Mode determination for mobile GPS terminals

• US 7,969,351 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIRF Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silva, Randall J., Garin, Lionel Jacques, Chiayee, Steve Chang, Zhang, Gengsheng, Pande, Ashutosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H
• Application Number:
  US11/949,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.23, 342/357.42, 342/357.64, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/357.23
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/09 providing processing capability normally carried out by the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system for determining the position of a GPS terminal. The system comprises a GPS terminal, a location aiding server, and a communications system. Messages are passed between the GPS terminal and the server, as well as within the GPS terminal, to determine the mode of operation of the GPS portion of the system. Decisions are made based on availability of aiding data and Quality of Service requirements.

Claims

1. A Global Positioning System (GPS)-based positioning system, comprising:

a GPS terminal, including;

a GPS section having a GPS receiver for receiving and processing a GPS signal and configured to operate in a plurality of operating modes;

a call processing section, coupled to the GPS section via an interface and configured to transmit a first message to the GPS section via the interface and to receive a second message passed via the interface from the GPS section in response thereto, wherein the first message is a Quality of Service (QoS) request message and the second message is a QoS response message,

wherein the QoS response message indicates;

a) that the requested QoS is attainable when the GPS section determines that the QoS is attainable, and

b) that the requested QoS is not attainable when the GPS section determines that the QoS is not attainable;

a location aiding server; and

a communication system, coupled to the GPS section and the call processing section, for selectively transmitting data to the GPS terminal from the location aiding server and receiving data from the GPS terminal to be sent to the location aiding server, based on the first message and the second message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location aiding server calculates a position of the GPS terminal based upon data received from the GPS terminal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the GPS section further comprises a processing section separate from the call processor configured to receive the first message.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing section uses a predetermined strategy to determine content of the first message.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined strategy employed by the processing section of the GPS section is determined by at least one parameter selected from a group comprising:

a signal level of received satellite signals, a number of satellites from which signals are being received, a frequency range used for searching for satellites, a time range used for searching for satellites, and a current searching status of the GPS section.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second message comprises a message indicating that a QoS request can not be obtained by the GPS section and can be obtained if additional time is granted by the call processor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing section of the GPS section switches an operational mode of the GPS section based on content of the second message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operational mode of the GPS section is a call processor (CP) centric mode or a server centric mode.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing section determines whether aiding information is required for the acquisition of GPS satellites.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing section changes to the server centric mode if the processing section has determined that aiding information is required for the acquisition of GPS satellites.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the location aiding server sends aiding data to the GPS section.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the second message comprises a message indicating that a QoS request cannot be obtained by the GPS section.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the processing section generates a second message that requests information from the call processor.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing section initializes the GPS section with information received from the call processor.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the second message includes flags indicating the aiding parameters required by the GPS section.