Mobile station and its program

• US 6,937,867 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashida, Atsushi, Ogino, Hiroyasu, Takeuchi, Toshihiro, Shamoto, Michio, Oda, Kyoji, Shintai, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A.
• Application Number:
  US10/224,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.5, 455/457, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/450
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• 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: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A mobile station requests a start of positioning and receives a response of positioning from a positioning server, following which it informs the positioning server of its own station information and neighboring base station information gathered through searching the neighboring base stations. Thereby, the mobile station receives assistant information regarding GPS satellites to be captured based on a station location designated by the positioning server and then it measures a GPS signal and a base station signal such as an apparent signal delay. In the case that the positioning information collected as described above is sufficient for location computing, it displays the location computed by the positioning server. In contrast, in the case that the positioning information is insufficient, it displays “positioning impossible” without sending the positioning information to the positioning server.

Claims

1. A mobile station which communicates via a wireless line with a base station forming a communication network within which a station location of said mobile station is computed, said mobile station including:

means for collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, said positioning information including at least base station information of said base station;

means for sending said positioning information to said communication network;

means for obtaining station location information computed in said communication network based on said positioning information which is sent to said communication network;

means for outputting said station location information to a mobile station user;

means for determining whether said positioning information is sufficient for computing the station location; and

means for outputting information included in said positioning information previously collected as alternative station location information to the mobile station user without sending said positioning information to said communication network when said positioning information is determined to be not sufficient for computing the station location.

2. A mobile station as claimed in claim 1, further including:

a GPS receiving section which receives a GPS signal from GPS satellites,

wherein said positioning information necessary for computing the station location includes said GPS signal.

3. A mobile station as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information outputted as the alternative station location information indicates location information of a neighboring base station which is captured.

4. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for instructing a computer contained in a mobile station communicating via a wireless line with a base station forming a communication network within which a station location of said mobile station is computed, the computer program product comprising:

a step of collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, wherein said positioning information includes at least base station information of said base station;

a step of determining whether said positioning information collected is sufficient for computing the station location in said communication network;

a step of sending said positioning information to said communication network when said positioning information collected is determined to be sufficient for computing the station location in said communication network;

a step of receiving station location information computed in said communication network; and

a step of displaying information included in said positioning information previously collected as alternative station location information to display means without sending said positioning information to said communication network when said positioning information collected is determined to be not sufficient for computing the station location in said communication network.

5. A computer program product as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information as the alternative station location information displayed indicates location information of a neighboring base station.

6. A mobile station which communicates via a wireless line with a base station and a positioning server within a communication network, wherein a station location of said mobile station is computed in the positioning server, said mobile station including:

means for collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, said positioning information including at least base station information of said base station;

means for sending said positioning information to said positioning server;

means for obtaining said station location information computed in said positioning server based on said positioning information which is sent to said positioning server;

means for outputting said station location information to a mobile station user;

means for determining whether said positioning information is sufficient for computing the station location; and

means for outputting a message indicating that computing the station location is impossible without sending said positioning information to said positioning server when said positioning information is determined to be insufficient.

7. A mobile station as claimed in claim 6, said mobile station further including:

means for outputting a message indicating that location computing is impossible without sending said positioning information to said positioning server when said positioning information is determined to be insufficient for computing said station location in said positioning server even if positioning information is collected from not less than one base station and said mobile station is located inside a communication zone.

8. A mobile station as claimed in claim 6, said mobile station further including:

means for displaying and confirming whether a location of neighboring base station should be outputted when said message indicating that positioning is impossible is outputted; and

means for sequentially displaying location information of the neighboring base station according to the user'"'"'s instruction.

9. A mobile station which communicates via a wireless line with a base station and a positioning server within a communication network, wherein a station location of said mobile station is computed in said positioning server, said mobile station including:

means for collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, said positioning information including at least base station information of said base station;

means for sending said positioning information to said positioning server;

means for obtaining station location information computed in said positioning server based on said positioning information which is sent to said positioning server;

means for outputting said station location information to a mobile station user;

means for determining whether said positioning information is sufficient for computing the station location; and

means for outputting location information corresponding to the base station included in said positioning information without sending said positioning information to said positioning server when the positioning information is determined to be insufficient.

10. A mobile station which communicates via a wireless line with a base station and a positioning server within a communication network, wherein a station location of said mobile station is computed in said positioning server, said mobile station including:

means for collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, said positioning information including at least base station information of said base station;

means for sending said positioning information to said positioning server;

means for obtaining said station location information computed in said positioning server based on said positioning information which is sent to said positioning server;

means for outputting said station location information to a mobile station user;

means for determining whether said positioning information is sufficient for computing the station location; and

means for outputting a message indicating that location computing is impossible to the mobile station user along with sending a signal indicating interruption of positioning to said positioning server when said positioning information is determined to be insufficient.

11. A mobile station which communicates via a wireless line with a base station and a positioning server within a communication network, wherein a station location of said mobile station is computed in the positioning server, said mobile station including:

means for collecting positioning information necessary for computing the station location, said positioning information including at least base station information of said base station;

means for sending said positioning information to said positioning server;

means for obtaining station location information computed in said positioning server based on said positioning information which is sent to said positioning server;

means for outputting said station location information to a mobile station user;

means for determining whether said positioning information is sufficient for computing the station location; and

means for outputting location information corresponding to said base station included in said positioning information to the mobile station user along with sending a signal indicating interruption of positioning to said positioning server when said positioning information is determined to be insufficient.