Positioning

• US 20090253437A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Uusitalo, Arttu Tapio, Honkanen, Mauri Juhana
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,838 B2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system, comprising: a first low power wireless transceiver; a second low power wireless transceiver configured to transmit a first positioning request to the first low power wireless transceiver over a low power wireless link; a cellular radio transceiver configured, in response to the first low power wireless transceiver receiving the first positioning request, to transmit a second positioning request to a base station of a cellular network, and configured to receive, as a reply to the second positioning request, first positioning data from the base station of the cellular network; wherein the first low power wireless transceiver is configured to transmit second positioning data, determined by the first positioning data, to the second low power wireless transceiver over the low power wireless link as a reply to the first positioning request.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first low power wireless transceiver housed in a first apparatus;

a second low power wireless transceiver, housed in a second apparatus, configured to transmit a first positioning request to the first low power wireless transceiver over a low power wireless link;

a cellular radio transceiver, housed in the first apparatus and configured, in response to the first low power wireless transceiver receiving the first positioning request, to transmit a second positioning request to a base station of a cellular network, and configured to receive, as a reply to the second positioning request, first positioning data from the base station of the cellular network;

wherein the first low power wireless transceiver is configured to transmit second positioning data, determined by the first positioning data, to the second low power wireless transceiver over the low power wireless link as a reply to the first positioning request.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first positioning data is the same as the second positioning data.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first positioning data identifies a position determined by the cellular network.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processing circuitry configured to determine the second positioning data by processing the first positioning data, the second positioning data being different to the first positioning data.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first positioning data identifies a first position determined by the base station of the cellular network, and the second positioning data identifies a position area encompassing the first position.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a user input device, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the user input device to enable a user to select the size of the position area identified in the second positioning data.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second positioning data is for use in determining a position using a satellite positioning receiver housed in the second apparatus.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second positioning data comprises data relating to the orbit of at least one satellite.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second positioning data comprises data relating to the phase of a code transmitted by at least one satellite.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second positioning data comprises data relating to frequencies to be searched by the satellite positioning receiver housed in the second apparatus.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first positioning data is for use in determining a position using a satellite positioning receiver housed in the first apparatus, and the second positioning data includes the determined position.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cellular radio transceiver enables the first apparatus to operate as a mobile radio telephone in the cellular network.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second apparatus is an imaging apparatus comprising a storage device for storing images and/or video and processing circuitry configured to associate a position identified in the second positioning data with a stored image or a stored video.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second apparatus is a navigation apparatus configured to navigate from a position, identified in the second positioning data, to another position.

15. A method, comprising:

transferring a first positioning request from a low power wireless transceiver to a further low power wireless transceiver over a low power wireless link;

transmitting, in response to receiving the first positioning request at the further low power wireless transceiver, a second positioning request for first positioning data to a base station of a cellular network;

receiving, as a reply to the second positioning request, first positioning data from the base station of the cellular network; and

transferring second positioning data, determined by the first positioning data, from the further low power wireless transceiver to the low power wireless transceiver over the low power wireless link as a reply to the first positioning request.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first positioning data is the same as the second positioning data.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first positioning data is different to the second positioning data.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a first low power wireless transceiver configured to receive a first positioning request from a second low power wireless transceiver over a low power wireless link;

a cellular radio transceiver configured, in response to the first low power wireless transceiver receiving the first positioning request, to transmit a second positioning request to a base station of a cellular network, and configured to receive, as a reply to the second positioning request, first positioning data from the base station of the cellular network;

wherein the first low power wireless transceiver is configured to transmit second positioning data, determined by the first positioning data, to the second low power wireless transceiver over the low power wireless link as a reply to the first positioning request.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first positioning data is the same as the second positioning data.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising processing circuitry configured to determine the second positioning data by processing the first positioning data, the second positioning data being different to the first positioning data.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first positioning data identifies a first position determined by base station of the cellular network, and the second positioning data identifies a position area encompassing the first position.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first and second positioning data include data for use in determining a position using a satellite positioning receiver.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a satellite positioning receiver, wherein the first positioning data is for use in determining a position using the satellite positioning receiver, and the second positioning data includes the determined position.

24. A method, comprising:

receiving a first positioning request over a low power wireless link;

transmitting, in response to the reception of the first positioning request, a second positioning request to a base station of a cellular network;

receiving, as a reply to the second positioning request, first positioning data from the base station of the cellular network; and

transmitting second positioning data, determined by the first positioning data, over the low power wireless link as a reply to the first positioning request.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first positioning data is the same as the second positioning data.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first positioning data is different to the second positioning data.

27. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a computer program for enabling an apparatus to perform the method as claimed in claim 24.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

a low power wireless transceiver configured to transmit a positioning request to a further low power wireless transceiver over a low power wireless link, and configured to receive, as a reply to the positioning request, positioning data from the further low power wireless transceiver over the low power wireless link; and

a satellite positioning receiver configured to use the received positioning data to receive positioning information from at least one satellite, in order to determine a position of the apparatus.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the apparatus is an imaging apparatus comprising a storage device for storing images and/or video and processing circuitry configured to associate a position identified in the positioning data with a stored image or a stored video.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the apparatus is a navigation apparatus configured to navigate from a position, determined from the further positioning data, to another position.

31. A method, comprising:

transmitting a first positioning request over a low power wireless link;

receiving, as a reply to the first positioning request, positioning data over the low power wireless link; and

using the received positioning data to reduce the time taken to achieve satellite positioning.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising associating the determined position with an image.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising providing information for navigating from the determined position to another position.

34. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer program for enabling an apparatus to perform the method as claimed in claim 31.