Method of Determining a Location of a Mobile Device and Method of Managing a List for Use in Such a Method

• US 20100159949A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Selgert, Franklin, Norp, Antonius Hendrikus Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Methods of determining a location of a mobile device in a first communication network are presented. The mobile device is in communication with a cellular base station in a second communication network. First, access points within the first communication network are detected with the mobile device. Then, one or more of the detected access points is selected based on information provided by the cellular base station. Finally, the location of the mobile device is determined based on the selected access points.

Claims

1. A method of determining a location of a mobile device (1, 40) in a first communication network, the mobile device being in communication with a cellular base station (3, 3a, 3b, 50) in a second communication network, the method comprising:

detecting access points within the first communication network with said mobile device;

selecting one or more of the detected access points based on information provided by the cellular base station; and

determining the location of the mobile device based on the selected access points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said information provided by the cellular base station comprises records regarding access points within the first communication network that are indicated as being located within a coverage area of the cellular base station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said selecting comprises excluding detected access points for which no record is present in said list.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said access point records comprise information representative of the position of the respective access points.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said access point records comprise information representative of the identity of the respective access points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises determining a position of a detected access point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises determining an identity of a detected access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile device is determined based on information representative of the position of the selected access points.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said list is provided in response to sending a request towards the cellular base station.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said list is provided via a broadcast channel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a nominal coverage area of the cellular base station in the second communication network is larger than a nominal coverage area of an access point within said first communication network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises reporting to the cellular base station in the second communication network which access points in the first communication network have been detected.

13. A mobile device (1, 40) arranged to be part of a first communication network and a second communication network, the mobile device comprising:

a receiver (47) for receiving data from one or more access points in the first communication network and/or the second communication network;

a transmitter (49) for transmitting data towards one or more access points in the first communication network and/or the second communication network;

a memory (43) for storing data;

a processor (41) for processing data received via said receiver and/or stored in said memory;

wherein the mobile device is arranged to determine a location of the mobile device in the first communication network.

14. A method of managing a list for use in a cellular base station (3, 3a, 3b, 50) within a second communication network, the list comprising records regarding access points within a first communication network that are indicated as being located within a coverage area of the base station, the method comprising:

receiving a message from an access point within the first communication network regarding its position;

checking whether the position of the access point is located within the coverage area;

updating the list if said position is located within the coverage area.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein access point records comprise information representative of the identity of the respective cells, and wherein the updating includes adding an access point record if the information representative of the identity of the respective access point is not present in the list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein an access point record further comprises information representative of the position of the access point, and wherein the updating further includes amending an access point record if the information representative of the identity of the respective access point is present in the list, but the information representative of the position of the access point in the stored access point record is different from the information representative of the position of the access point in the message.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said updating only occurs if one or more mobile devices (1, 40) have reported that the access point has been detected.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said message is received via a communication interface within said second communication network.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said message is received via a fixed network.

20. A cellular base station (3, 3a, 3b, 50) comprising:

a receiver (57) for receiving data from one or more access points in the first communication network and/or the second communication network;

a transmitter (59) for transmitting data towards one or more access points in the first communication network and/or the second communication network

a database (53) for storing data;

a processor (51) for processing data received via said receiver and/or stored in said memory;

wherein the base station is arranged to manage a list.

21. The base station of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further arranged to transmit said list via a broadcast channel.

22. The base station of claim 20, wherein the receiver is further arranged to receive a request from a mobile device for providing the list to the mobile device, and the base station is further arranged to provide said list via said transmitter in response to said request.

23. An access point (5, 60) within a first communication network, the access point comprising:

an access point memory (63) storing information representative of the identity of the access point and information representative of the position of the access point;

a receiver (67) for detecting one or more cellular base stations (3, 3a, 3b, 50) within a second communication network;

a processor (61) for enabling transmission of said access point identifier and information representative of the position of the access point to said one or more cellular base stations upon detection.

24. The access point of claim 23, wherein the receiver is further arranged to receive data from a mobile device (1, 40), and the access point further comprises a transmitter (69) to transmit at least one of the information representative of the identity of the access point and the information representative of the position of the access point towards the mobile device.

25. The access point of claim 23, further comprising a position determination unit (65) for determining the position of the access point and storing the position in said access point memory.

26. The access point of claim 25, wherein said location determination unit comprises a global positioning system, GPS, receiver.