GPS assistance messages in cellular communications networks and methods therefor

• US 7,747,257 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Yilin, King, Thomas M., Geier, George J.
• Primary Examiner(s): FERGUSON, KEITH
• Application Number:
  US09/785,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,420 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/12.1, 455/517, 455/550.1, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18554 using the position provided by an existing geolocalisation system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

GPS assistance message and data issue identifiers for transmission to GPS enabled mobile stations in cellular communications networks and methods therefore. The GPS data issue identifiers indicate whether GPS data, for example corresponding ephemeris and almanac data, stored at the mobile station requires updating. In the exemplary 3^rd generation (W-CDMA/UMTS) architecture, the GPS assistance message is a System Information Block (SIB), and the GPS ephemeris data identifier and corresponding satellite identifier is encoded in a value tag included in a Master Information Block (MIB).

Claims

1. A method for updating a satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier transmitted to a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station in a cellular communications network, comprising:

receiving satellite positioning system ephemeris data at a reference node in communication with a cellular communications network;

generating an assistance message including satellite positioning system ephemeris data and other parameters;

generating a satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier;

receiving updated satellite positioning system ephemeris data and other updated parameters;

updating the satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier only when the satellite positioning system ephemeris data has been updated.

2. The method of claim 1, not updating the satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier when parameters other than the satellite positioning system ephemeris data change.

3. The method of claim 1,

transmitting a satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier over the cellular communications network,

receiving the satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier at a mobile station,

comparing the received satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier with a corresponding satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier stored at the mobile station,

reading a corresponding ephemeris assistance message at the mobile station only if the received satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier is different than the stored satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier.

4. The method of claim 1,

receiving satellite positioning system ephemeris data from a plurality of satellites at a reference node in communication with a cellular communications network;

generating a plurality of assistance messages including satellite positioning system ephemeris data from the plurality of satellites and other parameters;

generating a satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifier for each of the plurality of assistance messages;

updating the plurality of satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifiers only when the satellite positioning system ephemeris data of the corresponding assistance message has been updated.

5. The method of claim 4, encoding each of the satellite positioning system ephemeris data issue identifiers and a corresponding satellite identifier in a corresponding sequence of binary digits, transmitting the sequence of binary digits over the network.

6. A method for updating a satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier transmitted to a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station in a cellular communications network, comprising:

receiving satellite positioning system almanac data at a reference node in communication with a cellular communications network;

generating an assistance message including satellite positioning system almanac data and other parameters;

generating a satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier;

receiving updated satellite positioning system almanac data and other updated parameters;

updating the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier only when the satellite positioning system almanac data has been updated.

7. The method of claim 6, not updating the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier when parameters other than the satellite positioning system almanac data change.

8. The method of claim 6,

transmitting a satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier over the cellular communications network,

receiving the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier at a mobile station,

comparing the received satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier with a satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier stored at the mobile station,

reading an almanac assistance message at the mobile station only if the received satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier is different than the stored satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier.

9. The method of claim 6, the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier is for a cell, updating the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier by incrementing a 2-bit data field when the almanac data in the reference node is updated.

10. The method of claim 6, the satellite positioning system almanac data issue identifier for a Public Mobile Land Network (PLMN) value tag, updating the value tag by incrementing an 8-bit data field when the almanac data is in the reference node is updated.

11. A method for updating a satellite positioning system navigation data value tag transmitted to a satellite positioning system enabled mobile station in a communications network, comprising:

receiving satellite positioning system navigation data at a reference node in communication with the communications network;

generating an assistance message including satellite positioning system navigation data;

generating a satellite positioning system navigation data value tag;

receiving updated satellite positioning system navigation data;

updating the satellite positioning system navigation data value tag only when the satellite positioning system navigation data has been updated,

the satellite positioning system navigation data including at least one of ephemeris and almanac data.

12. The method of claim 11, encoding each of the satellite positioning system navigation data value tags in a corresponding sequence of binary digits as a 4-bit +4-bit value tag, transmitting the sequence of binary digits over the network.

13. A method in a satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station, the method comprising:

receiving a satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier in a master information block at the satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station,

the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier comprising a data field;

identifying a data issue associated with a particular satellite using the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier.

14. The method of claim 13,

identifying the data issue associated with the particular satellite using the data field of the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier,

determining whether to update a navigation assistance message based on the data issue identifier.

15. A satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station comprising:

a receiver of the satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station configured to receive a satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier in a master information block,

the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier comprising a data field;

the satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station configured to identify a data issue associated with a particular satellite using the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier.

16. The station of claim 15,

the satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station configured to identify the data issue associated with the particular satellite using the data field of the satellite positioning system navigation data issue identifier

the satellite positioning system enabled wireless communication station configured to determine whether to update a navigation assistance message based on the data issue identifier.