Abstract: For supporting a change of a reference station, first data that is valid for a first reference station is provided for transmission to a device, then data that is valid for the first reference station and data that is valid for a second reference station is provided for transmission to the device in parallel for a limited time, and finally data that is valid for the second reference station is provided for transmission to the device. The data for the first reference station and the data for the second reference station include measurements on satellite signals. At a receiving end, the respectively received data can be provided for a positioning of a device comprising a satellite signal receiver.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for calculating a position of a mobile communications equipment. In order to obtain a more accurate position information of the mobile communications equipment, receiving physical communication channels within the mobile communications equipment, receiving first signal codes within said physical communication channels, measuring a signal phase of said first signal code within said mobile communications equipment, measuring a pseudodoppler frequency within said physical communications channels within said mobile communications equipment, reducing a noise level of said measured signal phase by using said pseudodoppler frequency, and calculating said position of said mobile communications equipment using at least said noise level reduced signal phase, is proposed.

Abstract: A method for positioning a wireless communication device where position data of one or a plurality of reference points is stored into at least one data base, and which of the reference points is located in the vicinity of the wireless communication device is determined. The method also includes transmitting at least position data of the reference point located in the vicinity of the wireless communication device to the wireless communication device and selecting the reference point located in the vicinity of the wireless communication device as the default location of the wireless communication device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method in positioning, to determine assistance information of a satellite positioning system. The assistance information is transmitted in a communication system (1) with at least one server (4). The assistance information is transmitted from the communication system (1) to the electronic device (8). At least one server (4) of the communication system is used for determining the assistance information. The determined assistance information is converted to meta data format, and the assistance information converted to meta data format is transmitted to the electronic device (8). In the electronic device (8), said assistance information is used for positioning, when necessary. The invention also relates to a system and an electronic device, in which the method is applied.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for supporting geographical-based services in a communications system. In an embodiment of the invention, a terminal node (e.g., a wireless terminal) inserts geographical information into a header portion of an IPv6 datagram. The serving network utilizes the geographical information to support a geographical-based service. In another embodiment, a terminal node, which is located in a geographical area, receives service configuration information regarding service regions from a serving network and determines what services are supported in the geographical area. In an embodiment, header formats for the inserted geographical information in a propagated signal between a terminal node and a serving network are provided.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and corresponding method by which to synchronize to a time reference a main module of a device—a main module such as global positioning system (GPS) receiver—using a cellular communication signal received by a cellular module also included in the device. To synchronize the main module to the reference time, the invention provides a method including the steps of: having the cellular module respond to the cellular communication signal by providing to a clock module of the main module a trigger pulse derived from the data component of the cellular communication signal, and also by providing to the main module information relating the trigger pulse to a universal time. The main module is then able to resolve a value for time based on the information relating the trigger pulse to a universal time and the trigger pulse.

Abstract: A ranging receiver (10) including a cellular module (11), for providing time according to a positioning system to enable synchronizing a wireless system to the positioning system. The ranging receiver (10) includes both the cellular module (11) and a main module (12) that provides ranging receiver functionality. When the cellular module (11) receives a time-stamped frame from the wireless system, it sends a trigger signal over a special hardware path to the main module (12), which then relates the time of trigger receipt to time according to the positioning system by calculating a position-velocity-time (PVT) solution, using a local clock (18) to get the difference in time between receipt of the trigger and the instant to which the PVT solution applies, and then communicates to the cellular module (11) when it received the trigger, according to positioning system time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for estimating the position of a receiver receiving code modulated signals from at least one beacon. The method comprises delimiting a region containing the receiver position based on a code modulated signal received at the receiver from at least one beacon and on available information including at least an initial information on the receiver position. The method further comprises estimating the receiver position as a position within the delimited region which minimizes an error criterion. The invention relates equally to such a receiver, to a system comprising such a receiver and to a corresponding software program product enabling an estimation of the position of a receiver.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining in a positioning system the position of a receiver and/or an accurate system time. The receiver receives and tracks code modulated signals transmitted by beacons of the positioning system and comprising a known regularity. In order to enable an improved positioning, it is proposed that the method comprises establishing a grid covering the area 20 of earth which is visible by a plurality of beacons from which said receiver receives and tracks code modulated signals at a specific reference time instance. The method further comprises determining the position of the receiver and/or the system time based on measured code phases of code modulated signals received and tracked by the receiver, on available assistance data and on at least a selected one of the intersection points of the grid as reference location. The invention relates equally to corresponding devices and a positioning system.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and corresponding method for providing a frequency reference to a user module, such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver module. The method includes the steps of: a) having a cellular module respond to a cellular communication signal by providing a trigger pulse derived from the data component of the cellular communication signal; and b) directing the trigger pulse along a special hardware path leading from the cellular module to a user module. The special hardware path conducts the trigger pulse in such a way that the trigger pulse is provided to the user module substantially free of any significant random delays. The user module typically includes a frequency generation module that provides a stable frequency reference based on the trigger pulse.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to devices for determining in a positioning system the time of reception of a beacon signal which was received and tracked by a receiver. In order to enable a re-acquisition of the system time based on a noisy received signal, it is proposed that the method comprises as a first step reconstructing a beacon signal for an interval based on available information. Then, a cross-correlation is performed between the reconstructed signal and the received signal at different relative positions to each other. Next, the time of transmission of the received signal is determined based on information for the reconstructed signal and on the relative position resulting in the maximum correlation value. Finally, a time of reception of said received signal is determined as the sum of the determined time of transmission of the received signal and of a calculated time of flight of the received signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conserving power in a positioning system receiver using ranging signals to determine a state of motion of the receiver, the method including: a step (32) of performing at least a predetermined number of solutions of the state of motion of the receiver using a filter solution based on a variable mix of models of the motion of the receiver, and of providing the model mix used in each solution; and a step (35) of adopting a partial duty cycle indicating a percentage of time selected receiver components are powered on, based on the mix of models used in successive solutions. Typically, the receiver includes a radiofrequency (RF) front end module and a baseband processor module and the selected components that are powered on and off to save power typically include the RF front end module and the baseband processor module.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for performing positioning, in which a spread spectrum signal modulated with a repetition code and transmitted by satellites, is received. The method comprises the steps of performing acquisition to the received, spread spectrum modulated signal, measuring the code phase of the received, spread spectrum modulated signal, and receiving the ephemeris parameters of satellites which are used in the positioning. In the method an optimizing phase is performed in order to minimize a cost function. The cost function includes a fraction operator having an argument that includes at least one residual error.

Abstract: A ranging receiver (10) including a cellular module (11), for providing time according to a positioning system to enable synchronizing a wireless system to the positioning system. The ranging receiver (10) includes both the cellular module (11) and a main module (12) that provides ranging receiver functionality. When the cellular module (11) receives a time-stamped frame from the wireless system, it sends a trigger signal over a special hardware path to the main module (12), which then relates the time of trigger receipt to time according to the positioning system by calculating a position-velocity-time (PVT) solution, using a local clock (18) to get the difference in time between receipt of the trigger and the instant to which the PVT solution applies, and then communicates to the cellular module (11) when it received the trigger, according to positioning system time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for performing positioning, in which a spread spectrum signal modulated with a repetition code and transmitted by satellites, is received. The method comprises the steps of acquiring the received, spread spectrum modulated signal, measuring the code phase of the received, spread spectrum modulated signal, and receiving the Ephemeris parameters of satellites which are used in the positioning. Furthermore, in the method, said code phase measurement results are stored, which have been measured at least partly before receiving the Ephemeris parameters, wherein the stored measurement results are used in the positioning after the Ephemeris parameters have been received.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and corresponding method for time synchronization, using cellular signal bursts, of for example a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

Abstract: A generalized positioning system, corresponding method, and filter for use in the generalized positioning system, based on Kalman filtering or any other kind of filtering that produces an estimate of position, or other aspect of the motion of an object, using statistical measures involving current and previous measurements of position or any other aspect of the motion of the object, but with greater responsiveness than a positioning system based on the usual statistical filtering, such as Kalman filtering. The generalized positioning system uses a calculated association probability for each measurement in a set of measurements of position (or other aspect of the motion) at a particular instant of time, the association probabilities being used in the calculation of a combined measurement innovation (residual), which is in turn used in calculating the next estimate of position (or other motion state information).

Abstract: A method for defining the reference time error of a receiver in a positioning means includes receiving a code-modulated signal transmitted by satellites, produced by an individual code for each satellite and modulated at least with binary modulation information. Positioning is conducted to define the reference time error, and an error value is calculated using the defined location. The minimum of the error value is searched by defining the receiver location using at least two different satellite locations corresponding to the signal time of transmission and by calculating an error value for said at least two locations of the receiver. The reference time error is defined using the searched minimum of the error value. In the receiver, the moment of bit change in the modulation information is defined, wherein said moment of bit change is used for specifying the error of the reference time.

Abstract: A positioning system including a measurement engine, a model selector and model bank, and a filter, which is preferably a statistical filter. The measurement engine is responsive to information provided by a source of range information, from which a measurement of the state of motion of an object (including for example the position of the object) can be determined, and provides a succession of measurements of the state, each corresponding to a different instant of time. The model selector and model bank selects at least one motion model for use in estimating the state for a segment of the motion of the object. The filter is responsive to the succession of measurements of the state, and further responsive to a model mixing parameter and to the selected motion models. It determines a succession of multiple-model state estimates, preferably according to the so-called interacting multiple-model.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for selecting satellites (SV1-SV32) to be used for positioning in a positioning system. The positioning system comprises information on the orbits of the satellites (SV1-SV32). In the method, at least one satellite (SV1-SV32) to be searched for is selected at a time, and a searching step is performed to find out if the signal transmitted by at least one selected satellite (SV1-SV32) can be received. In the method, at least a first searching step and at least one continued selection step are performed, wherein in the continued selection step, at least one satellite (SV1-SV32) is selected at least partly on the basis of the findings of the previous searching step. The selection step is followed by the satellite searching step.