System and method for aiding a location determination in a positioning system

• US 7,363,044 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Markwell, Jeffrey S., Hayek, Charbel E., Drawert, Bruce M., Korneluk, Jose E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US10/259,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/34.2, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.1, 342/357.04
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/252 Employing an initial estimate of location in generating assistance data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention provides a cellular telephone or other communications device with improved satellite positioning capability. A location reference point and a selective uncertainty range may be used as aiding information to seed a global positioning calculation. In embodiments, the location reference point may represent the location of the cellular service site or other network service site serving the communications device. In embodiments, the selective uncertainty may be selected from a plurality of possible uncertainties and may represent an approximate distance from the communications device to the location reference point. In other embodiments, the selective uncertainty may represent a range of possible locations within a network service area.

Claims

1. A communication device having means for determining a location of the communications device, comprising:

first data, residing in the communication device, representing at least one selective uncertainty of an initial location of the communications device, and wherein the at least one selective uncertainty is based at least in part on a time advance value for the communications device for communicating with a network service site, wherein the time advance value is used to indicate an approximate position of the communication device relative to the network service site; and

a positioning receiver disposed in the communication device, the positioning receiver using the first data to aid an initial position determination of the communications device;

wherein the initial position determination is performed by the communication device.

2. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty is further based at least in part on a signal strength of a signal received from the communications device.

3. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises at least one of a cellular telephone, a two-way pager, a personal digital assistant and a two-way radio.

4. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty represents a portion of an area serviced by the network service site.

5. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the network service site comprises a wireless network service site.

6. A communication device according to claim 5, wherein the wireless network service site comprises a cellular base station.

7. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty represents an approximate distance from the communications device to the location reference point.

8. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty comprises a plurality of selective uncertainties.

9. A communication device according to claim 8, wherein each of the selective uncertainties represents an approximate range of distance from the location reference point.

10. A communication device according to claim 8, wherein each of the selective uncertainties represents a portion of an area serviced by a network service site.

11. A communication device according to claim 8, wherein the union of the selective uncertainties comprises the physical area serviced by the network service site.

12. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning receiver comprises a satellite positioning receiver.

13. A communication device according to claim 12, wherein the satellite positioning receiver uses at least the first data to adapt receiver parameters to aid the initial position determination.

14. A communication device according to claim 13, wherein the adapted receiver parameters comprise at least an adjustment to correlator bandwidth in the satellite position.

15. A method for determining a location of a communications device, comprising:

receiving, at the communication device, first data representing at least one selective uncertainty of a location of the communications device, and wherein the at least one selective uncertainty is based at least in part on a time advance value for the communications device communicating with a network service site, wherein the time advance value is used to indicate an approximate position of the communication device relative to the network service site; and

determining an initial position of the communications device based at least on part on the first data, performed by a positioning receiver disposed in the communication device;

wherein determining the initial position of the communication device is performed by the communication device.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising generating the at least one selective uncertainty is further based at least in part on a signal strength of a signal received from the communications device.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the communications device comprises at least one of a cellular telephone, a two-way pager, a personal digital assistant and a two-way radio.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty represents a portion of an area serviced by the network service site.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein the network service site comprises a wireless network service site.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the wireless network service site comprises a cellular base station.

21. A method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty represents an approximate distance from the communications device to the location reference point.

22. A method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty comprises a plurality of selective uncertainties.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein each of the selective uncertainties represents an approximate range of distance from the location reference point.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein each of the selective uncertainties represents a portion of an area serviced by a network service site.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein the union of the selective uncertainties comprises a physical area serviced by a network service site.

26. A method according to claim 15, wherein the communications device comprises a positioning receiver.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the positioning receiver comprises a satellite positioning receiver.

28. A method according to claim 27, further comprising adapting parameters in the satellite positioning receiver based upon at least the first data to aid the initial position determination.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the step of adapting parameters in the satellite positioning receiver comprises at least adjusting correlator bandwidth in the satellite positioning receiver.

30. A communication device having means for determining a location of the communications device, comprising:

processing means, the processing means generating at least first data representing at least one selective uncertainty of a location of the communications device, and wherein the at least one selective uncertainty is based at least in part on a time advance value for the communications device communicating with the network service site, wherein the time advance value is used to indicate an approximate position of the communication device relative to the network service site; and

positioning receiver means, the positioning receiver means for determining an initial position of the communications device using at least the first data;

wherein determining the initial position is performed by the communication device.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein the at least one selective uncertainty is further based at least in part on a signal strength of a signal received from the communications device.

32. A system according to claim 30, wherein the positioning receiver means comprise a satellite positioning receiver.

33. A system according to claim 32, wherein the satellite positioning receiver uses the first data to adapt receiver parameters to aid the initial position determination.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein the adapted receiver parameters comprise at least an adjustment to correlator bandwidth in the satellite positioning receiver.