Mobile Terminal Positioning via Satellite Orbit Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the position of a mobile terminal device within an aircraft are imprecise and unreliable, especially when the connection to the radio network is deactivated, leading to issues with enforcing usage rights for infotainment content, as satellite signals are often attenuated or blocked by the aircraft's structure.
Innovation Solution
Loading orbit data from navigation satellites onto the mobile terminal before flight, correlating it with the current flight route and time, and using this information to determine the visibility of navigation satellites, thereby assessing the probability of the device being on board the aircraft, without the need for additional infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If satellite-based position determination is used in an aircraft, then position can be determined without radio network connection, but the aircraft envelope shields satellite signals making position determination insufficient or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent loads orbit data from navigation satellites onto the mobile terminal before the aircraft flight. This preliminary action enables the terminal to have satellite position information available locally, allowing it to calculate expected satellite visibility and signal strength at different flight positions, which compensates for the shielding effect during actual flight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces orbit data as an intermediary element between the navigation satellites and the position determination process. By loading and processing this intermediate data locally on the mobile terminal, the system can determine position without directly receiving satellite signals that are blocked by the aircraft envelope, thus mediating the harmful shielding effect.
2Measurement precision
If radio network connection is used for position determination, then accurate position can be obtained, but the connection is deactivated in aircraft for safety reasons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of position determination from the radio network connection by loading orbit data locally onto the mobile terminal. This extraction allows the terminal to independently calculate position using stored orbit data and received satellite signals, without needing to maintain a radio network connection during aircraft flight.
3Ease of operation
If cached infotainment content is used, then content can be viewed offline, but usage rights cannot be verified as the device location cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the determined position (derived from satellite signal correlation with flight route) is continuously checked against the expected aircraft position. This feedback loop provides reliable location verification that enables enforcement of usage rights for infotainment content, ensuring content is only accessible when the device is confirmed to be on board the aircraft.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a simple and reliable method to determine if a mobile device is on an aircraft, allowing for accurate enforcement of usage rights for infotainment content, ensuring that content is accessed only during authorized periods and locations.
Implementation Method 1
The distance between the respective navigation satellite and the mobile terminal then results from a signal propagation time
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for determining the position of a mobile device (DD), such as a smartphone or tablet PC, during the use of an aircraft (A), in particular an airplane. Typically, the DD's transmitting devices or connection to a radio system are deactivated. However, the DD has a device for receiving navigation satellite signals from a navigation satellite system. Before the aircraft (A) is used, orbital data (NSD) from the navigation satellites (NS1, NS2) of the navigation satellite system are loaded onto the DD (1). A planned flight route (FRD) can then be determined from the DD, for example, using a boarding pass (BP) (2, 3).When the aircraft (LF) is in use, an application on the mobile device (AE) correlates the current time, the flight route (FRD) of the aircraft (LF), and the positions of the navigation satellites (NS1, NS2) known from the orbital data (NSD) of the navigation satellites (NS1, NS2) (5). From this, the navigation satellites (NS1, NS2) receivable for the current time are determined and then compared with the navigation satellite signals actually received by the mobile device (AE) (5) in order to easily derive the position of the mobile device (AE) or to determine whether the mobile device (AE) is actually located in the aircraft (LF) without installing additional infrastructure in the aircraft (LF).