Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110085453 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING AND TRANSMITTING PILOTS - Sets of communications resources, e.g., sets of peer discovery resources, in a peer to peer communications system may be use concurrently by multiple transmitting devices. The communications system supports a plurality of different pilot sequences. Multiple transmitting devices may transmit their signals on the same set of communications resources, but with different pilot sequences. This approach allows receiving devices to distinguish between multiple signal sources, e.g., wireless terminals, using a shared communications resource. A wireless communications device monitors a plurality of different sets of communications resources and selects, e.g., based on received energy levels, a set of communications resources from said plurality of different sets of communications resources to use for communication. The communications device further selects one of a plurality of different pilot sequences to use for said communication and transmits pilot signals using the selected pilot sequence and at least a portion of the selected set of communications resources. | 04-14-2011 |
20110085620 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION USING NON-COHERENT AND COHERENT MODULATION - Non-coherent modulation is used to communicate coding information via pilot signals using a first subset of resources, and coherent modulation is used to generate data signals. This allows for a stronger global code while keeping individual signaling complexity low. First and second communications devices communicate information using a set of communications resources. By performing non-coherent demodulation on pilot signals received on a first subset of said set of communications resources coding information is recovered. First and second channel estimates are generated from the pilot signals received on the first subset of said communications resources. Coherent demodulation is performed on data signals received on a second subset of said set of communications resources using said first and second channel estimates and said coding information to recover information communicated by said first communications device and to recover separate information communicated by said second communications device. | 04-14-2011 |
20110087768 | CODING METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR BROADCAST CHANNELS - Methods and apparatus related to selecting and/or using different coding methods for a broadcast channel are described. The coding method to be used is selected as a function of an estimated level of congestion. Various methods and apparatus are well suited for use in peer to peer wireless communications systems including broadcast peer discovery channels. A wireless communications device, e.g., a mobile terminal supporting peer to peer signaling, detects peer discovery signals from other devices and estimates a level of congestion. The wireless communications device selects one of a plurality of alternative coding methods as a function of the estimated level of congestion. Two different coding methods which may be used, in some embodiments, vary in at least one of: coding rate, convolution code used, and amount of resources used. The wireless device transmits information indicating the selected coding method and coded peer discovery data in accordance with the selected coding method. | 04-14-2011 |
20110274094 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING A GEOLOCATION OF A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE - The methods and apparatus described herein are used to perform indoor and urban geolocation positioning. One method of estimating a geolocation of one of a first wireless device or a second wireless device includes receiving, at the first wireless device, a signal from the second wireless device, determining, at the first wireless device, a physical characteristic of the received signal, and determining, at the first wireless device, a region on a map representing a geolocation of the first wireless device or the second wireless device based on the physical characteristic of the received signal, a state transition matrix and a state occupancy vector. | 11-10-2011 |
20120056785 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE RELIABILITY OF SIGNAL REFERENCE MAPS FOR USE IN POSITION DETERMINATION - A mobile wireless device receives a set of fingerprint prediction maps, e.g., RF signal prediction maps, and corresponding probability metrics, e.g., indicative of map reliability. A fingerprint prediction map is an expected signal measurement map corresponding to a parameter or parameters to be measured and a area given a set of expected conditions. At different times, e.g., due to different conditions, a different map in the set of fingerprint prediction maps may be more likely to be accurate. The mobile wireless device updates the probability metrics, associated with different alternative maps in the set of maps, as a function of one or more of: known information, sensor readings, measurements, detected information, and position determination. The mobile wireless device determines its current position using fingerprint predication maps and one or more updated probability metrics. | 03-08-2012 |
20120057646 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ENCODING AND TRANSMITTING MOBILE DEVICE LOCATION INFORMATION - Methods and apparatus for communicating the location of a mobile wireless communications device are described. Codewords, e.g., values or sets of bits, are selected from a codebook mapping different codewords to corresponding pieces of location information. In a first approach location information is communicated by using codewords from different codebooks with the product, e.g., intersection of location information provided by the codewords, providing relatively detailed location information using relatively few bits. In a second approach user specific codebooks are defined for individual users. The codewords in the codebook corresponding to a particular user map to locations the individual specific user is likely to frequent. In another approach codewords are transmitted at different power levels and/or using different coding rates. Received codewords corresponding to a device may be used in combination to determine the location or refine the understanding of the device location. | 03-08-2012 |
20120058733 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING MOBILE DEVICES AS LOCATION ANCHOR POINTS - Mobile devices are used as temporary location anchor points, e.g., to supplement fixed location permanent location anchor points, in a wireless communications system in which mobile device locations are determined. A mobile device receives a command or request to operate as a location anchor point. In some embodiments, the command includes time information indicating the amount of time the mobile device is to operate as a location anchor point. In some embodiments, a mobile device operating as a location anchor point reports a received signal strength measurement along with information identifying the device from which the signal was received to a network element, e.g., a location server node. In some embodiments, a mobile device operating as a location anchor point broadcasts a signal providing location information. The mobile device receives compensation for operating as a location anchor point. Compensation may be monetary, services, or benefits provided by the network. | 03-08-2012 |
20120058745 | ADVERTISING METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus related to communicating advertisements and/or service announcements to devices in a communications system are described. In various embodiments mobile devices are used as mobile advertisement transmission platforms. Advertisements may be downloaded to the wireless communications device along with transmission constraints. Transmission of an advertisement is made when a transmission constraint, e.g., target audience constraint is satisfied. The wireless terminal may change its transmission frequency, coding rate and/or other transmission characteristics to satisfy a transmission constraint and/or optimize revenue. The mobile device reports advertisements transmissions to a network device, e.g., advertisement server and the owner of the device is compensated for the transmissions. Transmission constraints may involve a number of devices to be reached, the type of devices to be reached, and/or other constraints relating to the demographics of device users. Information may be obtained from peer discovery signals and used to determine if a constraint is satisfied. | 03-08-2012 |
20120182144 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTED LEARNING OF PARAMETERS OF A FINGERPRINT PREDICTION MAP MODEL - In accordance with various embodiments, mobile wireless devices which use prediction maps, e.g., RF prediction maps, to determine their location also contribute to the updating and distribution of parameters relating to prediction map generation. After a device determines its location, it uses the signal measurements used in determining the device's location to determine updated parameters which can be used in generating signal prediction maps in the future. The generated parameters are then transmitted to another device for use in generating prediction maps and/or distribution to other devices. In this manner parameters corresponding to a particular location can be updated and distributed without the need for a survey team and/or dedicated equipment. The devices using the prediction map become the devices which also aid in the updating of the parameters used to facilitate generation of a prediction map at some future time. In some embodiments, statistical information corresponding to the updated parameters is also generated and communicated. | 07-19-2012 |
20120184219 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LEARNING OF THE PARAMETERS OF A FINGERPRINT PREDICTION MAP MODEL - Signal measurements are received, e.g., by a network device such as a location determination server, and a location of a mobile device to which the signal measurements correspond is determined. The measurements are also used to update parameters used to generate a signal prediction map. The signal prediction map, generated using the updated parameters, is then used for determining the position of another mobile device. In some embodiments parameter updating is performed when the location of a device is determined to a predetermined degree of certainty but not when the position of a mobile device is determined with a lower degree of certainty. Parameters used for generating prediction maps are updated, e.g., refined, based on signals collected for use in determining the location of a device without the need to conduct an updated survey and/or take signal measurements specifically for the purpose of updating prediction map parameters. | 07-19-2012 |
20120184286 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE DEVICE LOCATION DETERMINATION - Methods and apparatus for resolving an ambiguity with regard to a mobile device's location are described. In various embodiments, when a level of ambiguity with regard to the location of a mobile device is detected, and the level of ambiguity is above a threshold, an ambiguity resolution request signal is generated and transmitted. In this manner, a wireless terminal needing help in determining its location reliably may request such help but at other times may determine its own location without assistance. In some embodiments the ambiguity resolution request signal includes information, e.g., location probabilities, on one or more locations which are under consideration as possible locations of the mobile device. A device responding to the ambiguity resolution request provides information allowing the mobile device confronted with a location ambiguity to eliminate at least on location under consideration or to generate a new probability for one or more locations under consideration. | 07-19-2012 |
20120184287 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE DEVICE BASED LOCATION DETERMINATION IN A COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus related to determining location of mobile devices based on signals and/or location history information received from other mobile devices are described. In various embodiments mobile devices monitor signals from other devices. Mobile devices store signal measurement information along with time stamp information and information identifying the device from which a measured signal was received. In various embodiments a mobile communications device which determines its location with reasonable accuracy, e.g., to within a predetermined distance or some other accuracy metric, transmits location history information indicating one or more past locations, and optionally the device's current location, and the times it was at the indicated locations. Reliability information is communicated with the time and location information in some embodiments. A device receiving the location history log can determine and/or refine its understanding of its own location and the location of other devices at different points in time. | 07-19-2012 |
20120184301 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING MOBILE DEVICE LOCATION IN A COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus related to determining location of one or more mobile devices based on signals received by mobile device and signals received by fixed devices such as access points (APs) in a communications system are described. In accordance with various embodiments, mobile devices, e.g., peer devices, measure one or more signal characteristics, e.g., received signal power level, of signals received from peer devices and report this information along with information identifying the peer devices to which individual signal measurements correspond. The time of the signal measurements is also reported allowing a location determination server to time align signal measurements made by multiple different devices, e.g., mobile devices and access points, and use signals measurements from the multiple devices to determine the location of one or mobile devices, e.g., at one or more points in time, with more accuracy than if AP signal measurement alone were used. | 07-19-2012 |
20120249372 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR TRIGGERING COOPERATIVE POSITIONING OR LEARNING IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - One or more bits are used in peer discovery signals to signal a device's ability and/or willingness to participate in a cooperative manner with regard to one or more mobile device location determination related operations. In some embodiments, the one or more bits are located at predetermined locations within a header portion of a peer discovery signal. Different bits, in some embodiments, are associated with different specific cooperative location determination related operations. The peer discovery signal is transmitted, e.g., broadcast, periodically or on some predetermined basis by a mobile wireless communications device. In this manner, a device listening to the peer discovery signals can determine other devices' willingness to perform particular location discovery related operations with very little signaling overhead. | 10-04-2012 |
20130150073 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR UPDATING INFORMATION USED IN GENERATING A SIGNAL PREDICTION MAP - A set of signal prediction map generation parameters, used to generate a signal prediction map to determine mobile device location, are initially modeled as large variance random variables. A network device, e.g., a server, receives estimated positions of mobiles and corresponding signal measurements, e.g., received signal power measurements, taken at those estimated positions by the mobiles. Received signal measurement information and corresponding estimated position information from a mobile is used to update one or more of the signal prediction map generation parameter distributions. After multiple updates to a distribution of a signal prediction map generation parameter, the network node transmits a prediction parameter update signal communicating the new distribution of the signal prediction parameter to be subsequently used by the mobile devices in the system when generating a signal prediction map and estimating its position. | 06-13-2013 |
20130183999 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI-RESOLUTION ADAPTIVE POSITIONING - Various embodiments are directed to methods and apparatus for mobile device position determination and the efficient communication of mobile device position related information. In different areas different types of reference signals may be available to be used by a mobile device for position determination. Some types of references signal may be well suited for short range in an indoor environment, e.g., audio signals, Bluetooth signals and Wi-Fi signals, while other types of signals may be well suited for an outdoor environment, e.g., GPS signals and cellular base station signals. Different types of signals may facilitate different possible resolution accuracies for a position determination. In various embodiments, in different areas within a geographic coverage region, different sets of reference signals are available to be used by a mobile wireless device to determine its position. In some embodiments, different position determination resolutions are used in different area as a function of the reference signal type which is available. | 07-18-2013 |
20130272443 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO IMPROVE CHANNEL ESTIMATION IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS - A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus generates a codeword, determines at least one puncture to the codeword based on allowing a legacy receiver to decode the codeword without knowledge of the at least one puncture, replaces each of the at least one puncture with a pilot, and transmits the codeword. The apparatus may also generate an IEEE 802.11 codeword having pilots in a first set of subcarriers, and puncture the codeword with additional pilots unknown to a legacy receiver in a second set of subcarriers. Accordingly, when an original set of pilot symbols is insufficient or inappropriately placed in a resource structure, a codeword may be transmitted with a new pilot structure capable of being decoded by legacy receivers not aware of the new pilot structure. | 10-17-2013 |
20130308551 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR D2D COMMUNICATIONS - A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in which a first eNB may be operable to determine a set of resources to allocate for D2D communications based on one or more network factors and transmit the set of resources allocated for D2D communications. A first UE may receive the set of resources allocated for D2D communications. A second UE may inform the first UE of a set of resources allocated for D2D communications by a second eNB. The first UE may determine a subset of resources to use for D2D communications with a second UE based on one or more D2D resource determination schemes, and may signal the determined subset to the first eNB. The first eNB may receive the subset of resources and transmit a control signal indicating that the subset of resources has been allocated for D2D communications. | 11-21-2013 |
20130310103 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING TRANSMIT POWER CONTROL FOR DEVICES ENGAGED IN D2D COMMUNICATIONS - A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided for using power control to reduce potential interference to a macro eNB by a UE engaged in D2D communications. An eNB may be operable to generate a fractional power control parameter based on a macro eNB power saturation value and broadcast the factional power control parameter. A UE may be equipped to receive the factional power control parameter and determine whether the fractional power control parameter plus a path loss value between the UE and the macro eNB is less than a maximum power used for the D2D communications. The UE may reduce the maximum transmit power used for D2D communications when the fractional power control parameter plus a path loss value between the UE and the macro eNB is less than a maximum power used for the D2D communications. | 11-21-2013 |