Positioning system and method

• US 20030149527A1
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Benefon Oyj
• Original Assignee: Benefon Oyj
• Inventors: Sikila, Sami
• Application Number:
  US10/203,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149527A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A positioning system which uses the Global Positioning System and a mobile communications network (PLMN), and a computer program for running the positioning system that uses the Global Positioning System and a mobile communications network (PLMN). It is a characteristic of the invention that a position data inquiry can be transmitted from a first mobile station (MS1), which is, for example, a combination of a GSM mobile communications station and a GPS receiver and which can determine positioning data using GPS via a mobile communications network (PLMN), advantageously using an SMS data transmission connection, to a second mobile station (MS2). When this inquiry is affirmatively answered in the second mobile station (MS2), the formation of and transmission of the position data to the first mobile station (MS1) via the mobile communications network (PLMN) is initiated. Lastly, the position of the second mobile station (MS2) is shown on the display of the first mobile station (MS1).

Claims

1. A positioning system which uses GPS positioning and a mobile communications network (PLMN), characterized by the following system phases:

i. a position inquiry is transmitted as a data transmission via a mobile communications network (PLMN) from a first inquiring mobile communications station (MS1), which is equipped with a GPS receiver, to a second mobile communications station (MS2), which is also equipped with a GPS receiver and about which position data is desired,

ii. when an affirmative reply is given to the position inquiry at the second mobile communications station (MS2), the formation and transmission of the position data is initiated,

iii. the position data is transmitted as a data transmission in a reply message from the second mobile station (MS2) via the mobile communications network (PLMN) to the first mobile station (MS1),

iv. the position of the second mobile station (MS2) is shown on the display of the first mobile station (MS1).

2. A positioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises a mapping system or database (1) for adding map base information about the second mobile station (MS2) as a data transmission to the reply message.

3. A positioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that the mapping system or database (1) is adapted to the first and/or second mobile station (MS1, MS2):

4. A positioning system according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the reply message transmitted to the first mobile station (MS1) from the second mobile station (MS2) in response to the position data inquiry includes both the map base information and the position data about the second mobile station (MS2), and in that the comprehensive body of data in the reply message is decoded in the first mobile station (MS1).

5. A positioning system according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the reply message transmitted to the first mobile station (MS1) from the second mobile station (MS2) in response to the position data inquiry only includes position data about the second mobile station (MS2), and in that a map base corresponding to the second mobile station (MS2) position data is obtained from the mapping system or database (1) of the first mobile station (MS1), on the basis of the second mobile station (MS2) position data received at the first mobile station (MS1), and in that the comprehensive body of data in the reply message is decoded in the first mobile station (MS1).

6. A positioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that the mapping system or database (1) is adapted as a mobile communications network (PLMN) element.

7. A positioning system according to claims 2 and 6, characterized in that the reply message transmitted from the second mobile station (MS2) to the first mobile station (MS1) includes the position data about the second mobile station (MS2), and in that a map base corresponding to the second mobile station (MS2) position data is obtained from the mapping system or database (1) of the mobile communications network (PLMN), on the basis of the second mobile station (MS2) position data in the mobile communications network (PLMN), after which the position data of the second mobile station (MS2) and the retrieved map base data are integrated into the reply message, which is transmitted to and decoded at the first mobile station (MS1).

8. A positioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that the mapping system or database (1) is adapted to a service provider system which is connected to a mobile communications network (PLMN).

9. A positioning system according to claims 2 and 8, characterized in that the position data inquiry is transmitted from the first mobile station (MS1) to the second mobile station (MS2) as a data transmission connection via the service provider system, and in that the reply message in response to the position data inquiry is transmitted from the second mobile station (MS2) as a data transmission to the service provider system and comprises the second mobile station (MS2) position coordinates, which have been obtained using GPS and on the basis of which the service provider'"'"'s mapping system or database integrates the map base and the coordinate data, after which the comprehensive body of data of this reply message is transmitted to the first mobile station (MS1) as a data transmission, and in that the comprehensive body of data of the reply message is decoded in the first mobile station (MS1).

10. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-9, characterized in that the position data inquiry from the first mobile station (MS1) to the second mobile station (MS2), and vice versa, is a data transmission, which is based on data transmission which is supported by the mobile communications network and which is advantageously SMS or a corresponding form of data transmission.

11. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-10, characterized in that, in order for the position data inquiry to be manually answered at the second mobile station (MS2), an option is selected in the computer program which runs the positioning system, which either enables the reply, or disables it.

12. A positioning system according to claim 11, characterized in that selection is based on the menu function of the computer program which runs the system.

13. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-10, characterized in that, in order for the position inquiry to be automatically answered at the second mobile station, a register is connected to the program memory which runs the system, which contains the position inquirers, advantageously a list of the subscriber numbers or A-connections of the inquirers, the position inquiries of whom the second mobile station (MS2) answers automatically, according to the program which runs the system.

14. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-13, characterized in that the reply to the position data inquiry becomes visible at the first mobile station (MS1) automatically when the system is being run by the computer program.

15. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-13, characterized in that, in order to display the position data inquiry reply at the first mobile station (MS1) manually, an option is selected in the computer program which runs the positioning system, which either enables the reply to be displayed, or disables it.

16. A positioning system according to any of the preceding claims 1-15, characterized in that the computer program which runs the positioning system has at least two parts, whereupon one item of the computer program, which runs these phases—

formation of the position inquiry,

transmission of the position inquiry,

reception of the reply to the position inquiry and

the displaying of the position of the second mobile station (MS2)—

is located in the program memory of the first mobile station (MS1), and whereupon the second item of the computer program, which runs these phases—

the reception of the position inquiry,

the determination of the position of the second mobile station (MS2) and

transmission of the reply to the position inquiry—

is located in the program memory of the second mobile station (MS2).

17. A positioning method which uses GPS and a mobile communications network (PLMN), which is controlled by a computer program to determine the positioning of a second mobile station (MS2) from a first inquiring station (MS1), characterized in that the positioning method comprises the phases:

i. formation of the position inquiry in the first mobile station (MS1), which is a combination of a mobile communications station and a GPS receiver,

ii. transmission of the position inquiry from the first mobile station (MS1),

iii. reception of the position inquiry in the second mobile station (MS2), which is a combination of a mobile communications station and a GPS receiver,

iv. determination of the positioning of the second mobile station (MS2) in the second mobile station using GPS,

v. transmission of the reply to the position inquiry from the second mobile station,

vi. reception of the reply to the position inquiry at the first mobile station (MS1),

vii. display of the positioning of the second mobile station (MS2) at the first mobile station (MS1).

18. A positioning method according to claim 17, characterized in that when the positioning system is controlled by a computer program, which comprises at least two parts, the method phases—

i. formation of the position inquiry,

ii. transmission of the position inquiry,

iii. reception of the reply to the position inquiry and

iv. display of the positioning of the second mobile station (MS2)—

are controlled by a computer program item, which is located in the program memory of the first mobile station (MS1), and in that, when run with the computer program, the method phases—

v. reception of the position inquiry,

vi. determination of the positioning of the second mobile station (MS2) and

vii. transmission of the reply to the position inquiry—

are controlled by an item of the computer program, which is located in the program memory of the second mobile station (MS2).

19. A positioning method according to claim 17 and/or 18, characterized in that, before the transmission of the second mobile station'"'"'s (MS2) position data is carried out, in a method controlled by a computer program, there is an additional phase, in which the mapping information which corresponds to the position of the second mobile station (MS2) is integrated into the position data inquiry reply before the position data inquiry reply is received at the first mobile station (MS1) .

20. A positioning method according to claim 17 and/or 18, characterized in that an additional phase is carried out in the computer program controlling the method, in which the mapping information which corresponds to the position of the second mobile station (MS2) is integrated into the position data inquiry reply after the position data inquiry reply is received at the first mobile station (MS1).