Dedicated device for automatically accessing wireless internet network and supplying wireless packet data-based indoor-capable GPS locations

• US 20040008660A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Howard K. Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Howard K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A dedicated device and method for connecting between a packet-data-capable wireless modem and a high sensitivity indoor-capable Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and is able to access a commercially available cellular or PCS band wireless Internet network for supplying indoor and outdoor GPS locations to a designated remote Internet server, in an independent, periodic, and automatic manner. Implemented with TCP/IP UDP PPP protocol stacks, the device automatically accesses and retries for always connecting to the wireless Internet network in packet data mode. The device also automatically retrieves the aiding/assisted-GPS (A-GPS) information from either a wireless base station or a specified separate A-GPS server. The device periodically supplies the A-GPS information and receives the indoor-capable GPS locations, to and from the GPS receiver. The indoor-capable GPS locations are packed into Internet User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet data format and periodically sent to a designated remote server through the wireless Internet network.

Claims

1. A dedicated device for physically attaching to a packet data wireless modem and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for automatically accessing the wireless Internet network and providing indoor and outdoor user GPS locations and data in packet data-based UDP format to a designated remote server, including:

a. attachment means for connecting the dedicated device to a packet data wireless modem through the RS232 serial interface connector, the PC-card connector, or the CF-card connector, and for connecting the dedicated device to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver through the 3-wire serial interface connector, and/or the address/data bus connectors, and/or the I/O port connector.

b. interface means for electrically and logically matching the dedicated device'"'"'s connectors with communication ports of the packet data wireless modem and the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver.

c. control intelligence means in communication with the packet data wireless modem and the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver in an automatic manner for establishing and maintaining the connectivity between the packet data wireless modem and the wireless Internet network, for retrieving the A-GPS information from the wireless Internet network using the packet data wireless modem, for establishing and maintaining GPS data flows between the dedicated device and the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for providing the A-GPS information to the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for retrieving the indoor and outdoor GPS locations from the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for packing the GPS locations into UDP data payload according to the TCP/IP UDP PPP protocol, and for sending the resulting packet data to a designated remote server via the packet data wireless modem through the wireless Internet network.

2. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, wherein the said attachment means are connectors, further including means for physically attaching the dedicated device to a packet data wireless modem and to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver.

3. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, wherein the said interface means are interface circuits, further includes integrated chip (IC) devices for controlling and converting signals between the microcontroller unit and the RS232 serial interface connector, for controlling and converting signals between the microcontroller unit and the CF-card connector, the 3-wire serial interface connector, the address/data bus connector, and the I/O port connector.

4. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, the said control intelligence means is a microcontroller unit.

5. A method of automatically accessing the wireless Internet network via the attached packet data wireless modem, and automatically communicating with a designated remote server, including the steps of:

a. upon power up, sending a sequence of AT commands to the packet data wireless modem to attach to the wireless Internet network and to switch to packet data mode;

b. in packet data mode, sending a sequence of PPP protocol streams including user name and password to logon the wireless Internet service provider (ISP);

c. sending the dedicated device'"'"'s ID to a designated remote server and downloading the configuration parameters pertinent to the dedicated device'"'"'s ID from the designated remote server;

d. using the microcontroller unit'"'"'s timer module under the control of a timer routine, periodically check the connectivity between the packet data wireless modem and the wireless Internet network with the period being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server. If the connectivity is lost, repeating the steps a. &

b. &

c. above until the wireless Internet network is re-attached.

6. A method of automatically retrieving the aiding/assisted-GPS (A-GPS) information from the wireless Internet network using the attached packet data wireless modem, and providing the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver with the A-GPS information, including the steps of:

a. checking the validity of dedicated device'"'"'s configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server;

b. issuing a set of AT commands to retrieve the A-GPS information from the wireless base station, if the parameters indicate that the A-GPS information is broadcasted by the wireless base station;

c. issuing a set of http Internet protocol streams to logon the A-GPS server with a A-GPS server IP address, user ID, and password, and retrieving the A-GPS information from the A-GPS server, if the configuration parameters indicate that the A-GPS information is available from a separate A-GPS server and the A-GPS server IP address, the user ID, and the password are included in the parameters;

d. periodically repeating the steps a. &

b. &

c. above to keep the A-GPS information updated, with the updating period being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server;

e. sending the A-GPS information to the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS-unit and enabling the indoor-capable GPS location determination.

7. A method of automatically receiving the indoor-capable GPS data including locations from the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, and sending the GPS data including locations to a designated remote server, including the steps of:

a. communicating with the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver and receiving the GPS data including latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, satellite data/ status;

b. packing the GPS locations and other GPS data specified by the configuration parameters into the user datagram protocol (UDP) payload data field;

c. handling the UDP formatted GPS data in an Internet packet data IP protocol;

d. periodically sending the packet data-based GPS data to a designated remote server, with the IP address of the designated remote server being a fixed IP address, and with the period of GPS data transmitting being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server.