Patent ID: 7336961
Filing Date: 2008-02-26
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a distributed antenna system of the type that includes a plurality of antennas each radiating to define a respective geographic coverage area in which a mobile station can communicate, wherein each of the antennas is communicatively linked with a controller via a respective receiver module, and the controller communicates over an air interface with a radio access network so as to provide connectivity between the antennas and the radio access network, a method comprising: receiving, into a subset of the antennas, a signal from the mobile station; measuring a strength of the signal received by each antenna of the subset of antennas by converting a radio-frequency version of the signal into a digital representation of the strength of the signal and operating one of the receiver modules to measure the signal strength of the signal received by the antenna; comparing the strength of the signal received by each antenna of the subset of antennas to the strength of the signal received at each other antenna of the subset of antennas; determining that the signal is strongest at a given one of the antennas; establishing as a representation of a location of the mobile station an indication of the geographic coverage area of the given antenna; and transmitting the indication from the controller over the air interface into the radio access network, as a report of the location of the mobile station.