Method and network for determining an environment wherein a mobile terminal is situated

• US 8,224,312 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Boiero, Gianluca, Lovisolo, Piero
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US12/312,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20100069057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455423-425, 4554561-4566, 455/550.1, 455/90.1
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• 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 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method of determining an environment wherein a mobile terminal of a mobile radiocommunication network is situated, the mobile terminal being associated to an identifier. The method includes: i) retrieving the identifier; ii) retrieving at least one technical feature of the mobile terminal according to the identifier, the one technical feature being related to the capability of the mobile terminal of receiving a radio signal; iii) taking a measurement indicative of a quality of the radio signal at the mobile terminal; and iv) applying to the measurement an operation for determining the environment, the operation depending on at least one parameter, wherein the method further includes, before step iv), v) adjusting at least one of the at least one parameter and the measurement according to the at least one technical feature.

Claims

1. A method of determining an environment wherein a mobile terminal of a mobile radiocommunication network is situated, said mobile terminal being associated with an identifier, comprising:

i) retrieving said identifier;

ii) retrieving at least one technical feature of said mobile terminal according to said identifier, said one technical feature being related to a capability of said mobile terminal of receiving a radio signal;

iii) taking a measurement indicative of a quality of said radio signal at said mobile terminal;

iv) adjusting at least one of at least one parameter and said measurement according to said at least one technical feature; and

v) applying to said measurement an operation for determining said environment, said operation depending on said at least one parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least steps i) and ii) are performed at a network apparatus of said mobile radiocommunication network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identifier is an international mobile equipment identity of said mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step ii) comprises reading in a first database at least one of a brand and a model of said mobile terminal according to said identifier and reading said at least one technical feature in a second database according to said at least one of the brand and the model of said mobile terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one technical feature comprises one or more of:

a sensitivity of a receiver of said radio signal in said mobile terminal, an attenuation of said radio signal due to a package of the mobile terminal, and an equivalent antenna gain of a receiver of said radio signal in the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said radio signal is emitted by said mobile radiocommunication network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said radio signal belongs to a satellite positioning system network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein step iv) further comprises adjusting according to a geographic position of said mobile terminal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measurement comprises one or more of the following measurements:

a measurement of received signal power, a measurement of received signal-to-noise ratio, and a measurement of multipath interference.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein step iv) and step v) are performed by said mobile terminal.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein step iv) and step v) are performed by a network apparatus of said mobile radiocommunication network.

12. A mobile radiocommunication network comprising:

a mobile terminal associated with an identifier, said mobile terminal capable of being adapted to take a measurement indicative of a quality of a radio signal received at said mobile terminal;

a first database storing at least one technical feature of said mobile terminal related to the capability of said mobile terminal of receiving said radio signal;

a network apparatus capable of being adapted to retrieve said at least one technical feature of said mobile terminal from said first database according to said identifier;

a processor capable of being adapted to apply to said measurement an operation for determining an environment wherein said mobile terminal is situated, said operation depending on at least one parameter, wherein said processor is further adapted to adjust at least one of said at least one parameter and said measurement according to said at least one technical feature.

13. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said processor is in said network apparatus.

14. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said processor is in said mobile terminal.

15. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said identifier is an international mobile equipment identity of said mobile terminal.

16. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, further comprising a second database storing at least one of a brand and a model of said mobile terminal, said network apparatus capable of being adapted to read in said second database at least one of the brand and the model of said mobile terminal according to said identifier, said network apparatus capable of being adapted to retrieve said at least one technical feature of said mobile terminal from said first database according to at least one among the brand and the model of said mobile terminal.

17. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said at least one technical feature comprises one or more of:

a sensitivity of a receiver of said radio signal in said mobile terminal, an attenuation of said radio signal due to a package of the mobile terminal, and an equivalent antenna gain of a receiver of said radio signal in the mobile terminal.

18. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said radio signal belongs to said mobile radiocommunication network.

19. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said radio signal belongs to a satellite positioning system network.

20. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said processor is capable of being further adapted to adjust at least one among said at least one parameter and said measurement according to a geographic position of said mobile terminal.

21. The mobile radiocommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said measurement comprises one or more of the following measurements:

a measurement of received signal power, a measurement of received signal-to-noise ratio, and a measurement of multipath interference.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software instructions that, when executed by a computer, determines an environment wherein a mobile terminal of a mobile radiocommunication network is situated, said mobile terminal being associated with an identifier, said software instructions comprising:

i) an identifier retrieving code for retrieving said identifier;

ii) a technical feature retrieving code for retrieving at least one technical feature of said mobile terminal according to said identifier, said one technical feature being related to a capability of said mobile terminal of receiving a radio signal;

iii) a reading code for reading a measurement indicative of a quality of said radio signal at said mobile terminal;

iv) an adjusting code for adjusting at least one of at least one parameter and said measurement according to said at least one technical feature; and

v) an applying code for applying to said measurement an operation for determining said environment, said operation depending on said at least one parameter.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein said applying code and said adjusting code reside on a network apparatus of said mobile radiocommunication network.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein said applying code and said adjusting code reside on said mobile terminal.