Systems and methods for transmitting global positioning system information from a wireless communication system base station

• US 7,398,094 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Forrester, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US10/051,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20030134646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/456.5, 455/404.2, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/427, 455/430, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455418-420, 455/422.1, 4554561-4566, 455457-458, 455/466, 455/550.1, 4555561-5562, 455557-558, 455560-561, 455/566, 342/357.09, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 34235712-35713, 342/357.15, 701/213, 701/215, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/09 providing processing capability normally carried out by the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/246 involving long acquisition integration times, extended snapshots of signals or methods specifically directed towards weak signal acquisition

Abstract

A base station comprises a GPS receiver configured to periodically locate and receive information from GPS satellites, and a transmitter configured to periodically transmit the received GPS satellite information to at least one of a plurality of GPS enabled devices. The GPS enabled device receives the information, stores it, and then uses the stored information to automatically acquire GPS satellites when it receives a position request.

Claims

1. A method for providing position assist information from a base station, comprising:

receiving, from a GPS satellite, GPS satellite information through an antenna at the base station;

transmitting, from the base station and not in response to a position request, the received GPS satellite information to a GPS enabled device;

receiving, from the GPS enabled device, decoded position signals generated by the GPS enabled device using the GPS satellite information; and

transmitting, from the base station to the GPS enabled device, the position of the GPS enabled device determined from the decoded position signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPS satellite information is transmitted periodically.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically locating GPS satellites, wherein the GPS satellites information is periodically received from the located GPS satellites.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising processing the received GPS satellite information and transmitting the processed information to the GPS enabled device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the base station, the position of the GPS enabled device based on the decoded position signals.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the satellite information to the GPS enabled device each time the GPS enabled device registers with the base station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted satellite information includes access assist information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted satellite information includes sensitivity assist information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the decoded position signals to a position determination entity;

receiving the position of the GPS enabled device determined from the decoded position signals from the position determination entity; and

transmitting the determined position to the GPS enabled device.

10. A method for receiving position assist information from a base station, comprising:

receiving, at a GPS enabled device, from the base station, a GPS satellite information not transmitted in response to a position request, the GPS satellite information received through an antenna at the base station;

storing the received GPS satellite information at the GPS enabled device;

receiving, at the GPS enabled device, a position request from the base station;

acquiring the GPS satellite using the stored GPS satellite information in response to the received position request from the base station;

receiving position signals from the acquired GPS satellite;

decoding the received position signals to generate decoded position signals;

transmitting the decoded position signals to the base station; and

at the GPS enabled device, receiving from the base station, a position determined from the decoded position signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the GPS satellite information is received from the base station periodically.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising registering with the base station, and receiving the GPS satellite information during the registration.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting a correlation time based on the stored information in order to improve the chances of acquiring the GPS satellites.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the received satellite information includes access assist information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the received satellite information includes sensitivity assist information.

16. A base station, comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive information from, GPS satellites and locate a position of a GPS enabled device;

a transmitter configured to transmit the received GPS satellites information to the GPS enabled device, wherein the transmission is not associated with a position request from the GPS enabled device;

a receiver configured to receive decoded position signals from the GPS enabled device; and

wherein the base station is configured to determine a position of the GPS enabled device based on the received decoded position signals, and to transmit the determined position signals to the GPS enabled device.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the GPS receiver is configured to locate the GPS satellites periodically.

18. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a processor configured to process the received GPS satellite information, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the processed information to the GPS enabled devices.

19. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a network interface configured to interface the base station with a position determination entity, wherein the base station is configured to receive GPS satellites information from the position determination entity through the network interface.

20. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a receiver configured to receive registration requests from the GPS enabled device, wherein the base station is configured to transmit the GPS satellite information in response to the registration request.

21. The base station of claim 16, wherein the transmitted satellite information includes access assist information.

22. The base station of claim 16, wherein the transmitted satellite information includes sensitivity assist information.

23. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a position determination entity, wherein the position determination entity is configured to determine the position from the decoded position signals.

24. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a network interface configured to interface the base station with a position determination entity, the base station configured to:

send the decoded position signals to the position determination entity through the network interface;

receive the position of the GPS enabled device determined from the decoded position signals from the position determination entity through the network interface; and

transmit the determined position to the GPS enabled device.

25. The base station of claim 16, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the received GPS satellite information to the GPS enabled device over a control channel.

26. The base station of claim 25, wherein the control channel is a PCS common control channel.

27. A GPS enabled device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a base station, a GPS satellite information not transmitted in response to a position request from the GPS enabled device the GPS satellite information based on signals received through an antenna at the base station;

a memory configured to store the received GPS satellite information;

a GPS receiver configured to, in response to a position request from the base station, acquire the GPS satellite using the stored GPS satellite information, receive the position information from the acquired GPS satellites and decode the received satellite information to generate decoded position signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the decoded position signals to the base station, the receiver further configured to receive the position determined from the decoded position signals from the base station.

28. The GPS enabled device of claim 27, further comprising a transmitter, wherein the GPS enabled device is configured to transmit a registration request to the base station using the transmitter, and wherein the GPS satellite information is received during the registration.

29. The GPS enabled device of claim 27, further configured to adjust a correlation time based on the stored information in order to improve the chances of acquiring the GPS satellites.

30. The GPS enabled device of claim 27, further configured to receive the GPS satellite information from the base station over a control channel.

31. The GPS enabled device of claim 30, wherein the control channel is a PCS common control channel.

32. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a base station comprising;

a GPS receiver configured to receive a GPS satellite information through an antenna from the GPS satellite; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the GPS satellite information to a GPS enabled device; and

the GPS enabled device comprising;

a receiver configured to receive, from the base station, the GPS satellite information from the base station not transmitted in response to a position request;

a memory device configured to store the received GPS satellite information;

a GPS receiver configured to, in response to a position request from the base station, automatically acquire the GPS satellite using the stored GPS satellite information, receive the position information from the acquired GPS satellite and decode the received satellite information to generate decoded position signals

a transmitter, configured to transmit the decoded position signals to the base station, the receiver further configured to receive, from the base station, a GPS enabled device position determined from the decoded position signals.

33. The wireless communication system of claim 32, further comprising a position determination entity, wherein the base station further comprises a network interface configured to interface the base station with the position determination entity, and wherein the base station configured to receive the GPS enabled device position from the position determination entity through the network interface.

34. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises a processor configured to process the GPS satellite information, and further configured to transmit the processed information.

35. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises a receiver configured to periodically receive registration requests from the GPS enabled device, and further configured to transmit the GPS satellite information in response to the registration request.

36. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the GPS satellite information includes at least one of access assist information and sensitivity assist information.

37. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the transmitter in the GPS enabled device is further configured to periodically transmit a registration request to the base station, and wherein the GPS satellite information is received during the periodic registrations.

38. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the GPS enabled device is further configured to adjust a correlation time based on the stored information in order to improve the chances of acquiring the GPS satellite.

39. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises a full position determination entity, and wherein the position determination entity is configured to determine the GPS enabled device position from the decoded position signals.

40. The wireless communication system of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises a receiver, the receiver configured to receive the decoded position signals from the GPS enabled device.

41. The wireless communication system of claim 40, wherein the base station is further configured to determine the position of the GPS enabled device based on the decoded position signals, and to transmit the determined position to the GPS enabled device.

42. The wireless communication system of claim 40, further comprising a position determination entity, wherein the base station further comprises a network interface configured to interface the base station with the position determination entity, the base station configured to:

send the decoded position signals to the position determination entity through the network interface;

receive the position of the GPS enabled device determined from the decoded position signals from the position determination entity through the network interface; and

transmit the determined position to the GPS enabled device.

43. The wireless communication system of claim 32, further comprising a control channel, wherein the GPS enabled device is configured to receive the GPS satellite information from the base station over the control channel.

44. The wireless communication system of claim 43, wherein the control channel is a PCS common control channel.

45. A base station comprising:

a GPS receiver to receive GPS satellite information from a GPS satellite;

a transmitter to transmit the GPS satellite information to a GPS enabled device not in response to a position request from the GPS enabled device;

a receiver to receive decoded position signals generated by the GPS enabled device using the GPS satellite information and GPS position signals received from the GPS satellite at the GPS enabled device;

a processor to determine a position of the GPS enabled device using the decoded position signals received from the GPS enabled device, the transmitter further configured to transmit the determined position to the GPS enabled device.

46. The base station of claim 45, further comprising a communications receiver configured to periodically receive registration requests from the GPS enabled device, and further configured to transmit the GPS satellite information in response to the registration requests.

47. The base station of claim 45, wherein the GPS satellite information includes an access assist (AA) information.

48. The base station of claim 45, wherein the GPS satellite information includes a sensitivity assist (SA) information.

49. The base station of claim 45, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the received GPS satellite information to the GPS enabled device over a control channel.

50. The base station of claim 49, wherein the control channel is a PCS common control channel.