EFFICIENT PERIODIC LOCATION REPORTING IN A RADIO ACCESS NETWORK

• US 20160029173A1
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: EDGE, Stephen William, Fischer, Sven, Burroughts, Kirk Allan
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) communicating with a radio access network (RAN) sends to a network entity (e.g., an MSC/SGSN) a request for periodic reporting of the UE location to a client entity. After the request is approved, the MSC/SGSN sends to the RAN signaling to initiate periodic location reporting for the UE. The RAN may request a positioning center (e.g., a SAS) to send assistance data to the UE. The RAN may coordinate and control the periodic location reporting or may pass the control over to the positioning center. For each location reporting, the UE sends location information (e.g., measurements made by the UE or a location estimate computed by the UE) to the RAN. The SAS computes a location estimate if the UE sends measurements. The RAN then sends the location estimate for the UE to the MSC/SGSN, which forwards the location estimate toward the client entity.

Claims

1. A method of providing location services, comprising:

receiving a periodic request from a user equipment (UE) to initiate periodic reporting of location of the UE to a client entity wherein the periodic request includes periodic location information indicative of when to send location estimates for the UE to the client entity;

forwarding the periodic request to a radio access network (RAN) to initiate the periodic reporting of location of the UE to the client entity, wherein the RAN coordinates and controls the periodic reporting of location of the UE to the client entity; and

for each location reporting indicated by the periodic location information,

receiving from the RAN a location estimate for the UE, and

sending the location estimate for the UE toward the client entity.