# US 12,192,953 B2 · Determining a user equipment position within a coverage sub-area of a cell based on cell identity data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,953 B2 - Document ID: US12192953B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/355,162 - Filed: 2023-07-19 - Published: 2023-11-09 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-20 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Guttorm Ringstad Opshaug; Grant Marshall; Rayman Pon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192953B2 ## CPC - H04W 64/00: Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for determining a UE position within a coverage sub-area of a cell based on cell identity data are presented. In some embodiments, the UE detects one more cell identities, including a cell identity of a serving cell and possibly a cell identity of a neighbor cell of the serving cell. The one or more cell identities are included in cell identity data. The cell identity data is used in a look up of a data structure that associates coverage sub-areas of a coverage area of the serving cell with most likely positions within the coverage sub-areas and with cell identities. The result of the look up indicates that the UE is positioned at a most likely position within a coverage sub-area of the serving cell. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining cell coverage from crowdsourced information received at a cellular entity of a data communication network, the method comprising: obtaining, at the cellular entity, cell identity data and position data for a plurality of positions within a coverage area of a serving cell, wherein the cellular entity comprises a mobile device or computer system, and wherein, for each position: the position data includes the respective position, and the cell identity data includes one or more cell identities detected at the respective position of one or more mobile devices; storing, with the cellular entity, the position data and the cell identity data; and associating, by the cellular entity using a data structure, coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with cell identities, based on the cell identity data and position data, wherein: each one of the coverage sub-areas is associated in the data structure with a cell identity of the serving cell, and at least one of the coverage sub-areas being further associated in the data structure with a cell identity of a neighbor cell. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, for each cell of a plurality of cells, a corresponding data structure that divides a coverage area of the respective cell into coverage sub-areas. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein, for at least one position of the plurality of positions, the cell identity data includes a cell identity of the serving cell and a cell identity of at least one the neighbor cell. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas, (ii) maps each coverage sub-area to a set of cell identities, and (iii) indicates the position of a target mobile device as a likely position within the coverage sub-area, wherein the likely position is determined based on position data collected from the one or more mobile devices while being in the coverage sub-area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the map is associated with at least one of: a mobile network operator, a frequency channel, or a radio access technology. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell is further associated with a likely position, wherein the cell identity data comprises the cell identity of the neighbor cell, and wherein the position is the likely position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the coverage area is associated with a first likely position, wherein the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell is further associated with a second likely position, wherein the cell identity data comprises the cell identity of the neighbor cell, and wherein the position is within the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell and comprises a likely position determined based on the first likely position and the second likely position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the coverage sub-areas of the serving cell comprise a number of unique non-overlapping coverage sub-areas, wherein the data structure associates each of the unique non-overlapping coverage sub-areas with the serving cell and with a unique set of neighbor cells. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas and (ii) constrains a boundary of each coverage sub-area to be within a boundary of the coverage area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas and (ii) constrains a likely mobile device position within each coverage sub-area to be within the coverage area. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbor cell comprises: a different cell than the serving cell and is on a same frequency channel as the serving cell, a cell on a different frequency channel than the serving cell, a cell on a different radio access technology (RAT) with the same frequency channel as the serving cell, or a cell on a different RAT with a different frequency channel than the serving cell. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure further associates coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with a beam index of the serving cell, a beam index of the neighbor cell, or both. ### Claim 13 A cellular entity of a data communication network for determining cell coverage from crowdsourced information received at the cellular entity, the cellular entity comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processing units communicatively coupled with the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to: obtain, at the cellular entity, cell identity data and position data for a plurality of positions within a coverage area of a serving cell, wherein the cellular entity comprises a mobile device or computer system, and wherein, for each position: the position data includes the respective position, and the cell identity data includes one or more cell identities detected at the respective position of one or more mobile devices; store, with the cellular entity, the position data and the cell identity data; and associate coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with cell identities, based on the cell identity data and position data, wherein: each one of the coverage sub-areas is associated in a data structure with a cell identity of the serving cell, and at least one of the coverage sub-areas being further associated in the data structure with a cell identity of a neighbor cell. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to store, for each cell of a plurality of cells, a corresponding data structure that divides a coverage area of the respective cell into coverage sub-areas. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein, for at least one position of the plurality of positions, the cell identity data includes a cell identity of the serving cell and a cell identity of at least one the neighbor cell. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas, (ii) maps each coverage sub-area to a set of cell identities, and (iii) indicates the position of a target mobile device as a likely position within the coverage sub-area, wherein the likely position is determined based on position data collected from the one or more mobile devices while being in the coverage sub-area. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The cellular entity of claim 16, wherein the map is associated with at least one of: a mobile network operator, a frequency channel, or a radio access technology. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell is further associated with a likely position, wherein the cell identity data comprises the cell identity of the neighbor cell, and wherein the position is the likely position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the coverage area is associated with a first likely position, wherein the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell is further associated with a second likely position, wherein the cell identity data comprises the cell identity of the neighbor cell, and wherein the position is within the coverage sub-area associated with the cell identity of the neighbor cell and comprises a likely position determined based on the first likely position and the second likely position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the coverage sub-areas of the serving cell comprise a number of unique non-overlapping coverage sub-areas, wherein the data structure associates each of the unique non-overlapping coverage sub-areas with the serving cell and with a unique set of neighbor cells. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas and (ii) constrains a boundary of each coverage sub-area to be within a boundary of the coverage area. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the data structure represents a map that (i) divides the coverage area of the serving cell into the coverage sub-areas and (ii) constrains a likely mobile device position within each coverage sub-area to be within the coverage area. ### Claim 23 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the neighbor cell comprises: a different cell than the serving cell and is on a same frequency channel as the serving cell, a cell on a different frequency channel than the serving cell, a cell on a different radio access technology (RAT) with the same frequency channel as the serving cell, or a cell on a different RAT with a different frequency channel than the serving cell. ### Claim 24 (depends on 13) The cellular entity of claim 13, wherein the data structure further associates coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with a beam index of the serving cell, a beam index of the neighbor cell, or both. ### Claim 25 An apparatus for determining cell coverage from crowdsourced information received at a cellular entity of a data communication network, the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining, at the cellular entity, cell identity data and position data for a plurality of positions within a coverage area of a serving cell, wherein the cellular entity comprises a mobile device or computer system, and wherein, for each position: the position data includes the respective position, and the cell identity data includes one or more cell identities detected at the respective position of one or more mobile devices; means for storing, with the cellular entity, the position data and the cell identity data; and means for associating coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with cell identities, based on the cell identity data and position data, wherein: each one of the coverage sub-areas is associated in the data structure with a cell identity of the serving cell, and at least one of the coverage sub-areas being further associated in the data structure with a cell identity of a neighbor cell. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for storing, for each cell of a plurality of cells, a corresponding data structure that divides a coverage area of the respective cell into coverage sub-areas. ### Claim 27 A non-transitory computer-readable medium for determining cell coverage from crowdsourced information received at a cellular entity of a data communication network, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: obtaining, at the cellular entity, cell identity data and position data for a plurality of positions within a coverage area of a serving cell, wherein the cellular entity comprises a mobile device or computer system, and wherein, for each position: the position data includes the respective position, and the cell identity data includes one or more cell identities detected at the respective position of one or more mobile devices; storing, with the cellular entity, the position data and the cell identity data; and associating, by the cellular entity using a data structure, coverage sub-areas of the coverage area with cell identities, based on the cell identity data and position data, wherein: each one of the coverage sub-areas is associated in the data structure with a cell identity of the serving cell, and at least one of the coverage sub-areas being further associated in the data structure with a cell identity of a neighbor cell.