WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, WIRELESS TERMINAL DEVICE, INDOOR BASE STATION APPARATUS, AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING LOCATION INFORMATION

• US 20090233574A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Shinozaki, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A wireless terminal device including a time information obtaining part configured to obtain time information indicative of a period of time the wireless terminal device is unable to communicate with a first base station apparatus, a storing part configured to store peripheral cell information in correspondence with the time information, the peripheral cell information including an identifier for identifying a peripheral cell located in a periphery of a first cell in which the wireless terminal device is located before becoming unable to communicate with the first base station apparatus, and a reporting part configured to report the peripheral cell information and the time information to a second base station apparatus capable of communicating with the wireless terminal device.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal device comprising:

a time information obtaining part configured to obtain time information indicative of a period of time the wireless terminal device is unable to communicate with a first base station apparatus;

a storing part configured to store peripheral cell information in correspondence with the time information, the peripheral cell information including an identifier for identifying a peripheral cell located in a periphery of a first cell in which the wireless terminal device is located before becoming unable to communicate with the first base station apparatus; and

a reporting part configured to report the peripheral cell information and the time information to a second base station apparatus capable of communicating with the wireless terminal device.

2. The wireless terminal device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a determining part configured to determine whether the second base station apparatus is an indoor base station apparatus;

wherein when the determining part determines that the second base station apparatus is an indoor base station apparatus, the reporting part reports the peripheral cell information and the time information to the indoor base station apparatus.

3. The wireless terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral cell information and the time information are included in a location registration request transmitted from the reporting part.

4. The wireless terminal device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiving part configured to receive a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite; and

a location information obtaining part configured to obtain location information of the first base station apparatus;

wherein the obtained location is included in the location registration request transmitted from the reporting part.

5. An indoor base station apparatus comprising:

a location information obtaining part configured to obtain location information indicative of a location in which the indoor base station apparatus is located; and

a location registration requesting part configured to transmit a location registration request to an upper level apparatus;

wherein when the location information obtaining part obtains the location information, the location registration requesting part transmits the location registration request including the obtained location information.

6. The indoor base station apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the location registration request includes an IP address assigned to the indoor base station apparatus.

7. The indoor base station as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a GPS receiving part configured to receive a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite;

wherein the location information obtaining part is configured to obtain the location information based on the received GPS signal.

8. The indoor base station as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a peripheral cell information obtaining part configured to obtain peripheral cell information including an identifier for identifying a cell from which the peripheral cell information is obtained;

wherein the location information obtaining part is configured to estimate the location information based on the peripheral cell information.

9. A controlling apparatus for obtaining location information of a wireless terminal device in accordance with a location request from an upper level apparatus in response to an emergency alert transmitted from the wireless terminal device, the controlling apparatus comprising:

an indoor base station location determining part configured to identify an indoor base station apparatus covering an area in which the wireless terminal device is located and determine whether location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus can be obtained;

a wireless terminal location determining part configured to determine whether location information of the wireless terminal device can be obtained in a case where the indoor base station location determining part determines that the location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus cannot be obtained;

a location information obtaining part configured to obtain location information based on determination results of the indoor base station location determining part or the wireless terminal location determining part; and

a location response generating part configured to generate a location response including the location information obtained by the location information obtaining part.

10. The controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the indoor base station location determining part is configured to determine that the location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus can be obtained in a case where a GPS identified location information is included in a location registration request transmitted from the identified indoor base station apparatus.

11. The controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the indoor base station location determining part is configured to determine that the location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus can be obtained in a case where peripheral cell information is included in a location registration request transmitted from the identified indoor base station apparatus.

12. The controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal location determining part is configured to determine that the location information of the wireless terminal device can be obtained in a case where GPS identified location information is included in a location registration request transmitted from the wireless terminal device.

13. The controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal location determining part is configured to determine that the location information of the wireless terminal device can be obtained in a case where peripheral cell information and time information are included in a location registration request transmitted from the wireless terminal device and a movable distance of the wireless terminal device within a predetermined period is no greater than a radius of a cell in which the indoor base station apparatus is located.

14. A wireless communications system for obtaining location information of a wireless terminal device in response to an emergency alert transmitted from the wireless terminal device, the wireless communications system comprising:

an upper level apparatus configured to receive the emergency alert and transmit a location request based on the emergency alert; and

a control apparatus configured to receive the location request and transmit a location response to the upper level apparatus, the control apparatus including

an indoor base station location determining part configured to identify an indoor base station apparatus covering an area in which the wireless terminal device is located and determine whether location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus can be obtained,

a wireless terminal location determining part configured to determine whether location information of the wireless terminal device can be obtained in a case where the indoor base station location determining part determines that the location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus cannot be obtained,

a location information obtaining part configured to obtain location information based on determination results of the indoor base station location determining part or the wireless terminal location determining part, and

a location response generating part configured to generate the location response including the location information obtained by the location information obtaining part.

15. A method for obtaining location information of a wireless terminal device in response to an emergency alert transmitted from the wireless terminal device, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a location request based on the emergency alert;

b) identifying an indoor base station apparatus covering an area in which the wireless terminal device is located based on the location request;

c) determining whether location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus can be obtained;

d) determining whether location information of the wireless terminal device can be obtained in a case where step c) determines that the location information of the identified indoor base station apparatus cannot be obtained;

e) obtaining location information based on determination results of step c) or step d);

f) generating a location response including the location information obtained in step e); and

g) transmitting the location response to an upper level apparatus.