Network architecture and methods for location services
UE location determined by collecting and preprocessing signal data at a detector and sending extracted data to a remote locate server. The detector buffers samples from signals provided by receive channels, detects known reference signals from receive channels based on reference signal parameters, isolates symbols carrying the reference signal from frames, extracts data from symbols, and sends extracted data to locate server. The locate server receives the extracted data, estimates locate observables based on the extracted data and calculates the UE location based on the estimated locate observables, the reference signal parameters and the extracted data. The detector and/or the server may also generate correlation coefficients between reference signals carrying spectrum received from a serving cell and utilize the correlation coefficients to cancel a serving cell signal in symbols that include known in advance reference signals from the serving cell and one or more neighboring cells of the wireless system.
1. A method for determining a location of a mobile wireless device in a wireless network system, the method comprising:
buffering a plurality of samples in a digital format generated from signals received by or emitted from one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements;
receiving reference signal parameters that describe known in advance reference signals within the signals;
detecting the known in advance reference signals from the signals based on the reference signal parameters;
employing a multipath mitigation processor configured to process the detected reference signals, wherein the multipath mitigation processor utilizes a high-resolution spectrum estimation analysis to reduce spatial ambiguity associated with the detected reference signals, the high-resolution spectrum estimation including estimating a model size for a number of artificial frequency components of the detected reference signals;
based on a distribution of a plurality of artificial frequencies of the artificial frequency components, calculating location observables information; and
utilizing the location observables information to calculate the location of the mobile wireless device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements is a single antenna of the mobile wireless device, wherein the detected reference signals are received from each antenna or antenna elements of a node within the wireless network system, and wherein location observables are relative to a baseline of the antenna or antenna elements of the node.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements are multiple antennas of the mobile wireless device, wherein the signals from the multiple antennas are combined to improve signal to noise ratio (SNR) or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein utilizing the location observables is based on one or more of the shortest time of flight (TOF), the SNR, the SNIR, antenna polarization; and
the location observables information used in location consistency algorithms.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements are multiple antennas of the mobile wireless device, wherein calculating includes calculating the location observables information from each antenna among the multiple antennas.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements are multiple antennas of the mobile wireless device, wherein the location observables are relative to a baseline of the multiple antennas, wherein a direction of the baseline is measured or known in advance, and wherein the location observables information is used in location consistency algorithms.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location observables information mitigates against a number of multipath components that can be resolved as a result of a limited number of antennas among the one or more antennas, antenna elements, antenna arrays and antenna array elements.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless network system is a Wi-Fi network and the mobile wireless device is Wi-Fi enabled.
9. A method for determining a location of a mobile wireless device in a wireless network system, the method comprising:
buffering a plurality of samples in a digital format generated from signals received by one or more antennas of the mobile wireless device or emitted from one or more antenna array elements of one or more nodes of the wireless network system;
receiving reference signal parameters that describe known in advance reference signals within the signals;
detecting the known in advance reference signals from the signals based on the reference signal parameters;
employing a multipath mitigation processor configured to process the detected reference signals, wherein the multipath mitigation processor utilizes a high-resolution spectrum estimation analysis to reduce spatial ambiguity associated with the detected reference signals, the high-resolution spectrum estimation including estimating a model size for a number of artificial frequency components of the detected reference signals;
based on a distribution of a plurality of artificial frequencies of the artificial frequency components, calculating location observables information; and
utilizing the location observables information to calculate the location of the mobile wireless device.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the reference signal parameters include one or more of beam state information (BSI), a beam index (BI), a beam reference signal received power (BRSRP), and a carrier-to-interference and noise ratio (CINR).
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein one or more of the antennas array elements are controllable or accessible.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising of:
utilizing an estimation process applied to a plurality of combinations of the one or more antenna array elements; and
generating one or more azimuth and elevation location observables estimate relative to one or more of the one or more antenna arrays elements' baseline direction or the one or more antennas' baseline direction.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reference signals include one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), an Extended Synchronization Signal (ESS), a Phase Noise Compensation Reference Signal (DL PNCRS), a Channel-State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Beam Reference Signal (BRS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and a Demodulating Reference Signal (DMRS).
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more nodes periodically transmit multiple beams at different angles, and wherein at the mobile wireless device the multiple beams are organized based on a best carrier-to-interference and noise ratio (CINR).
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the known in advance reference signals corresponding to each of the multiple beams are orthogonal.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein calculating location observables for the detected reference signals of each of the multiple beams includes estimating location observables.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising applying a shortest TOF criterion to one or more candidate beams among the multiple beams to identify the one or more candidate beams closest to a direct path or a direct line of sight (DLOS) path.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
wherein calculating location observables information includes selecting location observables based on one or more of a shortest time of flight (TOF), a signal to noise ratio (SNR) and a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR); and
wherein utilizing the location observables information includes using the selected location observables in location consistency algorithms.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
utilizing beams parameters, including one or more of angular information, azimuth and elevation observables, and beam-widths on a per beam basis to calculate the location observables information.
20. The method of claim 16 , utilizing one or more of a Round Time Trip (RTT) measurement from a base station among the one or more nodes to the mobile wireless device and receive-transmit timing difference (RTTD) information from the mobile wireless device to calculate the location observables information.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein one or both of the RTT measurement and the RTTD information are utilized by location consistency algorithms, and wherein the calculated location of the mobile wireless device is within one or more of a RTT distance range that is based on the RTT measurement and a RTT standard deviation and a RTTD distance range that is based on then RTTD information and a RTTD standard deviation.
22. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more nodes include two or more base stations, and wherein the calculated location of the mobile wireless device is near one or more Lines of Bearing (LOBs) defined by location observables.
23. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
utilizing known subsystem height and observables timing information of the one or more antenna array elements when utilizing the location observables to calculate the location of the mobile wireless device.
24. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining a 2D location position of the mobile wireless device by utilizing signals from just the base station; and
determining a 3D location position of the mobile wireless device by utilizing signals from two or more nodes among the one or more nodes.
25. The method of claim 9 , wherein calculating location observables information includes applying a data fusion process to one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal's (PSS) contiguous resource allocation structure, a Secondary Synchronization Signal's (SSS) contiguous resource allocation structure, an Extended Synchronization Signal's (ESS) contiguous resource allocation structure.