METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING HISTORIC NETWORK INFORMATION FOR DETERMINING APPROXIMATE POSITION

• US 20080227465A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wachter, Andreas K., Lin, Ie-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Systems and techniques to determine an approximate location for a mobile device using historic location information. In an aspect, a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), which is a location server in SUPL, may receive data from SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET). The data may include the Multiple Location IDs Parameter. The real time Location ID Parameter may not have a current status. The SLP may determine an approximate position for the SET based on the Multiple Location IDs Parameter data received from the SET. The SLP may then send the approximate position to the SET or a SUPL Agent, or may use the approximate position information in another way.

Claims

1. A method for determining the position of a mobile device, said method comprising:

in a mobile device, storing historic location information and associated time information;

transmitting current location information and at least some historic location information from the mobile device to a network; and

receiving from the network approximate location information based on the at least some historic location information; and

using the approximate location information to determine the current position of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said historic location information includes past location data paired with time stamp data for said past location data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said past location data comprises a cell ID.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said past location data comprises an access point ID.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising curve fitting the past location data with the time stamp data to determine the current position of the mobile device.

6. A method for determining the position of a mobile device, said method comprising:

in a network, receiving current location information and at least some historic location information from a mobile device;

using the historic location information to determine approximated current location information; and

using the approximate location information to determine the current position of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said historic location information includes past location data paired with time stamp data for said past location data.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said past location data comprises a cell ID.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said past location data comprises an access point ID.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising curve fitting the past location data with the time stamp data to determine the current position of the mobile device.

11. An apparatus for supporting positioning comprising:

a processor, said processor adapted to;

receive historic location data from a mobile device and determine a location estimate for the mobile device based on the historic location data; and

a memory coupled to the processor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further adapted to determine a current position of the mobile device based on the location estimate.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the processor is adapted to send the location estimate to the mobile device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a mobile device, and wherein the mobile device is configured to determine a current position of the mobile device based on the location estimate.

15. A method of supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), comprising:

obtaining historic network information for at least one of the one or more radio access networks supported by the SUPL Location Platform (SULP); and

sending the historic network information from a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) to the SULP.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving supported network information from a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), wherein the supported network information indicates whether a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) is allowed to send historic network information;

determining one or more radio access networks supported by the SLP based on the supported network information;

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining a location estimate for the SET based on the historic network information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the determining a location estimate for the SET based on the historic network measurement information comprises determining a location estimate based upon historic location information.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said historic location information comprises a Multiple Location IDs parameter.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising estimating an accuracy of the location estimate for the SET.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising preparing assistance data based upon the location estimate for the SET.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising sending said assistance data from the SLP to the SET.

23. A method of supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), comprising:

receiving supported network information from a SUPL Location Platform (SULP), wherein the supported network information indicates whether a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) is allowed to send current and historic network measurement information;

determining one or more radio access networks supported by the SLP based on the supported network information,

obtaining present time and historic network information for at least one of the one or more radio access networks supported by the SLP; and

sending the present time and historic network information from a SET to the SULP.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said current network information comprises the Location ID parameter.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising assessing whether the Status component of the Location ID is Current.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising determining a location estimate for the SET based on the historic network information.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the determining a location estimate for the SET based on the historic network information comprises determining a location estimate based upon historic location information.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said historic location information comprises a Multiple Location IDs parameter.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said Multiple Location IDs parameter comprises a cell ID.

30. An apparatus for supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), comprising:

a processor

adapted to send from a SUPL Location Platform (SLP) to a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) supported network information indicating one or more radio access networks supported by the SLP, and

adapted to receive from the SET network information for at least one of the one or more radio access networks supported by the SLP, wherein said network information comprises historic location data; and

a memory coupled to the processor.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processor is adapted to determine a location estimate for the SET based on the historic location data.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the processor is adapted to send the location estimate to the SET or a SUPL Agent.

33. A computer program product, comprising:

computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising;

determining whether there is current estimated location information for a mobile device;

if there is not current estimated location information for the mobile device, accessing historic location information; and

determining an estimated location of the mobile device using the historic location information.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein said operations further comprise:

determining the location of the mobile device using the estimated location of the mobile device.

35. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein said operations further comprise:

generating assistance data to be sent to the mobile device based upon the estimated location of the mobile device.

36. An apparatus for determining the position of a mobile device comprising:

means for receiving current location information and at least some historic location information from a mobile device;

means for using the historic location information to determine approximated current location information; and

means for using the approximate location information to determine the current position of the mobile device.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said historic location information includes past location data paired with time stamp data for said past location data.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said past location data comprises a cell ID.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said past location data comprises an access point ID.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising the mobile device.

41. An apparatus for determining the position of a mobile device, said apparatus comprising:

in a mobile device, means for storing historic location information and associated time information;

means for transmitting current location information and at least some historic location information from the mobile device to a network;

means for receiving from the network approximate location information based on the at least some historic location information; and

means for using the approximate location information to determine a current position of the mobile device.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein said historic location information includes past location data paired with time stamp data for said past location data.

43. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said past location data comprises a cell ID.

44. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said past location data comprises an access point ID.

45. The apparatus of claim 42 further comprising the step of curve fitting the past location data with the time stamp data to determine the current position of the mobile device.