Positioning-triggered handover

• US 20050107094A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Muhonen, Janne, Hulkkonen, Tony, Back, Juha
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.500
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for estimating the location of a terminal operating in a communication system having at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, each network supporting at least one method for estimating the location of the terminal, and the terminal being in communication with a first one of the networks, the method comprising: assessing which of the networks is likely to form the more accurate estimate of the location of the terminal; and if that is the first one of the networks, estimating the location of the terminal by means of the first one of the networks, and if that is a second one of the networks, handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks and estimating the location of the terminal by means of the second one of the networks.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the location of a terminal operating in a communication system having at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, each network supporting at least one method for estimating the location of the terminal, and the terminal being in communication with a first one of the networks, the method comprising:

assessing which of the networks is likely to form the more accurate estimate of the location of the terminal; and

if that is the first one of the networks, estimating the location of the terminal by means of the first one of the networks, and

if that is a second one of the networks, handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks and estimating the location of the terminal by means of the second one of the networks.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one method for estimating the location of the terminal that is supported by the first network is different from the or each such method supported by the second network.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first network is operable according to a first standard and the second network is operable according to a second standard different from the first standard.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first network is operable according to a standard that provides for backward compatibility with the second standard.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first standard is UMTS or a derivative thereof.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second standard is GSM or a derivative thereof.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal is capable of communicating by radio with radio access subsystems of the first and second networks and each network is arranged to estimate the location of the terminal by means of its respective radio access subsystem.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said assessing step is performed by the first network.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises the step of initiating an emergency call by means of the terminal through the first network, and the step of handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks comprises handing over the call to the second one of the networks.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises the step of determining whether the first network is capable of estimating the location of the terminal to within a pre-set tolerance, and if so the location of the terminal is estimated by means of the first one of the networks.

11. A communication system capable of estimating the location of a terminal operating therein, the communication system comprising at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, each network supporting at least one method for estimating the location of the terminal, the terminal being in communication with a first one of the networks;

one of the networks being arranged to assessing which of the networks is likely to form the more accurate estimate of the location of the terminal; and

if that is the first one of the networks to cause the location of the terminal to be estimated by means of the first one of the networks, and if that is a second one of the networks, to cause the terminal to be handed over to the second one of the networks and to cause the location of the terminal to be estimated by means of the second one of the networks.

12. A method for estimating the location of a terminal operating in a communication system having at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, each network supporting at least one method for estimating the location of the terminal, and the terminal being in communication with a first one of the networks, the method comprising:

receiving a request for transmission of an estimate of the terminal'"'"'s position to a position handling unit;

assessing which of the networks is best able to provide the position handling unit with the estimate; and

if that is the first one of the networks, estimating the location of the terminal by means of the first one of the networks, and

if that is a second one of the networks, handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks and estimating the location of the terminal by means of the second one of the networks.