Position-finding method in a radiocommunication system, position finding system and device for carrying out said method

• US 20090104917A1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Linden, Gabriel, Lucidarme, Thierry, Ben Rached, Nidham
• Application Number:
  US10/583,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20090104917A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A position-finding method in a radiocommunication system comprising at least one first and one second sub-system and means (34, 35, 36, 39) for finding the position of a mobile terminal (30), wherein the mobile system can communicate and carry out measurements relating to position-finding on each of the first and second sub-systems, and the position finding means for locating the mobile terminal are embodied in such a way that they can take into account certain measurements carried out by the mobile terminal. The inventive method comprises the following steps when the mobile terminal is connected to the first sub-system: measurements relating to position finding on the second sub-system are carried out in the mobile terminal; the measurements thus carried out are transmitted to the first sub-system; and carrying out the measurements in order to find the position of the mobile terminal by taking into account certain measurements, at least those transmitted to the first sub-system.

Claims

1. Position-finding process in a radiocommunication system that comprises at least one first and one second sub-system, and means for finding the position of a mobile terminal, wherein the mobile system can communicate and carry out measurements relating to position-finding on each of the first and second sub-systems, and the position finding means for locating the mobile terminal are embodied in such a way that they can take into account at least some of the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal, the process comprising the following steps when the mobile terminal is connected to the first sub-system:

measurements relating to position finding on the second sub-system are carried out in the mobile terminal;

the measurements thus carried out are transmitted to the first sub-system; and

implementing the means in order to find the position of the mobile terminal by taking into account at least some of the measurements transmitted to the first sub-system.

2. Process according to claim 1, where the measurements related to the location are carried out on the second sub-system, at the mobile terminal, upon the order from the first sub-system.

3. Process according to claim 1, where the measurements related to the location are carried out, at the mobile terminal, on the second sub-system, upon the request from a client.

4. Process according to claim 2, comprising a preliminary step involving the polling of the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal is not connected to the first sub-system.

5. Process according to claim 1, where the measurements related to the location are also carried out, at the mobile terminal, on the first sub-system, with said measurements being transmitted to the first sub-system, and where the implementation of the means for finding the location of the mobile terminal also take into account at least some of said measurements carried out on the first sub-system.

6. Process according to claim 1, where each of the first and second sub-systems include means for locating a mobile terminal from the location measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the corresponding sub-system, and where the measurements carried out by the terminal on the second sub-system are also transmitted to the second sub-system from the first sub-system, and where the implementation of the means for finding the location of the mobile terminal, by taking into account at least some of the measurements transmitted, includes the implementation of the means of the second sub-system in order to find the location of the mobile terminal by taking into account at least some of the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the second sub-system.

7. Process according to claim 6, where the location measurements are also carried out, at the mobile terminal, on the first sub-system, with said measurements being transmitted to the first sub-system, where the result provided by the means of the second sub-system for finding the location of the mobile terminal is transmitted to the means of the first sub-system, by taking into account at least some of the measurements carried out on the first sub-system and the result provided by the means of the second sub-system.

8. Process according to claim 1, where, with regard to said first and second sub-systems, one is a second generation radiocommunication system and the other is a third generation radiocommunication system.

9. Position-finding system for determining the location of a mobile terminal, where the position-finding system is arranged so as to enable the implementation of the process according to claim 1.

10. Position-finding system for determining the location of a mobile terminal, in a first sub-system of a radiocommunication system that also comprises a second sub-system, with the mobile terminal being capable of communicating and carrying out measurements relating to position-finding on each of the first and second sub-systems, where the position-finding device includes, in relation to a mobile terminal connected to the first sub-system:

means for ordering the mobile terminal to carry out position-finding measurements on the second sub-system;

means for receiving the measurements carried out; and

means for finding the position of the mobile terminal.

11. Position-finding device according to claim 10, which also comprises means for ordering the mobile terminal to carry out position-finding measurements on the first sub-system, means for receiving the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the first sub-system, and where the means for finding the position of the mobile terminal take into account at least some of the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the first sub-system.

12. Position-finding device according to claim 10, where the means for finding the position of the mobile terminal take into account at least some of the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the second sub-system, and received by the means for receiving said measurements carried out.

13. Position-finding device according to claim 10, comprising means for transmitting to the second sub-system the measurements carried out by the mobile terminal on the second sub-system, and received by the means for receiving said measurements carried out.

14. Position-finding device according to claim 13, comprising means for receiving the position-finding information from the second sub-system, and where the means for finding the position of the mobile terminal take into account at least some of said position-finding information received from the second sub-system.

15. Position-finding device according to claim 10, where the means for ordering the mobile terminal to carry out the position-finding measurements are implemented upon the request from a client.

16. Position-finding device according to claim 10, where, with regard to said first and second sub-systems, one is a second generation radiocommunication system and the other is a third generation radiocommunication system.