Method and apparatus for position measuring of portable electronic device

• US 9,939,531 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jeong-Min, Chung, Do-Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/863,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/20 Integrity monitoring, fault detection or fault isolation of space segment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/425 by combining or switching between signals derived from different satellite radio beacon positioning systems

Abstract

A method for position measurement of a portable electronic device is provided. The method includes receiving, from a first satellite, first satellite information and state information of the first satellite information, receiving other state information of the first satellite information from a server that receives the other state information of the first satellite information from a terrestrial observatory, and using the first satellite information for the position measurement of the portable electronic device when the state information of the first satellite information received from the first satellite is unhealthy and the other state information of the first satellite information received from the server is healthy, wherein healthy state information indicates that satellite information may be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device and unhealthy state information indicates that the satellite information may not be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first communication module;

a second communication module; and

a processor configured to;

receive, using the first communication module, location information corresponding to a satellite and first state information corresponding to the satellite from the satellite,

receive, using the second communication module, second state information corresponding to the satellite from an external device,

determine a state of the satellite by comparing the first state information and the second state information,

identify a position of the apparatus using the location information based at least in part on a determination that the state satisfies a specified condition, and

refrain from identifying the position using the location information based at least in part on a determination that the state does not satisfy the specified condition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first communication module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) module, and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the location information and the first state information received from the GPS module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the second communication module comprises a cellular communication module, and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the second state information received from the cellular communication module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the satellite comprises one or more global positioning system (GPS) satellites, and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

select at least one GPS satellite of the one or more GPS satellites based at least in part on the first state information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the external device comprises a server, and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the second state information in relation with the satellite received from the server.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an indication indicating whether the location information is valid to determine the position from the satellite or the external device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the state as healthy, if the first state information and the second state information is valid to determine the position.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform the identifying if the state is determined as healthy.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the state as unhealthy, if the first state information or the second state information is invalid to determine the position.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update the state on a basis of a specified time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the position using the location information if the updated state is determined as healthy.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, location information corresponding to a satellite and first state information corresponding to the satellite from the satellite using the first communication module;

receiving, using the second communication module, a second state information corresponding to the satellite from an external device;

determining a state of the satellite by comparing the first state information and the second state information;

identifying a position of the electronic device using the location information based at least in part on a determination that the state satisfies a specified condition; and

refraining from identifying the position using the location information based at least in part on a determination the state does not satisfy the specified condition.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first state information and the second state information comprises:

an indication indicating whether the location information is valid to determine the position.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises:

determine the state as healthy, if the first state information and the second state information is valid to determine the position.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifying comprises:

identifying the position using location information, if the state is determined as healthy.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises:

determine the state as unhealthy, if the first state information and the second state information is invalid to determine the position.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying comprises:

determining whether the satellite is a global positioning system (GPS) satellite; and

identifying the position using the location information based at least in part on the determination that the satellite is the GPS satellite.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

updating the state on a basis of a specified time period.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying comprises:

identify the position using the location information if the updated state is determined as healthy.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device including a first communication module and a second communication module, location information corresponding to a satellite and first state information corresponding to the satellite from the satellite using the first communication module;

receiving, using the second communication module, a second state information corresponding to the satellite from an external device;

determining a state of the satellite by comparing the first state information and the second state information;

identifying a position of the electronic device using the location information based at least in part on a determination that the state satisfies a specified condition; and

refraining from identifying the position using the location information based at least in part on a determination the state does not satisfy the specified condition.

21. A method for position measurement of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a satellite, satellite information including state information of the satellite;

receiving other state information of the satellite from an external device; and

determining whether to use the satellite for the position measurement of the portable electronic device by comparing the state information of the satellite received from the satellite and the other state information of the satellite received from the external device,

wherein healthy state information indicates that the satellite information may be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device and unhealthy state information indicates that the satellite information may not be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device.

22. A portable electronic device, the device comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory; and

at least one program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the at least one processor,

wherein the program comprises instructions for;

receiving, from a satellite, satellite information including state information of the satellite,

receiving other state information of the satellite from an external device, and

determining whether to use the satellite for position measurement of the portable electronic device by comparing the state information of the satellite received from the satellite and the other state information of the satellite received from the external device,

wherein healthy state information indicates that the satellite information may be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device and unhealthy state information indicates that the satellite information may not be used for the position measurement of the portable electronic device.