Mobile radio terminal and related method and system

• US 20020052208A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fox Digital, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Porcino, Domenico G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,155,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The present invention provides for a method of, and related system for, determining the position of a mobile radio terminal (10,M) arranged for communication with a plurality of base stations (BS₁, BS₂) and including the steps of employing a Time Of Arrival calculation in combination with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation, characterized by performing the combined Time of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted in the downlink channel from the base stations (BS₁, BS₂) to the mobile radio terminal (10,M).

Claims

1. A method of determining the position of a mobile radio terminal arranged for communication with a plurality of base stations and including the steps of employing a Time Of Arrival calculation in combination with a Time Difference Of Arrival calculation, characterised by performing the combined Time of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted in a downlink communication channel from the base stations to the mobile radio terminal.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Time Of Arrival calculation is performed on signals received from the base station with which the mobile radio terminal is in registration.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the mobile radio terminal comprises a cellular telephone.

4. A mobile radio system comprising a plurality of base stations and a mobile radio terminal arranged for communication therewith, characterised in that the mobile radio terminal includes means for performing combined Time Of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculations on signals transmitted in the downlink channel from the base stations so that the result of the position determination calculation is available directly at the mobile radio terminal.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means for performing the Time Of Arrival part of the position calculation is arranged to perform the calculation on signals received from a base station with which the mobile radio terminal is in registration.

6. A system as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the mobile radio terminal comprises a cellular telephone.

7. A mobile radio terminal characterised by means for performing combined Time Of Arrival and Time Difference Of Arrival calculation on signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations.

8. A mobile radio terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means for performing the Time of Arrival calculation and the Time Difference of Arrival calculation is arranged to perform the Time of Arrival calculation on signals received from a base station with which it is registered.

9. A mobile radio terminal as claimed in claim 7 or 8, and comprising a cellular telephone.