System and method for hybriding wireless location techniques

摘要

A hybrid wireless location system and method is disclosed for locating mobile stations (MSs). Multiple wireless location techniques (FOMs) are provided for MS location. One or more FOMs can be activated in various combinations (serially or parallelly) for outputting one or more MS location estimates with signal protocols being, e.g., CDMA, TDMA, or GSM. Resulting location estimates may be for, e.g.: 911 emergency calls, tracking, navigation, people and animal location, and/or applications for confinement to and/or exclusion from geographical areas. System components may be distributed on a network (e.g., the Internet). FOMs may be based on one or more of: TOA, TDOA, AOA, signal pattern recognition/fingerprinting, statistical analysis, base station coverage, GPS signals received at the MS, and/or input from mobile stations. Location estimates are enhanced by adjusting MS estimates (and/or confidences therefor) according to: a past performance of the FOM providing such estimates, and/or MS geolocation or velocity constraints.

主权项

1. A system for wirelessly locating a terrestrial mobile unit M for communicating with a network of a plurality of fixed location terrestrial communication stations, each terrestrial communication station capable of wirelessly detecting said terrestrial mobile unit M, and wirelessly being detected by said terrestrial mobile unit M, comprising at least a satellite signal receiver, one or more transceiver components, and one or more computational machine components as follows:
the satellite signal receiver for receiving a wireless signal transmitted from a satellite; the one or more transceiver components configured for two way wireless communication between the mobile unit M and one or more of the terrestrial communication stations; the one or more computational machine components configured to determine first location related information of the mobile unit M, the first location related information dependent upon a wireless transmission time delay of the wireless signal; wherein the one or more computational machine components are further configured for providing the first location related information and second location related information of the mobile unit M to one or more computational machine location determining components for determining a resulting location of the mobile unit M; wherein the resulting location is determined by preferring the first location related information over the second location related information unless data indicative of a first wireless location signaling context for locating the mobile unit M is identified resulting in the computational machine location determining components increasing a preference for at least a portion of the second location related information over the first location related information in determining the resulting location; wherein the second location related information is used for determining a geographical range or extent indicative of the mobile unit M being offset from at least one of the terrestrial communication stations; and wherein the second location related information is dependent upon or indicative of a signal time delay measurement of, or a signal strength measurement of, at least a portion of the two way wireless communication between the transceiver components, and the one or more of the terrestrial communication stations, and for a portion of the second location related information that is dependent upon or indicative of the signal time delay measurement or the signal strength measurement, the portion of the second location related information is used in measuring the offset; and wherein the mobile unit M includes each of the satellite signal receiver, the one or more transceiver components, and the one or more computational machine components.