(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0013584A1
`Camp, JR.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jan. 18, 2007
`
`US 20070013584A1
`
`(54) METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR
`DETERMINING THE LOCATION OFA
`MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON SIMULCAST
`COMMUNICATION SIGNALS
`
`(76) Inventor: yo. Camp JR. Chapel Hill,
`
`Correspondence Address:
`MYERS BIGELSIBLEY & SAJOVEC, P.A.
`P.O. BOX 37428
`RALEIGH, NC 27627 (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`11/168,044
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Jun. 28, 2005
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`GOIS 3/02
`(52) U.S. Cl. .............................................................. 342/.458
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A method for determining a position of a mobile device may
`include receiving a communication signal at the mobile
`device simulcast from a plurality of transmitters. One of the
`plurality of transmitters is identified based on information
`obtained from the received simulcast communication signal,
`and an identifiable signal associated with the identified one
`of the plurality of transmitters is received at the mobile
`device. A range of the identified one of the plurality of
`transmitters from the mobile device is determined based on
`the received identifiable signal.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Simulcast a Communication Signal from a
`Plurality of Transmitters
`
`Transmit an Identifiable Signal from Each
`of the Transmitters During Respective
`Associated Timeslots
`
`Receive the Communication Signals as a
`Simulcast Communication Signal at a
`Mobile Dewice
`
`Obtain ldentification Information including
`an Associated Timeslot for One of the
`Transmitters from the Simulcast
`Communication Signal
`
`Associate the Timeslot with the
`One of the Transmitters
`
`Receive the Identifiable Signal Associated
`with the One of the Transmitters at the
`Mobile Device During the Timeslot
`
`Obtain Range Assistance information
`
`Determine a Range of the One of the
`Transmitters from the Mobile Device Based
`on the Received laentifiable Signal
`
`500
`
`510
`
`520
`
`530
`
`540
`
`550
`
`560
`
`570
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`Page 1 of 20
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`SAMSUNG EX-1063
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`

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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 1 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
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`s
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`s
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`Satellite
`135a
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`100
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`n
`3
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`R
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`Satellite
`135b
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`145
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`GPS
`Control
`140
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`-
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`2
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`Transmitter
`120a
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`Location
`Server
`150
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`Communications
`NetWork
`105
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`Figure 1
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`Transmitter
`12Ob
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`Transmitter
`120C
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`Page 2 of 20
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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 2 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
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`275"
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`275
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`275"
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`280
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`265
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`27O
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`DVB-H
`Receiver
`255
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`GPS Receiver
`260
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`Transceiver
`235
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`Transmitter
`250
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`Receiver
`245
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`Controller
`240
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`Keyboard/
`Keypad
`205
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`Position
`Computation
`285
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`Microphone
`220
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`Mobile Terminal
`225
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`Figure 2
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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 3 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
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`305
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`305
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`305
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`31 O
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`Figure 3A
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`Page 4 of 20
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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 4 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
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`305
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`305
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`305
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`Page 5 of 20
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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 5 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
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`Simulcast a Communication Signal
`including dentification information
`From a Plurality of Transmitters
`During a Common Timeslot
`
`405
`
`
`
`Transmit Respective identifiable
`Signals From the Plurality of
`Transmitters During at Least One
`Unallocated Timeslot
`
`410
`
`Receive a Communication Signal at
`a Mobile Device Simulcast from a
`Plurality of Transmitters
`
`Figure 4A
`
`identify One of the Plurality of
`Transmitters Based on Information
`Obtained from the Received
`Simulcast Communication Signal
`
`Receive an identifiable Signal
`Associated with the identified One of
`the Plurality of Transmitters
`
`415
`
`420
`
`425
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`Determine a Range of the dentified
`One of the Plurality of Transmitters
`from the Mobile Device Based on the
`Received dentifiable Signal
`
`430
`
`Figure 4B
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`Page 6 of 20
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`

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`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 6 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
`
`
`
`
`
`Simulcast a Communication Signal from a
`Plurality of Transmitters
`
`500
`
`Transmit an identifiable Signal from Each
`of the Transmitters During Respective
`Associated Timeslots
`
`510
`
`Receive the Communication Signals as a
`Simulcast Communication Signal at a
`Mobile Device
`
`520
`
`Obtain dentification Information including
`an Associated Timeslot for One of the
`Transmitters from the Simulcast
`Communication Signal
`
`ASSociate the Timeslot with the
`One of the Transmitters
`
`530
`
`540
`
`Receive the identifiable Signal Associated /
`With the One of the Transmitters at the
`Mobile Device During the Timeslot
`
`Obtain Range Assistance information
`
`Determine a Range of the One of the
`Transmitters from the Mobile Device Based
`on the Received identifiable Signal
`
`560
`
`570
`
`Figure 5A
`
`Page 7 of 20
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`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jan. 18, 2007 Sheet 7 of 7
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
`
`Simulcast a Communication Signal from a
`Plurality of Transmitters
`
`Transmit an identifiable Signal from Each
`of the Transmitters Based on Respective
`ASSociated Code information
`
`Receive the Communication Signals as a
`Simulcast Communication Signal at a
`Mobile Device
`
`Obtain identification information including
`the Code Information for One of the
`Transmitters from the Simulcast
`Communication Signal
`
`Associate the Code Information with the
`One of the Transmitters
`
`Receive the identifiable Signal Associated
`with the One of the Transmitters at the
`Mobile Device
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Obtain Range Assistance information
`
`Determine a Range of the One of the
`Transmitters from the Mobile Device Based
`on the Received identifiable Signal Using
`the Code information
`
`505
`
`515
`
`525
`
`535
`
`545
`
`555
`
`565
`
`575
`
`Figure 5B
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`Page 8 of 20
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`US 2007/0013584 A1
`
`Jan. 18, 2007
`
`METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR
`DETERMINING THE LOCATION OF AMOBILE
`DEVICE BASED ON SIMULCAST
`COMMUNICATION SIGNALS
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0001. The present invention relates to the field of com
`munications in general, and more particularly, to determin
`ing the position of a mobile device.
`0002. It may be desirable, and in certain places mandated
`by law, that mobile telecommunication network providers be
`able to determine an approximate geographical location of a
`mobile terminal (MT), such as, for example, an actively
`communicating cellular telephone.
`0003) A variety of MT location techniques have been
`proposed. These location techniques include uplink signal
`location, downlink signal location, Global Positioning Sys
`tem (GPS) based approaches and approaches based on
`digital television signals. For “uplink signal location tech
`niques, the mobile telecommunications network is typically
`configured to determine where the MT is located based on
`ranging measurements associated with one or more uplink
`signals. These uplink signals are transmitted by the MT and
`received by a requisite number of receivers having known
`locations, such as, for example, cellular telephone base
`stations (BSs). For the “downlink signal location tech
`niques, the mobile telecommunications network is typically
`configured to determine where the MT is located based on
`ranging measurements associated with the reception, by the
`MT, of downlink signals from a requisite number of trans
`mitters having known locations.
`0004 The other location approaches generally use loca
`tion services not associated with either the uplink or down
`link signals used in the mobile telecommunications network.
`In a typical GPS application, the GPS receivers collect and
`analyze ranging measurements from signals transmitted by
`GPS satellites having known locations. More specifically, a
`constellation of 24 satellites orbiting the earth continually
`emit a GPS radio signal. A GPS receiver, e.g., a hand-held
`radio receiver with a GPS processor, receives the radio
`signals from the closest satellites and measures the time that
`the radio signal takes to travel from the GPS satellites to the
`GPS receiver antenna. By multiplying the travel time by the
`speed of light, the GPS receiver can calculate a range for
`each satellite in view. Ephemeris information provided in the
`satellite radio signal typically describes the satellite's orbit
`and velocity, thereby generally enabling the GPS processor
`to calculate the position of the GPS receiver through a
`process of triangulation. It is known to include a GPS
`receiver in a mobile terminal to provide position location
`functionality to the mobile station.
`0005. The startup of a GPS receiver typically requires the
`acquisition of a set of navigational parameters from the
`navigational data signals of four or more GPS satellites. This
`process of initializing a GPS receiver may often take several
`minutes. The duration of the GPS positioning process is
`directly dependent upon how much information a GPS
`receiver has initially. Most GPS receivers are programmed
`with almanac data, which coarsely describes the expected
`satellite positions for up to one year ahead. However, if the
`GPS receiver does not have some knowledge of its own
`approximate location, then the GPS receiver cannot find or
`
`acquire signals from the visible satellites quickly enough,
`and, therefore, cannot calculate its position quickly. Further
`more, it should be noted that a higher signal strength is
`typically needed for capturing the C/A Code and the navi
`gation data at start-up than is needed for continued moni
`toring of an already-acquired signal. It should also be noted
`that the process of monitoring the GPS signal may be
`significantly affected by environmental factors. Thus, a GPS
`signal which may be easily acquired in the open typically
`becomes harder to acquire when a receiver is under foliage,
`in a vehicle, or worst of all, in a building.
`0006 More recently, it has been proposed that digital
`television signals could be used for location of a mobile
`terminal. As described in “Positioning Using the ATSC
`Digital Television Signal.” Rabinowitz, M. and Spilker, J.,
`RoSum Corporation Whitepaper, www.rosum.com (circa
`2001), digital television signals may be broadcast, at least in
`the United States, from terrestrial digital television trans
`mitters having determinate locations. The Rosum Corpora
`tion Whitepaper, proposes a technique for determining range
`information to digital television transmitters using the Syn
`chronization fields of the digital television signal.
`0007. These various known location techniques may
`include collecting ranging measurements such as, for
`example, a time of arrival (TOA), a time difference of arrival
`(TDOA), an observed time difference (OTD), or the like.
`These ranging measurements are typically gathered by
`detecting one or more measurement features within the
`transmitted/received signal(s). Each of the various location
`techniques has certain limitations on their accuracy. By way
`of example, various TOA, TDOA, and OTD location tech
`niques that utilize existing BSS typically require that at least
`three (3) or more BSS receive the transmitted uplink signal
`from the MT, or, conversely, that the MT receive transmitted
`downlink signals from at least three BSs to perform the
`locating process. Similarly, with respect to the GPS
`approach, a GPS receiver generally needs to receive trans
`mitted signals from at least four (4) GPS satellites to perform
`the complete locating process (although some information
`may be generated based on transmitted signals received
`from three GPS satellites).
`0008 Moreover, there is not always a clear line-of-sight
`(LOS) between the MT and the requisite number of known
`location transmitter(s)/receiver(s). For example, in an urban
`environment, the LOS is often blocked by building and/or
`other structures, while in certain other environments the
`naturally occurring terrain and/or other features (e.g., moun
`tains, canyons, forests, weather, etc.) can reduce the LOS,
`attenuate the transmitted signals, or produce multipath sig
`nals at the receiver. For many higher frequency signals or
`weaker signals, the loss of LOS or the introduction of such
`obstacles, can render the location technique significantly
`inaccurate, or completely unavailable.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0009. According to some embodiments of the present
`invention, methods for determining a position of a mobile
`device may include receiving a communication signal at the
`mobile device simulcast from a plurality of transmitters.
`One of the plurality of transmitters may be identified based
`on information obtained from the received simulcast com
`munication signal, and an identifiable signal may be
`
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`Jan. 18, 2007
`
`received that is associated with the identified one of the
`plurality of transmitters. A range of the identified one of the
`plurality of transmitters from the mobile device may be
`determined based on the received identifiable signal.
`0010. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`information obtained from the received simulcast commu
`nication signal may include identification information asso
`ciated with the one of the plurality of transmitters. For
`example, the identification information may include a
`timeslot and/or code information associated with the one of
`the plurality of transmitters. The information obtained from
`the received simulcast communication signal may further
`include identification information associated with additional
`ones of the plurality of transmitters.
`0011. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`identification information may include a timeslot, and one of
`the plurality of transmitters may be identified by associating
`the timeslot with the one of the plurality of transmitters. The
`identifiable signal may be received from the identified one of
`the plurality of transmitters during the timeslot.
`0012. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`information obtained from the received simulcast commu
`nication signal may include identification information asso
`ciated with a first one of the plurality of transmitters and
`identification information associated with a second one of
`the plurality of transmitters. The identification information
`associated with the first one of the plurality of transmitters
`may include a first timeslot associated therewith, and the
`identification information associated with the second one of
`the plurality of transmitters may include a second timeslot
`associated therewith. The first and second timeslots may be
`associated with the first and second ones of the plurality of
`transmitters. An identifiable signal may be received from the
`first one of the plurality of transmitters during the first
`timeslot, and an identifiable signal may be received from the
`second one of the plurality of transmitters during the second
`timeslot. A range of the first one of the plurality of trans
`mitters from the mobile device may be determined based on
`the received identifiable signal from the first one of the
`plurality of transmitters, and a range of the second one of the
`plurality of transmitters from the mobile device may be
`determined based on the received identifiable signal from
`the second one of the plurality of transmitters.
`0013 In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`identification information may include code information,
`and one of the plurality of transmitters may be identified by
`associating the code information with the one of the plurality
`of transmitters. A range of the identified one of the plurality
`of transmitters from the mobile device may be determined
`based on the code information.
`0014. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`information obtained from the received simulcast commu
`nication signal may include identification information asso
`ciated with the first one of the plurality of transmitters and
`identification information associated with a second one of
`the plurality of transmitters. The identification information
`associated with the first one of the plurality of transmitters
`may include first code information associated therewith, and
`the identification information associated with the second one
`of the plurality of transmitters may include second code
`information associated therewith. The obtained first and
`second code information may be associated with the first and
`
`second ones of the plurality of transmitters, and an identi
`fiable signal may be received from each of the first and
`second ones of the plurality of transmitters. A range of the
`first one of the plurality of transmitters from the mobile
`device may be determined based on the obtained first code
`information, and a range of the second one of the plurality
`of transmitters from the mobile device may be determined
`based on the obtained second code information.
`0015. In other embodiments of the present invention, first
`and second identifiable signals may be respectively received
`from the first and second ones of the plurality of transmitters
`during a common timeslot as a ranging signal. The range of
`the first one of the plurality of transmitters from the mobile
`device may be determined using the first code information
`based on the received ranging signal, and the range of the
`second one of the plurality of transmitters from the mobile
`device may be determined using the second code informa
`tion based on the received ranging signal.
`0016.
`In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`information obtained from the received simulcast commu
`nication signal may further include range assistance infor
`mation. The range assistance information may include loca
`tion and/or time correction data for the one of the plurality
`of transmitters. A range of the identified one of the plurality
`of transmitters from the mobile device may be determined
`based on the received identifiable signal and the range
`assistance information.
`0017. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`range assistance information including location and/or time
`correction data for the identified one of the plurality of
`transmitters may be obtained from the received identifiable
`signal.
`0018. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`simulcast communication signal may be a simulcast digital
`television signal. For example, the simulcast digital televi
`sion signal and the identifiable signal may be digital video
`broadcasting-handhelds (DVB-H) protocol signals, and the
`identifiable signal may be received during an unallocated
`timeslot of the DVB-H protocol.
`0019. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`determined range may be transmitted from the mobile
`device to a location server. The position of the mobile device
`may be calculated at the location server using at least three
`range values including the determined range from the
`mobile device to provide a position estimate based on the
`DVB-H protocol signal.
`0020. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`DVB-H protocol signal and a GPS communication signal
`may be received at the mobile device during respective
`distinct timeslots using a common receiver without retuning
`an antenna circuit associated therewith. The information
`obtained from the received simulcast communication signal
`may further include GPS assistance information. The posi
`tion of the mobile terminal may be estimated based on the
`DVB-H protocol signal and the GPS communication signal.
`0021. In some embodiments of the present invention,
`methods for determining a position of a mobile device may
`include simulcasting the communication signal from the
`plurality of transmitters, and transmitting the identifiable
`signal from the one of the plurality of transmitters. The
`simulcast communication signal may designate a timeslot
`
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`Jan. 18, 2007
`
`associated with the one of the plurality of transmitters, and
`the identifiable signal may be transmitted from the one of the
`plurality of transmitters during the timeslot. In other
`embodiments, the simulcast communication signal may des
`ignate code information associated with the one of the
`plurality of transmitters, and the identifiable signal may be
`transmitted from the one of the plurality of transmitters
`based on the code information.
`0022. In other embodiments according to the present
`invention, methods for determining a position of a mobile
`device may include simulcasting a communication signal
`including identification information therein from a plurality
`of transmitters during a common timeslot determined by a
`communications protocol. Respective identifiable signals
`may be transmitted from the plurality of transmitters during
`at least one unallocated timeslot of the communications
`protocol.
`0023. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`identification information may include distinct code infor
`mation and/or timeslots of the communications protocol
`respectively associated with ones of the plurality of trans
`mitters. For example, when the identification information
`includes the distinct timeslots, the respective identifiable
`signals may be transmitted from the ones of the plurality of
`transmitters during the associated distinct timeslots. In other
`embodiments, when the identification information includes
`the distinct code information, the respective identifiable
`signals may be transmitted from the ones of the plurality of
`transmitters during the at least one unallocated timeslot
`based on the associated distinct code information.
`0024. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`simulcast communication signal may include range assis
`tance information therein including location and/or time
`correction data respectively associated with the ones of the
`plurality of transmitters. Range assistance information
`including location and/or time correction data respectively
`associated with the plurality of transmitters may also be
`transmitted along with the respective identifiable signals.
`The respective identifiable signals may be transmitted from
`the plurality of transmitters at a different duty factor than the
`simulcast communication signal.
`0025. According to some embodiments of the present
`invention, a mobile device may include a receiver config
`ured to receive a communication signal simulcast from a
`plurality of transmitters. The receiver may be further con
`figured to receive an identifiable signal associated with one
`of the plurality of transmitters. The mobile device may
`further include a controller configured to identify the one of
`the plurality of transmitters based on information obtained
`from the received simulcast communication signal. The
`controller may be further configured to determine a range of
`the one of the plurality of transmitters from the mobile
`device based on the received identifiable signal.
`0026.
`In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`controller may be configured to obtain identification infor
`mation including a timeslot and/or code information asso
`ciated with the one of the plurality of transmitters from the
`received simulcast communication signal. For example, the
`identification information may include the timeslot associ
`ated with the one of the plurality of transmitters. The
`controller may be further configured to associate the timeslot
`with the one of the plurality of transmitters and activate the
`
`receiver during the timeslot to receive the identifiable signal
`from the identified one of the plurality of transmitters.
`0027. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`identification information may include the code information
`associated with the one of the plurality of transmitters. The
`controller may be further configured to associate the code
`information with the one of the plurality of transmitters and
`determine the range of the one of the plurality of transmitters
`based on the code information.
`0028. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`controller may be further configured to obtain range assis
`tance information including location and/or time correction
`data for the one of the plurality of transmitters from the
`received simulcast communication signal. The controller
`may also be configured to determine the range based on the
`received identifiable signal and the range assistance infor
`mation. The controller may be further configured to obtain
`the range assistance information including location and/or
`time correction data for the identified one of the plurality of
`transmitters from the received identifiable signal.
`0029. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`simulcast communication signal may be a simulcast digital
`television signal. For example, the simulcast digital televi
`sion signal and the identifiable signal may be digital video
`broadcasting-handhelds (DVB-H) protocol signals. The con
`troller may be configured to activate the receiver during an
`unallocated timeslot of the DVB-H protocol to receive the
`identifiable signal.
`0030. According to further embodiments of the present
`invention, a system for determining a position of a mobile
`device may include a plurality of transmitters configured to
`simulcast a communication signal including identification
`information therein during a common timeslot determined
`by a communications protocol. The transmitters may further
`be configured to transmit respective identifiable signals
`during at least one unallocated timeslot of the communica
`tions protocol.
`0031. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`identification information may include distinct code infor
`mation and/or timeslots of the communications protocol
`respectively associated with ones of the plurality of trans
`mitters. For example, in some embodiments, the identifica
`tion information may include the distinct timeslots, and the
`ones of the plurality of transmitters may be further config
`ured to transmit respective identifiable signals during the
`associated distinct timeslots. In other embodiments, the
`identification information may include the distinct code
`information, and the ones of the plurality of transmitters may
`be further configured to transmit the respective identifiable
`signals during the at least one unallocated timeslot of the
`communications protocol based on the associated distinct
`code information.
`0032. In other embodiments of the present invention, the
`simulcast communication signal may further include range
`assistance information therein including location and/or
`time correction data respectively associated with the ones of
`the plurality of transmitters. The respective identifiable
`signals may also include range assistance information
`including location and/or time correction data respectively
`associated with the plurality of transmitters.
`0033. In some embodiments of the present invention, the
`simulcast communication signal may be a simulcast digital
`
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`Jan. 18, 2007
`
`television signal, and the communications protocol may be
`a digital television protocol. For example, the simulcast
`digital television signal may be a simulcast digital video
`broadcasting-handhelds (DVB-H) protocol signal, and the
`communications protocol may be a DVB-H protocol. The
`system may further include a location server configured to
`calculate the position of the mobile device using at least
`three range values received from the mobile terminal to
`provide a position estimate based on the DVB-H protocol
`signal.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`0034 FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating
`systems, methods, and devices for determining the location
`of a mobile device based on simulcast communication
`signals according to Some embodiments of the present
`invention;
`0035 FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a
`mobile device according to some embodiments of the
`present invention;
`0.036
`FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams illustrating data that is
`simulcast from multiple transmitters according to some
`embodiments of the present invention;
`0037 FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowcharts illustrating opera
`tions for determining the location of a mobile device based
`on simulcast communication signals according to some
`embodiments of the present invention;
`0038 FIGS.5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating opera
`tions for determining the location of a mobile device based
`on simulcast communication signals according to further
`embodiments of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`0039. The present invention now will be described more
`fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying draw
`ings, in which illustrated embodiments of the invention are
`shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many
`different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
`embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments
`are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and
`complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention
`to those skilled in the art.
`0040. As used herein, the singular forms “a,'an, and
`“the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless
`expressly stated otherwise. It should be further understood
`that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” when used
`in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated
`features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or com
`ponents, but does not preclude the presence or addition of
`one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,
`elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be
`understood that when an element is referred to as being
`“connected” or “coupled to another element, it can be
`directly connected or coupled to the other element or inter
`vening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected
`or “coupled as used herein may include wirelessly con
`nected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or
`includes any and all combinations of one or more of the
`associated listed items, and may be abbreviated as “7”.
`
`0041. It will also be understood that, although the terms
`first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various
`elements, these elements should not be limited by these
`terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element
`from another. For example, a first receiving station could be
`termed a second receiving station, and, similarly, a second
`receiving station could be termed a first receiving station
`without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.
`0042 Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including tech
`nical and scientific terms) used herein have the same mean
`ing as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the
`art to which this invention belongs. It will be further
`understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly
`used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning
`that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the
`relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or
`overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
`0043. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the
`present invention may be embodied as methods, systems, or
`devices. Accordingly, the present invention may be embod
`ied in hardware and/or in Software (including firmware,
`resident Software, micro-code, etc.). Computer program
`code for carrying out operations of the present invention
`may be written in an object oriented programming language
`Such as Java R, Smalltalk or C++, a conventional procedural
`programming languages, such as the 'C' programming
`language, or lower-level code. Such as assembly language
`and/or microcode. The program code may execute entirely
`on a single processor and/or across multiple processors, as
`a stand-alone software package or as part of another soft
`ware package.
`0044) The present invention is described below with
`reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block and/or flow
`diagrams of methods, systems, and devices according to
`embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that
`each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block dia
`grams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustra
`tions and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by com
`puter program instructions. These computer program
`instructions may be provided to a processor of a general
`purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other pro
`grammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine,
`Such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of
`the computer or other programmab