Wireless Terminal Location Tracking via Signal Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to accurately track the locations of multiple wireless communication terminals simultaneously due to overlapping time-frequency allocations in wireless network uplink signals, making simple signal-strength measurements ineffective.
Innovation Solution
The system employs multiple detector units that receive uplink signals and extract time-frequency uplink allocations from downlink signals to synchronize with the wireless network's air-interface, allowing for the distinction and computation of individual terminal locations based on signal strengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If simple signal-strength measurements are used to track terminal locations, then the tracking process is simple and fast, but the measurement precision deteriorates when multiple terminals have overlapping time-frequency allocations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the received uplink signal into individual terminal components by exploiting the unique time-frequency allocation patterns of each terminal. The detector unit divides the composite signal into separable segments corresponding to different terminals, allowing accurate location measurement for each terminal even when their allocations overlap in time and frequency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple detector units are deployed to track multiple terminals simultaneously, then the location tracking capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple detector units into a coordinated system where each detector unit processes signals from multiple terminals simultaneously. By combining the detection capabilities and sharing the extracted uplink allocation information, the system achieves multi-terminal tracking without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing step where downlink signals are used to extract uplink allocation information that serves as a reference for synchronizing multiple detector units. This intermediary information acts as a common reference frame, enabling coordinated detection across multiple units without requiring complex direct synchronization between them.
3Measurement precision
If downlink signals are received and processed to extract uplink allocations, then the location measurement precision is improved, but the loss of time increases due to additional signal processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary extraction of uplink allocation information from downlink signals before the actual location measurement process. By obtaining the time-frequency allocation patterns in advance, the system prepares the reference information needed for signal segmentation, thereby reducing the processing time required during the actual location measurement phase.
Data Source
AI summary
A location-tracking system that includes multiple detector units that are deployed in a region of interest. The detector units receive uplink signals from wireless terminals that are active in the region, and measure the strengths of the received uplink signals. The system computes the locations of the terminals based on the measured signal strengths and the known locations of the detector units. The location-tracking system receives and analyzes downlink signals from one or more of the base stations of the wireless network. The detector unit uses the downlink signal to recover and synchronize to the timing of the wireless network's air-interface. Based on the extracted uplink allocations, and having synchronized with the air-interface, the system is able to distinguish between the uplink signal components originating from each terminal, and thus compute the location of each terminal.