Excess Delay Estimation Using Total Received Power

Abstract

To determine the position of a mobile device located within a coverage area of a base station, the time of arrival (TOA) of the CDMA signal received by the mobile device from the base station is reduced in proportion to the received power of the CDMA signal. The mobile device uses the reduced TOA of the CDMA signals together with the received GPS signals to detect its position. Alternatively, the mobile device transmits the TOA and power measurements of the received CDMA signals to a position determination entity (PDE). The PDE biases the TOA to estimate the position of the mobile device and transmits assistance data to the mobile device, thereby enabling the mobile device to receive GPS signals. The received GPS signals alone, or in combination with the biased TOA are then used to recompute the position of the mobile device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of a pair of base stations disposed in a wireless network.

FIG. 2 is a simplified plan view of a mobile device in communication with a multitude of satellites and a base station.

FIG. 3 is a graph of excess delay as a function of distance from a base station.

FIG. 4 is a flow-chart of steps carried out to detect the position of a wireless mobile device.

FIG. 5 is a flow-chart of steps carried out to detect the position of a wireless mobile device.

FIG. 6 is a flow-chart of steps carried out to detect the position of a wireless mobile device.

FIG. 7 is a flow-chart of steps carried out to detect the position of a wireless mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, to determine the position of a mobile wireless device (hereinafter alternatively referred to as the mobile device) that is within a coverage area of a base station, the time of arrival (TOA) of the signal received by the mobile device from the base station is reduced in proportion to the received power of the signal. The reduced TOA may subsequently be used together with the GPS signals to detect the position of the mobile device.

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of a section of an exemplary wireless network 10 that includes, in part, base stations 20 and 30 configured to communicate with a mobile wireless device (not shown). Base stations 20 and 30 have respective cells or coverage areas 25 and 35. Coverage area 25 is defined by the area of the circle that is centered on base station 20. Similarly, coverage area 35 is defined by the area of the circle that is centered on base station 30. It is understood that a base station refers to any transmitter/receiver whose location is known at the time of transmission. For example, a base station may include a cell tower of a wireless network or other wireless transmitters or infrastructures.

FIG. 2 shows a mobile device 40 that, in this exemplary embodiment, is shown as having a clear and unobstructed view of three GPS satellites, 50, 60 and 70, and is also located within coverage area 25 of base station 20. Base station 20 is also shown as being adapted to communicate with a position determination entity 80. The position of mobile device 40 is detected using the CDMA signal that mobile device 40 is able to receive from base station 20 and the GPS signals it is able to receive from GPS satellites 50, 60 and 70. It is understood that the present disclosure applies when mobile device 40 is able to communicate with more than one base station and/or with fewer than three satellites.

As known to those skilled in the art, as the distance between mobile device 40 and base station 20 increases, it takes longer for a signal transmitted by base station 20 to reach mobile device 40. Moreover, because mobile device 40 is often not in the line-of-sight of base station 20, the signals transmitted by base station 20 are often deflected off of one or more objects (not shown in the drawings) before they reach mobile device 40. The farther the distance between mobile device 40 and base station 20, the higher is the likelihood of signal deflections. The deflections cause these signals to undergo additional delays before they are received by mobile device 40. Therefore, as the distance between mobile device 40 and base station 20 increases, the time of arrival (TOA) of the signal at mobile device 40 increases both because of the increased distance and because of the increased likelihood of signal deflection. Moreover, as the distance between mobile device 40 and base station 20 increases, the measure of the signal power received by mobile device 40 decreases both because of the increased distance and because of the increased likelihood of signal deflection.

To account for the extra delays (alternatively referred to hereinbelow as excess delay) caused by these deflections, in accordance with the present disclosure, the TOA of the signals at mobile device 40 is reduced by an amount defined by the power of the received signal. If, for example, the power of the received signal is relatively high, mobile device 40 is considered to be either in the line-of-sight or within a relatively short distance from base station 20. Accordingly, it is determined that small or insubstantial deflections have occurred and, consequently, either the TOA is left unchanged or is reduced by a small amount. If, for example, the power of the received signal is relatively low, mobile device 40 is considered not to be in the line-of-sight or not to be within a relatively short distance from base station 20. Accordingly, the TOA is reduced by a relatively larger amount.

In some embodiments, the amount by which the TOA is reduced is determined based on data gathered in the field. FIG. 3 is a graph of excess delay as a function of distance from the base station (e.g., range) using data collected in the field. As is seen from FIG. 3, as the range increases, so does the excess delay. A number of techniques or algorithms may be used to determine the excess delay as a function of the received power. In some embodiments, the excess delay is determined to increases exponentially as the power decreases and in accordance with the following expression:

E=A exp(−BP_dBm)

where E represents the excess delay in meters, P_dBm represents a measure of the received power in dB, and A, B are constant parameters. In some embodiments, A and B are respectively set to 0.2081 and 0.0628 respectively. Accordingly, in these embodiments, an excess delay of 1 meter is estimated for a received power of −25 dBm and an excess delay of 1,000 meters is estimated for a received power of −135 dBm. Using the excess delay as described above, any one of the following exemplary techniques may be used to detect the position of the mobile device.

Stand-Alone Position Detection

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart 100 of steps carried out by a mobile device in detecting its position. Accordingly, in such embodiments, the position detection is performed by the mobile device. At step 110, the mobile device measures the TOA of GPS signals it receives from the satellites in its view, and measures the TOA and power of CDMA signal it receives from the base station. At step 120, the mobile device estimates any excess delay that the CDMA signal may have experienced during its flight from the base station to the mobile device. The technique used for estimating the excess delay is described above. The estimated excess delay is subsequently subtracted from the measured TOA of the CDMA signal at step 120 to generate a biased TOA. At step 130, the mobile device, using the measured TOAs of the GPS signals and the biased TOA of the CDMA signal, computes its position using any one of a number of known position determination algorithms. At step 140, the mobile device sends its detected position to an entity requesting it, such as a user or any other application that is in communication to the mobile device via a data link.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 200 of steps carried out by a mobile device in detecting its position, in accordance with another embodiment. It is assumed that the mobile device does not have a view of any GPS satellites and is able to communicate with one or more base stations. The algorithms used to detect the position of the mobile device when it is able to communicate with only one or two base stations is described in copending PCT application No. PCT/US04/02750, entitled “Estimating a User Location with One or More Base Stations”.

Referring to flowchart 200, at step 210, the mobile device measures the TOA as well as power of the CDMA signal it receives from the base station it is in communications with. At step 220, the mobile device computes any excess delay that the CDMA signal may have experienced as it traveled from the base station to the mobile device. The computed excess delay is subtracted from the measured TOA to generate an associated biased TOA. At step 230, the mobile device, using the biased TOA of the CDMA signal, computes its position. At step 240, the mobile device sends its detected position to an entity requesting it, such as a user or any other application that is in communication with the mobile device via a data link.

In the above embodiments, the mobile device includes a database that has information about the various parameters associated with each base station, such as the location of the base station within the wireless network, its coverage area, etc. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the mobile device determines its position using various codes of one or more software modules forming a program and executed as instructions/data by, e.g., a central processing unit, or using hardware modules specifically configured and dedicated to determine the position of the mobile wireless device. Alternatively, the determination of the position of the mobile device may be carried out using a combination of software and hardware modules.

Wireless-Assisted Position Detection

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart 300 of steps carried out to detect the position of the mobile device. In such embodiments, the position detection is performed by a position determination entity (PDE), such as a server, and the PDE provides assistance data to the mobile device to acquire and track the GPS satellites. In these embodiments, the mobile device may not initially have a view of any GPS satellites. In the following, it is assumed that the mobile device is in communications with only one base station and thus receives CDMA signals from that base station only. It is understood, however, that the mobile device may be in communications with two or more base stations, the signals from all of which may be used in detecting the position of the mobile device.

At step 310, the mobile device measures the TOA as well as power of the CDMA signal it receives from the base stations. At step 320, the mobile device sends the measured TOA and power of the received CDMA signal to PDE. The PDE has a database that includes information about the various parameters associated with each base station, such as the location of the base station within the wireless network, its coverage area, etc. Accordingly, the PDE estimates any excess delay that the CDMA signal may have experienced as it traveled from the base station to the mobile device. The technique used for estimating the excess delay is described above. At step 330, the estimated excess delay is subtracted from the measured TOA to generate a biased TOA. At step 340, the PDE, using the biased TOA of the CDMA signal, estimates the position of the mobile device.

The PDE also has information about the position and timing of each of the GPS satellites. Accordingly, to find a more accurate position of the mobile device, at step 350, the PDE transmits assistance data to the mobile device. Such assistance data includes, for example, data regarding the time(s) during which the mobile device will have a view of the GPS satellites. Armed with this assistance data, the mobile device acquires and tracks the GPS satellites identified in the assistance data and measures the TOA of the signals it receives from them at step 360. At step 370, the mobile device sends the measured TOA of the satellite signals to the PDE. In some embodiments, at step 380, the PDE may only use the TOA of GPS satellite signals to recompute the position of the mobile device. In other embodiments, in step 380, the PDE may use both the TOA of the GPS satellite signals as well as the biased TOA of the base station signals, determined at step 330, to recompute the position of the mobile device. The PDE may use any number of known algorithms to recompute the position of the mobile device in step 380.

In the above embodiments, the PDE determines the position of the mobile device using various codes of one or more software modules forming a program and executed as instructions/data by, e.g., a central processing unit, or using hardware modules specifically configured and dedicated to determine the position of the mobile wireless device. Alternatively, the determination of the position of the mobile device may be carried out using a combination of software and hardware modules.

Stand-Alone Wireless-Assisted Position Detection

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flowchart 400 of steps carried out to detect the position of the mobile device. In such embodiments, the position detection is performed by the mobile device using assistance data from the PDE. In these embodiments, the mobile device may not initially have a view of any GPS satellites. In the following, it is assumed that the mobile device is in communications with only one base station and thus receives CDMA signals from that base station only. It is understood, however, that the mobile device may be in communications with two or more base stations, the signals from all of which may be used in detecting the position of the mobile device.

At step 410, the mobile device measures the TOA as well as power of the CDMA signal it receives from the base station. At step 420, the mobile device sends the measured TOA and power of the received CDMA signal to PDE. The PDE has a database that includes information about the various parameters associated with each base station, such as the location of the base station within the wireless network, its coverage area, etc. Accordingly, the PDE estimates any excess delay that the CDMA signal may have experienced as it traveled from the base station to the mobile device. The technique used for estimating the excess delay is described above. At step 430, the estimated excess delay is subtracted from the measured TOA to generate a biased TOA. At step 440, the PDE, using the biased TOA of the CDMA signal, estimates the position of the mobile device.

The PDE also has information about the position and timing of each of the GPS satellites. Accordingly, to find a more accurate position of the mobile device, at step 450, the PDE transmits assistance data to the mobile device. Such assistance data includes, for example, data regarding the time(s) during which the mobile device will have a view of the GPS satellites. Armed with this assistance data, the mobile device acquires and tracks the GPS satellites identified in the assistance data and measures the TOA of the signals it receives from them at step 460. In some embodiments, at step 470, the mobile device only uses the TOA of GPS satellite signals to recompute its position. In other embodiments, in step 470, the mobile device may use both the TOA of the GPS satellite signals as well as the biased TOA of the base station signals, determined in step 430, to recompute its position. The mobile device may use any number of known algorithms to recompute its position in step 470.

In the above embodiments, the mobile device detects it position using various codes of one or more software modules forming a program and executed as instructions/data by, e.g., a central processing unit, or using hardware modules specifically configured and dedicated to determine the position of the mobile wireless device. Alternatively, the determination of the position of the mobile device may be carried out using a combination of software and hardware modules.

The above embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrative and not limitative. The disclosure is not limited by the number of base stations disposed in a wireless network. The disclosure is not limited by the size of the coverage area of a base station or by the size of the overlap region between each pair of base stations. The disclosure is not limited by the number of base stations or satellites with which the mobile device is able to communicate. The disclosure is not limited by the expression, equation or algorithm, used to estimate the excess delay of a signal as function of the received power of that signal. The disclosure is not limited by the algorithm used to detect the position of a mobile device. Nor is the disclosure limited by the type of wireless network, base station or the mobile wireless device. Other additions, subtractions, deletions, and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a location of a mobile device in a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving a signal from a base station in the wireless communication network;measuring a time of arrival and a power of the received signal;defining a time delay according to the measured power;reducing the time of arrival by the defined time delay; anddetecting the location of the mobile device according to the reduced time of arrival.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the time delay can be described by: E=A exp(−BPdBm)

3. The method claim 1 wherein the time delay is defined using data gathered at the field.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the detected position to another entity via the base station.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving data regarding location and position of at least one GPS satellite;receiving a signal from the at least one GPS satellite; anddetecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival and a time of arrival of the signal received from the at least one GPS satellite.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving data regarding locations and positions of a plurality of GPS satellites;receiving a signal from each of the plurality of the GPS satellites; anddetecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with time of arrival of each of the signals received from the plurality of the GPS satellites.

7. A mobile device configured to receive a signal from a base station disposed in a wireless communication network, comprising: a module to measure a time of arrival and a power of the received signal;a module to define a time delay in accordance with the measured power;a module to reduce the time of arrival signal by the defined time delay; anda module to detect the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the time delay can be described by: E=A exp(−BPdBm)

9. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the time delay is defined using data gathered at the field.

10. The mobile device of claim 7 further comprising a module adapted to transmit the detected position to another entity via the base station.

11. A wireless communication network comprising: a plurality of base stations; anda mobile device configured to receive a signal from at least one of the plurality of base stations, and comprising; a module to measure a time of arrival and a power of the received signal;a module to define a time delay in accordance with the measured power;a module to reduce the time of arrival by the defined time delay; anda module to detect the location of the mobile device according to the reduced time of arrival.

12. The wireless communication network of claim 11 wherein the time delay can be described by: E=A exp(−BPdBm)

13. The wireless communication network of claim 11 wherein the time delay is defined using data gathered at the field.

14. The wireless communication network of claim 11 wherein the mobile device further comprises a module adapted to transmit the detected position to another entity via the base station.

15. The wireless communication network of claim 11 further comprising a position determination entity in communication with the mobile device via the at least one of the plurality of base stations, and including a module to transmit data regarding location and position of at least one GPS satellite to the mobile device, and a module to detect the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival and a time of arrival of a signal transmitted by the at least one GPS satellite and received by the mobile device.

16. The wireless communication network of claim 11 further comprising a position determination entity in communication with the mobile device via the at least one of the plurality of base stations, and including a module to transmit data regarding locations and positions of a plurality of GPS satellites, and a module to detect the location of the mobile device in accordance with time of arrivals of signals transmitted by the plurality of GPS satellite and received by the mobile device.

17. The wireless communication network of claim 11 wherein said mobile device further comprises: a module to receive data regarding location and position of at least one GPS satellite from a position determination entity; anda module to detect the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival and a time of arrival of a signal received from the at least one GPS satellite.

18. The wireless communication network of claim 11 wherein said mobile device further comprises: a module to receive data regarding locations and positions of a plurality of GPS satellites; anda module to detect the location of the mobile device in accordance with time of arrivals of signals received from the plurality of GPS satellite.

19. A mobile device to receive a signal from a base station in a wireless communication network, comprising: means for measuring a time of arrival and a power of the received signal;means for defining a time delay according to the measured power;means for reducing the time of arrival by the defined time delay; andmeans for detecting the location of the mobile device according to the reduced time of arrival.

20. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the time delay can be described by: E=A exp(−BPdBm)

21. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the time delay is defined using data gathered at the field.

22. The mobile device of claim 19 further comprising means for transmitting the detected position to another entity via the base station.

23. A wireless communication network comprising: a plurality of base stations; anda mobile device configured to receive a signal from at least one of the plurality of base stations, including: means for measuring a time of arrival and a power of the received signal;means for defining a time delay according to the measured power;means for reducing the time of arrival by the defined time delay; andmeans for detecting the location of the mobile device according to the reduced time of arrival.

24. The wireless communication network of claim 23 wherein the time delay can be described by: E=A exp(−BPdBm)

25. The wireless communication network of claim 23 wherein the time delay is defined using data gathered at the field.

26. The wireless communication network of claim 23 wherein the mobile device further comprises means for transmitting the detected position to another entity via the base station.

27. The wireless communication network of claim 23 further comprising a position determination entity in communication with the mobile device via the at least one of the plurality of base stations, and including means for transmitting data regarding location and position of at least one GPS satellite to the mobile device, and means for detecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival and a time of arrival of a signal transmitted by the at least one GPS satellite and received by the mobile device.

28. The wireless communication network of claim 23 further comprising a position determination entity in communication with the mobile device via the at least one of the plurality of base stations, and including means for transmitting data regarding locations and positions of a plurality of GPS satellites, and means for detecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with time of arrivals of signals transmitted by the plurality of GPS satellite and received by the mobile device.

29. The wireless communication network of claim 23 wherein said mobile device further comprises: means for receiving data regarding location and position of at least one GPS satellite from a position determination entity; andmeans for detecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with the reduced time of arrival and a time of arrival of a signal received from the at least one GPS satellite.

30. The wireless communication network of claim 23 wherein said mobile device further comprises: means for receiving data regarding locations and positions of a plurality of GPS satellites; andmeans for detecting the location of the mobile device in accordance with time of arrivals of signals received from the plurality of GPS satellite.