Position location using global positioning signals augmented by broadcast television signals

• US 7,733,270 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TruePosition Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rosum Corporation (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Inventors: Rabinowitz, Matthew, Spilker, James J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Dao L
• Application Number:
  US12/263,731
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 342/453, 342/457, 342/463, 342/464, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/465, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/464
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/254 relating to Doppler shift of satellite signals
• 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 19/46 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 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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 21/2668 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 having corresponding methods and computer-readable media comprises: a first receiver adapted to receive, at a user terminal, a broadcast television signal from a television signal transmitter; and a second receiver adapted to receive, at the user terminal, a satellite positioning signal from a positioning satellite; wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the broadcast television signal, the satellite positioning signal, a location of the television signal transmitter, and a location of the positioning satellite.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the position of a user terminal, comprising:

a first receiver adapted to receive, at the user terminal, a broadcast digital television signal from a television signal transmitter; and

a second receiver adapted to receive, at the user terminal, a satellite positioning signal from a positioning satellite;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, a location of the television signal transmitter, and a location of the positioning satellite.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor adapted to determine the position of the user terminal based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, the location of the television signal transmitter, and the location of the positioning satellite.

3. The apparatus of claim 2:

wherein the processor determines the position of the user terminal based on

a difference between a transmitter clock at the television signal transmitter and a known time reference, and

a relative radial velocity between the positioning satellite and the user terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3:

wherein the processor determines a first pseudo-range between the user terminal and the television signal transmitter based on the broadcast digital television signal; and

wherein the processor determines a second pseudo-range between the user terminal and the positioning satellite based on the satellite positioning signal;

wherein the processor determines the position of the user terminal based on the first and second pseudo-ranges.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the broadcast digital television signal is selected from the group consisting of:

an American Television Standards Committee (ATSC) digital television signal;

a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) signal.

6. An apparatus for determining the position of a user terminal, comprising:

first receiver means for receiving, at the user terminal, a broadcast digital television signal from a television signal transmitter; and

second receiver means for receiving, at the user terminal, a satellite positioning signal from a positioning satellite;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, a location of the television signal transmitter, and a location of the positioning satellite.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

processor means for determining the position of the user terminal based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, the location of the television signal transmitter, and the location of the positioning satellite.

8. The apparatus of claim 7:

wherein the processor means determines the position of the user terminal based on

a difference between a transmitter clock at the television signal transmitter and a known time reference, and

a relative radial velocity between the positioning satellite and the user terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8:

wherein the processor means determines a first pseudo-range between the user terminal and the television signal transmitter based on the broadcast digital television signal; and

wherein the processor means determines a second pseudo-range between the user terminal and the positioning satellite based on the satellite positioning signal;

wherein the position of the user terminal is determined based on the first and second pseudo-ranges.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the broadcast digital television signal is selected from the group consisting of:

an American Television Standards Committee (ATSC) digital television signal;

a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) signal.

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

receiving, at the user terminal, a broadcast digital television signal from a television signal transmitter; and

receiving, at the user terminal, a satellite positioning signal from a positioning satellite;

wherein a position of the user terminal is determined based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, a location of the television signal transmitter, and a location of the positioning satellite.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the position of the user terminal based on the broadcast digital television signal, the satellite positioning signal, the location of the television signal transmitter, and the location of the positioning satellite.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the position of the user terminal comprises:

determining the position of the user terminal based on

a difference between a transmitter clock at the television signal transmitter and a known time reference, and

a relative radial velocity between the positioning satellite and the user terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the position of the user terminal further comprises:

determining a first pseudo-range between the user terminal and the television signal transmitter based on the broadcast digital television signal; and

determining a second pseudo-range between the user terminal and the positioning satellite based on the satellite positioning signal;

wherein the position of the user terminal is determined based on the first and second pseudo-ranges.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the broadcast digital television signal is selected from the group consisting of:

an American Television Standards Committee (ATSC) digital television signal;

a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) signal.

16. Computer-readable media embodying instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

determining the position of a user terminal based on

a broadcast digital television signal received at the user terminal from a television signal transmitter,

a satellite positioning signal received at the user terminal from a positioning satellite,

the location of the television signal transmitter, and

the location of the positioning satellite.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein determining the position of the user terminal comprises:

determining the position of the user terminal based on

a difference between a transmitter clock at the television signal transmitter and a known time reference, and

a relative radial velocity between the positioning satellite and the user terminal.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein determining the position of the user terminal further comprises:

determining a first pseudo-range between the user terminal and the television signal transmitter based on the broadcast digital television signal; and

determining a second pseudo-range between the user terminal and the positioning satellite based on the satellite positioning signal;

wherein the position of the user terminal is determined based on the first and second pseudo-ranges.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the broadcast digital television signal is selected from the group consisting of:

an American Television Standards Committee (ATSC) digital television signal;

a European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal; and

a Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) signal.