Positioning system and positioning method in mobile communication network

• US 7,801,535 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim; Steven
• Application Number:
  US12/258,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

There is provided a positioning system which generates an appropriate response according to a positioning accuracy request class from a client device. A client device 101 specifies the positioning accuracy and the request class thereof that it requests to transmit a positioning request of a mobile station 103 to a server device 102. The server device 102 checks the positioning accuracy requested by the client device 101, and, if positioning results which satisfy the requested accuracy exist, responds the positioning results. If the positioning results which satisfy the requested accuracy do not exist, the server device 102 checks the accuracy request class, selects the positioning results with the highest positioning accuracy to respond to the client device 101 in the case of a second class (“Best Effort”), and notifies an error to the client device 101 in the case of a first class (“Assured”).

Claims

1. A server of a mobile communication system including a mobile station, comprising:

a positioning request processing means for receiving a positioning request which requests position information of said mobile station; and

a transmission means for transmitting one of said position information and error notification in accordance with a requested positioning accuracy and a requested positioning accuracy level that designates a level of treatment when the available position information does not fulfill the requested accuracy, in which a first level of treatment specifies that an error is to be sent and a second level of treatment specifies that the available position information is to be sent as a response to said positioning request.

2. The server according to claim 1,

wherein said transmission means transmits said error notification, if accuracy of said position information does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested positioning accuracy level is a first level, and transmits said position information, if the accuracy of said position information does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested positioning accuracy level is a second level.

3. The server according to claim 1,

wherein said mobile communication system comprises a regional area network and a management device which communicates with said regional area network, and

wherein said positioning request processing means carries out positioning processing for obtaining said position information of said mobile station in cooperation with said management device.

4. The server according to claim 3,

wherein said positioning request processing means receives said position information from said management device.

5. The server according to claim 3,

wherein said positioning processing is any one of A-GPS positioning processing, Cell-ID positioning processing, and OTDOA positioning processing.

6. The server according to claim 3,

wherein said transmission means transmits said error notification, if said positioning request processing means has failed in obtaining said position information.

7. The server according to claim 1, wherein said mobile communication system comprises a client device, and

wherein said positioning request processing means receives said positioning request from said client device, and transmits one of said position information and the error notification to said client device.

8. The server according to claim 7,

wherein said positioning request processing means receives at least one of said requested positioning accuracy and said requested positioning accuracy level from said client device.

9. A client device of a mobile communication system comprised of a mobile station and a server, the client device comprising:

a transmission means which transmits a positioning request which requests position information of said mobile station; and

a receiving means which receives one of the position information of said mobile station and error notification from said server in accordance with requested positioning accuracy and a requested positioning accuracy level as a response to said positioning request.

10. The client device according to claim 9,

wherein said receiving means receives said error notification, if position information in said server does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested level is a first level, and receives position information stored by said server, if the position information in said server does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested level is a second level.

11. The client device according to claim 9,

wherein said mobile communication system comprises a regional area network and a management device which communicates with said regional area network, and

wherein the position information in said server is obtained by positioning processing carried out through cooperation of said server and said management device.

12. The client device according to claim 11,

wherein the position information in said server is received by said server from said management device.

13. The client device according to claim 11,

wherein said positioning processing is any one of A-GPS positioning processing, Cell-ID positioning processing, and OTDOA positioning processing.

14. The client device according to claim 11, comprising:

receiving said error notification, if said server and said management device have failed in obtaining said position information.

15. The client device according to claim 9,

wherein said transmission means transmits at least one of said requested positioning accuracy and said requested level to said server.

16. A mobile station of a mobile communication system comprised of a server, a regional area network, and a management device which communicates with said regional area network, the mobile station comprising:

a radio communication means which communicates with said regional area network; and

a positioning processing means which carries out positioning processing for obtaining position information of said mobile station in cooperation with said regional area network, said management device, and said server in response to a positioning request from said server,

wherein one of said position information and error notification is transmitted from said server in accordance with requested positioning accuracy and a requested positioning accuracy level.

17. The mobile station according to claim 16,

wherein said error notification is transmitted from said server, if accuracy of said position information does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested level is a first level, and

wherein said position information is transmitted from said server, if the accuracy of said position information does not satisfy said requested positioning accuracy, and said requested level is a second level.

18. The mobile station according to claim 16,

wherein said positioning processing is any one of A-GPS positioning processing, Cell-ID positioning processing, and OTDOA positioning processing.

19. The mobile station according to claim 16,

wherein said error notification is transmitted from said server if obtaining said position information has failed.

20. The mobile station according to claim 16,

wherein said mobile communication system comprises a client device which communicates with said server device, and

wherein one of said position information and the error notification transmitted from said server to said client device.