Systems and methods for providing position information using a wireless communication device

• US 6,885,336 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Forrester, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US10/046,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.1, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 342/357.76
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• 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 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

A wireless communication device comprises a transmitter configured to transmit wireless communication signals and a receiver. The receiver comprises a GPS receiver configured to receive GPS signals and a wireless communications receiver configured to receiver wireless communications signals. The wireless communication device also comprise a processor coupled with the receiver and the transmitter, the processor configured to process the GPS signals received by the GPS receiver and the wireless communications signals received by the wireless communication receiver, and to generate the wireless communication signals transmitted by the transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining position information using a wireless communication device, comprising:

receiving a request for position information;

in response to the received request, checking to see if network assisted positioning is available;

if network assisted positioning is not available, then disabling the wireless communication receiver;

activating the GPS receiver;

receiving the GPS signals; and

determining the position of a device incorporating the receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising if network assisted positioning is available:

processing network assist information related to the received GPS signals; and

determining a position of a device incorporating the receiver based at least in part on the processed network assist information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising loading GPS instructions when the GPS receiver is activated.

4. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive GPS signals;

a wireless communication transceiver configured to allow the wireless communication device to interface with a wireless communication network via a communications band; and

a processor coupled with the GPS and wireless communication receivers, the processor configured to;

receive a request for position information;

in response to the received request, check to see if network assistance is available;

if network assistance is not available, then disable a wireless communication receiver portion of the wireless communication transceiver;

activate the GPS receiver;

receive the GPS signals; and

process the received GPS signals to determine the position of the wireless communication device.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 4, further configured to fully process the wireless communications signals and the GPS signals, such that the wireless communication device can act as a standalone GPS receiver.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to process network assist information related to the received GPS signals and to determine a position of the wireless communication device based at least in part on the processed network assist information.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 5, further comprising a memory coupled with the processor, the memory configured to store instructions used by the processor to control the operation of the wireless communication device.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the memory is further configured to store GPS instructions, and wherein the processor is configured to access the GPS instructions in order to allow the wireless communication device to act as a standalone GPS receiver.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 4, further comprising a single antenna coupled with the GPS receiver and the wireless communication transceiver, the antenna configured to receive the GPS signals and to communicate them to the GPS receiver and to receive the wireless communication signals and to communicate them to the wireless communication transceiver.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, further comprising a switching module configured to couple the antenna to the GPS receiver when receiving GPS signals and to the wireless communication receiver when receiving wireless communicating signals.

11. The wireless communication device claim 10, wherein the GPS receiver further comprises an antenna matching network configured to match the impedance of the GPS receiver with the antenna when the switching module is positioned to connect the GPS receiver with the antenna.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a first and second wireless communication transceivers, each configured to communicate wireless communication signals in a unique communication band, and wherein first wireless communication transceivers is interfaced with the switching module.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12, further comprising a diplexer coupled to the antenna, the switching module, and the second wireless communication transceiver, the diplexer configured to separate signals received by the antenna and send them to the switching module or the second wireless communication transceiver depending on the frequency of the received signal.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 12, further comprising a second demodulation circuit coupled with the second wireless communication transceiver, the second demodulation circuit configured to demodulate wireless communication signals received via the second wireless communication transceiver.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the second demodulation circuit is coupled with a common IF block, and wherein the common IF block is further configured to mix signals demodulated by the second demodulation circuit down to baseband.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 9, further comprising a diplexer configured to couple the antenna to the GPS receiver when receiving GPS signals and to the wireless communication receiver when receiving wireless communication signals.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a first and second wireless communication transceiver, each configured to communicate wireless communication signals in a unique communication band, and wherein the wireless communication device comprises a switching module coupled to the antenna, the GPS receiver, and each of the two wireless communication transceivers, the switching module configured to couple the antenna to the GPS receiver or to one of the wireless communication transceivers depending on the position of the switching module.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 4, comprising:

a common demodulation circuit coupled to the wireless communication transceiver and the GPS receiver, the common demodulation circuit configured to demodulate both the received GPS signals and the received wireless communication signals; and

a common IF block, interfaced with the common demodulation circuit, the common IF block configured to mix the demodulated signals down to baseband, the wireless communication device configured to act as a standalone GPS receiver or to act as a network assisted GPS receiver when it is determined that network assistance is available from the wireless communication network.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 18, further comprising a band select switch configured to selectively couple the GPS receiver and the wireless communication receiver to the common demodulator.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 18, further comprising a dual blend VCO coupled with the common demodulator, wherein the dual band VCO is capable of being programmed to generate the correct frequency depending on whether the GPS receiver or the wireless communication receiver is coupled with the common demodulator.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 18, further comprising a diplexer configured to couple the GPS receiver or the wireless communication receiver to the common demodulator.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to receive network assist information from the wireless communication network using the wireless communication transceiver, if network assistance is available, and process network assist information.