Assistance data provision

• US 7,965,232 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Halivaara, Ismo, Wirola, Lauri
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Nguyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sorowar; Golam
• Application Number:
  US11/726,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 342/357.2, 34235721-35725, 342/357.42, 342/357.64, 342/357.66
• US Class Current: 342/357.42
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry

Abstract

For supporting the provision of a continuous stream of assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning, a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data is generated. The messages are provided for transmission to a wireless communication terminal. The wireless communication terminal receives the sequence of interlinked messages and provides the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

checking whether the assistance data that is to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and including at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each message; and

providing the sequence of interlinked messages for transmission to a wireless communication terminal after said checking and including.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the messages are interlinked in that they are generated periodically.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the messages are interlinked in that generating a message is triggered by a receipt of a respective request from the wireless communication terminal, which in turn transmits a new request upon receipt of a generated message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assistance data includes carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals for a reference station, the carrier-phase measurements enabling a relative positioning of a satellite signal receiver to the reference station.

5. An apparatus comprising at least one processing component and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processing component, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

generating a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

checking whether the assistance data that is to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and including at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message; and

providing the sequence of interlinked messages for transmission to a wireless communication terminal after said checking and including.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

generating a sequence of interlinked messages by generating the messages of the sequence periodically.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

generating a sequence of interlinked messages in that the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform detecting a receipt of a request for a message from the wireless communication terminal and to trigger a generation of a new message of the sequence of messages upon receipt of such a request, the wireless communication terminal transmitting a new request upon receipt of a generated message.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

including carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals for a reference station in the assistance data, the carrier-phase measurements enabling a relative positioning of a satellite signal receiver to the reference station.

9. A device comprising:

an apparatus according to claim 5; and

an interface configured to enable a communication with a wireless communication terminal.

31. A system comprising:

an apparatus according to claim 5; and

an apparatus comprising at least one processing component and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processing component, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

receiving a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations; and

wherein each received message includes at least one continuity indicator, wherein the at least one processing component and at least one memory including computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus at least to perform accepting assistance data in said sequence of interlinked messages to be correct assistance data if the received sequence of interlinked messages included checking whether the assistance data to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and included at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message.

10. A computer program product in which program code is stored in a computer readable medium the program code realizing the following when executed in a processor:

generating a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

checking whether the assistance data that is to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and including at least one corresponding continuity indicator in said each messages; and

providing the sequence of interlinked messages for transmission to a wireless communication terminal after said checking and including.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the messages are interlinked in that they are generated periodically.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the messages are interlinked in that generating a message is triggered by a receipt of a respective request from the wireless communication terminal, which in turn transmits a new request upon receipt of a generated message.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

means for checking whether the assistance data that is to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and including at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message; and

means for providing the sequence of interlinked messages for transmission to a wireless communication terminal after said checking and including.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations; and

wherein each received message includes at least one continuity indicator, the method further comprising accepting assistance data in said sequence of interlinked messages to be correct assistance data if the received sequence of interlinked messages included checking whether the assistance data to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and included at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the messages are interlinked in that they are received periodically.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the messages are interlinked in that they are received upon a respective request, and in that the method further comprises generating a respective request upon receipt of a respective message of the sequence of messages.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations comprises storing the provided assistance data for later use in positioning computations.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising performing positioning computations based on the provided assistance data.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the assistance data includes carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals for a reference station, the method further comprising using the provided assistance data in determining a relative position of a satellite signal receiver to the reference station.

20. An apparatus comprising at least one processing component and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processing component, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

receiving a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations; and

wherein each received message includes at least one continuity indicator, wherein the at least one processing component and at least one memory including computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus at least to perform accepting assistance data in said sequence of interlinked messages to be correct assistance data if the received sequence of interlinked messages included checking whether the assistance data to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and included at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the messages are interlinked in that the messages are received periodically.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the messages are interlinked in that the messages are received upon a respective request, and wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

generating a respective request upon receipt of a respective message of the sequence of messages.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations by storing the provided assistance data for later use in positioning computations.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

positioning computations based on the provided assistance data.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the assistance data includes carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals for a reference station, wherein the at least one processing component and the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

using the provided assistance data in determining a relative position of a satellite signal receiver to the reference station.

26. A device comprising:

an apparatus according to claim 20; and

a wireless communication component configured to enable a communication with another device.

27. A computer program product in which program code is stored in a computer readable medium, the program code realizing the following when executed by a processor:

receiving a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations;

wherein each received message includes at least one continuity indicator, the method further comprising accepting assistance data in said sequence of interlinked messages to be correct assistance data if the received sequence of interlinked messages included checking whether the assistance data to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and included at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message.

28. The computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the messages are interlinked in that the messages are received periodically.

29. The computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the messages are interlinked in that the messages are received upon a respective request, and in that the program code when executed further generates a respective request upon receipt of a respective message of the sequence of messages.

30. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a sequence of interlinked messages comprising assistance data for a satellite signal based positioning;

means for providing the assistance data in the received messages for use in positioning computations; and

wherein each received message includes at least one continuity indicator, further comprising means for accepting assistance data in said sequence of interlinked messages to be correct assistance data if the received sequence of interlinked messages included checking whether the assistance data to be included in a message of said sequence of interlinked messages has a desired continuity with the assistance data in a preceding message of said sequence of interlinked messages and included at least one corresponding continuity indicator in each said message.