METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR PROVIDING LOCATION INFORMATION ON A COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20100304707A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bolin, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• 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 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

In a method and arrangement for providing a reliable location for a communication terminal, a first location is obtained for the terminal by means of a first access mechanism. A second location is also obtained for the terminal by means of a second access mechanism, and the obtained first and second locations are then compared. The location of the terminal is validated if the obtained first and second locations are found to be substantially equal. Thereby, a more reliable location of the terminal can be used to support communication services requiring or needing such position information, such as emergency services. The validated location of the terminal can also be used for validating the location of an end point used by the terminal in an access network with fixed end points, or for validating a used positioning mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of providing a reliable location for a communication terminal, comprising the following steps:

obtaining a first location for the terminal by means of a first access mechanism,

obtaining a second location for the terminal by means of a second access mechanism,

comparing the obtained first and second locations, and

validating the location of the terminal as being reliable if the obtained first and second locations are found to be substantially equal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the validated location is used and/or saved to support any service(s) needing or requiring said location.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the validated location is saved by storage in a location server or database in a communication services network serving said terminal.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the validated location is indicated or marked as validated in said location server or database.

5. A method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein said first and second access mechanisms are used in different access networks.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the validation process is triggered when a re-registration message is received from the terminal after handover from an old access network to a new access network.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the old access network is an access network with fixed end points and the new access network is a mobile/cellular network, or vice versa.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the validated location of the terminal is used for validating the location of an end point used by the terminal in said access network with fixed end points.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the access network with fixed end points is a WLAN with user-provisioned end point locations, and locations in the mobile/cellular network can be obtained from cell IDs or by means of a triangulation method.

10. A method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein said first and second access mechanisms are used within the same access network.

11. A method according to any of claims 1-10, wherein different positioning methods are used in said first and second access mechanisms, respectively, to obtain the first and second locations.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the validated location of the terminal is used for validating at least one of said positioning methods.

13. A method according to any of claims 1-12, wherein if the obtained first and second locations are not found to be substantially equal, new locations are obtained by means of said first and second access mechanisms alternately and each new obtained location is compared with the previously obtained location, until the location finally becomes validated when substantially equal according to both of said first and second access mechanisms.

14. A method according to any of claims 1-12, wherein if the obtained first and second locations are not found to be substantially equal, a new pair of locations are obtained for the terminal by means of the first and second access mechanisms, and the obtained new pair of locations are compared to validate the location of the terminal if found to be substantially equal.

15. A method according to any of claims 1-14, wherein the compared locations are found to be substantially equal if the difference there between does not exceed a predefined equality criterion.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein if said substantially equal locations are different within the predefined equality criterion, a mean value of the substantially equal locations is calculated as the validated location, or one deemed more reliable than the other is selected as the validated location.

17. An arrangement for providing a reliable location for a communication terminal, comprising:

means for obtaining a first location for the terminal by means of a first access mechanism,

means for obtaining a second location for the terminal by means of a second access mechanism,

means for comparing the obtained first and second locations, and

means for validating the location of the terminal as being reliable if the obtained first and second locations are found to be substantially equal.

18. An arrangement according to claim 17, further comprising means for using and/or saving the validated location to support any service(s) needing or requiring said location.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, further comprising means for saving the validated location by storage in a location server or database in a communication services network serving said terminal.

20. An arrangement according to claim 19, further comprising means for indicating or marking the validated location as validated in said location server or database.

21. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-20, wherein said first and second access mechanisms are used in different access networks.

22. An arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the validation process is triggered when a re-registration message is received from the terminal after handover from an old access network to a new access network.

23. An arrangement according to claim 22, wherein the old access network is an access network with fixed end points and the new access network is a mobile/cellular network, or vice versa.

24. An arrangement according to claim 23, further comprising means for using the validated location of the terminal for validating the location of an end point used by the terminal in said access network with fixed end points.

25. An arrangement according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the access network with fixed end points is a WLAN with user-provisioned end point locations, and locations in the mobile/cellular network can be obtained from cell IDs or by means of a triangulation method.

26. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-20, wherein said first and second access mechanisms are used within the same access network.

27. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-26, further comprising means for using different positioning methods in said first and second access mechanisms, respectively, to obtain the first and second locations.

28. An arrangement according to claim 27, further comprising means for using the validated location of the terminal for validating at least one of said positioning methods.

29. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-28, further comprising means for obtaining new locations by means of said first and second access mechanisms alternately, if the obtained first and second locations are not found to be substantially equal, and means for comparing each new obtained location with the previously obtained location, until the location finally becomes validated when substantially equal according to both of said first and second access mechanisms.

30. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-28, further comprising means for obtaining a new pair of locations for the terminal by means of the first and second access mechanisms, if the obtained first and second locations are not found to be substantially equal, and means for comparing the obtained new pair of locations to validate the location of the terminal if found to be substantially equal.

31. An arrangement according to any of claims 17-30, wherein the compared locations are found to be substantially equal if the difference there between does not exceed a predefined equality criterion.

32. An arrangement according to claim 31, further comprising means for calculating a mean value of the compared substantially equal locations as the validated location or for selecting one deemed more reliable than the other as the validated location, if the two compared locations are different within the predefined equality criterion.