Method and Apparatuses for Transmission of Warning Information in a Cellular Communications Network

• US 20120040636A1
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Kazmi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US13/265,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to arrangements and methods for distribution of warning information relating to an emergency to mobile users. Warning information is sent to UEs both within and outside an area affected, or an area estimated to be affected by the emergency. The warning information comprises information associated with the affected area, or the area which is estimated to be affected, e.g. geographical information or identities of the base stations within said area.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A method in a network node for transmitting warning information associated with an emergency to user equipments (UEs) camped on or connected to the network node, the method comprising:

receiving information associated with the emergency from a system that collected that information;

processing the received information to retrieve information associated with an area affected by, or estimated to be affected by, the emergency; and

transmitting the retrieved information to the UEs camped on or connected to the network node independently of whether those UEs are located in said area.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the retrieved information is geographical information regarding said area.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the geographical information is Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the GNSS information is Global Positioning System (GPS) or Assisted GPS information.

45. The method according to claim 41, wherein the retrieved information includes identities of radio base stations within said area.

46. The method according to claim 41, further comprising controlling a behavior of one or more of said UEs according to the retrieved information.

47. The method according to claim 41, further comprising configuring one or more of said UEs to behave according to pre-defined rules upon reception of the retrieved information.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the pre-defined rules define UE behavior associated with at least one of cell search, measurements, handover, and cell reselection.

49. The method according to claim 41, wherein said processing comprises processing the received information to also retrieve an estimated time and duration of said emergency.

50. The method according to claim 41, wherein the emergency is any combination of an earthquake, a tsunami, a flood, a fire, a hurricane, and a tornado.

51. The method according to claim 41, wherein the network node is an access gateway, a radio network controller, a base station controller, a radio base station, or an eNode B.

52. A method in a User Equipment (UE) for receiving warning information associated with an emergency from a warning system connectable to a mobile communication network with which the UE is configured to communicate, the method comprising:

receiving from a network node information associated with an area affected by, or estimated to be affected by, the emergency independently of whether the UE is located in said area;

processing the received information to combine the received information with map information representing at least a part of said area; and

presenting the combined information to a user of the UE via a user interface.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the received information is geographical information regarding said area.

54. The method according to claim 53, wherein the geographical information is Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information.

55. The method according to claim 54, wherein the GNSS information is Global Positioning System (GPS) or Assisted GPS information.

56. The method according to claim 52, wherein the received information includes identities of radio base stations within said area.

57. The method according to claim 52, further comprising:

receiving from a network node control signaling comprising commands that depend on the received information associated with said area, and

acting according to the commands of the received control signaling.

58. The method according to claim 52, further comprising acting according to pre-defined rules upon reception of the information associated with said area.

59. The method according to claim 58, wherein the pre-defined rules define UE behavior associated with at least one of cell search, measurements, handover and cell reselection.

60. The method according to claim 52, wherein the received information further comprises an estimated time and duration of said emergency.

61. The method according to claim 52, wherein the emergency is any combination of an earthquake, a tsunami, a flood, a fire, a hurricane, and a tornado.

62. A network node configured to transmit warning information associated with an emergency to User Equipments (UEs) camped on or connected to the network node, the network node comprising:

a receiver for receiving information associated with the emergency from a system that collected that information,

a processor configured to process the received information to retrieve information associated with an area affected by, or estimated to be affected by, the emergency, and

a transmitter for transmitting the retrieved information to the UEs camped on or connected to the network node independently of whether those UEs are located in said area.

63. The network node according to claim 62, wherein the retrieved information is geographical information regarding said area.

64. The network node according to claim 62, wherein the retrieved information includes identities of radio base stations within said area.

65. The network node according to claim 62, wherein the processor is further configured to control a behavior of one or more of said UEs according to the retrieved information.

66. The network node according to claim 62, wherein the processor is further configured to configure one or more of said UEs to behave according to pre-defined rules upon reception of the retrieved information.

67. The network node according to claim 66, wherein the pre-defined rules define UE behavior associated with at least one of cell search, measurements, handover and cell reselection.

68. The network node according to claim 62, wherein the network node is an access gateway, a radio network controller, a base station controller, a radio base station, or an eNode B.

69. A User Equipment (UE) configured to receive warning information associated with an emergency from a warning system connectable to a mobile communication network with which the UE is configured to communicate, the UE comprising:

a receiver for receiving from a network node information associated with an area affected by, or estimated to be affected by, the emergency independently of whether the UE is located with said area;

a processor configured to process the received information to combine the received information with map information representing at least a part of said area; and

a user interface configured to present the combined information to a user.

70. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the received information is geographical information regarding said area.

71. The UE according to claim 70, wherein the geographical information is Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, information.

72. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the received information includes identities of radio base stations within said area.

73. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive from the network node control signaling comprising commands that depend on the information associated with said area, and wherein the processor is further configured to control the UE to act according to the commands of the received control signalling.

74. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the processor is further configured to control the UE to act according to pre-defined rules upon reception of the information.

75. The UE according to claim 74, wherein the pre-defined rules define UE behavior associated with at least one of cell search, performing measurements, and cell reselection.

76. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the emergency is any combination of an earthquake, a tsunami, a flood, a fire, a hurricane, and a tornado.

77. The UE according to claim 69, wherein the user interface is a display.