Location access units (laus) in a wireless communications system (wcs) for transmitting information to a wireless client device in the wcs for determining location of the client device, and related systems and methods

Abstract

Location access units (LAUs) in a wireless communications system (WCS) for transmitting information to a wireless client device in a WCS for determining location of wireless client device. The LAUs each include a transmitter(s) configured to transmit local wireless communications signal that includes identification information of the LAU, to a wireless client device in the WCS. This identification information can be used to associate the location of the LAU to the client device, because the client device is known to be in communication range of the LAU. In one example, the carrier of a communication session with a client device in the WCS can instruct the client device to scan for local wireless communications signals transmitted by an LAU. The client device returns received identification information from received wireless communications signals transmitted by an LAU to the carrier to associate this location of the LAU to the client device.

1 . A wireless communications system (WCS), comprising:
 a central unit configured to:
 receive downlink communications signals from at least one signal source; 
 distribute the received downlink communications signals over at least one downlink communications medium to at least one remote unit among a plurality of remote units; 
 receive uplink communications signals from the plurality of remote units over at least one uplink communications medium; and 
 distribute the received uplink communications signals to the at least one signal source; 
   each remote unit among the plurality of remote units comprising at least one antenna and configured to:
 receive downlink communications signals over the at least one downlink communications medium from the central unit; 
 transmit the received downlink communications signals over the at least one antenna to a wireless client device; 
 receive uplink communications signals over the at least one antenna from a wireless client device; and 
 distribute the received uplink communications signals over the at least one uplink communications medium to the central unit; 
   one or more local access units (LAUs) each associated with a remote unit among the plurality of remote units, each LAU of the one or more LAUs comprising:
 at least one antenna; and 
 one or more wireless transmitters coupled to the at least one antenna, each of the one or more wireless transmitters configured to transmit a wireless communications signal comprising identification information associated with a location of the LAU to the wireless client device communicating with the remote unit associated with the LAU. 
   
     
     
         2 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein each remote unit associated with a LAU among the one or more LAUs is configured to receive the uplink communications signals comprising:
 a first uplink communications signal from the wireless client device comprising a request to establish a location-based communication session with a signal source among the at least one signal source; and   a second uplink communications signal from the wireless client device comprising received identification information from a LAU associated with the remote unit communicating with the wireless client device.   
     
     
         3 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein each remote unit associated with a LAU among the one or more LAUs is further configured to receive the downlink communications signals comprising:
 a first downlink communications signal instructing the wireless client device to scan for the wireless communications signal from a LAU comprising identification information associated with a location of the LAU.   
     
     
         4 . The WCS of  claim 2 , wherein the location-based communication session is an emergency 911 (E911) call. 
     
     
         5 . The WCS of  claim 2  further configured to look-up location information of the LAU associated with the remote unit communicating with the wireless client device, in a location database based on identification information in the second uplink communications signal received from the wireless client device. 
     
     
         6 . The WCS of  claim 5  further comprising the location database. 
     
     
         7 . The WCS of  claim 6 , wherein the central unit comprises the location database. 
     
     
         8 . The WCS of  claim 6 , wherein the location database comprises a NEAD database. 
     
     
         9 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more wireless transmitters are not configured to connect to a network. 
     
     
         10 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein a wireless transmitter among the one or more wireless transmitters comprises a WiFi transmitter. 
     
     
         11 . The WCS of  claim 10 , wherein the identification information comprises an identifier comprised from the group consisting of a service set identifier (BSSID). 
     
     
         12 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein a wireless transmitter among the one or more wireless transmitters comprises a Bluetooth transmitter. 
     
     
         13 . The WCS of  claim 12 , wherein the identification information is comprised form the group consisting of universal unique identification (UUID) and a Bluetooth media access control (MAC) address. 
     
     
         14 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein a wireless communication range of the one or more LAUs is substantially the same as the remote unit associated with the LAU among the one or more LAUs. 
     
     
         15 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein at least one LAU among the one or more LAUs further comprises a pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure signal indicative of barometric pressure of the at least one LAU;
 the at least one LAU configured to distribute pressure information associated with the pressure signal to the central unit to be provided to a carrier.   
     
     
         16 . The WCS of  claim 15 , wherein:
 each remote unit associated with a LAU among the one or more LAUs is configured to receive the uplink communications signals comprising a first uplink communications signal from the wireless client device comprising a request to establish a location-based communication session with a signal source among the at least one signal source; and   the at least one LAU is configured to:
 receive a second downlink communications signal from the carrier comprising a request for the pressure information for the wireless client device communicating with the remote unit associated with the at least one LAU; and 
 distribute the pressure information from the LAU associated with the wireless client device communicating with the remote unit in a second uplink communications signal to the central unit to be distributed to the carrier. 
   
     
     
         17 . The WCS of  claim 16 , further comprising a central LAU associated with the central unit, the central LAU comprising a pressure sensor configured to generate a central pressure signal indicative of barometric pressure of the central LAU, the central LAU configured to transmit central pressure information;
 the central LAU configured to receive a downlink communications signal from the carrier comprising a request for the central pressure information from the central LAU.   
     
     
         18 . The WCS of  claim 1 , wherein:
 each LAU of the one or more LAUs further comprises an input power port; and   the remote unit among the plurality of remote units associated with each LAU among the one or more LAUs comprises an output power port configured to be electrically coupled to the input power port to provide power to the associated LAU.   
     
     
         19 . The WCS of  claim 18 , wherein:
 each input power port of the one or more LAUs comprises a power-over-Ethernet port; and   each output power port of the remote unit associated with a LAU among the one or more LAUs comprises a power-over-Ethernet port.   
     
     
         20 .- 34 . (canceled)