Methods and apparatuses for assisted navigation systems

• US 8,620,580 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Alanen, Kimmo, Wirola, Lauri, Syrjarinne, Jari
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US11/574,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/400, 701/408, 701/412, 701/468, 701/470, 701/471, 701/476, 701/478, 701/531, 4554561-4566, 455/550, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/357.15
• US Class Current: 701/468
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS

Abstract

The invention relates to a navigation systems and elements. A network element (M) includes a receiver (M.2.2) for forming assistance data relating to at least one navigation system. The network element (M) inserts indication of the navigation system and a selected mode into the assistance data and constructs the assistance data according to the selected mode. The network element (M) has a transmitting element (M.3.1) for transmitting the assistance data via a communications network (P) to a device (R). The device (R) includes a positioning receiver (R.3) for performing positioning on the basis of one or more signals of the at least one satellite navigation system; a receiver (R.2.2) for receiving the assistance data from the network element (M); and an examining element (R.1.1) adapted to examine the received assistance data. The assistance data is adapted to be used by the positioning receiver for performing positioning of the device (R).

Claims

1. A network element comprising

a controlling element for forming assistance data of a generalized navigation model including at least one clock model and at least one orbit model to be used to characterize satellite clock behaviour and satellite orbit in more than one navigation system, wherein said assistance data contains an indication of the navigation system to which said assistance data applies;

and

a transmitting element for transmitting the assistance data to a communications network; and

further wherein the controlling element selects a format of the assistance data for the transmission of the assistance data; and

constructs the assistance data according to the selected format.

2. The network element according to claim 1, wherein the network element further comprises

a memory for storing navigation data of the at least one satellite navigation system;

and

an examining element adapted to examine the navigation data to determine the navigation system the navigation data relates to.

3. The network element according to claim 2, wherein the controlling element is adapted to form said assistance data on the basis of the navigation data.

4. The network element according to claim 2, wherein the network element also comprises a receiver for receiving navigation data of the at least one satellite navigation system.

5. The network element according to claim 2, wherein said navigation data also comprises an indication on the satellite the navigation data relates to, wherein the determining element is also adapted to insert indication on the satellite into the assistance data.

6. The network element according to claim 1, wherein said assistance data comprises one or more assistance data records.

7. The network element according to claim 1, wherein the assistance data record has at least one of the following formats:

a Keplerian model;

Position in Earth-Centered Earth Fixed-coordinates;

or

Position, velocity and acceleration in Earth-Centered Earth Fixed-coordinates.

8. The network element according to claim 1, wherein the communications network is a cellular network.

9. The network element according to claim 1, wherein the network element is a mobile switching centre of a GSM system.

10. The network element according to claim 1, wherein said assistance data relates to at least one of the following:

the Global Positioning System;

the GLONASS;

the Galileo;

the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System;

a Space Based Augmentation System;

or

a Local Area Augmentation System.

11. The network element according to claim 1, wherein the controlling element is adapted to select the format of the assistance data on the basis of the navigation system the assistance data relates to, wherein said indication of the navigation data also indicates the selected format of the assistance data.