Position measuring method and mobile communication terminal

• US 7,432,923 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Kawakami, Seiichi, Wada, Atsushi, Kawakami, Kazuya, Miyata, Satoshi, Fujiwara, Masanori, Sakamoto, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H.
• Application Number:
  US11/650,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.15
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• 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

Abstract

When a user of a mobile communication terminal makes a request for a position-measuring of a current location, at step S101, a position-measuring method determining section checks a position-measuring method specified. When the method specified is a “cell ID position-measuring”, and it is performed, when the method specified is a “base station radio waves position-measuring”; a base station radio waves position-measuring is performed, when the method specified is a “GPS position-measuring” or a “not specified”, at step S102, a judgment of whether an area in which the mobile communication terminal exist is an area suitable for data communication is made. When the judgment is negative, an autonomous GPS position-measuring is performed. When the judgment is affirmative, an assisted GPS position-measuring is performed. In this case, when the assisted GPS position-measuring has failed, in process to deal with failure of assisted GPS position-measuring at step S108, in a case of predetermined conditions, further the autonomous GPS position-measuring or a supplementary cell ID position-measuring is performed.

Claims

1. A method for position measurement which measures a current location at which a mobile communication terminal exists, comprising steps of:

determining GPS position measurement technique, said technique corresponding to one selected from among an assisted GPS position measurement and an autonomous GPS position measurement,

wherein the assisted GPS position measurement is a position measurement using assistance information which includes information for capturing a GPS satellite, wherein the assistance information, when necessary, is acquired from a location information server which holds the assistance information, and

wherein the autonomous GPS position measurement is a position measurement using a GPS satellite which does not use the assistance information;

performing assisted GPS position measurement when said determining corresponds to the assisted GPS position measurement; and

performing autonomous GPS position measurement when said determining corresponds to the autonomous GPS position measurement;

the method further comprising steps of;

determining a specified position measuring technique at which,

when a request for position measuring is received, and when a position measuring technique specified is a cell ID position measuring in which location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists is acquired, the cell ID position measuring is determined to be performed, and moreover,

in any one of two cases namely a case in which the position measuring technique specified is a GPS position measurement technique which includes the assisted GPS position measurement and the autonomous GPS position measurement, and a case in which the position measuring technique is not specified, a GPS position measurement is performed; and

cell ID position measuring at which, when the cell ID position measuring is determined at the step of determining the specified position measuring technique, the cell ID position measuring is performed, wherein

when the GPS position measurement is determined to be performed at the step of determining the specified position measuring technique, the step of determining GPS position measurement technique is executed.

2. The method for position measurement according to claim 1, wherein

at the step of determining GPS position measurement technique, when an environment is such that a data communication is not possible in the environment, the autonomous GPS position measurement is performed.

3. The method for position measurement according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

supplementary autonomous GPS position measurement at which, when the assisted GPS position measurement has failed at the step of performing the assisted GPS position measurement, and when a reason for the failure is a predetermined reason, the autonomous GPS position measurement is performed.

4. The method for position measurement according to claim 3, wherein

the predetermined reason includes a reason caused by the location information server.

5. The method for position measurement according to claim 1, wherein

at the step of determining the specified position measuring technique, when the position measuring technique specified is a base station radio waves position measuring at which a location is measured by detecting radio waves from a plurality of base stations, the base station radio waves position measuring is performed.

6. The method for position measurement according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

supplementary cell ID position measuring at which, in a case in which the assisted GPS position measurement at the step of performing the assisted GPS position measurement has failed, when at the step of performing the assisted GPS position measurement, the location information of the cell in the range of which the mobile communication terminal exists, is acquired, a supplementary cell ID position measuring using the location information is performed.

7. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a position measurement technique determining means which determines a position measurement technique

which includes determining to perform one of

an assisted GPS position measurement which is a position measurement using assistance information which includes information for capturing a GPS satellite, wherein the assistance information when necessary, is acquired from a location information server which holds the assistance information, and

an autonomous GPS position measurement which is a position measurement using a GPS satellite which does not use the assistance information;

an assisted GPS position measuring means which performs the assisted GPS position measurement; and

an autonomous GPS position measuring means which performs the autonomous GPS position measurement;

further comprising;

a cell ID position measuring means which performs a cell ID position measurement which is a position measurement acquiring location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists, wherein

when a request for position measurement is received, the position measurement technique determining means further determines to perform the cell ID position measurement when the cell ID position measurement is specified as the position measurement technique, wherein

when a request for position measurement has been received that specifies a GPS position measurement which includes the assisted GPS position measurement and the autonomous GPS position measurement, the position measurement technique determining means determines that a GPS position measurement technique will be performed, wherein

when a request for position measurement has been received that does not specify the position measurement technique, the position measurement technique determining means determines that a GPS position measurement technique will be performed.

8. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein

the position measurement technique determining means which, when the assisted GPS position measurement fails, and when a reason for the failure is a predetermined reason, determines that the autonomous GPS position measurement will be performed.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, further comprising:

a supplementary cell ID position measuring means which performs a supplementary cell ID position measurement which is a position measurement using location information of a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists, acquired by the assisted GPS position measuring means is used, wherein

the position measurement technique determining means which, when the assisted GPS position measurement has failed, further performs the supplementary cell ID position measurement.

10. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, further comprising:

a base station radio waves position measuring means which performs a base station radio waves position measurement in which a location is measured by detecting radio waves from a plurality of base stations, wherein

when a request for position measurement is received, and when the position measurement technique specified is the base station radio waves position measurement, the position measurement technique determining means determines to perform the base station radio waves position measurement.