IMPROVED CULLED SATELLITE EPHEMERIS INFORMATION BASED ON ACCURATE DISTANCE IN RANGE CALCULATIONS, FOR QUICK, ACCURATE ASSISTED LOCATING SATELLITE LOCATION DETERMINATION

摘要

Locating satellites (e.g., GPS) are culled into a preferred group having a longest dwell time based on a time passing through an ellipsoid arc path through a cone of space, and communicated to mobile devices within a particular region (e.g., serviced by a particular base station). The culled locating satellites may select those visible, or more preferably those locating satellites currently within a cone of space above the relevant base station are selected for communication by a mobile device within the service area of the base station. Alternatively, a minimum set of locating satellites may be selected based on, e.g., being not only within an arbitrary cone of space normal to the base station, but also projected to remain within that cone of space for the longest period of time, i.e., having the longest dwell time, based on a calculated ellipsoid arc path through a cone of space.