Multi-Protocol Location Server for Wireless Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current location services in wireless networks often rely on a single positioning protocol, which limits accuracy and reliability, especially when a mobile terminal needs to determine its position across different wireless networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that support multiple positioning protocols during the same location session, allowing a mobile terminal to obtain position measurements using different protocols for different wireless networks and combine them to determine its position accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single positioning protocol is used for location services, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but positioning accuracy and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal location server that can handle multiple positioning protocols (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS, terrestrial networks) within a single system. The server is designed to receive positioning requests and coordinate measurements across different protocol domains, enabling one system to perform multiple positioning functions simultaneously. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining system simplicity at the interface level while enabling multi-protocol capability internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The location server acts as an intermediary between the mobile device and multiple positioning protocols. Instead of requiring the device to directly implement and manage multiple complex protocols, the server mediates the positioning process by coordinating measurements from different protocols and integrating results. This intermediary approach improves positioning accuracy through multi-protocol support while keeping the device implementation relatively simple.
2Reliability
If multiple positioning protocols are supported during the same location session, then positioning reliability and accuracy are improved, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the positioning system into distinct functional components: the mobile device performs measurements according to simplified protocols, the location server coordinates the positioning session and manages protocol interactions, and assistance data providers supply protocol-specific parameters. This segmentation allows multiple positioning protocols to be supported reliably while distributing implementation complexity across different system elements rather than concentrating it in the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by providing assistance data to the mobile device before actual positioning measurements are taken. This assistance data includes protocol-specific parameters, satellite ephemeris information, and configuration details that prepare the device for accurate measurements across multiple protocols. By performing this preparation in advance, the system improves positioning reliability without requiring the device to handle complex protocol logic during the actual positioning session.
3Measurement precision
If multiple positioning protocols are used, then more measurement data and assistance data are available improving accuracy, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The location server serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of detecting and measuring across multiple positioning protocols. Instead of requiring the mobile device to directly detect and process multiple different protocol formats and measurement types, the server manages these interactions, standardizes the data collection process, and integrates results from different protocols. This reduces the measurement difficulty at the device level while maintaining high measurement precision through multi-protocol data collection.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile terminal and network location server support multiple positioning protocols so that a first position measurement of the mobile terminal may be obtained using a positioning protocol defined for a first wireless network and a second position measurement of the mobile terminal may be obtained using a different positioning protocol defined for a different wireless network during the same location session. The first position measurement and the second position measurement can then be used together to determine a position of the mobile terminal.