Efficient Location and Tracking of Mobile Subscribers

• US 20070117572A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Atkinson, Ian, Dixon, Michael, Adam, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/561,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• 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

Abstract

A method for locating and tracking devices in a mobile telephone network compries the steps of (a) receiving mobile telephone control parameters in a subscriber database; and (b) using one or more location parameter databases (LPDBs), each mapping control parameters to a geographic location and returning a location result when queried. One or more filters is applied to the control parameters that is received by the subscriber database, each filter selectively initiating processing using a LPDB appropriate to the task of the filter and to the current state of the device.

Claims

1. Method for locating and tracking devices in a mobile telephone network comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving mobile telephone control parameters in a subscriber database;

(b) using one or more location parameter databases (LPDBs), each mapping control parameters to a geographic location and returning a location result when queried;

wherein one or more filters is applied to the control parameters that is received by the subscriber database, each filter selectively initiating processing using a LPDB appropriate to the task of the filter and to the current state of the device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein for at least one location parameter database a filter determines whether the location parameter database is supplied with control parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a filter observes changes in control parameters for a given subscriber or for members of a group of subscribers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a filter observes control parameters which relate to a particular geographical area of interest, using the lowest cost location parameter database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a filter chooses an appropriate location parameter database depending on whether a trigger condition is met.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a filter chooses the location parameter database that offers the lowest computational cost.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein for a particular request, a location mechanism is chosen which has the least processing cost, but which can be expected to return a result of the necessary accuracy.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein a trigger condition relates to a subscriber entering a defined area.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a trigger condition relates to a subscriber leaving a defined area.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein if a trigger condition is not met, then the filter re-calculates after a time period that is a function of the estimated speed of the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information from one location fix is used to restrict the possible locations of the next fix.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein if a trigger condition is met, then the filter causes an appropriate location parameter database to be supplied with control parameters and to return a geographic location of the associated subscriber.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a filter invokes retrospective processing on stored subscriber database contents to discover where a subscriber entering a geographical area originated.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a filter invokes retrospective processing on stored subscriber database contents to discover the history of a subscriber'"'"'s activity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein additional LPDBs with different cost trade-offs can be added to provide the system with more options.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber database retains control parameter records for all subscribers on a network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a location parameter database uses RF levels.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a location parameter database uses pairwise ratios.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a location parameter database uses cell timing advance.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a location parameter database uses cell identity.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein a location parameter database uses GPS trace data fed back from a GPS device used by the subscriber

22. The method of claim 1, wherein when there is only partial coverage, the next higher accuracy LPDB is selected, or the most accurate lower accuracy LPDB available is selected.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein high accuracy tracking is achieved using an initial (cell, timing-advance) LPDB to identify candidate buckets in an RF LPDB.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein an origin trigger is triggered when a subscriber, or a member of a set of subscribers, leaves a defined geographical area, where the origin trigger is implemented using filters.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein a destination trigger is triggered when a subscriber, or a member of a set of subscribers, enters a defined geographical area, where the destination trigger is implemented using filters.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein proximity triggers monitor whether two subscribers are near to each another.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein a group of subscribers is defined automatically as the subscribers in a particular area at a particular time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein when some members of the group appear in proximity once again, or enter another area with similar characteristics to the first area, the appropriate triggers will be invoked.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein a contact tree is generated using call records to discover the set of call recipients for a particular handset, or the set of callers to a particular handset.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used to determine the presence of a vehicle in a congestion zone.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used to determine the presence of a vehicle in road toll system or in a road usage pricing system.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used to determine the usage of vehicles on roads for insurance pricing.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used to locate and track mobile subscribers for governmental, regulatory and law enforcement purposes.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used to track vehicles in a fleet

35. Apparatus which locates and tracks devices in a mobile telephone network comprising:

(a) a subscriber database which receives mobile telephone control parameters;

(b) one or more location parameter databases, each mapping control parameters to a geographic location and returning a location result when queried;

wherein one or more filters is applied to the stream of control parameters that is received by the subscriber database, each filter selectively initiating processing using a LPDB appropriate to the task of the filter and to the current state of the device.