Auxiliary Positioning Method and Auxiliary Positioning Device Using the Method

• US 20100156708A1
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shih Hao
• Granted Patent: US 8,970,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

An auxiliary positioning method, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, includes steps of receiving a plurality of current signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system to generate current signal information; accessing at least one track record related to the current signal information from a track record database, wherein the track record database includes a plurality of track records which record respective position information and signal information of base stations corresponding to the position information; and calculating the current position information according to the at least one track record.

Claims

1. An auxiliary positioning method, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, the auxiliary positioning method comprising steps of:

receiving a plurality of current signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system to generate current signal information;

accessing at least one track record related to the current signal information from a track record database, wherein the track record database includes a plurality of track records which record respective position information and signal information of base stations corresponding to the position information; and

calculating the current position information according to the at least one track record.

2. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the satellite positioning system is one of Global Positioning System (GPS), GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and Galileo satellite positioning system (GALILEO).

3. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal information at least comprises one of a base station number, a frequency number and signal strength.

4. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the current position information according to the at least one track record further comprises:

comparing the similarity between the current signal information and the signal information of the at least one track record to filter out at least one reference position information; and

determining the current position information according to the current signal information and the at least one reference position information.

5. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position information at least comprises one of a longitude data, a latitude data, an altitude data, a speed data and a direction data.

6. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network system is one of Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), wireless fidelity (WiFi) communication network, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication network and a digital television (DTV) system.

7. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a personal navigation device (PND), a mobile phone and a potable computer.

8. An auxiliary positioning method, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, the auxiliary positioning method comprising steps of:

receiving signals from the satellite positioning system and calculating position information;

receiving signals from a wireless communication network system and generating signal information;

storing the position information and the signal information into a track record in a track record database; and

calculating the current position information according to track records and current signals only when the portable device does not receive an effective signal of the satellite positioning system, wherein the current signals are transmitted by the wireless communication network system.

9. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the track record database includes a plurality of track records, and one of the track records position information and signal information of base stations corresponding to the position information.

10. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of calculating the current position information according to track records in the track record database and current information generated from current signals further comprises:

determining a first reference position and a second reference position from the track records by comparing the similarity between the current signal information and the signal information in track records; and

calculating the position information according to the first reference position and the second reference position.

11. The auxiliary positioning method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of calculating the position information according to the first reference position and the second reference position comprises steps of:

calculating a first segment and a second segment respectively according to a distance between the first reference position and a first base station and a distance between the second reference position and a second base station;

calculating a first tangent and a second tangent according to the two segments; and

calculating the position information according to an intersection point of the first tangent and the second tangent.

12. An auxiliary positioning method, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, the auxiliary positioning method comprising steps of:

receiving signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system and generating signal information according to the signals;

detecting whether an effective signal of the satellite positioning system is received; and

if the effective signal of the satellite positioning system is received by the portable device , performing steps of;

receiving signals of the satellite positioning system and calculating position information;

storing the position information and the signal information into a track record;

else if the effective signal of the satellite positioning system is not received, performing steps of;

calculating the current position information according to track records in the track record database and the signal information.

13. An auxiliary positioning device, applied to a portable electronic device operative in a wireless communication network system and a satellite positioning system, for determining current position information of the potable electronic device, the auxiliary positioning device comprising:

a signal processing module, for receiving satellite signals from the satellite positioning system and calculating position information, and receiving base station signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system and generating signal information;

a track recording module, for storing the position information and the signal information into a track record in a track record database; and

an auxiliary positioning module, coupled to the track recording module and the signal processing module, for calculating the current position information according to track records and current signals only when the portable device does not receive an effective signal of the satellite positioning system, wherein the current signals are transmitted by the wireless communication network system.

14. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a wireless communication network system module, for receiving the signals from at least one base station in the wireless communication network system; and

a satellite positioning system module, for detecting whether an effective signal from the satellite positioning system is received, and receiving signals from the satellite positioning system and calculating position information when the signal of the satellite positioning system is received.

15. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the satellite positioning system is one of Global Positioning System (GPS), GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and Galileo satellite positioning system (GALILEO).

16. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the signal information of the base stations at least comprises one of a base station number, a frequency number and signal strength.

17. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the auxiliary positioning module comprises:

a reference position determining module, for determining a first reference position and a second reference position from the track records by comparing the similarity between the current signal information and the signal information in track records; and

a position determining module, for determining the position information according to the first reference position and the second reference position.

18. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the position information at least comprises one of a longitude data, a latitude data, an altitude data, a speed data and a direction data.

19. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the wireless communication network system is one of Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), wireless fidelity (WiFi) communication network, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication network and a digital television (DTV) system.

20. The auxiliary positioning device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a PND, a mobile phone and a portable computer.