Supporting an assisted satellite based positioning

• US 20060290566A1
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Valio, Harri, Syrjarinne, Jari
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.43
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS

Abstract

For supporting a satellite based positioning of a mobile arrangement (30,40) with assistance data, a communication network converts parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite (50,60), which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite (50,60). Alternatively or in addition, the network replaces a reference value that is based on a satellite based positioning system time in available parameters of an orbit model by a reference value that is based on a communication system time. After the parameter conversion and/or the reference value replacement, the parameters are provided as a part of assistance data for the satellite based positioning.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

converting in a communication network available parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, of at least one satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite; and

providing said converted parameters as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one satellite based positioning system comprises at least one of the following:

Global Positioning System;

Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System;

Galileo system;

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service; and

Wide Area Augmentation System.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said common orbit model is more accurate than said dedicated orbit model.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said common orbit model comprises more parameters than a dedicated orbit model for said at least one satellite based positioning systems.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said common orbit model comprises at least one parameter having a longer word length than a corresponding parameter of a dedicated orbit model for said at least one satellite based positioning systems.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said common orbit model is defined in common for at least two different satellite based positioning systems.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said assistance data comprises a reference time and a reference location in addition to said converted parameters.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said assistance data comprises in addition at least one of the following:

differential Global Positioning System corrections;

Real Time Kinematics corrections;

carrier phase measurements for satellite signals;

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service corrections;

Wide Area Augmentation System corrections;

short-term differential corrections for said converted parameters;

ionosphere model parameters;

troposphere model parameters;

short-term integrity warnings; and

data bits of at least one satellite based positioning system enabling a data wipe-off upon a request by a mobile arrangement.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein parameters of said common orbit model have a validity of at least one day.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating correction data specifically for said common orbit model and providing said correction data as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at a network element of said communication network replacing a reference value in said converted parameters that is based on a satellite based positioning system time by a reference value that is based on a communication system time.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein said assistance data is transmitted to a particular mobile arrangement upon a request by said mobile arrangement or broadcast in a cell of said communication system.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a mobile arrangement receives said assistance data and estimates a position of a satellite of said at least one satellite based positioning system using said converted parameters.

14. A method for supporting a satellite based positioning of a mobile arrangement using assistance data, wherein said mobile arrangement is adapted to communicate with a communication network and to acquire signals transmitted by satellites of at least one satellite based positioning system, said method comprising:

receiving at said mobile arrangement assistance data from said communication network including parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite; and

estimating a position of a satellite of said at least one satellite based positioning system based on said received parameters of said common orbit model.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein parameters of said common orbit model have a validity of at least one day.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving correction data that has been calculated specifically for said received parameters of a common orbit model, and correcting said received parameters of said common orbit model based on said correction data before a respective estimation of a position of a satellite.

17. A network element for a communication network supporting a satellite based positioning of a mobile arrangement comprising a processing unit being adapted to convert available parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, and being adapted to provide said converted parameters as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

18. The network element according to claim 17, wherein said network element is one of a network server and a base station.

20. A system comprising a network element according to claim 17 and a mobile arrangement according to claim 19.

19. A mobile arrangement supporting a satellite based positioning of said mobile arrangement using assistance data, said mobile arrangement comprising:

a satellite signal receiver adapted to acquire signals transmitted by satellites of at least one satellite based positioning system;

a communication component adapted to receive from a communication network assistance data with parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite; and

a processing unit adapted to estimate a position of a satellite of said at least one satellite based positioning system based on received parameters of said common orbit model.

21. A computer program product for supporting a satellite based positioning of a mobile arrangement with assistance data, wherein said mobile arrangement is adapted to communicate with a communication network and to acquire signals transmitted by satellites of at least one satellite based positioning system, said computer program product comprising software code storable on a readable medium, for realizing the following steps when being executed by a processing unit of a network element of said communication network:

converting available parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite; and

providing said converted parameters as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

22. A computer program product for supporting a satellite based positioning of a mobile arrangement using assistance data, wherein said mobile arrangement is adapted to communicate with a communication network and to acquire signals transmitted by satellites of at least one satellite based positioning system, said computer program product comprising software code storable on a readable medium, for realizing the following steps when being executed by a processing unit of said mobile arrangement:

receiving assistance data from said communication network including parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite; and

estimating a position of a satellite of said at least one satellite based positioning system based on said received parameters of said common orbit model.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit being adapted to convert available parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, and being adapted to provide said converted parameters as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the apparatus is included in one of a network server and a base station.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for converting available parameters of a dedicated orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, which dedicated orbit model is defined for a particular satellite based positioning system, into parameters of a common orbit model describing a movement of a satellite, and

means for providing said converted parameters as a part of assistance data for said satellite based positioning.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the apparatus is included in one of a network server and a base station.