Dynamic Time Allocation for Position Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile position-determining systems often fail to determine the location of a mobile station within the allotted time, leading to errors and incomplete location fixes due to excessive processing time spent on primary location determination processes.
Innovation Solution
The system dynamically adjusts the maximum allowed processing time for location determination by setting specific time limits for primary and secondary processes, allowing a transition to fallback mechanisms if the primary process fails to determine the location within the specified time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the system spends excessive time on primary location determination processes, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to complete failure to determine location within allotted time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic time allocation where the system adjusts the time spent on primary versus secondary location determination processes based on real-time conditions. The processor monitors the elapsed time during primary process execution and dynamically transitions to secondary processes when the primary process exceeds its allocated time budget, ensuring both precision and reliability are optimized adaptively
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the location determination process into distinct primary and secondary processes with separate time allocations. The primary process handles high-precision satellite-based positioning, while secondary processes provide fallback mechanisms. This segmentation allows the system to allocate specific time resources to each process type, preventing complete failure when one process exceeds its time limit
2Productivity
If the system uses a fixed maximum processing time for location determination, then productivity is improved by providing timely responses, but measurement precision deteriorates due to insufficient time for accurate primary process completion
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts time allocation between primary and secondary processes rather than using a fixed time limit. The processor monitors execution progress and transitions to secondary processes adaptively, allowing the primary process to complete accurately when conditions permit while maintaining overall productivity through timely fallback options
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes pre-defined time budgets for primary and secondary processes based on historical performance data and service level requirements. These preliminary time allocations are configured to optimize the balance between precision and productivity, allowing the system to make informed decisions about when to transition from primary to secondary processes
3Reliability
If the system transitions to secondary location determination processes too early, then reliability is improved by avoiding complete failure, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary abandonment of accurate primary process
Solution Approach 1:
The processor continuously monitors the execution status and elapsed time of the primary location determination process. This feedback mechanism allows the system to make informed decisions about when to transition to secondary processes, transitioning only when the primary process is genuinely failing rather than prematurely abandoning successful operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines the optimal transition point from primary to secondary processes based on real-time monitoring of primary process performance. The transition timing is adjusted adaptively to maximize the benefit of accurate primary positioning when available while ensuring timely fallback to secondary processes when needed, optimizing both reliability and productivity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method and system for helping to improve processing duration and successful position determination in a position-determining system. The position-determining system receives a request to determine position of a mobile station, such as a cellular wireless communication device, and the request includes a timer value indicative of the maximum allowed time for responding to the request. The position-determining system then dynamically determines how long to spend attempting a primary location-determination process, based on the indicated timer value and an expected time necessary to employ a fallback, or secondary, location-determination process. If the position-determining system fails to determine the position within the time allocated to the primary process, it resorts to application of the secondary position-determination process. If either the primary or the secondary tier of location determination determines a position, that position is returned to the requesting entity; otherwise, a default or error message is returned.