Location server, location controller, method and system for implementing location-based service

• US 8,285,306 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ni, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Tangela T.
• Application Number:
  US12/902,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20110028165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4562, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A location server, a location controller, a method and a system for implementing a location-based service are provided. The method includes: receiving a location data request sent by a client; sending a location request message including QoS requirement information to a location controller; sending location information to the client according to a location response returned by the location controller, where the location response includes location measurement information. The location server does not need to directly transmit QoS requirement values sent by the client, but satisfies the service having no specific requirements for QoS of a location result by determining the sent QoS requirement information flexibly. The network can determine the QoS of the location result according to its own location capability. In this way, the network location capability is fully utilized, and at the same time flexibility of a location service QoS requirement is improved.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a location-based service, comprising:

receiving a location data request sent by a client;

sending a location request message to a location controller, wherein the location request message comprises Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information, the QoS requirement information comprises a QoS requirement value and a QoS class, wherein the QoS requirement value comprises one or more options of vertical precision, horizontal precision, or a location delay, and wherein the QoS class comprises best effort QoS or guaranteed QoS, one or more of the options of the QoS requirement value is set with a respective QoS class; and

sending location information to the client according to a location response that is returned based upon the QoS requirement value and the QoS class by the location controller.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the receiving the location data request sent by the client, the method further comprises determining the QoS requirement information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining the QoS requirement information comprises:

obtaining the QoS requirement information according to the location data request comprising the QoS requirement information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining the QoS requirement information comprises:

generating the QoS requirement information according to service characteristics of the client, subscription information of a location terminal, or location capability of a network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the QoS requirement information further comprises a QoS requirement range, wherein the QoS requirement range comprises a lower limit of the QoS, or comprises a lower limit of the QoS and an upper limit of the QoS.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the QoS requirement value comprises at least two options, wherein each of the at least two options is set with a respective QoS class.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of the location request message to the location controller according to the QoS requirement information comprises:

sending the location request message consistent with the QoS requirement information to the location controller.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein

if the QoS class is the guaranteed QoS, the sending of the location information to the client comprises:

returning a location result to the client if the location result meets the QoS requirement value, and returning a location failure indication to the client if the location result does not meet the QoS requirement value;

or

if the QoS class is the best effort QoS, the sending of the location information to the client comprises;

returning the location result to the client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

returning a location success indication to the client if the QoS class is the guaranteed QoS and the location result meets the QoS requirement value;

or

returning the location success indication to the client if the QoS class is the best effort QoS.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the QoS requirement range comprises the lower limit of the QoS, and the sending of the location information to the client comprises:

returning a location success indication and a location result to the client if the location result is not lower than the lower limit of the QoS, and returning a location failure indication to the client if the location result is lower than the lower limit of the QoS.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of the location information to the client comprises:

if the QoS class is the guaranteed QoS, returning a location success indication and a location result to the client according to a QoS success indication if the location result meets the QoS requirement value, and returning a location failure indication to the client according to a QoS failure indication if the location result does not meet the QoS requirement values;

or

if the QoS class is the best effort QoS, returning a location success indication and a location result to the client according to a QoS success indication.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location response comprises a location result, and the method further comprises comparing a QoS of the location result with the QoS requirement value,

wherein the sending the location information to the client comprises:

if the QoS class is the guaranteed QoS, returning a location success indication and the location result to the client if the QoS of the location result meets the QoS requirement value, and returning a location failure indication to the client if the QoS of the location result does not meet the QoS requirement value;

or

if the QoS class is the best effort QoS, returning a location success indication and the location result to the client.

13. The method according to claim 5, wherein the location response comprises a location result, and the method further comprises comparing a QoS of the location result with the QoS requirement value,

wherein when the QoS requirement range comprise the lower limit of the QoS, the sending of the location information to the client comprises:

returning a location success indication and the location result to the client if the QoS of the location result is not lower than the lower limit of the QoS, and returning a location failure indication to the client if the QoS of the location result is lower than the lower limit of the QoS;

or

returning the QoS of the location result to the client if the QoS of the location result does not meet the QoS requirement value.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein after the returning the QoS of the location result to the client, the method further comprises:

receiving the location data request sent by the client, wherein the location data request comprises information needed for the client to determine the QoS of the location result to meet demand of a current service; and

returning a location data response comprising the location result to the client.

15. A system for implementing a location-based service, comprising:

a client is configured to send a location data request to a location server;

the location server is configured to send a location request message comprising Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information to a location controller after receiving the location data request sent by the client, and send location information to the client according to a location response returned by the location controller, wherein the QoS requirement information comprises a QoS requirement value and a QoS class, wherein the QoS requirement value comprises one or more options of vertical precision, horizontal precision, or a location delay, and wherein the QoS class comprises best effort QoS or guaranteed QoS, one or more of the options of the QoS requirement value is set with a respective QoS class; and

the location controller is configured to perform location measurement on a corresponding terminal according to the location request message, and return the location response to the location server based upon the QoS requirement value and the QoS class.

16. A location server, comprising:

a request receiving unit, configured to receive a location data request sent by a client;

a request sending unit, configured to send a location request message comprising Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information to a location controller, wherein the QoS requirement information comprises a QoS requirement value and a QoS class wherein the QoS requirement value comprises one or more options of vertical precision, horizontal precision, or a location delay, and wherein the QoS class comprises best effort QoS or guaranteed QoS, one or more of the options of the QoS requirement value is set with a respective QoS class; and

an information sending unit, configured to send location information to the client according to a location response returned based upon the QoS requirement value and the QoS class by the location controller.

17. The location server according to claim 16 further comprising:

a QoS determining unit, configured to determine QoS requirement information after the request receiving unit receives the location data request.

18. The location server according to claim 17, wherein the QoS determining unit comprises:

a first determining unit, configured to obtain the QoS requirement information according to the location data request comprising the QoS requirement information.

19. The location server according to claim 17, wherein the QoS determining unit comprises:

a second determining unit, configured to generate the QoS requirement information according to service characteristics of the client, subscription information of a location terminal or location capability of a network.