Wireless terminal

• US 7,031,723 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Shamoto, Michio, Ogino, Hiroyasu, Oda, Kyoji, Takeuchi, Toshihiro, Hayashida, Atsushi, Shintai, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): FERGUSON, KEITH
• Application Number:
  US10/228,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/422.1, 455/500, 455/517, 455/403, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/3.02, 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/423, 455/424, 455/432.1, 455/67.11, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/575.1, 455/90.3, 342/357.1, 342/357.09, 342/357.14, 342/465
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/047 Displays or indicators G01S1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/12 wherein the cooperating elements are telecommunication base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• 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 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station

Abstract

A wireless terminal is designed to prevent the user from having to wait a long time in case fetching of search data takes a long time. The wireless terminal, if it determines the need of long time for the search of GPS satellites by a GPS transceiver, inhibits the GPS transceiver from searching GPS satellites and operates on a CDMA transceiver to search for CDMA base stations. The wireless terminal fetches only CDMA base station data pertinent to the CDMA base stations and sends to a position data server, and the position data server points the location of the wireless terminal based solely on the CDMA base station data provided by the wireless terminal. Based on the inhibition of search of GPS satellites by the GPS transceiver, the time needed until the reception of positioning result can be reduced, and the user is prevented from being subjected to long time waiting.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of said plurality of search devices is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system; and

a controller that controls the fetching of search data pertinent to the stations searched by the plurality of search devices and sends fetched search data from a transceiver to a position data server, and

if a prescribed condition is met, cancels operation of a first search device that receives data from the Global Positioning System, and sends only search data fetched by a second search device that fetches the search data from a ground base station from the transceiver to the position data server.

2. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the fetching of search data in terms of the search time since the commencement of operation until the end of operation of the first search device, and has the prescribed condition defined in terms of the excess of the fetched search time over a prescribed time length.

3. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, further including an operating device that is operated by a user, wherein the prescribed condition is execution of a prescribed operation of the operating device by the user.

4. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls fetching, from the position data server, of window size data indicative of time needed for search by the first search device, and

the controller determines if the prescribed condition is met based on a value of the window size data.

5. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls memorizing a threshold value for the determining if the prescribed condition is met.

6. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls fetching, from the position data server, window size data indicative of time needed for a search by the first search device;

and memorizes a threshold value for determining if the prescribed condition is met, and

the controller determines that the prescribed condition is met if the window size data exceeds the threshold value.

7. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls:

sending, to the position data server in response to the entry of the cancellation instruction, search data which has been fetched until then; and

receiving position data from the position data server.

8. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls fetching, from the position data server, data which indicates that a window size data indicative of the time needed for search by the first search device exceeds a threshold value, and

the controller determines that the prescribed condition is met when the data is fetched.

9. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls entering an instruction of selection of a positioning operation based on both the first search device and second search device, or a positioning operation based solely on the second search device.

10. A computer program product for a wireless terminal, the program product comprising:

a computer readable program code means for determining whether a prescribed condition is met;

a computer readable program code means for canceling, if the prescribed condition is determined to be met, operation of a first search means for receiving data from a Global Positioning System, among a plurality of search means which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems including the Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System and each of the plurality of search means is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system; and

a computer readable program code means for sending only search data, which has been fetched by a second search means for fetching the search data from a ground base station, among the plurality of search means, from a transceiver to a position data server.

11. A search data sending method for a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether a prescribed condition is met;

canceling, if the prescribed condition is determined to be met, the operation of a first search device that receives data from a Global Positioning System, among a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including the Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system; and

sending only search data, which has been fetched by a second search device that fetches the search data from a ground base station, among the multiple search devices, from a transceiver to a position data server.

12. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system; and

a control device which fetches search data pertinent to the stations searched by the plurality of search devices and sends fetched search data from a transceiver to a position data server, and if a prescribed condition is met after a first search device among the plurality of search devices has commenced operation, canceling the operation of the first search device and sending search data fetched by a second search device among the plurality search devices from the transceiver to the position data server; and

a timer which measures a time length since the commencement of operation of the first search device, wherein the prescribed condition is expiration of a prescribed time length measured by the timer.

13. A wireless terminal according to claim 12, wherein the control device sends the search data fetched by the second search device and search data, which has been fetched until the cancellation of the operation of the first search device, from the transceiver to the position data server.

14. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system; and

a control device which fetches search data pertinent to the stations searched by the plurality of search devices and sends fetched search data from a transceiver to a position data server, and if a prescribed condition is met after a first search device among the plurality of search devices has commenced operation, canceling the operation of the first search device and sending search data fetched by a second search device among the plurality search devices from the transceiver to the position data server; and

an operating device which is operated by a user, wherein the prescribed condition is execution of a prescribed operation of the operating device by the user.

15. A computer program product for a wireless terminal, the program product comprising:

a computer readable program code for determining whether a prescribed condition is met after the commencement of operation of a first search device among a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including the Global Positioning System and the Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system;

a computer readable program code for canceling the operation of the first search device if the prescribed condition is determined to be met;

a computer readable program code for sending search data, which has been fetched by at least a second search device among the plurality of search devices, from a transceiver to a position data server; and

a computer readable program code for measuring the time length since the commencement of the operation of the first search device and for canceling the operation of the first search device when the prescribed condition is expiration of a prescribed measured time length.

16. A search data sending method for a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether a prescribed condition is met after commencement of operation of a first search device among a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system;

measuring a time length since the commencement of the operation of the first search device;

canceling the operation of the first search device if a prescribed measured time length is determined to be met; and

sending search data, which has been fetched by at least a second search device among the plurality of search devices, from a transceiver to a position data server.

17. A computer program product for a wireless terminal, the program product comprising:

a computer readable program code for determining whether a prescribed condition is met after commencement of an operation of a first search device among a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system;

a computer readable program code for canceling the operation of the first search device if the prescribed condition is determined to be met;

a computer readable program code for sending search data, which has been fetched by at least a second search device among the plurality of search devices, from a transceiver to a position data server; and

a computer readable program code for controlling an operating device operated by a user, and for determining whether the prescribed condition is met when a prescribed operation of the operating device by the user is executed.

18. A search data sending method for a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether a prescribed condition is met after commencement of an operation of a first search device among a plurality of search devices which are provided in correspondence to a plurality of positioning systems, including a Global Positioning System and a Mobile Phone System, and each of which is adapted to search for stations of a corresponding positioning system;

canceling the operation of the first search device if the prescribed condition is determined to be met; and

sending search data, which has been fetched by at least a second search device among the plurality of search devices, from a transceiver to a position data server, wherein the prescribed condition is met when a prescribed operation of an operation device is executed by a user.