Mobile station combining telecommunications and positioning functions, and a corresponding method of receiving positioning signals by a mobile station

• US 6,529,493 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1998
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Varin, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TOAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/057,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 370/337, 370/339, 370/341, 370/345, 370/347, 370/348, 370/314, 370/321, 370/376, 370/377, 370/522, 370/528, 370/529, 455/440, 455/456, 342/357-1-3
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile station of a digital cellular communications system, the station being of the type comprising:

means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals by radio, in time division multiple access mode;

means for receiving positioning signals transmitted by a positioning system; and

processor means for processing said telecommunications signals and said positioning signals.

According to the invention, said processor means are continuously connected to said means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals and to said means for receiving positioning signals, said processor means making use of received positioning signals during moments in which said telecommunications signals are not being transmitted and are not being received.

Claims

1. A mobile station of a digital cellular communications system, the station being of a type comprising:

means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals by radio in time division multiple access mode;

means for receiving positioning signals transmitted by a positioning system; and

processor means for processing both said telecommunications signals and said positioning signals;

wherein said processor means is continuously connected to said means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals and to said means for receiving positioning signals, said processor means extracting positioning data from said positioning signals that are received when said telecommunications signals are not being transmitted and are not being received, without switching between said means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals and said means for receiving positioning signals, and

wherein the telecommunications signals are sent and received during time slots within a telecommunications signaling frame, and the positioning signals used are those received during the telecommunications signaling frame but outside of said time slots.

3. A mobile station according to claim 1, including single receiver means common both to said telecommunications signals and to said positioning signals.

4. A mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said processor means, inserts said positioning data, optionally after transforming it, into telecommunications signals transmitted by said transmission means to an operating center.

5. A mobile station according to claim 4, wherein said positioning data is transmitted to said operating center via at least one control channel and/or via a short message service and/or via a data service.

6. A mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said positioning system is of a type comprising a constellation of satellites transmitting said positioning signals.

7. A mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said digital cellular communications system belongs to a group comprising GSM type systems and PCN and DECT type systems.

16. A mobile station according to claim 1, said telecommunications signals comprising voice communications.

20. A mobile station according to claim 1, said telecommunications signals comprising data communications.

2. A mobile station of a digital cellular communications system, the station being of a type comprising:

means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals by radio in time division multiple access mode;

means for receiving positioning signals transmitted by a positioning system; and

processor means for processing both said telecommunications signals and said positioning signals;

wherein said processor means is continuously connected to said means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals and to said means for receiving positioning signals, said processor means extracting positioning data from said positioning signals that are received when said telecommunications signals are not being transmitted and are not being received, without switching between said means for transmitting and receiving telecommunications signals and said means for receiving positioning signals,

said telecommunications signals being structured for transmission and for reception in successive frames, each transmission frame and each reception frame including at least one time slot for transmission or for reception of telecommunication signals by said mobile station,

wherein the positioning signals used by the processor means are received during unused time slots, said unused time slots corresponding neither to a transmission time slot nor to a reception time slot for telecommunications signals.

17. A mobile station according to claim 2, said telecommunications signals comprising voice communications.

21. A mobile station according to claim 2, said telecommunications signals comprising data communications.

8. A method of receiving positioning signals by a mobile station of a digital cellular communications system, said mobile station being of a type that transmits and receives telecommunications signals in a time division multiple access mode, the method including steps of:

continuously receiving positioning signals;

sending and receiving telecommunications signals during time slots within a telecommunications signaling frame;

extracting positioning data from the positioning signals that are received during the telecommunications signaling frame but outside of said time slots, without any switching between sending and receiving telecommunications signals and receiving positioning signals.

18. A method of receiving position signals according to claim 8, said telecommunications signals comprising voice communications.

22. A method of receiving position signals according to claim 8, said telecommunications signals comprising data communications.

9. A mobile station, of a digital cellular communications system, comprising:

a radio receiver, simultaneously receiving both telecommunications signals and positioning signals, said telecommunications signals being structured for transmission and reception in successive frames, each transmission frame and each reception frame including at least one time slot for transmission or for reception of telecommunication signals by said mobile station;

a radio transmitter, transmitting telecommunications signals; and

a baseband processor, continuously connected to said radio receiver and said radio transmitter, and processing both the telecommunications signals and the positioning signals without any switching between telecommunications signals and positioning signals,

wherein predetermined time intervals correspond to segments of time assigned to said mobile station for transmission and reception of telecommunications signals, said predetermined time intervals further correspond to said at least one transmission or reception time slot for transmission or for reception of telecommunication signals by said mobile station; and

wherein said baseband processor processes telecommunications signals during said predetermined time intervals, and between said predetermined time intervals, said baseband processor processes at least some of the positioning signals received during the successive signaling frames, but between and outside of said predetermined time intervals, extracting positioning data from the positioning signals.

10. A mobile station according to claim 9, wherein said radio receiver is a broadband radio receiver.

11. A mobile station according to claim 9, wherein said radio receiver is a dual frequency receiver.

12. A mobile station according to claim 9, wherein the positioning data extracted from the positioning signals is output by said baseband processor, and in either raw or transformed form, is transmitted by said radio transmitter.

13. A mobile station according to claim 12, wherein said radio transmitter transmits the positioning signals over at least one of a control channel, a mobile-originated short message service, and a traffic channel.

14. A mobile station according to claim 9, wherein the positioning signals received by said radio receiver and processed by said baseband processor are of a type transmitted by a positioning system comprising a constellation of satellites.

15. A mobile station according to claim 9, wherein said digital cellular communications system belongs to the group comprising Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) type systems, Personal Communications Network (PCN) type systems, and Digital European Cordless Telecommunication (DECT) type systems.

19. A mobile station according to claim 9, said telecommunications signals comprising voice communications.

23. A mobile station according to claim 9, said telecommunications signals comprising data communications.