Position location using digital video broadcast television signals

• US 7,372,405 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TruePosition Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rosum Corporation (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Inventors: Rabinowitz, Matthew, Spilker, Jr., James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US11/532,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20070008220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450, 342/453, 342457-458, 342463-465, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/457
• US Class Current: 342/458
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• 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: G01S 5/0081 Transmission between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/01 Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0218 Multipath in signal reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/145 Using a supplementary range measurement, e.g. based on pseudo-range measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/615 Signal processing at physical level signal processing in analog two-way television systems H04N7/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts

Abstract

Apparatus to determine the position of a user terminal, the apparatus having corresponding methods and computer-readable media, comprises a receiver to receive, at the user terminal, a wireless orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal comprising a scattered pilot signal; and a processor to determine a pseudo-range based on the scattered pilot signal; wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the pseudo-range and a location of a transmitter of the OFDM signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus to determine the position of a user terminal, comprising:

a receiver to receive, at the user terminal, a wireless orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal comprising a scattered pilot signal; and

a processor to determine a pseudo-range based on the scattered pilot signal;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the pseudo-range and a location of a transmitter of the OFDM signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the OFDM signal comprises:

a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the DVB signal comprises at least one of:

a DVB-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a DVB-Handheld (DVB-H) signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1:

wherein the processor determines the position of the user terminal based on the pseudo-range and the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4:

wherein, to determine the position of the user terminal, the processor

determines an offset between a local time reference in the user terminal and a master time reference, and

determines the position of the user terminal based on the wireless OFDM signal, the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal, and the offset.

6. The apparatus of claim 5:

wherein the processor determines a subsequent position of the user terminal using the offset.

7. An apparatus to determine the position of a user terminal, comprising:

receiver means for receiving, at the user terminal, a wireless orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal comprising a scattered pilot signal; and

processor means for determining a pseudo-range based on the scattered pilot signal;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the pseudo-range and a location of a transmitter of the OFDM signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the OFDM signal comprises:

a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the DVB signal comprises at least one of:

a DVB-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a DVB-Handheld (DVB-H) signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 7:

wherein the processor means determines the position of the user terminal based on the pseudo-range and the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10:

wherein, to determine the position of the user terminal, the processor means

determines an offset between a local time reference in the user terminal and a master time reference, and

determines the position of the user terminal based on the wireless OFDM signal, the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal, and the offset.

12. The apparatus of claim 11:

wherein the processor means determines a subsequent position of the user terminal using the offset.

13. A method for determining the position of a user terminal, comprising:

receiving, at the user terminal, a wireless orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal comprising a scattered pilot signal; and

determining a pseudo-range based on the scattered pilot signal;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the pseudo-range and a location of a transmitter of the OFDM signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the OFDM signal comprises:

a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the DVB signal comprises at least one of:

a DVB-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a DVB-Handheld (DVB-H) signal.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an offset between a local time reference in the user terminal and a master time reference; and

determining the position of the user terminal based on the wireless OFDM signal, the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal, and the offset.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a subsequent position of the user terminal using the offset.

18. Computer-readable media embodying instructions executable by a computer to perform a method for determining the position of a user terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at the user terminal, a wireless orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal comprising a scattered pilot signal; and

determining a pseudo-range based on the scattered pilot signal;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the pseudo-range and a location of a transmitter of the OFDM signal.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the OFDM signal comprises:

a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) signal.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the DVB signal comprises at least one of:

a DVB-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a DVB-Handheld (DVB-H) signal.

21. The computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an offset between a local time reference in the user terminal and a master time reference; and

determining the position of the user terminal based on the wireless OFDM signal, the location of the transmitter of the OFDM signal, and the offset.

22. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a subsequent position of the user terminal using the offset.