# US 11,452,066 B2 · Estimating geolocation of a user terminal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,452,066 B2 - Document ID: US11452066B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/072,938 - Filed: 2020-10-16 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-16 - Assignees: Hughes Network Systems, LLC - Applicants: Liping Chen; Lin-Nan Lee - Inventors: Liping Chen; Lin-Nan Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11452066B2 ## CPC - G01S 1/14: using amplitude comparison of signals transmitted simultaneously from antennas or antenna systems having differently oriented overlapping directivity-characteristics - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - G01S 5/02521: {using a radio-map} - G01S 5/0278: {involving statistical or probabilistic considerations (G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence)} - G01S 5/0284: {Relative positioning} - H04B 17/318: Received signal strength - H04W 24/10: Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} - G06F 2218/12: Classification; Matching - H04B 17/27: for locating or positioning the transmitter - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A geolocation is estimated by tessellating a coverage area into a camping cell and adjacent cells; subdividing the camping cell into grid points where each grid point of the grid points has an associated relative offset from a camping beam center; illuminating, with a platform, the camping cell with a camping beam and each of the adjacent cells with adjacent beams; receiving a camping beam signal strength and adjacent beams signal strengths for each grid point of the grid points; profiling, at each grid point, ratios of the camping beam signal strength to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths; mapping the ratios and the associated relative offset of each grid point; and estimating a relative geolocation of a User Terminal (UT) from the camping beam center based on a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for estimating a geolocation, the method comprising: tessellating a coverage area into a camping cell and adjacent cells; subdividing the camping cell into grid points, where each grid point of the grid points has an associated relative offset from a camping beam center; illuminating, with a platform, the camping cell with a camping beam and each of the adjacent cells with adjacent beams; receiving a camping beam signal strength and adjacent beams signal strengths for each grid point of the grid points; profiling, at each grid point of the grid points, ratios of the camping beam signal strength to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths; mapping the ratios and the associated relative offset of each grid point of the grid points; and estimating a relative geolocation of a user terminal (UT) from the center based on a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the mapping comprises pretraining neural network weights of a neural network with ratios and the associated relative offset, and the estimating estimates the relative geolocation of the UT with the neural network. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a UT geolocation, a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths; and training the neural network with the UT geolocation, the UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises measuring, at one or more of the grid points, the camping beams signal strength and the adjacent beams signal strengths. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises computing, at one or more of the grid points, the camping beams signal strength and the adjacent beams signal strengths. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the camping beam signal strength and each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths to a reference transmit power. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ratios are calculated as Pc/Pai or 10*log 10(Pc/Pai), with the Pc set to the camping beam signal strength and the Pai set to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths in turn. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: predicting a location estimate offset based on a slow varying Geosynchronous-Earth Orbit satellite pointing error or a movement of the camping beam center based on feedback from a pilot UT and ephemeris of the platform; and compensating for the location estimate offset in the estimating. ### Claim 8 A method for estimating a geolocation, the method comprising: tessellating a coverage area into a camping cell and adjacent cells; subdividing the camping cell into grid points, where each grid point of the grid points has an associated relative offset from a camping beam center; illuminating, with a platform, the camping cell with a camping beam and each of the adjacent cells with adjacent beams; receiving a camping beam signal strength and adjacent beams signal strengths for each grid point of the grid points; profiling, at each grid point of the grid points, ratios of the camping beam signal strength to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths; mapping the ratios and the associated relative offset of each grid point of the grid points; and estimating a relative geolocation of a user terminal (UT) from the center based on a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the mapping comprises populating a look up table (LUT) with ratios and the associated relative offset, and the estimating by interpolation from measured ratios of the UT camping beam signal strength and the UT adjacent beams signal strengths between the ratios of grid points in the LUT to find a best match, and determines the relative geolocation of the UT based on the best match. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a UT geolocation, a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the populating comprises adding the UT geolocation, the UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths to the LUT. ### Claim 10 A system to estimate a geolocation, the system comprising: a coverage area tessellated into a camping cell and adjacent cells, and the camping cell subdivided into grid points, where each grid point of the grid points has an associated relative offset from a camping beam center; a platform to illuminate the camping cell with a camping beam and each of the adjacent cells with adjacent beams; and a geolocation estimator to receive a camping beam signal strength and adjacent beams signal strengths for each grid point of the grid points, to profile, at each grid point of the grid points, ratios of the camping beam signal strength to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths, to map the ratios and the associated relative offset of each grid point of the grid points, and to estimate a relative geolocation of a user terminal (UT) from the camping beam center based on a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the geolocation estimator maps by populating a look up table (LUT) with ratios and the associated relative offset, and estimates by interpolating from measured ratios of the UT camping beam signal strength and the UT adjacent beams signal strengths between the ratios of grid points in the LUT to find a best match, and determines the relative geolocation of the UT based on the best match. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the geolocation estimator receives a UT geolocation, a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the populating comprises adding the UT geolocation, the UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths to the LUT. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the geolocation estimator receives measurements, at one or more of the grid points, of the camping beams signal strength and the adjacent beams signal strengths. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the geolocation estimator computes, at one or more of the grid points, the camping beams signal strength and the adjacent beams signal strengths. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the camping beam signal strength and each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths are adjusted to a reference transmit power. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the ratios are calculated as Pc/Pai or 10*log 10(Pc/Pai), with the Pc set to the camping beam signal strength and the Pai set to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths in turn. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the geolocation estimator predicts a location estimate offset based on a slow varying Geosynchronous-Earth Orbit satellite pointing error or a movement of the camping beam center based on feedback from a pilot UT and ephemeris of the platform and compensates for the location estimate offset in the estimating. ### Claim 17 A system to estimate a geolocation, the system comprising: a coverage area tessellated into a camping cell and adjacent cells, and the camping cell subdivided into grid points, where each grid point of the grid points has an associated relative offset from a camping beam center; a platform to illuminate the camping cell with a camping beam and each of the adjacent cells with adjacent beams; and a geolocation estimator to receive a camping beam signal strength and adjacent beams signal strengths for each grid point of the grid points, to profile, at each grid point of the grid points, ratios of the camping beam signal strength to each one of the adjacent beams signal strengths, to map the ratios and the associated relative offset of each grid point of the grid points, and to estimate a relative geolocation of a user terminal (UT) from the camping beam center based on a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths, wherein the geolocation estimator maps by pretraining neural network weights of a neural network with ratios and the associated relative offset, and estimates the relative geolocation of the UT with the neural network. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the geolocation estimator receives a UT geolocation, a UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths; and trains the neural network with the UT geolocation, the UT camping beam signal strength and UT adjacent beams signal strengths.