Locatable mobile cellular telephony terminal

• US 6,061,021 A
• Filed: 10/22/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Zibell, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US08/955,644
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 342/99, 342/402, 342/405, 342/418, 342/419, 342/357.05, 342/357.06, 342/457, 342/463, 342/357.14, 701/220
• US Class Current: 342/418
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The mobile cellular telephony terminal includes a radio transmitter/receiver (1) for communicating with base stations of a cellular network, measuring the Doppler velocity of the transmissions originating from the stations and accordingly operating circuits (2) for estimating the velocity of the terminal, by composition of the Doppler velocities, and updating circuits (4, 5) are provided for updating an inertial unit (10) supplying the radio circuit (1) with the position of the terminal, by comparison between a terminal velocity supplied by the unit (10) and the estimated velocity.

Claims

1. A mobile cellular telephony terminal including radio transmitter/receiver means (1) for communicating with base stations of a cellular network, wherein the radio means (1) are designed to measure the Doppler velocity of the transmissions originating from the stations, and accordingly to operate means (2) for estimating the velocity of the terminal, by composition of the Doppler velocities, and the updating means (4, 5) are provided for updating an inertial unit (10) intended to supply the radio means (1) with the position of the terminal, by comparison between a terminal velocity supplied by the unit (10) and the estimated velocity.

2. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which the velocity estimation means (2) are designed to perform a quadratic composition of the Doppler velocities.

3. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which the velocity estimation means (2) include means (21) for calculating an upper limit value on the modulus of the velocity on the basis of the difference between at least two Doppler velocities.

4. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which the velocity estimation means include a sensor (6) for detecting zero velocity.

5. The terminal as claimed in claim 4, in which the sensor (6) is designed to detect the connection of the terminal to a fixed charger (7).

6. The terminal as claimed in claim 3, in which the velocity estimation means (2) are designed (22, 23) to estimate a Doppler bias model for the radio means (1) on the basis of temperature measurements supplied by a sensor (23).

7. The terminal as claimed in claim 3, in which the radio means (1) include Doppler adjustment means (19) operated by the velocity estimation means (21, 22;

6).

8. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which the updating means include a Kalman filter (5).

9. The terminal as claimed in claim 8, in which the Kalman filter (5) is designed to be operated by the velocity estimation means (21, 22;

6).

10. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which the inertial unit (10) includes a magnetometer (14).

11. The terminal as claimed in claim 10, in which means (16, 17) are provided for comparing the measurements of the magnetometer (14) and stored data representing the terrestrial magnetic field, in order to validate said measurements.

12. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, in which a satellite radio-positioning receiver (15) is provided for updating the inertial unit (10).