MOBILE DEVICE LOCATION DETERMINATION USING MICRONETWORKS

• US 20100289640A1
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A facility for determining the location of a mobile device when a location determination of a desired accuracy is desired. If available, the facility determines the location of the mobile device using a device-based technique or using a location determination technique that is accessible over a macronetwork. Macronetworks are networks that are designed to cover relatively large areas. If a location determination technique of desired accuracy is not available on the device or over a macronetwork, the facility attempts to use a location determination technique that is accessible over a micronetwork to determine the location of the mobile device. Micronetworks are networks that are designed to cover smaller areas. By forcing a switch from a macronetwork-based location determination technique to a micronetwork-based location determination technique, the facility ensures that a location determination is made for the mobile device of a desired accuracy, time to fix (TTF), and/or yield.

Claims

1. A method, coordinated from a switch, for determining a location of a mobile device and providing the location to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), the method comprising:

while engaging in an emergency services communication over a macronetwork, and while the mobile device is in range of one or more micronetworks, determining whether at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique from a set of macronetwork-based location determination techniques is available; and

if at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique of the set of macronetwork-based location determination technique is available,

determining the geographic location of the mobile device according to at least one of the available macronetwork-based location determination techniques; and

providing the determined geographic location as an indication of the location of the mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP),

otherwise, while continuing the emergency services communication over the macronetwork,

determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork by;

receiving an identifier from at least one micronetwork; and

retrieving a geographic location based on the received identifier; and

providing the retrieved geographic location as an indication of the location of the mobile device to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location determination techniques of the set include a Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA) technique, an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) technique, and a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the micronetwork includes a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access point, and wherein the identifier includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number, or a machine name.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the geographic location includes:

looking up a previously stored address that is correlated to the identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identifier includes:

receiving the identifier of the at least one micronetwork from the mobile device via the macronetwork or from a micronetwork component via the Internet.

6. A method for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:

while the mobile device is associated with a macronetwork and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork, receiving a request to determine the location of the mobile device;

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork or with the mobile device, each of the location determination techniques having an expected accuracy associated therewith of at least a desired level; and

if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques is available, determining the location of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques; and

otherwise, determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

enabling a micronetwork interface of the mobile device;

searching for micronetworks identifiable by the mobile device; and

determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork identified by the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

scanning for micronetworks identifiable from the mobile device;

finding a micronetwork identifiable from the mobile device, the micronetwork being a femtocell network having an access point with an identifier;

receiving the identifier at the mobile device;

providing the identifier from the mobile device to a network component to enable a lookup of a correlated geographical location; and

providing the geographical location as an indication of the location of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

receiving, at a femtocell access point, an emergency indication from a mobile device;

transmitting an identifier of the femtocell access point from the femtocell access point to a network component in response to the emergency indication; and

looking up a previously stored location that is associated with the identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the femtocell access point is a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access point, and wherein the identifier includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number, or a machine name.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

continuing a voice communication, over the macronetwork, between the mobile device and another party.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork further includes:

handing off a voice communication between the mobile device and another party from the macronetwork to the micronetwork.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the request is received from a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in response to an emergency communication from the mobile device, and wherein the method is coordinated from a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), or an Unlicensed Network Controller (UNC).

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more location determination techniques include only a Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA) technique.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the macronetwork is least one of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) network, an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, an Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, or an Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) network.

16. A system for locating a first mobile device and a second mobile device that are each connectable to a communications network, comprising:

a communications network component configured to (a) determine that one or more location determination techniques are available to locate the first mobile device, (b) determine that the one or more location determination techniques are not available to locate the second mobile device, wherein each of the one or more location determination techniques has at least a desired level of expected accuracy associated therewith and is capable of being employed without communicating with any network with which a mobile device to be located is not already associated, (c) determine the location of the first mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques, and (d) determine the location of the second mobile device according to a micronetwork that is within communications range of the second mobile device by forcing the second mobile device to communicate with the micronetwork.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications network component is further configured to coordinate a handoff of a voice communication from a macronetwork to the micronetwork.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more location determination techniques is operable to determine the location of the first mobile device within approximately 20 meters of an actual location of the first mobile device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more location determination techniques include a Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA) technique, an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) technique, or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

the first mobile device.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications network component is an Unlicensed Network Controller (UNC) configured to locate the first mobile device in response to an emergency services communication between the first device and a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications network component is configured to determine the location of the second mobile device according to an identifier provided by an access point of the micronetwork.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications network component is further configured to determine the location of the second mobile device according to at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number of an access point of the micronetwork, or a machine name.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications network component is further configured to instruct the second mobile device to scan for micronetworks identifiable from the second mobile device and to provide an identifier of a micronetwork identified by the second mobile device to the communications network component.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the micronetwork employs at least one of a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) standard, a Generic Access Network (GAN) standard, an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) standard, a Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB) standard, a ZigBee standard, or a Bluetooth standard.

26. A processor-readable storage medium storing processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a first device to perform a plurality of operations for determining the location of a mobile device that is associated with a macronetwork and that is within communications range of at least one micronetwork, including:

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques having at least a desired level of expected accuracy associated therewith and that are capable of being employed without communicating with any network with which the mobile device is not already associated; and

if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques is available, coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques; and

otherwise, coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to a micronetwork.

27. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein coordinating the location determination of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

instructing the mobile device to search for micronetworks identifiable from the mobile device;

receiving an identifier of a micronetwork identified by the mobile device; and

looking up a previously correlated geographical location of an access point of the identifiable micronetwork.

28. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the plurality of operations further includes:

providing a geographical location that was previously associated with the identifier as an indication of the location of the mobile device.

29. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the plurality of operations further includes:

handing off an emergency services communication from the macronetwork to the micronetwork.

30. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more location determination techniques include a Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA) technique, an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) technique, or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

31. A processor-readable storage medium storing processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a mobile device to perform a plurality of operations for determining the location of the mobile device, including:

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques having at least a desired level of expected accuracy associated therewith and that are capable of being employed independent of any micronetwork; and

if none of the one or more location determination techniques are available;

scanning for micronetworks identifiable from the mobile device;

finding a micronetwork identifiable from the mobile device, the micronetwork having an access point with an identifier;

receiving the identifier at the mobile device; and

providing the identifier from the mobile device to a network component to enable a lookup of a correlated geographical location of the access point.

32. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the plurality of operations further include:

enabling a micronetwork interface of the mobile device.

33. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the processor-readable instructions are executed in association with an emergency services communication, and wherein the plurality of operations further include:

forcing a handoff of an emergency services voice communication to the micronetwork.

34. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the identifier includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number of a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access point, or a machine name.

35. A system for locating a mobile device that is involved in an emergency services communication with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), comprising:

means for determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques having at least a desired level of expected accuracy associated therewith and that are capable of being employed without communicating with any network with which the mobile device is not already associated;

means for coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques is available; and

means for coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to a micronetwork if none of the one or more location determination techniques are available.