Location information acquisition method and mobile station

• US 8,614,987 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Hapsari, Wuri Andarmawanti, Ishii, Minami, Nakamura, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): LO, DIANE LEE
• Application Number:
  US12/866,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20110026486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A mobile communication method includes the steps of: transmitting, from a first radio base station (S-eNB) to the mobile station (UE) communicating via a first cell under control of the first radio base station (S-eNB), a handover command instructing to perform handover to a second cell under control of a second radio base station (T-eNB); performing, at the mobile station (UE), handover from the first cell to the second cell in response to the handover command; acquiring, at the mobile station (UE), a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the handover command; and notifying, from the mobile station (UE) to the location information management server, the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell.

Claims

1. A location information acquisition method by which a location information management server, which manages positioning of a mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, acquires location information on the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, from a first radio base station to the mobile station communicating via a first cell under control of the first radio base station, a handover command instructing to perform handover to a second cell under control of a second radio base station;

performing, at the mobile station, handover from the first cell to the second cell in response to the handover command;

acquiring, at the mobile station, a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the handover command; and

notifying, from the mobile station to the location information management server, the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

2. A location information acquisition method by which a location information management server, which manages positioning of a mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, acquires location information on the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, from a first radio base station to the mobile station communicating via a first cell under control of the first radio base station, a handover command instructing to perform handover to a second cell under control of a second radio base station;

performing, at the mobile station, handover from the first cell to the second cell in response to the handover command;

transmitting, from the mobile station to the second radio base station, a handover completion report notifying that handover from the first cell to the second cell is completed;

notifying, from the second radio base station to the mobile station, a global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, after receiving the handover completion report; and

notifying, from the mobile station to the location information management server, the notified global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

3. A location information acquisition method by which a location information management server, which manages positioning of a mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, acquires location information on the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

measuring, at the mobile station communicating via a first cell under control of a first radio base station, a reception quality of a pilot signal in the first cell and a reception quality of a pilot signal in a second cell under control of a second radio base station;

receiving, at the mobile station, broadcast information in the second cell, when the reception quality of the pilot signal in the second cell is higher than the reception quality of the pilot signal in the first cell;

acquiring, at the mobile station, a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the broadcast information;

reporting, from the mobile station to the first radio base station, results of the measurement of the reception qualities of the pilot signals in the first cell and the second cell;

transmitting, from the first radio base station to the mobile station, a handover command instructing to perform handover to the second cell;

performing, at the mobile station, handover from the first cell to the second cell in response to the handover command; and

notifying, from the mobile station to the location information management server, the notified global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

4. A location information acquisition method by which a location information management server, which manages positioning of a mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, acquires location information on the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, from a first radio base station to the mobile station communicating via a first cell under control of the first radio base station, a handover command instructing to perform handover to a second cell under control of a second radio base station;

performing handover by the mobile station from the first cell to the second cell in response to the handover command;

transmitting a handover completion report from the mobile station to the second radio base station, the handover completion report notifying that handover from the first cell to the second cell is completed;

receiving, at the mobile station, broadcast information on the second cell after transmitting the handover completion report;

acquiring, at the mobile station, a global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the broadcast information; and

notifying, from the mobile station to the location information management server, the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

5. A location information acquisition method by which a location information management server, which manages positioning of a mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, acquires location information on the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

instructing, from the location information management server to the mobile station, to notify the location information management server of location information on the mobile station, when starting positioning of the mobile station;

acquiring, at the mobile station, a global cell ID which can uniquely identify a cell in at least one mobile communication system, from a radio base station, in response to the instruction from the location information management server; and

notifying, from the mobile station to the location information management server, the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

6. A mobile station configured to notify a location information management server of location information, the location information management server managing positioning of the mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, comprising:

a handover processor unit configured to perform handover from a first cell under control of a first radio base station to a second cell under control of a second radio base station, in accordance with a handover command instructing to perform handover to the second cell, when the mobile station receives the handover command while communicating via the first cell;

a global cell ID acquisition unit configured to acquire a global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the handover command; and

a global cell ID notification unit configured to notify the location information management server of the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

7. A mobile station configured to notify a location information management server of location information, the location information management server managing positioning of the mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, comprising:

a handover processor unit configured to perform handover from a first cell under control of a first radio base station to a second cell under control of a second radio base station, in accordance with a handover command instructing to perform handover to the second cell, when the mobile station receives the handover command while communicating via the first cell, and then to transmit a handover completion report to a second radio base station, the handover completion report notifying that handover from the first cell to the second cell is completed;

a global cell ID acquisition unit configured to acquire a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, through notification by the second radio base station having received the handover completion report; and

a global cell ID notification unit configured to notify the location information management server of the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

8. A mobile station configured to notify a location information management server of location information, the location information management server managing positioning of the mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, comprising:

a handover processor unit configured to measure a reception quality of a pilot signal in a first cell and a reception quality of a pilot signal in a second cell under control of a second radio base station, to report measurement results of the reception qualities of the pilot signals in the first cell and the second cell to a first radio base station, and then to perform handover from the first cell to the second cell in accordance with a handover command, which instructs to perform handover to the second cell upon receiving the handover command from the first radio base station, while the mobile station communicates via the first cell under control of the first radio base station;

a global cell ID acquisition unit configured to receive broadcast information on the second cell when the reception quality of the pilot signal in the second cell is higher than the reception quality of the pilot signal in the first cell, and then to acquire a global cell ID from the broadcast information, the global cell ID making the second cell uniquely identifiable in at least one mobile communication system; and

a global cell ID notification unit configured to notify the location information management server of the global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

9. A mobile station configured to notify a location information management server of location information, the location information management server managing positioning of the mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, comprising:

a handover processor unit configured to perform handover from a first cell under control of a first radio base station to a second cell in accordance with a handover command, when the mobile station receives the handover command while communicating via the first cell, and then to transmit a handover completion report to a second radio base station, the handover command instructing to perform handover to the second cell, the handover completion report notifying that handover from the first cell to the second cell is completed;

a global cell ID acquisition unit configured to receive broadcast information on the second cell after transmitting the handover completion report, and then to acquire a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify the second cell in at least one mobile communication system, from the broadcast information; and

a global cell ID notification unit configured to notify the location information management server of the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.

10. A mobile station configured to notify a location information management server of location information, the location information management server managing positioning of the mobile station via a U-Plane based positioning using a global positioning system, comprising:

a global cell ID acquisition unit configured to acquire a global cell ID, which can uniquely identify a cell in at least one mobile communication system, from a radio base station in response to the instruction from the location information management server, when the location information management server instructs to notify the information management server of location information on the mobile station, and when he location information management server starts positioning of the mobile station; and

a global cell ID notification unit configured to notify the location information management server of the acquired global cell ID which can uniquely identify the second cell, even though the location information management server manages the positioning of the mobile station via the U-Plane based positioning using the global positioning system.