Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g. – Directive – Position indicating
Patent
1996-09-12
1999-08-03
Issing, Gregory C.
Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,
Directive
Position indicating
340928, 455456, G01S 302
Patent
active
059331143
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a process for locating mobile stations in a cellular mobile radio network.
Various processes have been disclosed for charging usage fees (tolls) for roads and highways. Until now, though, the only method used widely has been tollbooths where cars stop and after payment of the toll, are permitted to drive the toll road. This leads to traffic jams on heavily travelled roads, despite a multitude of individual payment stations. Even devices where the driver slows down and throws a coin into a basket bring only limited relief.
Furthermore, processes have been disclosed for automatically ascertaining and debiting usage fees. In the process described in NTZ, Vol. 46 (1993), No. 4"Zukunftige automatische Gebuhrenerfassung fur den StraBenverkehr" are equipped with devices in which a communication takes place between the charging point and the vehicle.
In systems of this kind, position determination, namely determining whether a car is passing a toll charging point or is on a toll road, is of considerable significance. Beacon systems using infrared or microwaves have been disclosed for position determination. A radio transmission is used exclusively for position determination. In systems of this kind, often considerable structural measures are required. 20, 1997, pages 2 to 3 uses a position determination of the vehicle with the aid of the GPS system (global positioning system), with which a position determination is carried out using satellites. Apart from the GPS system possibly not being precise enough for the purposes of charging tolls, a position determination with the aid of the GPS system requires an additional expenditure in vehicles.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to reliably carry out a position determination of mobile stations, and thus of vehicles, with as low as possible an expenditure on infrastructure and vehicular devices.
This object is attained according to the invention by virtue of the fact that in addition to the position determination functions within the mobile radio network, the mobile stations evaluate signals from transmitters, each of which forms a locally defined trigger cell (underlay broadcast cell).
An advantage of the invention is comprised in that an already existing mobile radio network simultaneously fulfills the function of position determination. The process according to the invention can advantageously be used together with the GSM network, but using it in cellular mobile radio networks with other specifications is not precluded. On the infrastructure end, the process according to the invention requires only simple transmitters on the edges of the road, in particular, the highway. As a result, considerable infrastructure costs are saved. In the vehicle, the mobile station is broadened by a few software functions that permit it, for example, to call at the same time as carrying out position determination. Mobile stations are mass produced cheaply, which is also easily possible for the mobile stations which are broadened to carry out the process according to the invention. Mobile stations can also be used, which are designed not for calling, but exclusively for position determination, wherein the expenditure required for calling is no longer necessary.
In the GSM network, the range is not critical and the transmission process is designed for vehicle speeds of over 300 km/h. Consequently, a network for charging highway tolls can be constructed in accordance with the process according to the invention.
An improvement of the process according to the invention is comprised in that the frequencies of the trigger cells are communicated to the mobile stations through the mobile radio network using the broadcast process. In this connection, the ability of a cellular mobile radio network to associate a mobile station with a respective cell and thus to approximately determine the respective location of the mobile station can be used in an advantageous manner. In this improvement, the mobile
REFERENCES:
patent: 4541119 (1985-09-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5230081 (1993-07-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 5295180 (1994-03-01), Vendetti et al.
patent: 5404376 (1995-04-01), Dent
patent: 5444742 (1995-08-01), Grabow et al.
NTZ "Zukunftige automatische Gebuhrenerfassung fur den vol. 46, No. 4 (1993).
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 16, No. 199 (P-1351) May 1992 and JP 04 030298 (Nissin Electric Co. Ltd.) of Feb. 1992.
Eizenhofer Alfons
Mertens Reinhold
DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom MobilNet GmbH
Issing Gregory C.
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