Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-24
2002-07-02
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C370S443000, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06415220
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a method for the determination of the current position of a mobile device, a program element loadable into a memory of a mobile device, a mobile communications device with current position determination capability as well as to a network providing a current position determination capability for attached mobile devices.
The invention generally relates to the field of mobile computing and more specific, to problem of determining the current position of a mobile device with communication ability.
The external state of the art in the field of position determination of mobile devices includes the following techniques:
The first technique is hardware support based, i.e. the mobile device has a special support for hardware devices. GPS (Global Positioning System) and D (Differential)-GPS receiver as well as measurement equipment for the speed and direction of the user, such as f.e. car navigation systems, are devices which fall into said category.
FIG. 1
schematically shows a GPS Satellite connecting to a mobile client.
The next technique is network support based. In this case the network has means to determine the location of the mobile device. This can be done e.g. by using the base stations of the network or a triangulation method (see FIG.
1
).
Another technique is based on a specific support on the mobile device. In this case the mobile device is equipped with a special module for determining the location e.g. a data base of streets and their location or a data base containing network identification and their current location.
GPS and some other known mentioned techniques are not useable indoors. On the one hand they can not be used indoors because they usually need a line of sight to the transmitter. On the other hand, the information that is provided by outdoor services is not very accurate. Indoor use requires much more precise location capability.
Today's GSM networks use the so-called GSM cell broadcast service to send location information to the mobile phones on a specific geographic area. This service can be offered by the network provider. Note that the position of the base station is transmitted. therefore not the position of the user, but only the cell he is located in is known. GSM cells, however, cover a huge range. The service relies on the network specific cell broadcast and is only useable within the GSM network as this solution works on layer
2
of the OSI model (see FIG.
7
), i.e. the data link layer containing the specific GSM internal protocols.
Details of the cell broadcast short message service of the GSM service can be found in Redel et al, “GSM and personal communications handbook”, 1998, Artec House, Inc.
From IEEE Personal Communications, October 1998, pages 8 to 24, a mobile access to web resources is known. The mobile device can be f.e. a laptop computer. Visualization of physical geography and object locations via a protocol for interactive floor maps is proposed. Local-area service discovery is based on embedding location information into a existing data network rather than using external information such as GPS coordinates. Outfitted subnets broadcast periodically a beacon packet to the local subnet addresses (and in some cases multicast with limited scope).
Departing from the above prior art it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide for a technique for the determination of the position of mobile devices which is platform independent.
This object is achieved by means of the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims develop further the central idea of the present invention.
According to the present invention therefore a method for the determination of the current position of a mobile device is provided. Stationary nodes of at least one network are provided with position information representing the stationary position of the corresponding node. The position information of at least one node of the at least one network is transmitted to a mobile device. The current position of the mobile device is determined on the basis of the at least one transmitted position information. The transmission of the position information is effected above the transport layer (layer
4
) of the OSI model such that the transmission is independent from the physical type of the networks and/or the transmission.
Without triangulation or generally, without processing position information of a plurality of stationary nodes, the precision of the determination of the current position of the mobile device essentially corresponds to the range of the transmission used which can be as small as f.e. 0.6 m in case of an Infrared transmission.
The transmission on the physical layer can be particularly effected such that is adapted for indoor use or generally for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication.
A broadcast mode can be provided in which the corresponding stationary nodes of the network send periodically their position information to mobile devices.
Alternatively or additionally, a request/reply mode can be provided in which the corresponding stationary nodes of the network send their position information to mobile devices only on request.
A conflict resolution function can be provided to detect the appropriate current position of the mobile device in case a plurality of different position information of different nodes have been transmitted to the mobile device.
The conflict resolution can be effected in the network or in the mobile device.
The position information furthermore can contain additional information about technical and/or geographical features of the network, such as e.g. the geographic extension of the corresponding network, room information and/or site information.
A geolocation server in the network can be provided being connected to a data base comprising the positional information of at least one stationary node of the corresponding network.
The position information can be broadcast or transmitted in a request-reply mode of communication.
According to another aspect of the present invention a program element comprising program code means loadable into a memory of a mobile device is provided. The program element is a application protocol above layer four of the OSI model, for
receiving position information of at least one node of a network, and
determining the current position of the mobile device on the basis of the transmitted position information.
According to the present invention furthermore a mobile communications device with current position determination ability is provided. The device can comprise a communication controller designed to receive positional information from at least one stationary transmitting node of at least one network. The communication controller can be adapted to receive the positional information, which transmission is effected by means of an application protocol, i.e. a protocol above the transport layer (layer
4
) of the OSI model such that the transmission is independent from the physical type of the networks and/or the transmission.
The mobile communications device can comprise a storage unit for storing positional information received.
According to another aspect of the present invention a network providing for a current position determination ability for mobile devices is provided. The network comprises at least one stationary node adapted to transmit position information representing the stationary position of the corresponding node. At least one stationary node is adapted to transmit the position information above the transport layer (layer
4
) of the OSI model such that the transmission is independent from the physical type of the network and/or the transmission.
The at least one stationary node of the network can be adapted for a broadcast mode in which the corresponding positional information is broadcast periodically. Alternatively or additionally the at least one stationary node can be adapted for a request/reply position information transmission mode.
The network can comprise a geolocation server being connected to a data base comprising the
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Nguyen Tan
Sony International (Europe) GmbH
Tran Dalena
LandOfFree
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