Updating mobile station location in a mobile radio network having a mobile subsystem on board a vehicle transporting users of mobile stations

• US 5,577,264 A
• Filed: 06/06/1994
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuohino, Markku
• Primary Examiner(s): FAILE, ANDREW I
• Application Number:
  US08/244,638
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/33.4, 455/56.1, 379/59, 379/60
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A cellular radio network, and methods for updating location and setting up a call in a cellular radio network. The network comprises at least one mobile subsystem, which serves conventional mobile stations. The network knows the location of the subsystem and the mobile stations with an accuracy of a location area. The location data of a mobile station registered in the subsystem is the identification data of the subsystem, which is not updated again until the radio station leaves the subsystem. In the call set-up, a two-stage interrogation is conducted: first, the identifier of the subsystem is obtained as the location data of the mobile station; second, the current location of the subsystem where the call will be routed to is obtained by means of the identifier of the subsystem.

Claims

1. A cellular radio network comprising:

a plurality of mobile stations roaming within a coverage area served by the cellular radio network, location data regarding the respective mobile stations being stored in a storage system of the cellular radio network,

a plurality of base stations serving said mobile stations in respective portions of said coverage area,

at least one mobile subsystem roaming within said coverage area of the cellular radio network and serving said mobile stations,

location data regarding said at least one mobile subsystem being stored in said storage system of the cellular radio network and being accessible by identification data of said at least one mobile subsystem,

means updating, in said storage system, location data regarding each said mobile station entering said mobile subsystem, so as to indicate that each respective said mobile station is located in whatever location area said mobile subsystem is located, in regard to said respective portions of said coverage area, and for effectively updating, in said storage system, location data as to each respective said mobile station, only by updating the location area of said mobile subsystem, whenever said mobile subsystem moves from one to another location area in said coverage area.

2. A cellular radio network according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one mobile subsystem comprises a local radio system which is disposed in a mobile vehicle, and includes means for communicating with respective of the base stations of the cellular radio network over a radio path, and means for communicating with respective of said mobile stations over a radio path.

3. A cellular radio network according to claim 2, wherein:

said mobile subsystem comprises a mobile subscriber exchange.

4. A method for updating location in a cellular radio network comprising a plurality of mobile stations roaming within a coverage area served by the cellular radio network in such a manner that the locations of the respective mobile stations, as to location area, are known within an accuracy of one location area, each location area consisting of at least one cell and at least one mobile subsystem roaming within said coverage area of the cellular radio network and serving the mobile stations, said method comprising the steps of:

updating of the location of each mobile station of said mobile stations in a storage system of the cellular radio network whenever said mobile station enters a the location area within the cellular radio network,

updating in said system the location of each said mobile station entering a said mobile subsystem, whereby the cellular network stores identification data in regard to said mobile subsystem as being location data in regard to said mobile station, and

updating only the location of each said mobile subsystem when that the mobile subsystem and the mobile stations registered in it enters a location area within the cellular radio network.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining location data of each respective mobile station stored in said system of the cellular radio network unchanged until that said mobile station leaves a respective said mobile subsystem.