Base station almanac assisted positioning

• US 8,736,488 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US12/625,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.2, 342/357.28, 342/357.31, 342/357.72, 342/357.73, 370/328, 707/769, 707/770
• US Class Current: 342/357.28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A database provides base station almanac information pertaining to more than one network mode of communication. A wireless device accesses this database through a centralized server or network, or via the base station, base station controller or the like, with which it is currently communicating.

Claims

1. A computer readable non-transitory medium tangibly embodying instructions for:

accessing a database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to at least two network modes of operation; and

retrieving, from the database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to the at least two network modes of operation, base station almanac information relevant to a selected communication mode.

2. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, further embodying instructions for determining supported modes for a multimode wireless communication device from a device capability database.

3. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein the at least two network modes comprise a CDMA mode and a WiFi mode.

4. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein the at least two network modes comprise at least two modes from a group consisting of a GSM mode, a CDMA mode, a TDMA mode, a WCDMA mode, an OFDM mode, a GPRS mode, an EV-DO mode, a WiFi mode, a Bluetooth mode, an 802.xx mode, an UWB mode, and a satellite mode.

5. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the database containing base station almanac information comprises accessing a local almanac having a base station footprint and adjacent base station footprints.

6. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the database containing base station almanac information comprises accessing a centrally located base station database.

7. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein accessing the database containing base station almanac information comprises accessing a database organized according to a hierarchical coverage scheme.

8. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to CDMA switches.

9. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to GSM switches.

10. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to SID/NID.

11. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein the database containing base station almanac information comprises a number of known WiFi access points within a particular base station sector.

12. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein the database containing base station almanac information comprises information for at least one base station type selected from the group comprising Bluetooth, UWB, ZigBee, and RFID.

13. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, further embodying instructions for processing a request for base station almanac information pertaining to a network outside of a present communication network of a multimode wireless device.

14. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein retrieving base station almanac information comprises retrieving base station almanac information pertaining to a network outside of a present communication network of a multimode wireless device.

15. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 1, wherein retrieving base station almanac information comprises retrieving base station almanac information according to an estimated location of a multimode wireless device.

16. A method comprising:

accessing, using a multimode wireless communication device, a database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to at least two network modes of operation; and

retrieving, from the database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to the at least two network modes of operation, base station almanac information relevant to a selected communication mode for use by the multimode wireless communication device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining supported modes for the multimode wireless communication device from a device capability database.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least two network modes comprise at least two modes from a group consisting of a GSM mode, a CDMA mode, a TDMA mode, a WCDMA mode, an OFDM mode, a GPRS mode, an EV-DO mode, a WiFi mode, a Bluetooth mode, an 802.xx mode, an UWB mode, and a satellite mode.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein accessing the database comprising base station almanac information comprises one or more of:

accessing a local almanac having a base station footprint and adjacent base station footprints; and

accessing a centrally located base station database.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein accessing the database comprising base station almanac information comprises:

accessing a database organized according to a hierarchical coverage scheme.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to one or more of:

CDMA switches, GSM switches, and SID/NID.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the database comprising base station almanac information comprises one or more of:

a number of known WiFi access points within a particular base station sector, and information for at least one base station type selected from the group comprising Bluetooth, UWB, ZigBee, and RFID.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving base station almanac information comprises retrieving base station almanac information pertaining to a network outside of a present communication network of a multimode wireless device.

24. A mobile station apparatus comprising:

a computer-based device configured to;

access a database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to at least two network modes of operation; and

retrieve, from the database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to the at least two network modes of operation, base station almanac information relevant to a selected communication mode.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the computer-based device is further configured to:

determine supported modes for a multimode wireless communication device from a device capability database.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least two network modes comprise at least two modes from a group consisting of a GSM mode, a CDMA mode, a TDMA mode, a WCDMA mode, an OFDM mode, a GPRS mode, an EV-DO mode, a WiFi mode, a Bluetooth mode, an 802.xx mode, an UWB mode, and a satellite mode.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the computer-based device configured to access the database comprising base station almanac information is configured to perform one or more of:

access a local almanac having a base station footprint and adjacent base station footprints; and

access a centrally located base station database.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the computer-based device configured to access the database comprising base station almanac information is configured to:

access a database organized according to a hierarchical coverage scheme.

29. The apparatus claim 28, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to one or more of:

CDMA switches, GSM switches, and SID/NID.

30. An apparatus comprising:

means for accessing a database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to at least two network modes of operation; and

means for retrieving, from the database comprising wireless base station almanac information pertaining to the at least two network modes of operation, base station almanac information relevant to a selected communication mode.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

means for determining supported modes for a multimode wireless communication device from a device capability database.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the at least two network modes comprise at least two modes from a group consisting of a GSM mode, a CDMA mode, a TDMA mode, a WCDMA mode, an OFDM mode, a GPRS mode, an EV-DO mode, a WiFi mode, a Bluetooth mode, an 802.xx mode, an UWB mode, and a satellite mode.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for accessing comprise one or more of:

means for accessing a local almanac having a base station footprint and adjacent base station footprints; and

means for accessing a centrally located base station database.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for accessing comprise:

means for accessing a database organized according to a hierarchical coverage scheme.

35. The apparatus claim 34, wherein the hierarchical coverage scheme is organized according to one or more of:

CDMA switches, GSM switches, and SID/NID.