GPS enabled mobile stations and location methods therefor

• US 6,427,077 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2001
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Droste, Scott, Alberth, William P. Jr., Kotzin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/770,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20020102990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/445, 455/458, 455/456, 455/422, 455/457, 455/181.1, 455/427, 455/428, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.1, 342/357.11, 342/357.12
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18554 using the position provided by an existing geolocalisation system

Abstract

A satellite positioning system enabled mobile station and method therefor having a satellite positioning system signal reception interface, for example a GPS receiver, an information processor coupled to the satellite positioning system signal reception interface, the information processor controlling the satellite positioning system signal reception interface for receiving satellite positioning system signals upon which mobile station positioning may be determined based upon a satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instruction.

Claims

1. A method for locating a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station in a geographical area, comprising:

specifying different satellite positioning system based location fix generation rates for corresponding portions of the geographical area;

determining within which portion of the geographical area the mobile station is located;

receiving satellite signals at the mobile station for generating satellite positioning system based location fixes of the mobile station at the rate specified for the portion of the geographical area within which the mobile station is located.

2. The method of claim 1, the mobile station is a GPS enabled cellular handset and the geographical area includes a cellular communication network,

specifying a GPS based location fix generation rate for a portion of the cellular communication network that is different from a GPS based location fix generation rate specified for another portion of the cellular communication network;

determining within which portion of the cellular communication network the cellular handset is located;

receiving satellite signals at the cellular handset at a rate for generating satellite positioning system based location fixes of the cellular handset at the rate specified for the portion of the cellular communication network within which the mobile station is located.

3. The method of claim 2, determining the portion of the cellular communication network within which the cellular handset is located by generating a GPS based location fix of the cellular handset.

4. The method of claim 2, specifying the GPS based location fix generation rate from the cellular communication network.

5. The method of claim 2, specifying the GPS based location fix generation rate from the cellular handset.

6. The method of claim 2, specifying the GPS based location fix generation rate based on an identification of a base station serving the cellular handset.

7. The method of claim 2, specifying the GPS based location fix generation rate based on a time of day.

8. The method of claim 2, determining a velocity of the cellular handset, specifying a GPS based location fix generation rate based on the velocity of the cellular handset, generating the GPS based location fix at the higher of the rate based on the velocity of the cellular handset and the rate specified for the portion of the cellular communication network within which the cellular handset is located.

9. A method for locating a satellite position system enabled mobile station, comprising:

determining a velocity of the mobile station;

receiving satellite signals at the mobile station at a rate based on a velocity of the mobile station;

generating satellite positioning system based location fixes of the mobile station based on the satellite signals at a rate based on the velocity of the mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9, the satellite positioning system enabled mobile station is a cellular handset in a cellular communication network, determining the velocity of the cellular handset by measuring a fading pitch of a cellular communication network signal at the mobile station.

11. The method of claim 9, increasing the location fix generation rate in an increasing proportion to increases in the velocity of the mobile station, decreasing the location fix generation rate in a decreasing proportion to decreases in the velocity of the mobile station.

12. A method for locating a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station, comprising:

specifying a variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate based on a variable condition;

monitoring the variable condition;

receiving satellite signals at the mobile station at a rate for generating a location fix of the mobile station at the rate specified by the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate corresponding to the variable condition monitored.

13. The method of claim 12, the mobile station is a cellular handset, specifying the location fix generation rate based on the portion of the cellular communication network within which the cellular handset is located, determining within which portion of the cellular communication network the cellular handset is located, receiving satellite signals at the cellular handset at a rate for generating location fixes of the cellular handset at the location fix generation rate specified for the portion of the cellular communication network within which the cellular handset is located.

14. The method of claim 13, making the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate dependent upon a velocity of the cellular handset, determining a velocity of the cellular handset, receiving satellite signals at the handset at a rate for generating the location fix of the cellular handset at a rate based on the velocity of the cellular handset.

15. The method of claim 14, determining the velocity of the cellular handset by measuring a fading pitch of a cellular communication network signal.

16. The method of claim 13, specifying the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate at the cellular handset, monitoring the variable condition at the cellular handset.

17. The method of claim 13, controlling the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate from the cellular communication network.

18. The method of claim 13, specifying the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate based on a continuously variable condition.

19. The method of claim 13, specifying the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate based on a discretely variable condition.

20. The method of claim 13, specifying the variable satellite positioning system based location fix generation rate from the cellular communication network.

21. A method for locating a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station in a geographical area, comprising:

specifying different satellite positioning system based location fix generation rates for corresponding time periods;

determining a present time period;

receiving satellite signals at the mobile station for generating satellite positioning system based location fixes of the mobile station at the rate specified for the present time period.

22. A satellite positioning system enabled mobile station, comprising:

a satellite positioning system signal reception interface;

an information processor coupled to the satellite positioning system signal reception interface and the memory,

the information processor controlling the satellite positioning system signal reception interface for receiving satellite positioning system signals, upon which mobile station positioning may be determined, at a variable rate based upon a variable satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instruction.

23. The mobile station of claim 22 is a satellite positioning system enabled cellular handset comprising a wireless communication network interface coupled to the information processor.

24. The mobile station of claim 23, a memory in the cellular handset for storing a satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instructions that vary with a variable condition.

25. The mobile station of claim 23, the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instruction specifies a variable satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate as a function of location of the cellular handset in the cellular communication network.

26. The mobile station of claim 23, the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instruction specifies the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate as function of velocity of the mobile station.

27. The mobile station of claim 23, the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate instruction specifies the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate as a function of time.

28. The mobile station of claim 23, the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate information specifies the satellite positioning system based position fix generation rate as a function of an estimated ability of the cellular handset to receive satellites signals.