Apparatus and method for efficient determination of mobile station location in a wireless network

• US 20060025160A1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Thadasina, Nivedan, Jubin, John C., Kodali, Sanjay Kumar, Veerasamy, Jeyakesavan
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.500
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/324 by mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

An apparatus and method for efficient determination of mobile station location in a wireless network. A location register database is used by base station controllers to track the locations of mobile stations.

Claims

1. For use in a wireless network, a base station capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, said base station comprising:

a base station controller; and

a location database configured to communicate with the base station controller and to store location data corresponding to the plurality of mobile stations.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the location data is used in call setup for a mobile station.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein said the location database assigns a location group to each the plurality of mobile stations.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein each of said mobile stations is assigned a location group according to the speed that the mobile station is moving.

5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station controller receives location updates from the mobile stations, wherein the location updates are not sent to a core network system.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein the location database communicates with multiple base station controllers.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein said the location database assigns a location group to each the plurality of mobile stations, each location group having a plurality of parameters, the parameters including the minimum amount of elapsed time before a mobile station is assigned to a new location group.

8. The base station of claim 1, wherein said the location database assigns a location group to each the plurality of mobile stations, each location group corresponding to a different degree of location accuracy.

9. The base station of claim 1, wherein said base station receives a location update from a mobile station whenever the mobile station performs an idle handoff.

10. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station controller selectively establishes a call with one of the plurality of mobile stations according to the probable accuracy of the location data corresponding to that mobile station.

20. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station transmits the predicted next cell location to the at least one mobile station.

11. A method for operating a wireless network, comprising

providing a plurality of base stations capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, each base station having a base station controller;

and

maintaining a location database configured to communicate with the base station controller and to store location data corresponding to the plurality of mobile stations.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location data is used in call setup for a mobile station.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning a location group in the location data base to each the plurality of mobile stations.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning a location group to each mobile station according to the speed that the mobile station is moving.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving location updates from the mobile stations in the base stations, wherein the location updates are not sent to a core network system.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the location database communicates with multiple base station controllers.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning a location group to each the plurality of mobile stations, each location group having a plurality of parameters, the parameters including the minimum amount of elapsed time before a mobile station is assigned to a new location group.

18. For use in a wireless network, a base station capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, said base station comprising:

a base station controller;

a receiver for receiving location updates from the plurality of mobile stations, configured to communicate with the base station controller; and

a location database configured to communicate with the base station controller and to store location data corresponding to the location updates,

wherein the base station can predict a next cell location for at least one of the plurality of mobile stations based on location updates received from that mobile station.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein the prediction is also based on the speed of the at least one mobile station.