System and method of operation for network overlay geolocation sysem with repeaters

Abstract

A novel system and method for a network overlay geolocation system operating in a host wireless communication system with repeaters is disclosed. Embodiments of the novel system and method enable the geolocation system to determine if signals being received by the geolocation system arrive directly from a target mobile appliance or if the signals are passing through a repeater and therefore are subject to a known time delay. Embodiments of the novel system and method provide a more accurate geolocation of mobiles served by repeater stations than capable in the prior art.

1 . In a method of determining the location of a mobile appliance in a wireless communication system having plural base stations and at least one repeater for communicating with the mobile appliance, where the wireless communication system has a network overlay geolocation system operably connected thereto, the improvement of determining whether a signal received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system has passed through a first repeater, wherein plural signals are received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system and the step of determining if one of the plural signals has passed through the first repeater is based in part on a difference between the times of arrival of two of the plural signals at the geolocation system. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first repeater is a tethered repeater. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the time difference is approximately equal to a known repeater time delay. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the first repeater attaches a tag to the mobile appliance's signal that passes through the first repeater and the step of determining if one of the plural signals has passed through the first repeater is based in part on the geolocation system operating on the tag. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  including the additional step of determining the location of the mobile appliance based in part on the determination of whether a signal received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system has passed through the first repeater. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first repeater attaches a tag to the mobile appliance's signal that passes through the first repeater and the step of determining if one of the plural signals has passed through the first repeater is based in part on the geolocation system operating on the tag. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  including the additional step of determining the location of the mobile appliance based in part on the determination of whether a signal received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system has passed through the first repeater. 
     
     
         8 . A method of determining the location of a mobile appliance in a wireless communication system having plural base stations and at least one repeater station for communicating with the mobile appliance, wherein each of the at least one repeater station are connected to a respective one of the plural base stations with a communication tether, the improvement comprising the steps of detecting signals from a target mobile appliance on the communication tether and using a known delay attributed to the communication tether and the respective at least one repeater station to determine the location of the target mobile appliance,
 further comprising detecting signals from the target mobile appliance on another of the at least one repeater station's communication tether and using another known delay attributed to the other repeater station and the respective communication tether to determine the location of the target mobile appliance.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of locating the respective at least one repeater stations based on mobile information parameters received from a mobile positioning center (MPC) and using the location of the at least one repeater station to determine the location of the target mobile appliance. 
     
     
         10 . A method for determining the location of a mobile appliance in a wireless communication system having plural base stations and at least one translating repeater station for communicating with the mobile appliance, wherein the at least one translating repeater station relays a mobile appliance's signal on a different channel than the signal transmitted by the mobile appliance, the improvement comprising relaying from the at least one repeater station information regarding the channel of the mobile appliance's signal to a geolocation system and using the information to detect the mobile appliance's signal and calculate the mobile appliance's location. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the channel is defined by a frequency. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the channel is defined by a time slot. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the channel is defined by a spreading code. 
     
     
         14 . A method of determining the location of a mobile appliance in a wireless communication system having plural base stations and at least one repeater for communicating with the mobile appliance, where the wireless communication system has a network overlay geolocation system operably connected thereto, comprising the steps of:
 determining whether a signal received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system has passed through a first repeater, wherein plural signals are received from the mobile appliance by the geolocation system; and   determining if one of the plural signals has passed through the first repeater is based in part on a difference between the times of arrival of two of the plural signals at the geolocation system.