Method and apparatus for performing position determination with a short circuit call flow

• US 20060258369A1
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Fischer, Sven, Edge, Stephen William, Burroughs, Kirk Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

For a call flow to perform position determination, a network sends to a user equipment (UE) an indication (e.g., a request for permission) to perform a position fix for the UE. The UE responds by sending to the network an acknowledgment (e.g., a grant of permission) to perform the position fix. The UE selectively sends a position estimate for itself to the network, typically along with the acknowledgment. The network may initiate location processing if (1) a location estimate is not received from the UE or (2) a location estimate is received from the UE but the network decides not to use this location estimate. In this case, the network and the UE perform location processing to obtain a position fix for the UE. However, if a location estimate is received from the UE and the network decides to use the location estimate, then the location processing is bypassed or short circuited.

Claims

1. A method of performing position determination, comprising:

sending signaling to a network to request periodic location reporting for a user equipment (UE), the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, selectively sending a location estimate for the UE to the network, performing location processing with the network to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and bypassing the location processing with the network if the location estimate is sent to the network and the location processing is not initiated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively sending to the network the location estimate for the UE comprises sending the location estimate for the UE to the network if the location estimate is available at the UE.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating signaling to include a request for periodic location reporting, the periodic location information, and a request for use of short circuit to bypass the location processing, wherein the location estimate for the UE is permitted to be sent to the network for each location reporting if the use of short circuit is allowed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request for use of short circuit is included in the signaling if UE-based position determination is supported by the UE.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving from the network an indication of allowance to use short circuit for the location processing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively sending to the network the location estimate for the UE comprises sending the location estimate for the UE to the network if the location estimate is available at the UE and if bypassing of the location processing is allowed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each location reporting, sending a request for location service to the network, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively sent with the request for location service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each location reporting, receiving a location request from the network, and

sending a response for the location request to the network, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively sent with the response for the location request.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing location processing with the network to refresh location assistance data, as necessary.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the periodic location information comprises a schedule containing a start time, a time interval, a duration, a stop time, a total number of location reporting events, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the periodic location information comprises at least one event, and wherein occurrence of any one of the at least one event triggers location reporting.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter operative to send signaling to a network to request periodic location reporting for a user equipment (UE), the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

a processor operative, for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, to selectively send a location estimate for the UE to the network, to perform location processing with the network to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and to bypass the location processing with the network if the location estimate is sent to the network and the location processing is not initiated.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is operative, for each location reporting, to send a request for location service to the network and to selectively send the location estimate for the UE with the request for location service.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is operative, for each location reporting, to receive a location request from the network, to send a response for the location request to the network, and to selectively send the location estimate for the UE with the response for the location request.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for sending signaling to a network to request periodic location reporting for a user equipment (UE), the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

means for processing each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, comprising

means for selectively sending a location estimate for the UE to the network,

means for performing location processing with the network to obtain a fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and

means for bypassing the location processing with the network if the location estimate is sent to the network and the location processing is not initiated.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for processing each location reporting further comprises

means for sending a request for location service to the network, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively sent with the request for location service.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for processing each location reporting further comprises

means for receiving a location request from the network, and means for sending a response for the location request to the network, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively sent with the response for the location request.

18. A method of performing position determination, comprising:

sending to a network a first message to request periodic location reporting for a user equipment (UE), wherein the first message includes periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, sending to the network a second message to invoke location service or to acknowledgment a request from the network for location service, selectively including a location estimate for the UE in the second message,

performing location processing with the network to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and

bypassing the location processing with the network if the location estimate is sent to the network and the location processing is not initiated.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first message is an LCS MO-LR Location Services Invoke message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second message is an LCS MO-LR Location Services Invoke message or an LCS Location Notification Return Result message.

21. A method of performing position determination, comprising:

exchanging signaling with a user equipment (UE) to initiate periodic location reporting for the UE, the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, selectively receiving from the UE a location estimate for the UE, performing location processing with the UE to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and bypassing the location processing with the UE if the location estimate is received from the UE and the location processing is not initiated.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending signaling to the UE to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving from the UE signaling to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the exchanging signaling with the UE to initiate periodic location reporting for the UE comprises receiving from the UE a request to use short circuit to bypass the location processing, and

sending to the UE an indication of allowance to use short circuit for the location processing.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

for each location reporting,

receiving a request for location service from the UE, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively received with the request for location service.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

for each location reporting,

sending a location request to the UE, and

receiving a response for the location request from the UE, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively received with the response for the location request.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

storing the periodic location information and information used to send the location request to the UE; and

using the periodic location information to determine when to send the location request to the UE.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

for each location reporting, retrieving the information used to send the location request to the UE, and

sending the location request to the UE based on the retrieved information.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver operative to exchange signaling with a user equipment (UE) to initiate periodic location reporting for the UE, the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

a processor operative, for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, to selectively receive from the UE a location estimate for the UE, to perform location processing with the UE to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and to bypass the location processing with the UE if the location estimate is received from the UE and the location processing is not initiated.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is operative to send signaling to the UE to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is operative to receive from the UE signaling to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is operative, for each location reporting, to receive a request for location service from the UE and to selectively receive the location estimate for the UE with the request for location service.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is operative, for each location reporting, to send a location request to the UE, to receive a response for the location request from the UE, and to selectively receive the location estimate for the UE with the response for the location request.

34. An apparatus comprising:

means for exchanging signaling with a user equipment (UE) to initiate periodic location reporting for the UE, the signaling including periodic location information indicative of when to report location of the UE; and

means for processing each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information, comprising means for selectively receiving from the UE a location estimate for the UE,

means for performing location processing with the UE to obtain a position fix for the UE if the location processing is initiated, and means for bypassing the location processing with the UE if the location estimate is received from the UE and the location processing is not initiated.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

means for sending signaling to the UE to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

means for receiving from the UE signaling to request periodic location reporting for the UE.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for processing each location reporting further comprises means for receiving a request for location service from the UE, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively received with the request for location service.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for processing each location reporting further comprises

means for sending a location request to the UE, and means for receiving a response for the location request from the UE, and wherein the location estimate for the UE is selectively received with the response for the location request.