starting the RACH procedure includes:
detecting a broadcast signal from the wireless station.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
verifying the extracted parameter value by using measurements from other wireless stations.

8. A method comprising:
performing, by a User Equipment (UE) device, a partial Random Access Chanel (RACH) procedure for at least one wireless station of a plurality of wireless stations, wherein the partial RACH procedure includes:
starting a RACH procedure;
selecting and transmitting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) preamble to the wireless station;
receiving a Random Access Response (RAR) message from the wireless station;
extracting a parameter value from the RAR message;
storing the extracted parameter value; and
terminating the RACH procedure before completing the RACH procedure.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the extracted parameter value includes:
a value of a Timing Advance parameter in the RAR message.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a location of the device based on the extracted parameter value and other values obtained from performing, for other wireless stations of the plurality of wireless stations, the partial RACH procedure.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the location comprises:
applying multilateration based on the extracted parameter values.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying multilateration includes:
determining a distance from the device to each of the plurality of wireless stations.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein starting the RACH procedure includes:
detecting a broadcast signal from the wireless station.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
verifying the extracted parameter value by using measurements from other wireless stations.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor included in a User Equipment (UE) device, cause the processor to:
perform a partial Random Access Chanel (RACH) procedure for at least one wireless station of a plurality of wireless stations, wherein the partial RACH procedure includes:
starting a RACH procedure;
selecting and transmitting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) preamble to the wireless station;
receiving a Random Access Response (RAR) message from the wireless station;
extracting a parameter value from the RAR message;
storing the extracted parameter value; and
terminating the RACH procedure before completing the RACH procedure.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the extracted parameter value includes:
a value of a Timing Advance parameter in the RAR message.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further to:
determine a location of the device based on the extracted parameter value and other values obtained from performing, for other wireless stations of the plurality of wireless stations, the partial RACH procedure.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein when the processor determines the location, the processor is to:
apply multilateration based on the extracted parameter values.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein when the processor applies multilateration, the processor is to:
determine a distance from the device to each of the plurality of wireless stations.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein starting the RACH procedure includes:
detecting a broadcast signal from the wireless station.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Weisbrod Fred
• Christopherson Corey J
• Polehn Donna L

Classifications

• H04W74/0833 Primary

  Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access · CPC title

• H04W56/003

  Arrangements to increase tolerance to errors in transmission or reception timing · CPC title

• H04W56/001 Primary

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title

• H04W76/27

  Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states · CPC title