ESTIMATING POSITION OF WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE WITH RESPECT TO ONE OR MORE BASE STATIONS

• Main Author: RICK ROLAND
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.02.2012
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; TESTING; TRANSMISSION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for estimating by a mobile station (MS) the location thereof, which is executable by communicating with less than three base stations (BTS), which method is normally attained by communicating with at least three base stations (BTS).SOLUTION: A first method for estimating a location of an MS (MS) in a communication network having a plurality of BTSs (BTSs) includes determining an area in which the MS can communicate with only one of the BTSs. A mean location within the area is calculated and used as the estimate. A second method includes determining an area in which the MS is within an overlapping coverage area of two of the BTSs. A locus of distance points at which a relative time difference of arrival of signals received by the MS from each of the BTSs is constant is determined. A point at which a line having an angle θ based upon relative signal power at the MS between first and second sectors of one of the BTSs intersects the locus is determined, and used as the estimate of the MS location.