System and method for implementing positioning quality of service

• US 6,078,818 A
• Filed: 03/09/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Kingdon, Christopher H., Zadeh, Bagher R., Roel-Ng, Maya, Hayes, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US09/036,918
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/440, 455/63, 455/67.3, 455/457, 455/67.1, 455/524
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for allowing an application requesting positioning of a mobile terminal to indicate the quality of positioning information desired, e.g., timeliness, accuracy, etc. In addition, prior to performing the positioning, the cellular network can determine whether the quality of service requested can be achieved, and if so, return the positioning information along with a message indicating that the quality of service requested was achieved. However, if the quality of service requested cannot be achieved, a failure message is sent to the requesting application and the positioning is not performed.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for determining the location of a given one of a plurality of mobile terminals within a cellular network, said telecommunications system comprising:

a mobile switching center in wireless communication with said given mobile terminal, said mobile switching center obtaining positioning data associated with the location of said given mobile terminal within said cellular network;

a positioning node connected to said mobile switching center, said mobile switching center forwarding said positioning data to said positioning node for positioning of said given mobile terminal; and

a requesting node in communication with said positioning node, said positioning node receiving a positioning request from said requesting node, said positioning request comprising quality of service information requested by said requesting node and associated with positioning of said given mobile terminal,

wherein said positioning node utilizes said quality of service information in the process of positioning said given mobile terminal.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said positioning node sends an acknowledgment message to said requesting node.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said acknowledgement message is sent to said requesting node with the location of said given mobile terminal within said cellular network.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 3, wherein said acknowledgement message indicates achievement of said quality of service information requested by said requesting node.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said acknowledgement message is a failure message, said failure message being sent to said requesting node prior to positioning said given mobile terminal, positioning of said given mobile terminal being terminated when said failure message is sent.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said quality of service information comprises accuracy information.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 6, wherein said accuracy information comprises maximum region area information and minimum probability information.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said quality of service information comprises timeliness information.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 8, wherein said timeliness information comprises minimum currency of said positioning data and maximum elapsed time between measurement of said positioning data and receipt of said positioning data by said positioning node.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said quality of service information comprises network impact information.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 10, wherein said network impact information comprises maximum permitted resource allocation information and maximum permitted network degradation information.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said quality of service information comprises result shape information and format information.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 12, wherein said format information is a two-dimensional format, said result shape information being selected from the group consisting of:

a circle, an ellipse, and a polygon.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 12, wherein said format information is a three-dimensional format, said result shape information being selected from the group consisting of:

a sphere, an ellipsoid, and a tiled volume.

15. A method for determining the location of a given one of a plurality of mobile terminals within a cellular network, said method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a requesting node, a positioning request and quality of service information requested by said requesting node and associated with positioning of said given mobile terminal to a positioning node within said cellular network, said positioning node being connected to a mobile switching center, said mobile switching center being in wireless communication with said given mobile terminal;

analyzing, by said positioning node, said quality of service information; and

positioning, by said positioning node, said given mobile terminal when said positioning node determines that said quality of service information can be achieved, said step of positioning being performed by said mobile switching center obtaining positioning data associated with the location of said given mobile terminal within said cellular network and forwarding said positioning data to said positioning node.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, after said step of analyzing, the step of:

sending, by said positioning node, an acknowledgement message to said requesting node.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, after said step of positioning, the step of:

sending, by said positioning center, the location of said mobile terminal within said cellular network to said requesting node, said step of sending said acknowledgement message being performed substantially simultaneous to said step of sending the location of said given mobile terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said acknowledgement message indicates achievement of said quality of service information requested by said requesting node.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said acknowledgement message is a failure message, said step of sending said failure message being performed prior to said step of positioning said given mobile terminal, said step of positioning said given mobile terminal not being performed when said failure message is sent.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said quality of service information comprises accuracy information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said accuracy information comprises maximum region area information and minimum probability information.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said quality of service information comprises timeliness information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said timeliness information comprises minimum currency of said positioning data and maximum elapsed time between measurement of said positioning data and receipt of said positioning data by said positioning node.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said quality of service information comprises network impact information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said network impact information comprises maximum permitted resource allocation information and maximum permitted network degradation information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said quality of service information comprises result shape information and format information.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said format information is a two-dimensional format, said result shape information being selected from the group consisting of:

a circle, an ellipse, and a polygon.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said format information is a three-dimensional format, said result shape information being selected from the group consisting of:

a sphere, an ellipsoid, and a tiled volume.