Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2001-01-16
Tsang, Fan (Department: 2746)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S403000, C455S457000, C455S500000, C455S517000, C342S357490, C342S457000, C342S450000, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175740
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus in a wireless communication system for adaptively selecting a resolution for determining and reporting location information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Location determining technologies are becoming increasingly important in wireless communication systems. The utility of a 911 emergency call placed through a cellular telephone, for example, can be greatly enhanced when the cellular telephone system is able to provide an accurate location of the subscriber making the call.
Many different technologies have been devised for determining location. The resolution of the location determining technologies varies widely depending upon factors such as the type of technology, the amount of data reserved for the location determination, the bandwidth of the location signal, the number of measurements made, the conditions during the measurement, and other factors. Tradeoffs can be made to modify the resolution of the location estimate. In general, for a given location technology, a high resolution estimate can come at the expense of a longer time to fix, a lower battery life, a greater over-the-air overhead, additional signal bandwidth, additional signal strength, and higher latency, in varying combinations.
Many operations which utilize location information do not require high resolution location estimates (or do not require high resolution immediately). For example, location based weather services only require a resolution the size of an entire city. Other operations such as real-time turn-by-turn travel directions can require a very high resolution. There are also operations where a low resolution is sufficient for a quick monitoring of the location and where a high resolution can follow later with longer latency.
Thus, what is needed is method and apparatus in a wireless communication system for adaptively selecting a resolution for determining and reporting location information associated with a portable subscriber unit. Preferably, the method and apparatus will select and report the location information at a resolution preferred for a particular operation that is being performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of the present invention is a method in a wireless communication system for adaptively selecting a resolution for determining and reporting location information associated with a portable subscriber unit. The method comprises the steps of maintaining a table identifying a plurality of operations that utilize the location information, and a corresponding plurality of resolutions preferred for the location information when performing ones of the plurality of operations; and receiving a request to perform an operation included in the plurality of operations. The method further comprises the steps of selecting from the plurality of resolutions the resolution preferred for the operation, in response to the request; and then determining and reporting the location information at the resolution preferred for the operation.
Another aspect of the present invention is a portable subscriber unit in a wireless communication system for adaptively selecting a resolution for determining and reporting location information associated with the portable subscriber unit. The portable subscriber unit comprises a receiver for receiving the location information, and a processing system coupled to the receiver for processing the location information. The portable subscriber unit further comprises a requesting and reporting interface coupled to the processing system for receiving a request and for reporting the location information in response thereto. The processing system is programmed to cooperate with a fixed portion of the wireless communication system to maintain a table identifying a plurality of operations that utilize the location information, and a corresponding plurality of resolutions preferred for the location information when performing ones of the plurality of operations; and to receive the request to perform an operation included in the plurality of operations. The processing system is further programmed to cooperate with the fixed portion to select from the plurality of resolutions the resolution preferred for the operation, in response to the request; and then to determine and report the location information at the resolution preferred for the operation, via the requesting and reporting interface.
Another aspect of the present invention is a controller in a wireless communication system for adaptively selecting a resolution for determining and reporting location information associated with a portable subscriber unit. The controller comprises a network interface for conducting communications with a network, and a processing system coupled to the network interface for processing the communications. The controller further comprises a base station interface coupled to the processing system for controlling a base station to communicate with the portable subscriber unit. The processing system is programmed to cooperate with the portable subscriber unit to maintain a table identifying a plurality of operations that utilize the location information, and a corresponding plurality of resolutions preferred for the location information when performing ones of the plurality of operations; and to receive the request to perform an operation included in the plurality of operations. The processing system is further programmed to cooperate with the portable subscriber unit to select from the plurality of resolutions the resolution preferred for the operation, in response to the request; and then to determine and report the location information at the resolution preferred for the operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an electrical block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2
is an electrical block diagram of an exemplary portable subscriber unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3
is an electrical block diagram of an exemplary controller in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4
is a flow diagram depicting operation of the exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5548583 (1996-08-01), Bustamante
Hill Thomas Casey
Souissi Slim
Breeden R. Louis
Ferguson Keith
Motorola Inc.
Tsang Fan
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