Network system for aided GPS broadcast positioning

• US 7,668,554 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIRF Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, ANGELICA
• Application Number:
  US11/303,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20060223549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/456.5, 342/357.06, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/074 providing integrity data, e.g. WAAS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A network approach for aided GPS broadcast positioning where A-GPS data is made available in the network and broadcast via cell broadcast servers to wireless devices in order to reduce the time required to determine the position of a wireless device.

Claims

1. A method for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, comprising:

identifying a predetermined network triggered event at a location based service server;

initiating by the location based service server a broadcast service request to a global positioning system (GPS) server within the wireless network in response to the predetermined network triggered event;

receiving by the location based service server aiding data from the GPS server within the wireless network in response to the broadcast service request;

generating a message containing aiding data at the location based service server; and

transmitting the message from the location based service server to a broadcast server, wherein the broadcast server is independent of the location based service server, and wherein the aiding data is to be broadcast in the wireless network by the broadcast server for receipt by a plurality of wireless devices that access the aiding data.

2. The method for transfer of aiding data of claim 1, where identifying a predetermined network triggered event further includes receiving notification of a change in aiding data.

3. The method for the transfer of aiding data of claim 1, where identifying a predetermined network triggered event further includes expiring of a predetermined timer.

4. The method of claim 3, where the predetermined timer is associated with the almanac data being updated.

5. The method of claim 1, where generating a message containing aiding data further includes formatting the message containing aiding data according to the 3GPP TS44.035 V4.0.0(2001-04) standard document.

6. The method of claim 1, where generating a message containing aiding data further includes formatting the message for transmission in a CDMA network.

7. The method of claim 1, where the message containing aiding data is associated with an individual positioning satellite.

8. The method of claim 1, where the aiding data includes at least one of the following, broadcast ID, maximum number of satellites for the aiding data, types of aiding data, start time of sending the broadcast message and end time of sending the broadcast message.

9. A device associated with a wireless network that transfer aiding data, comprising:

a network triggered event occurs at a location based service server associated with the wireless network;

the location based service server initiates a broadcast service request to a global positioning system (GPS) server within the wireless network in response to the network triggered event;

the location based service server receives aiding data from the GPS server within the wireless network in response to the broadcast service request;

a broadcast message is formatted with the aiding data by the location based service server in the response to the network triggered event, where the aiding data was originally received via the wireless network; and

a transmitter coupled to the location based service server transmits the broadcast message to a broadcast server, wherein the broadcast server is independent of the location based service server, and wherein the broadcast message is to be broadcast in the wireless network by the broadcast server for receipt by a plurality of other devices that access the aiding data in the broadcast message.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a receiver in the location based service server receives aiding data and stores it in a memory.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the network triggered event trigger occurs upon a change to the aiding data.

12. The device of claim 11, where the change is updating of almanac data.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the event trigger is a timer.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the event trigger is a counter.

15. The device of claim 9, where the broadcast message contains data associated with an individual position satellite.

16. The device of claim 9, where the aiding data includes at least one of the following, broadcast ID, maximum number of satellites for the aiding data, types of aiding data, start time of broadcast message, and end time of broadcast message.

17. A server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions for:

identifying a predetermined network triggered event at a location based service server;

initiating by the location based service server a broadcast service request to a global positioning system (GPS) server within the wireless network in response to the predetermined network triggered event;

receiving by the location based service server aiding data from the GPS server within the wireless network in response to the broadcast service request;

generating a message containing aiding data at the location based service server; and

transmitting the message from the location based service server to a broadcast server, wherein the broadcast server is independent of the location based server, and wherein the aiding data is to be broadcast in the wireless network by the broadcast server for receipt by a plurality of wireless devices that access the aiding data.

18. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 17, where the instructions for identifying a predetermined network triggered event further includes instructions for receiving notification of a change in aiding data.

19. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instruction of claim 17, where the instructions for identifying a predetermined network triggered event further includes instructions for expiring of a predetermined timer.

20. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 19, where the predetermined timer is associated with the almanac data being updated.

21. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 17, where the instructions for generating a message containing aiding data further includes instructions for formatting the message containing aiding data according to the 3GPP TS44.035 V4.0.0(2001-04) standard document.

22. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 17, where the instructions for generating a message containing aiding data further includes instructions for formatting the message for transmission in a CDMA network.

23. The server executing a plurality of instruction for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 17 where the message containing aiding data is associated with an individual positioning satellite.

24. The server executing a plurality of instructions for the transfer of aiding data in a wireless network, the plurality of instructions of claim 17 where the aiding data includes at least one of the following, broadcast ID, maximum number of satellites for the aiding data, types of aiding data, smart time of sending the broadcast message and end time of sending the broadcast message.