Device Positioning via Selective Base Station Constellations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing device positioning methods in mobile communication systems are inefficient and computationally intensive, requiring significant radio resources and processing time, especially when using a large number of neighbor cells for OTDOA positioning.
Innovation Solution
Selecting a constellation of three or more base stations based on time delay data and signal strength from a serving and second cell to determine a more accurate second position estimate, minimizing geometric dilution of precision (GDP) with minimal measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a large number of neighbor cells are used for OTDOA positioning, then positioning accuracy is improved, but computational burden and radio resources consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and selects only the most relevant subset of neighbor cells (constellation of 3-5 base stations) from the complete list of available neighbor cells. By using the first position estimate to identify the relevant constellation, the system extracts only the necessary measurements needed for accurate positioning, eliminating the need to process all neighbor cells and thus reducing computational burden while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the set of all neighbor cells into multiple constellations (groups of 3-5 base stations). Instead of processing all cells simultaneously, the system divides them into manageable segments and selects the most relevant constellation based on the first position estimate. This segmentation allows the system to handle positioning through smaller, more manageable data sets.
2Measurement precision
If all available neighbor cells are processed for positioning, then positioning accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by first determining a rough position estimate using a simplified method (first position estimate) before selecting the constellation of base stations for precise positioning. This preliminary step provides enough information to identify the relevant constellation, allowing the system to skip unnecessary processing of irrelevant cells and focus computational resources only on the selected constellation, thereby reducing overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and processes only the necessary subset of neighbor cells (the selected constellation) after using the first position estimate to identify them. By taking out only the essential measurements from the complete set of available cells, the system maintains positioning accuracy while significantly reducing processing time compared to processing all available neighbor cells.
3Productivity
If minimal number of measurements is used, then resource usage is reduced, but positioning accuracy may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selecting a constellation of base stations that are spatially localized around the device's position. The selection criteria (distance from device, geometric dilution of precision) ensure that the chosen constellation provides optimal measurement geometry for accurate positioning. This localized approach ensures that even with minimal measurements (3-5 base stations), the system achieves high positioning accuracy by selecting the most geometrically favorable local cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the selection parameter from using all available neighbor cells to using a optimized subset based on geometric dilution of precision (GDP) and distance criteria. By adjusting the selection parameters (constellation size of 3-5 cells, minimum GDP threshold, distance-based filtering), the system achieves the optimal balance between the number of measurements required and positioning accuracy achieved.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, method and computer program is described comprising: determining a first position estimate for a device based, at least in part, on time delay data from a first serving cell to the device and second data relating to at least one second cell; and selecting, based on the first position estimate for the device, a first constellation of base stations, from a plurality of candidate constellations of base stations, for use in determining a second position estimate for the device.