System and method for mobile location by proximity detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9331798-B2
Application number	US-98643911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2011
Priority date	Jan 8, 2010
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for determining the location of a mobile device in a communications network having one or more proximity sensors. A request to locate the mobile device may be received and at least one of the proximity sensors tasked to receive a signal transmission from the mobile device. One or more signal characteristics of the signal transmission from the mobile device may be measured by each tasked proximity sensor, and a location of the mobile device determined as a function of the measured characteristics. This may be accomplished by associating a fixed location with each tasked proximity sensor, and then determining the location of the mobile device as a function of one of the associated fixed locations.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A method of determining the location of a mobile device in a communications network having one or more base station transceivers and one or more proximity sensors, wherein the one or more proximity sensors are not co-located with any one of the one or more base station transceivers; the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving a request to locate the mobile device;
(b) tasking, using a geolocation control system (“GCS”), at least one of the proximity sensors to receive a signal transmission from the mobile device;
(c) transmitting a first signal from at least one of the one or more base station transceivers to the mobile device;
(d) transmitting by the mobile device the signal transmission from the mobile device, in response to receiving the first signal;
(e) measuring one or more signal characteristics of the signal transmission from the mobile device by each tasked proximity sensor; wherein the signal transmission from which said signal characteristics are measured by each tasked proximity sensor is not received by said each tasked proximity sensor via the one or more base station transceivers;
(f) collecting at said GCS the measured characteristics; and
(g) determining at said GCS a location of the mobile device as a function of the measured characteristic, wherein the measured characteristic includes range information;
wherein the step of measuring further comprises:
(i) measuring by each tasked proximity sensor a transmit time of the first signal, a transmit time of a second signal transmitted by a repeater, or a transmit time of a third signal transmitted by a Distributed Antenna System (“DAS”) antenna, wherein the second and third signal are each a repeated version of the first signal,
(ii) measuring by the proximity sensor for a receive time of the first, second, or third signal,
(iii) for estimating transceiver processing delay of the mobile device, and
(iv) determining flight time of the signal transmission from the mobile device as a function of the measured transmit time, the measured receive time and the estimated delay.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to locate the mobile device is provided by the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to locate the mobile device is a tasking message provided by the network or by a scanning receiver in a region of coverage of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is embedded in a repeater in the network, in a component of a distributed antenna system of the network, in a core component of the network, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is connected to a repeater in the network, to a component of a distributed antenna system of the network, to a core component of the network, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is an independent, standalone receiver apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring one or more signal characteristics of the signal transmission from the mobile device further comprises:
(i) utilizing a radio frequency (RF) signal parameter of the signal transmission from the mobile device, and
(ii) determining metrics on the signal transmission from the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the RF signal parameter is selected from the group consisting of channel number, channel frequency, timeslot, network timing information, range information, spreading code, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the metric is selected from the group consisting of received signal strength indication, signal to noise ratio, ratio of energy per bit over power spectral density of noise and interference (Eb/Io), ratio of received pilot energy over power spectral density of noise and interference (Ec/Io), and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal transmission is a communication between the mobile device and the one or more base station transceiver.

11. A method of determining the location of a mobile device in a communications network having one or more base station transceivers and one or more proximity sensors, wherein the one or more proximity sensors are not co-located with any one of the one or more base station transceivers; the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving a request to locate the mobile device;
(b) tasking, using a geolocation control system (“GCS”), at least one of the proximity sensors to receive a signal transmission from the mobile device;
(c) transmitting a first signal from at least one of the one or more base station transceivers to the mobile device;
(d) transmitting by the mobile device the signal transmission from the mobile device, in response to receiving the first signal;
(e) measuring one or more signal characteristics of the signal transmission from the mobile device by each tasked proximity sensor; wherein the signal transmission from which said signal characteristics are measured by each tasked proximity sensor is not received by said each tasked proximity sensor via the one or more base station transceivers; and
(f) collecting at said GCS the measured characteristics; and
(g) determining at said GCS a location of the mobile device as a function of the measured characteristic,
wherein the measured characteristic includes range information;
wherein the step of measuring further comprises:
(i) receiving transmit time information of transmit time of the first signal, a transmit time of a second signal transmitted by a repeater, or a transmit time of a third signal transmitted by a Distributed Antenna System (“DAS”) antenna, wherein the second and third signal are each a repeated version of the first signal,
(ii) measuring for a receive time of the signal transmitted from the base station transceiver, repeater or antenna,
(iii) estimating for transceiver processing delay of the mobile device, and
(iv) determining flight time of the signal transmission from the mobile device as a function of the received transmit time information, the measured receive time and the estimated delay.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the request to locate the mobile device is provided by the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the request to locate the mobile device is a tasking message provided by the network or by a scanning receiver in a region of coverage of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is embedded in a repeater in the network, in a component of a distributed antenna system of the network, in a core component of the network, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is connected to a repeater in the network, to a component of a distributed antenna system of the network, to a core component of the network, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the one or more proximity sensors is an independent, standalone receiver apparatus.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of measuring one or more signal characteristics of the signal transmission from the mobile device further comprises:
(i) utilizing a radio frequency (RF) signal parameter of the signal transmission from the mobile device, and
(ii) determining metrics on the signal transmission from the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the RF signal paramet

Assignees

• Beck Andrew
• Gravely Thomas B
• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Beck Andrew
• Gravely Thomas B

Classifications

• H04W64/003 Primary

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• G01S5/02213

  Receivers arranged in a network for determining the position of a transmitter · CPC title

• H04B17/26

  using historical data, averaging values or statistics · CPC title

• H04B17/327

  Received signal code power [RSCP] · CPC title

• H04B17/27

  for locating or positioning the transmitter · CPC title