Wireless network assisted GPS system

• US 20050052320A1
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Choi, Woo-Jin, Tekinay, Sirin
• Granted Patent: US 7,215,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.420
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for locating a mobile communications device such as a cell phone includes apparatus for communicating with base stations and apparatus for communicating with satellites. Signals received from satellites and the base stations are combined to provide the necessary information to calculate the location of the mobile communications device.

Claims

1. A system for positioning a GPS receiver in a mobile unit comprising a wireless network comprising a location application processor and its own source of GPS satellite data, wherein said data is provided to the GPS receiver to assist the detection of the GPS signals, wherein said position of the mobile unit is calculated by said location application processor and wherein said GPS receiver decodes and transmits a set of parameters comprising pseudo-ranging measurements and satellite ID to the base station.

2. The invention according to claim 1 said wireless network comprising more than one satellite and more than one base station involved in the positioning of the mobile unit.

3. A method of assisting in the location of a GPS receiver comprising the steps of collecting at least three types of information, said information comprising the difference in path lengths of plural signals sent from different based stations to the GPS receiver;

the difference in lengths of signals sent to/from satellites from/to the GPS receiver; and

the difference in path length of one or more signals sent from the GPS receiver to plural base stations; and

combining said at least three types of information using known mathematical equations to locate the GPS receiver.

4. A method of locating a mobile communications device comprising sending GPS data from a base station to said mobile unit, sending the data from said mobile unit to an applications, processor, and calculating, at the applications processor, the location of the mobile communications device based upon said data sent from said base station in combination with GPS data not sent from said base station.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said base station is part of a wireless network, and said base station transmits to said mobile communications device identifying information associated with satellites to be used for location of said mobile communications device.

6. A method of locating a mobile communications device comprising transmitting to the mobile communications device information from base stations and information from satellites, and combining such information in a manner to locate said device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein plural satellites and a single base station are utilized.

8. A method of locating a mobile device comprising transmitting an instruction to a mobile device instructing the mobile device to receive signals from one or more particular satellites, and said signals received from said satellites to locate said device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said transmitting is from a land based wireless network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said transmitting further includes transmitting information to be combined with said signals received from one or more satellites to assist in locating said device, whereby said device may then be located from distances to satellites and distances to base stations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said transmitting also includes codes used to despread information from a selected one or more satellites.

12. Apparatus for use with a mobile communications device, said apparatus for locating said mobile communications device, said apparatus comprising a transmitter for transmitting a request to a base station, a receiver for receiving information from said base station in response to said request, said information being of assistance in locating said mobile communications device, and a second receiver for receiving information from satellites to assist in locating said mobile communications device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said received information is sent to an applications processor for calculation of said location.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said received information is sent to said applications processor in combination with other received information from base stations, and wherein said location of said mobile communications device is determined based upon said received information and said other received information.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said transmitter transmits the request to plural base stations.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said information is transmitted to said mobile communications device from said plural base stations and wherein a difference in arrival time of said information from said plural base stations is used in part to locate said mobile communications device.

17. Apparatus of claim 16 wherein said difference in arrival time is combined with information received from satellites to locate said mobile communications device.