Method for sparse network deployment accuracy enhancements

In a wireless communication system having a sparse deployment of wireless location sensors wherein one or more base stations of the wireless communication system are not associated with a co-located wireless location sensor (WLS), a method of detecting and measuring an attribute of a target signal independently of a WLS co-located at a serving base station comprising:

• (a) receiving the target signal in one or more neighboring WLS;
• (b) performing ambiguity function processing at the one or more neighboring WLSs using known data sequences in the target signal and the received target signal;
• (c) extracting a timing advance and determining a surface based on the timing advance;
• (d) retrieving power measurements at a mobile appliance of an adjacent cell from an Abis monitoring unit and forming location surfaces from the power measurements;
• (e) performing pattern matching to compare sets of measurement data with sets of predetermined data;
• (f) performing pseudo-range measurements from timing signals transmitted in radio frequency (“RF”) bands from a forward link transmission, where the RF bands are not the same as the received signal;
• (g) using differential Doppler techniques and fading envelope detection techniques enabling known roadways to be used as surfaces of position for location;
• and
• (h) estimating the location of the mobile appliance based at least in part on one or more of steps (b) through (g).

In a wireless communication system having a sparse deployment of wireless location sensors wherein one or more base stations of the wireless communication system are not associated with a co-located wireless location sensor and wherein a geographic area served by the wireless communication system has a no location area, a method of determining the location of a mobile appliance comprising:

• (a) determining if the mobile appliance is in the no location area, and;
• (b) selecting one or more steps from the group comprising:
• performing ambiguity function at the one or more base stations on known data sequences in the signal to detect signal and measure an attribute of the signal,
• extracting a timing advance and determining a surface using enhanced observed time difference (EOTD);
• retrieving power measurements at the mobile appliance of an adjacent cell from an Abis monitoring unit and forming location surfaces from the power measurements;
• performing pattern matching to compare sets of measurement data with sets of predetermined data:
• performing pseudo-range measurements from timing signals transmitted in RF bands from a forward link transmission, wherein the RF bands are not the same as the signal and;
• using differential Doppler techniques and fading envelope detection techniques enabling known roadways to be used as surfaces of position for location;
• and
• determining the location of the mobile appliance based at least in part on the one or more steps.

In a wireless communication system having a sparse deployment of wireless location sensors wherein one or more base stations of the wireless communication system are not associated with a co-located wireless location sensor (WLS), a method for estimating a location of a mobile appliance in a sparse WLS deployment system wherein the number of WLS detecting and measuring an attribute of a signal of the mobile appliance is less than a predetermined number necessary for estimating a location, comprising:

• obtaining a set of candidate measurement data selected from the group of signal strength, timing advance, cell site hearability, sector hearability, adjacent cell site power measurements, multi-path signature and time of arrival (TOA) measurements;
• comparing the set of candidate measurement data with a set of predetermined measurement data;
• and,
• if the candidate measurement data substantially corresponds to the predetermined measurement date then selecting one or more steps from the group comprising:
• performing ambiguity function at the one or more base stations on known data sequences in the signal to detect signal and measure an attribute of the signal,
• extracting a timing advance and determining a surface using enhanced observed time difference (EOTD);
• retrieving power measurements at the mobile appliance of an adjacent cell from an Abis monitoring unit and forming location surfaces from the power measurements;
• performing pattern matching to compare sets of measurement data with sets of predetermined data;
• performing pseudo-range measurements from timing signals transmitted in RF bands from a forward link transmission, wherein the RF bands are not the same as the signal;
• using differential Doppler techniques and fading envelope detection techniques enabling known roadways to be used as surfaces of position for location;
• and
• determining the location of the mobile appliance based at least in part on the one or more steps.

In a wireless communication system having a set of base stations for communication with a mobile appliance, the set of base stations having a first subset of base stations having co-located wireless location sensors and second subset of base stations without a co-located wireless location sensor, a method of locating a mobile appliance served by one base station in the set of base stations comprising:

• receiving a location request;
• determining the subset of the one base station;
• if the one base station is a member of the first subset;
• receiving a signal from the mobile appliance at a primary wireless location sensor co-located with the one base station;
• distributing information bits associated with the signal from the mobile appliances to secondary wireless location sensors to assist in acquiring the signal from the mobile appliance;
• measuring an attribute of the signal at the primary and secondary wireless location sensors;
• and,
• determining a location for the mobile appliance based at least in part on the measured attributes;
• if the one base station is a member of the second sub set;
• selecting one or more steps from the group comprising;
• performing ambiguity function at the secondary wireless location sensors on known data sequences in the signal to detect signal and measure an attribute of the signal,
• extracting a timing advance and determine a surface based on the timing advance;
• retrieving power measurements at the mobile appliance of adjacent cell from an Abis monitoring unit and form location surfaces from the power measurements;
• performing pattern matching to compare sets of measurement data with sets of predetermined data;
• performing pseudo-range measurements from timing signals transmitted in RF bands from a forward link transmission, wherein the RF bands are not the same as the signal and;
• using differential Doppler techniques, and fading envelope detection techniques enabling known roadways to be used as surfaces of position for location;
• and
• determining the location of the mobile appliance based at least in part on the one or more steps.