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

• US 7,835,342 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Howard K. Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Howard K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/320,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20090147711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 370/349, 370/312, 370/328, 370/471, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/456.6, 455/414.3, 455/3.05, 701/213, 701/207
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

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 device for enabling circuitry in a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver to access a wireless network, including:

a. first connecting means for connecting the device to the wireless network through a packet data wireless access device interface;

b. second connecting means for connecting the device to said circuitry in said high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver; and

c. control intelligence means in communication with the packet data wireless-access device interface and said circuitry in the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for establishing and maintaining connectivity between the packet data wireless access device interface and the wireless network, for retrieving aiding/assisted GPS (A-GPS) information from the wireless network using the packet data wireless access device interface, for establishing and maintaining GPS data flows between the dedicated device and the circuitry in the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for providing the A-GPS information to the circuitry in the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, for retrieving indoor and outdoor GPS locations from the circuitry in the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, and for sending the GPS locations to a designated apparatus.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control intelligence means further packs the GPS locations into data payloads according to the UDP or TCP/IP PPP protocol.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the designated apparatus is a designated remote server and the control intelligence means sends the resulting data payloads to the designated remote server via the packet data wireless access device interface through the wireless network.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is physically attached to the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver, and said second connecting means connects to the circuitry in the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver through an external interface of the high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first connecting means connects to the packet data wireless access device interface through an external connector of the packet data wireless access device.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first connecting means connects to the packet data wireless access device interface through an external connector of the packet data wireless access device.

7. The device defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second connecting means is connected to an interface circuits including an integrated chip (IC) device 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.

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

9. A method of 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 an A-GPS retrieval facilitating device for connecting to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for 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. sending a sequence of 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 A-GPS retrieval facilitating device=s ID to the designated remote server and downloading the configuration parameters pertinent to the A-GPS retrieval facilitating 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.

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

a. providing an A-GPS retrieval facilitating device for connecting to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for 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. checking the validity of the A-GPS retrieval facilitating device=s configuration parameters downloaded from a designated remote server;

c. issuing a set of 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 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.

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

a. providing an A-GPS retrieval facilitating device for connecting to the packet data wireless access device and a high sensitivity indoor-capable GPS receiver for 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 UDP or TCP/IP PPP protocol payload data field;

d. handling the 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 period of GPS data transmitting being one of a plurality of configuration parameters downloaded from the designated remote server.