Method for correcting reference position information, server system, and reference position information correcting system

• US 20070100549A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone KK (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Seiichi, Sakamoto, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,755,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/214
• 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 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

In a terminal unit 80, when location information request is made, the cellular phone 20 requests for assistance information, to assistance server 50. The assistance server 50 transmits the assistance information to it and acquires the location information of it. A reference position information correction judging section 62 of the assistance server 50, commands for saving the location information in a location information storage and saving section 65, and judges to perform a correction. Next, a reference position information correcting section 63 calculates a corrected reference position 92 based on the location information of that cell stored in the location information storage and saving section 65. The corrected reference position 92 is notified to a database section 64, and is set as the reference position information of the cell.

Claims

1. A method for correcting reference position information in which reference position information of a cell which is an area in which a base station can perform a wireless communication with a mobile communication terminal, comprising steps of:

storing and saving location information at which, current location information of a mobile communication terminal is stored by saving, such that it is possible to identify a range cell which is a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists;

judging a reference position information correction at which, a judgment of whether or not the reference position information of the range cell is to be corrected is made based on the current location information; and

correcting the reference position information at which, when a judgment at the step of judging the reference position information correction is affirmative, the reference position information of the range cell is corrected based on at least one current location information which is stored by saving at the step of storing and saving location information.

2. The method for correcting reference position information according to claim 1, wherein

at the step of judging the reference position information correction, when the current location information for which, a distance from a location of the reference position information of the range cell is not less than a predetermined distance, is acquired for a predetermined number of times, a judgment of correcting the reference position information of the range cell is made, and

at the step of correcting the reference position information, the correction is made by a statistical method.

3. The method for correcting reference position information according to claim 2, wherein

the step of judging the reference position information correction is performed by using the current location information for which an error is not more than a predetermined value.

4. The method for correcting reference position information according to claim 1, wherein

at the step of judging the reference position information correction, when the reference position information of the range cell is not available, an affirmative judgment is made, and

at the step of correcting the reference position information, when the reference position information of the range cell is not available, a correction is made to let the current location information to be the reference position information of the range cell.

5. The method for correcting reference position information according to claim 1, wherein

the current location information is a position measuring result of an assisted GPS position measuring in which, assistance information which includes information for capturing a GPS satellite, is used.

6. A server system comprising:

a database which includes reference position information of a cell which is an area in which a base station can perform a wireless communication with a mobile communication terminal;

a location information storage and saving section which stores by saving current location information of a mobile communication terminal such that it is possible to identify a range cell which is a cell in a range of which the mobile communication terminal exists;

a reference position information correction judging section which acquires the current location information, and makes a judgment of whether or not to correct the reference position information of the range cell, based on at least one current location information; and

a reference position information correcting section which, when the reference position information correction judging section has made an affirmative judgment, corrects the reference position information of the range cell, based on at least one current location information.

7. The server system according to claim 6, wherein

the database, when the reference position information of the range cell is not available, is formed such that the reference position information of further wider area which includes the range cell, is referred to, and

the reference position information correction judging section makes an affirmative judgment when there is no reference position information of the range cell in the database, and

the reference position information correcting section makes a correction such that the current location information is let to be the reference position information of the range cell, when there is no reference position information of the range cell in the database.

8. The server system according to claim 6, wherein

the server system is an assistance server which provides the assistance information which includes the information for capturing a GPS satellite, to a mobile communication terminal which makes a request for acquiring the assistance information.

9. A reference position information correcting system comprising:

a mobile communication terminal;

a network to which the mobile communication terminal is connected by using a wireless network; and

the server system according to claim 6, which is connected to the network.