Positioning with wireless local area networks and WLAN-aided global positioning systems

• US 8,095,155 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm Atheros Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Yi-Hsiu
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US12/904,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20110025557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 370/338, 342/357.14, 342/357.22
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• 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 19/252 Employing an initial estimate of location in generating assistance data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/29 carrier including Doppler, related G01S19/246 takes precedence
• 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 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Accurate position capability can be quickly provided using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). When associated with a WLAN, a wireless device can quickly determine its relative and/or coordinate position based on information provided by an access point in the WLAN. Before a wireless device disassociates with the access point, the WLAN can periodically provide time, location, and decoded GPS data to the wireless device. In this manner, the wireless device can significantly reduce the time to acquire the necessary GPS satellite data (i.e. on the order of seconds instead of minutes) to determine its coordinate position.

Claims

1. A method of determining a position of a device having wireless networking capability, the method including:

providing information from a wireless local area network (WLAN) to supplement global positioning system (GPS) information to better perform the determining, wherein the information from the WLAN includes decoded GPS data, a current time, and a recent position provided one of via and by the WLAN;

using the information from the WLAN, computing a first GPS satellite having a highest elevation angle from a set of GPS satellites;

searching for the first GPS satellite with multiple correlators, wherein searching includes partitioning the multiple correlators into correlator pairs including an in-phase correlator and a quadrature-phase correlator; and

after acquiring the first GPS satellite, partitioning the multiple correlators into tracking sets, each set including the in-phase correlator, the quadrature-phase correlator, and one of an in-phase early/late correlator and a quadrature early/late correlator.

2. A method of determining a position of a device having wireless networking capability, the method including:

providing information from a wireless local area network (WLAN) to supplement global positioning system (GPS) information to better perform the determining, wherein the information from the WLAN includes decoded GPS data, a current time, and a recent position provided one of via and by the WLAN;

using the information from the WLAN, computing a first GPS satellite having a highest elevation angle from a set of GPS satellites; and

searching for the first GPS satellite with multiple correlators, wherein searching includes using a time offset and a frequency offset to find the first GPS satellite.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

deriving time offsets and frequency offsets for additional GPS satellites using the time offset and the frequency offset that found the first GPS satellite.