Locating system and method

A system for locating and tracking a mobile rover from a mobile controller said system being operable with a wireless communication network operating with an AGPS enabled system comprising;

• a mobile controller comprising;
• a wireless communication module enabled to communicate via the wireless communication network;
• a GPS module enabled to function in an AGPS mode to obtain AGPS assistance over the wireless communication network and to receive GPS location measurement data from GPS satellites;
• a means selected from one of (a) a compass, (a) use of GPS by the controller moving or both (a) and (b) to provide heading of the controller;
• a mobile rover comprising;
• a wireless communication module enabled to communicate with the wireless communication network;
• a GPS module enabled to function in an AGPS mode to obtain AGPS assistance over the wireless communication network and to receive GPS location measurement data from GPS satellites;
• means for selecting common GPS satellites from which both the controller and the rover are receiving location measurement data;
• means for calculating the relative spatial position of the rover relative to the controller using at least the common GPS satellites;
• means for making calculations to enable display of and to display on the controller a map showing the position of the rover or of both the rover and the controller;
• means to enable determination of and to display on the controller an indicator of bearing from the controller to the rover.

A system for locating on demand a mobile rover relative to a mobile controller operable with a radio communications network comprising;

• a mobile controller having a radio positioning module for receiving location measurement information from a location technology source, a radio communications module and a control module for sending instructions to a mobile rover and for processing data received from a radio positioning module that is in the rover;
• at least one mobile rover having a radio positioning module for receiving location measurement information from a location technology source, a radio communications module for transmitting information including location measurement information and a control module for receiving instructions from a mobile controller;
• the mobile rover being enabled to send location measurement information that it has received by a selected one of the following;
• 1) directly to the mobile controller over the radio communications network;
• 2) to an application server associated with the radio communications network that can process the information and provide the processed information to the mobile rover;
• 3) to an application server associated with the radio communications that can process the information and provide the processed information to the mobile controller and which then sends the processed information to the controller;
• and
• 4) to an application server associated with the radio communications network that sends the information without processing it directly to the mobile controller where it will be processed;
• and
• the mobile controller being enabled to determine the relative spatial relationship of the mobile rover relative to the mobile controller.

A method for locating and tracking a mobile rover from a mobile controller the rover and the controller being operable with a communication network for communication between them and being operable with at least one location technology source for receiving and transmitting selected location related measurement data applicable to computation of the location of the controller and computation of the location of the rover comprising;

• intiating the procedure for locating and tracking the rover by a signal to the rover from the controller;
• commencing at the rover and the controller the reception of location related measurement data from a location technology source;
• sending from the rover via the communication network location related measurement data that will enable computation of its location, to an application server that is associated with the communication network and which is enabled to receive and process such data from many rovers and controllers;
• sending from the controller via the communication network location related measurement data that will enable computation of its location, to the application server;
• determining at the application server a set of most common sources of location measurement data from the rover and the controller to be used to determine the relative spatial location of the rover relative to the controller;
• using the most common set of location measurement data, calculating at a specially programmed computing element the relative spatial location information of the rover relative to the controller and the absolute position of the rover and the controller;
• determining by use of a means for determining the heading of the controller, in the controller, the heading of the controller;
• using in the controller the relative spatial location information of the rover relative to the controller to present through a display, bearing of the rover relative to the controller and if absolute positions have been calculated displaying absolute location on a map of the rover or both the rover and the controller and wherein the display of bearing or the map display are alternatively selectable.