Methods and apparatuses for using assistance data relating to satellite position systems

• US 20010048387A1
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Published: 12/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid
• Granted Patent: US 6,720,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0063 of measured values, i.e. measurement on base station and position calculation on mobile

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to obtain an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites, in view of a mobile SPS receiver, via one or two-way communication with the mobile SPS receiver. The mobile SPS receiver receives, in one embodiment, an ordered set of SPS satellites from a cellular transmission site. The ordered set of satellites are those in view of the mobile SPS receiver at a given time; such that the mobile SPS receiver may search for the SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites. The order of the ordered set may be obtained by various methods one of which is by minimizing the geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) Satellite; health data may be included in the transmission.

Claims

1. A method for providing information to a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver, said method comprising:

determining an ordered set of SPS satellites in view of a mobile SPS receiver having an approximate location, the ordered set based on the approximate location which is determined from at least one of a location within a cellular service area which includes a cellular transmission site in cellular communication with a communication system coupled to the mobile SPS receiver or a representative location associated with the cellular transmission site, wherein an order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is based on a location of at least some of the SPS satellites.

2. A method, as in

claim 1

, wherein the order of the SPS satellites in said ordered set provides a position solution which uses satellites having a desired geometry relative to one another.

3. A method, as in

claim 1

, wherein the order of SPS satellites in the ordered set provides a position solution which uses the SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to the mobile SPS receiver.

4. A method, as in

claim 1

, wherein the order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is based upon a probability of SPS satellite signal acquisition.

5. A method, as in

claim 1

, wherein the order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is based on an estimate of measurement quality from the SPS satellites.

6. A method comprising:

determining an ordered set of SPS satellites in view of a location of a cell of a cellular communication system at a given time; and

transmitting the ordered set of SPS satellites.

7. A method, as in

claim 6

, wherein an order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is determined in a manner selected from the group consisting of,

minimizing a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP),

minimizing a position dilution of precision (PDOP),

minimizing a horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP),

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to one another,

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to the mobile SPS receiver,

determining a probability of SPS satellite signal acquisition,

determining an estimate of measurement quality from the ordered set of SPS satellites,

providing an optimal geometric trilateration solution, and

determining a user defined selection criteria;

and

wherein a mobile SPS receiver located within the cell of the cellular communication system may receive the ordered set of SPS satellites.

8. A method, as in

claim 6

, wherein said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

9. A method, as in

claim 7

, wherein said determining is done according to a Best-n method and said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

10. A method, as in

claim 6

, wherein said transmitting is from a cellular transmission site.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a transmission from a mobile satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver within a cell of a cellular communication system, the mobile SPS receiver being configured to transmit and receive cellular signals;

determining an ordered set of SPS satellites in view of the mobile SPS receiver, at a given time, based in part on said receiving; and

transmitting the ordered set of SPS satellites;

such that the mobile SPS receiver may receive the ordered set of SPS satellites.

12. A method, as in

claim 11

, wherein an order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is determined in a manner selected from the group consisting of,

minimizing a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP),

minimizing a position dilution of precision (PDOP),

minimizing a horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP),

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to one another,

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to the mobile SPS receiver,

determining a probability of SPS satellite signal acquisition,

determining an estimate of measurement quality from the ordered set of SPS satellites,

providing an optimal geometric trilateration solution, and

determining a user defined selection criteria.

13. A method, as in

claim 11

, wherein said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

14. A method, as in

claim 12

, wherein said determining is done according to a Best-n method and said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

15. A method, as in

claim 11

, wherein said transmitting is from a cellular transmission site.

16. A method comprising receiving an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites the ordered set being determined by a mobile SPS receiver.

17. A method comprising using a history of stored global positioning system (GPS) satellite signal quality information for a location to determine an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites.

18. A method comprising using mobile SPS receiver information to determine an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a server to determine an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites in view of a location of a cell of a cellular communication system at a given time; and

a transmitter, coupled to said server, to transmit the ordered set of SPS satellites.

20. A server, as in

claim 19

, further comprising:

a processor; and

an information source coupled to said processor, said information source containing sets of the SPS satellites in view of locations of cells of the cellular communication system and said processor to determine the ordered set of SPS satellites for the location and wherein a mobile SPS receiver located within the cell may receive the ordered set of SPS satellites.

21. A server, as in

claim 20

, wherein said server is coupled to at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) reference server, a cellular switching center, a location server, a cellular transmission site, a base station controller, and a mobile satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver.

22. An apparatus, as recited in

claim 21

, wherein said apparatus is capable of being coupled to another apparatus which issues a request to provide information to said another apparatus.

23. An apparatus, as recited in

claim 22

, wherein said apparatus and said another apparatus are coupled through the Internet.

24. An apparatus, as recited in

claim 19

, wherein said transmitter comprises a network interface device which transmits data into a network.

39. An apparatus, as in

claim 19

, wherein the ordered set of SPS satellites is transmitted to a cellular transmission site.

25. A computer readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which, when executed by a data processing system, cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

determining an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites in view of a location of a cell of a cellular communication system at a given time; and

transmitting the ordered set of SPS satellites.

26. A computer readable medium, as in

claim 25

, wherein an order of SPS satellites in the ordered set is determined in a manner selected from the group consisting of,

minimizing a geometric dilution of precision (GDOP),

minimizing a position dilution of precision (PDOP),

minimizing a horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP),

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to one another,

providing a position solution which uses SPS satellites having a desired geometry relative to the mobile SPS receiver,

determining a probability of SPS satellite signal acquisition,

determining an estimate of measurement quality from the ordered set of SPS satellites,

providing an optimal geometric trilateration solution, and

determining a user defined selection criteria.

27. A computer readable medium, as in

claim 25

, wherein said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

28. A computer readable medium, as in

claim 26

, wherein said determining is done according to a Best-n method and said determining further comprises determining satellite health information.

29. A computer readable medium, as in

claim 25

, wherein said transmitting is from a cellular transmission site.

30. A method comprising:

receiving an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites, via a cellular transmission from a cellular transmission site, by a mobile SPS receiver configured to receive both SPS signals and signals transmitted from the cellular transmission site;

such that the mobile SPS receiver searches for the SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites obtained from said receiving.

31. A method, as in

claim 30

, wherein said receiving further comprises receiving satellite health data, such that the mobile SPS receiver may modify searching for SPS satellites before or after acquisition of the SPS satellites.

32. A method comprising:

determining an ordered set of SPS satellites in view of a mobile SPS receiver at a given time; and

transmitting the ordered set of SPS satellites;

such that a server may receive the ordered set of SPS satellites in view of the mobile SPS receiver.

33. A method, as in

claim 32

, wherein said transmitting is from a cellular transmission site.

34. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver to receive SPS signals; and

a receiver configured to receive signals transmitted from a cellular transmission site, said receiver coupled to said SPS receiver, said receiver to receive an ordered set of SPS satellites transmitted from the cellular transmission site to said receiver and said mobile SPS receiver searching for SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites.

35. An apparatus, as recited in

claim 34

, wherein satellite health information may be incorporated into the ordered set of SPS satellites or the satellite health information may be received in addition to the ordered set of SPS satellites.

36. A computer readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which, when executed by a data processing system, cause the data processing system to perform steps comprising:

receiving an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites, via a cellular transmission from a cellular transmission site, by a mobile SPS receiver configured to receive both SPS signals and signals transmitted from the cellular transmission site, SPS and cellular signals are capable of being coupled to the data processing system;

such that the mobile SPS receiver searches for the SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites obtained from said receiving.

37. A computer readable medium, as in

claim 36

, wherein said receiving further comprises receiving satellite health data, such that the mobile SPS receiver may modify searching for SPS satellites before or after acquisition of the SPS satellites.

38. A computer readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which, when executed by a data processing system, cause the data processing system to perform steps comprising:

determining an ordered set of SPS satellites in view of a SPS receiver at a given time; and

transmitting the ordered set of SPS satellites to a cellular transmission site, said transmitting is capable of being coupled to the data processing system;

such that a server may receive the ordered set of SPS satellites in view of the SPS receiver.

40. A method comprising:

receiving an ordered set of satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites by a mobile SPS receiver;

such that the mobile SPS receiver searches for the SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites obtained from said receiving.

41. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver to receive SPS signals; and

a receiver coupled to said mobile SPS receiver, said receiver to receive an ordered set of SPS satellites and said mobile SPS receiver searching for SPS satellites according to an order of the ordered set of SPS satellites.