Method in positioning, a system, and an electronic device

• US 20040073365A1
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Alanen, Kimmo, Syrjarinne, Jari
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method in positioning, to determine assistance information of a satellite positioning system. The assistance information is transmitted in a communication system (1) with at least one server (4). The assistance information is transmitted from the communication system, (1) to the electronic device (8). At least one server (4) of the communication system is used for determining the assistance information. The determined assistance information is converted to meta data format, and the assistance information converted to meta data format is transmitted to the electronic device (8). In the electronic device (8), said assistance information is used for positioning, when necessary. The invention also relates to a system and an electronic device, in which the method is applied.

Claims

1. A method in positioning, in which assistance information of a satellite positioning system is determined, and the determined assistance information is transmitted in a communication system with at least one server, and the assistance information is transmitted to an electronic device, wherein at least one server of the communication system is used for determining the assistance information, the determined assistance information is converted to a meta data format, and the assistance information converted to the meta data format is transmitted to the electronic device, wherein said assistance information is used in the electronic device for positioning, when necessary.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein for the transmission of the assistance information in the communication network, at least two servers are used, that said at least two servers are divided into a first set of servers and a second set of servers, wherein the servers of the first set are used for receiving satellite signals, generating assistance information on the basis of the received satellite signals, and transmitting the assistance information to at least server of said second set, and that the assistance information is transmitted to the electronic device from a server of said second set.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time data of the satellite positioning system is determined, said time data is converted to a meta data format, the time data is transmitted from the server of the communication system to the electronic device, wherein reception data about the reception of the time data is transmitted from the electronic device, the time passed between the transmission of the time data and the reception of the reception data is measured at the server to determine a round trip delay, and information about the round trip delay is transmitted to the electronic device, wherein the received time data and the information about the round trip delay are used in the electronic device to set the time data of the electronic device to correspond with the time data of the satellite positioning system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein an extensible markup language (XML) is used as said meta data format.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said assistance information comprises Ephemeris data, almanac data, data about the satellite whose assistance information is involved, as well as correction data for the time data, indicating the difference between the time data of the satellite positioning system and the Universal Time Co-ordinated (UTC).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said assistance information is transmitted in packets complying with the TCP/IP protocol in the communication system.

7. A system comprising means for determining assistance information of a satellite positioning system, and a communication system comprising at least one server and means for transmitting assistance information to an electronic device, wherein at least one server of the communication system comprises said means for determining assistance information, and means for converting the determined assistance information to a meta data format, wherein said means for transmitting assistance information comprise means for transmitting the assistance information in meta data format to the electronic device, and the electronic device comprises means for using the assistance information in meta data format for positioning, when necessary.

8. The system according to claim 7, comprising at least two servers for transmitting assistance information, said at least two servers are divided into a first set of servers and a second set of servers, wherein the servers of the first set comprise means for receiving satellite signals, means for generating assistance information on the basis of the received satellite signals, and means for transmitting the assistance information to at least server of said second set, and that the assistance information is arranged to be transmitted to the electronic device from the servers of said second set.

9. The system according to claim 7, comprising means for determining time data of a satellite positioning system, means for converting said time data to a meta data format, means for transmitting the time data from a server of the communication system to an electronic device, wherein reception data about the receipt of the time data is arranged to be transmitted from the electronic device, and which system comprises means for measuring the time passed between the transmission of the time data from the server and the reception of the reception data at the server to determine a round trip delay, wherein information about the round trip delay is arranged to be transmitted to the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises means for using the received time data and information about the round trip delay to set the time data of the electronic device to comply with the time data of the satellite positioning system.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein an extensible markup language (XML) is arranged to be used as said meta data format.

11. The system according to claim 7, said assistance information comprising Ephemeris data, almanac data, data about the satellite whose assistance information is involved, as well as correction data for the time data, indicating the difference between the time data of the satellite positioning system and the Universal Time Co-ordinated (UTC).

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein said assistance information is arranged to be transmitted in packets complying with the TCP/IP protocol in the communication system.

13. The system according to claim 7, the meta data format to be used in the presentation of assistance information comprising at least attributes of the meta data, an assistance information field comprising initial tags, data fields and end tags.

14. The system according to claim 7, comprising a wireless communication network, and the electronic device used is a wireless communication device, wherein said assistance information is arranged to be transferred to the electronic device by means of said wireless communication network.

15. An electronic device comprising a positioning receiver and which electronic device is arranged to be used in a communication system comprising means for determining assistance information of a satellite positioning system, and the communication system comprising at least one server and means for transmitting assistance information to the electronic device, the electronic device comprising means for receiving assistance information transmitted in meta data format to the electronic device, and means for using the assistance information in meta data format for positioning, when necessary.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15 comprising means for receiving time data of a satellite positioning system from a server of the communication system, determined and converted to a meta data format by the system, means for determining reception data about the receipt of the time data, means for transmitting said reception data from the electronic device, and means for receiving information about the round trip delay from the system, determined by the system by measuring the time passed between the transmission of the time data from the server and the reception of the reception data at the server, the electronic device further comprising means for using the received time data and information about the round trip delay to set the time data of the electronic device to comply with the time data of the satellite positioning system.

17. The electronic device according to claim 15 comprising means for receiving said assistance information from a wireless communication network.

18. A wireless communication device comprising a positioning receiver and which wireless communication device is arranged to be used in a communication system comprising means for determining assistance information of a satellite positioning system, and the communication system comprising at least one server and means for transmitting assistance information to the electronic device, the wireless communication device comprising means for receiving assistance information transmitted in meta data format to the electronic device, and means for using the assistance information in meta data format for positioning, when necessary.