Dedicated device for automatically accessing wireless internet network and supplying wireless packet data-based indoor-capable GPS locations

• US 7,496,082 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Howard K. Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Howard K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US10/313,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20040008660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 370/349, 370/312, 370/328, 370/456.1, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.2, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A dedicated device and method for connecting between a packet-data-capable wireless modem and a high sensitivity indoor-capable Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and is able to access a commercially available cellular or PCS band wireless Internet network for supplying indoor and outdoor GPS locations to a designated remote Internet server, in an independent, periodic, and automatic manner. Implemented with TCP/IP UDP PPP protocol stacks, the device automatically accesses and retries for always connecting to the wireless Internet network in packet data mode. The device also automatically retrieves the aiding/assisted-GPS (A-GPS) information from either a wireless base station or a specified separate A-GPS server. The device periodically supplies the A-GPS information and receives the indoor-capable GPS locations, to and from the GPS receiver. The indoor-capable GPS locations are packed into Internet User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet data format and periodically sent to a designated remote server through the wireless Internet network.

Claims

1. A dedicated device for physically attaching to a packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for automatically accessing the wireless Internet network and providing indoor and outdoor user GPS locations and data in packet data-based UDP format to a designated remote server, including:

a. first attachment means for connecting the dedicated device to a packet data wireless access device through a first connector, and second attachment means for connecting the dedicated device to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver port or connector;

b. interface means for electrically and logically matching the dedicated device'"'"'s connectors with communication ports of the packet data wireless access device and the high sensitivity indoor-capable receiver;

c. control intelligence means in communication with the packet data wireless access device and the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver in an automatic manner for establishing and maintaining connectivity between the packet data wireless access device and the wireless Internet network, for retrieving aiding/assisted GPS (A-GPS) information from the wireless Internet network using the packet data wireless access device, for establishing and maintaining GPS data flows between the dedicated device and the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for providing the A-GPS information to the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for retrieving indoor and outdoor GPS locations from the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for packing the GPS locations into UDP data payloads according to the TCP/IP UDP PPP protocol, and for sending the resulting data payloads to a designated remote server via the packet data wireless access device through the wireless Internet network.

2. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, wherein said attachment means further include means for physically attaching the dedicated device to the packet data wireless access device and to the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver.

3. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, wherein said interface means are interface circuits, said interface circuits including integrated chip (IC) devices for controlling and converting signals between a microcontroller unit and one or more of an RS232 serial interface connector, a CF-card connectors, a 3-wire serial interface connector, an address/data bus connector, and an I/O port connector.

4. The dedicated device defined in claim 1, wherein said control intelligence means includes a microcontroller unit.

5. A method of automatically accessing the wireless Internet network via an attached packet data wireless access device, and automatically communicating with a designated remote server, including the steps of:

a. providing a dedicated device for physically attaching to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for automatically accessing the wireless Internet network, receiving aiding/assisted GPS (A-GPS) information via the wireless Internet network, and providing the received A-GPS information to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver;

b. upon power up, sending a sequence of AT commands to the packet data wireless access device to attach to the wireless Internet network and to switch to packet data mode;

c. in packet data mode, sending a sequence of PPP protocol streams including user name and password to logon a wireless Internet service provider (ISP);

d. sending the dedicated device'"'"'s ID to the designated remote server and downloading the configuration parameters pertinent to the dedicated device'"'"'s ID from the designated remote server;

e. using a microcontroller unit'"'"'s timer module under the control of a timer routine, periodically checking the connectivity between the packet data wireless access device and the wireless Internet network with the period being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server; and

f. if connectivity is lost, repeating steps b, c, and d above until the wireless network is re-connected.

6. A method of automatically retrieving aiding/assisted-GPS (A-GPS) information from wireless Internet network using an attached packet data wireless access device, and providing an attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver with the A-GPS information, including the steps of:

a. providing a dedicated device for physically attaching to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for automatically accessing the wireless Internet network, receiving A-GPS information via the wireless Internet network, and providing the received A-GPS information to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver;

b. checking the validity of the dedicated device'"'"'s configuration parameters downloaded from a designated remote server;

c. issuing a set of AT commands to retrieve the A-GPS information from a wireless base station, if the configuration parameters indicate that the A-GPS information is broadcasted by the wireless base station;

d. issuing a set of http Internet protocol streams to logon an A-GPS server with an A-GPS server IP address, user ID, and password, and retrieving the A-GPS information from the A-GPS server, if the configuration parameters indicate that the A-GPS information is available from a separate A-GPS server and the A-GPS server IP address, the user ID, and the password are included in the parameters;

e. periodically repeating steps b, c, and d above to keep the A-GPS information updated, with the updating period being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server; and

f. sending the A-GPS information to the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver and enabling an indoor-capable GPS location determination.

7. A method of automatically receiving indoor-capable GPS data including locations from an attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, and sending the GPS data including locations to a designated remote server, including the steps of:

a. providing a dedicated device for physically attaching to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for automatically accessing the wireless Internet network, receiving aiding/assisted GPS (A-GPS) information via the wireless Internet network, and providing the received A-GPS information to a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver;

b. communicating with the attached high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver and receiving the GPS data including latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and satellite data/status;

c. packing the GPS locations and other GPS data specified by the configuration parameters into a user data protocol (UDP) payload data field;

d. handling the UDP formatted GPS data in an Internet packet data IP Protocol; and

;

e. periodically repeating steps b, c, and d above to keep the A-GPS information updated, with the updating period being one of the configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server; and

f. periodically sending the packet data-based GPS data to a designated remote server, with the IP address of the designated remote server being a fixed IP address, and with the period of GPS data transmitting being one of a plurality of configuration parameters downloaded from a designated remote server.