Mobile Subscriber Location Estimation via Base Station Trilateration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current GPS technologies for mobile devices are costly and ineffective indoors, limiting their ability to provide accurate location-based services for targeted advertising and user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A method that estimates a mobile subscriber's location by identifying their serving base station and neighboring base stations, calculating time delays and delta times from these stations to determine distances, and using trilateration for precise positioning without relying solely on GPS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS technology is used for mobile devices, then location accuracy is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and indoor performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses base stations as intermediary objects to enable location estimation. Instead of relying on GPS satellites, the system employs terrestrial base stations (serving and neighboring) as mediators to provide location information through signal timing measurements, thereby avoiding GPS manufacturing costs and improving indoor performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual GPS-like positioning system using existing cellular infrastructure. By copying the trilateration concept from GPS and applying it to base station signals, the system achieves location accuracy without requiring expensive GPS hardware in each device.
2Measurement precision
If GPS technology is used for mobile devices, then location accuracy is improved, but indoor performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses base stations as intermediary objects to enable location estimation. Instead of relying on GPS satellites, the system employs terrestrial base stations (serving and neighboring) as mediators to provide location information through signal timing measurements, thereby avoiding GPS manufacturing costs and improving indoor performance.
3Ease of manufacture
If base station trilateration is implemented, then GPS manufacturing cost is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device performs the location calculation itself using received signal timing information from base stations. The device autonomously measures time delays, calculates distances to serving and neighboring base stations, and determines its position through trilateration, reducing the need for complex external infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing cellular communication infrastructure for dual purposes: normal communication and location estimation. The same base stations and signal channels used for voice and data communication are also utilized for positioning, eliminating the need for separate positioning hardware or infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides an accurate and cost-effective alternative or supplement to GPS, enabling location-based services even indoors and improving user experience by allowing for targeted advertising and intelligent searching.
Implementation Method 1
The subscriber estimates a distance between the subscriber and the serving base station based on the time delay. The subscriber estimates distances between the subscriber and each of the selected neighboring base stations based on the time delay and the delta time
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of estimating a location of a subscriber are disclosed. One method includes receiving a request for the location of the subscriber. The subscriber's serving base station, and a plurality of neighboring base stations sensed by the subscriber, are identified. The subscriber obtains a time delay from the serving base. The subscriber estimates a distance between the subscriber and the serving base station. The subscriber receives frames and estimates a delta time for each of the selected neighboring base stations for the subscriber to synchronize to each of the selected neighboring base stations. The subscriber estimates distances between the subscriber and each of the selected neighboring base. The subscriber location is estimated by trilateration of the distance between the subscriber and the serving base station, and the distances between the subscriber and each of the selected neighboring base stations.