Mobile telephone system capable of effectively utilizing GPS information even if direct reception by a mobile telephone apparatus is difficult

• US 20020022490A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Usui, Hisayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,954,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/235 Calibration of receiver components
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0045 Transmission from base station to mobile station G01S5/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems

Abstract

In a mobile telephone system including a mobile telephone base station (20) connected to a telephone network (40) and a mobile telephone apparatus (10) which includes a first GPS unit for receiving a GPS wave as a first received GPS signal to obtain position data of the mobile telephone apparatus by information processing with reference to the first received GPS signal and a radio section for transmitting, by radio communication, the position data of the mobile telephone apparatus to the mobile telephone base station to make the mobile telephone base station inform the telephone network of the position data of the mobile telephone apparatus, the mobile telephone base station includes a mobile telephone base section for transmitting, by radio communication, position information of the mobile telephone base station to the mobile telephone apparatus to enable the mobile telephone apparatus to use the position information of the mobile telephone base station instead of the position data of the mobile telephone apparatus. Preferably, the mobile telephone base station further includes a second GPS unit for receiving the GPS wave as a second received GPS signal to obtain the position information of the mobile telephone base station by information processing with reference to the second received GPS signal. The mobile telephone base section is connected to the second GPS unit to be supplied with the position information of the mobile telephone base station from the second GPS unit.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone system comprising:

a mobile telephone base station (20) connected to a telephone network (40); and

a mobile telephone apparatus (10) which comprises a first GPS unit (6) for receiving a GPS wave as a first received GPS signal to obtain position data of said mobile telephone apparatus by information processing with reference to said first received GPS signal and a radio section (3) connected to said first GPS unit for transmitting, by radio communication, the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to said mobile telephone base station to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus;

said mobile telephone base station comprising a mobile telephone base section (22) for transmitting, by radio communication, position information of said mobile telephone base station to said mobile telephone apparatus to enable said mobile telephone apparatus to use the position information of said mobile telephone base station instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.

2. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said mobile telephone base station further comprises a second GPS unit (24) for receiving said GPS wave as a second received GPS signal to obtain the position information of said mobile telephone base station by information processing with reference to said second received GPS signal;

said mobile telephone base section being connected to said second GPS unit to be supplied with the position information of said mobile telephone base station from said second GPS unit.

3. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile telephone base section transmits, by radio communication, the position information of said mobile telephone base station to said mobile telephone apparatus by including said position information in report information which is reported to said mobile telephone apparatus.

4. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio section of said mobile telephone apparatus transmits, when said first GPS unit does not receive the GPS wave and does not obtain the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, the position information of said mobile telephone base station to said mobile telephone base station by radio communication instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of the position information of said mobile telephone base station instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.

5. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mobile telephone apparatus further comprises a display section (2) for displaying map information specified by one of the position information of said mobile telephone base station and the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, said mobile telephone apparatus receiving, upon display of said map information in said display section, said map information through said mobile telephone base station from said telephone network by transmitting said one of the position information of said mobile telephone base station and the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus through said mobile telephone base station to said telephone network,

6. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said map information is obtained by the use of a homepage of an internet connected through a router (40a) to said telephone network.

7. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile telephone apparatus further comprises a control section (5) for carrying out power supply intermittent control to intermittently energize said first GPS unit so that said first GPS unit is intermittently turned on under said power supply intermittent control.

8. A mobile telephone system comprising:

a mobile telephone base station (20) connected to a telephone network (40);

a mobile telephone apparatus (10) which comprises a first GPS unit (6) for receiving a GPS wave as a first received GPS signal to obtain position data of said mobile telephone apparatus by information processing with reference to said first received GPS signal and a radio section (3) connected to said first GPS unit for transmitting, by radio communication, the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to said mobile telephone base station to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus; and

an external GPS unit (11) external of said mobile telephone apparatus for receiving said GPS wave as an external received GPS signal to obtain external position data of said mobile telephone apparatus by information processing with reference to said external received GPS signal;

said mobile telephone apparatus being connected to said external GPS unit so as to use said external position data instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.

9. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the radio section of said mobile telephone apparatus transmits, when said first GPS unit does not receive the GPS wave and does not obtain the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, said external position data to said mobile telephone base station by radio communication instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of said external position data instead of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.

10. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said mobile telephone apparatus further comprises a display section (2) for displaying map information specified by one of said external position data and the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, said mobile telephone apparatus receiving, upon display of said map information in said display section, said map information through said mobile telephone base station from said telephone network by transmitting said one of the external position data and the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus through said mobile telephone base station to said telephone network.

11. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said map information is obtained by the use of a homepage of an internet connected through a router (40a) to said telephone network.

12. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said mobile telephone apparatus further comprises a control section (5) for carrying out power supply intermittent control to intermittently energize said first GPS unit so that said first GPS unit is intermittently turned on under said power supply intermittent control.

14. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the radio section of said mobile telephone apparatus transmits by radio communication to said mobile telephone base station, when said first GPS unit does not receive the GPS wave and does not obtain the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, said previous data and time instant data to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of said previous data and said time instant data as the current position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, said time instant data representing a time instant when said previous data are obtained as the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.

15. A mobile telephone system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said mobile telephone apparatus further comprises a control section (5) for carrying out power supply intermittent control to intermittently energize said first GPS unit so that said first GPS unit is intermittently turned on under said power supply intermittent control.

13. A mobile telephone system comprising:

a mobile telephone base station (20) connected to a telephone network (40); and

a mobile telephone apparatus (10) which comprises a first GPS unit (6) for receiving a GPS wave as a first received GPS signal to obtain position data of said mobile telephone apparatus by information processing with reference to said first received GPS signal and a radio section (3) connected to said first GPS unit for transmitting, by radio communication, the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to said mobile telephone base station to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus;

the radio section of said mobile telephone apparatus transmitting by radio communication to said mobile telephone base station, when said first GPS unit does not receive the GPS wave and does not obtain the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus, previous data obtained last as the position data of said mobile telephone apparatus to make said mobile telephone base station inform said telephone network of said previous data as current position data of said mobile telephone apparatus.