Mobile device location determination using micronetworks

• US 8,718,592 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US12/467,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/90.1, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A facility for determining the location of a mobile device when a location determination of a desired accuracy is desired. If available, the facility determines the location of the mobile device using a device-based technique or using a location determination technique that is accessible over a macronetwork. Macronetworks are networks that are designed to cover relatively large areas. If a location determination technique of desired accuracy is not available on the device or over a macronetwork, the facility attempts to use a location determination technique that is accessible over a micronetwork to determine the location of the mobile device. Micronetworks are networks that are designed to cover smaller areas. By forcing a switch from a macronetwork-based location determination technique to a micronetwork-based location determination technique, the facility ensures that a location determination is made for the mobile device of a desired accuracy, time to fix (TTF), and/or yield.

Claims

1. A method, coordinated from a switch, for determining a location of a mobile device and providing the location to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), the method comprising:

while engaging in an emergency services communication over a macronetwork, and while the mobile device is in range of one or more micronetworks, determining whether at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique from a set of macronetwork-based location determination techniques is available,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques of the set include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique, and

wherein each of the available macronetwork-based location determination techniques has a desired accuracy of determined location of the mobile device; and

if at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique of the set of macronetwork-based location determination techniques is available and if the at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique has an accuracy equal or exceeding the corresponding desired accuracy of determination of the mobile device,

determining the geographic coordinates of the mobile device according to at least one of the available macronetwork-based location determination techniques; and

providing the determined geographic coordinates as an indication of the location of the mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP),

otherwise, while continuing the emergency services communication over the macronetwork,

determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork by;

receiving an identifier from at least one micronetwork; and

retrieving geographic coordinates or a street address based on the received identifier; and

providing the retrieved geographic coordinates or street address as an indication of the location of the mobile device to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the micronetwork includes a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access point, and wherein the identifier includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number, or a machine name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identifier includes:

receiving the identifier of the at least one micronetwork from the mobile device via the macronetwork or from a micronetwork component via the Internet.

4. A method for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:

while the mobile device is engaged in an emergency services communication over a macronetwork, and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork, receiving a request to determine the location of the mobile device;

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique, and

wherein each of the available location determination techniques has a desired accuracy of determined location of the mobile device associated therewith of at least a selected level; and

if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork is available and if the at least one location determination technique associated with the macronetwork has an accuracy equal or exceeding the desired accuracy of determination of the local device associated therewith, determining the geographic coordinates of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork; and

otherwise, while continuing the communication session over the macronetwork, determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork by;

receiving, at a femtocell access point, an emergency indication from a mobile device;

transmitting an identifier of the femtocell access point from the femtocell access point to a network component in response to the emergency indication; and

looking up a previously stored street address or geographic coordinates that are associated with the identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the femtocell access point is a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access point, and wherein the identifier includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number, or a machine name.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork includes:

continuing a voice communication, over the macronetwork, between the mobile device and another party.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to the micronetwork further includes:

handing off a voice communication between the mobile device and another party from the macronetwork to the micronetwork.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the request is received from a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in response to an emergency communication from the mobile device, and wherein the method is coordinated from a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), or an Unlicensed Network Controller (UNC).

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the macronetwork is at least one of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) network, an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, an Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, or an Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) network.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the mobile device according to a micronetwork further comprises:

broadcasting a distress message from the mobile device to one or more micronetwork access points.

11. A system for locating a first mobile device and a second mobile device that are each connectable to a communications network, comprising:

a communications network component configured to;

(a) determine that one or more location determination techniques associated with a macronetwork are available to locate the first mobile device, when the first mobile device is engaged in an emergency services communication over the macronetwork and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork,

(b) determine that the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork fail to equal or exceed at least a desired level of expected accuracy of location determination associated therewith for the second mobile device,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique,

(c) determine the location of the first mobile device according to one of the one or more available location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork, and

(d) determine the location of the second mobile device according to the micronetwork that is within communications range of the second mobile device by forcing the second mobile device to communicate with the micronetwork,

wherein the location of the second mobile device is determined according to an identifier provided by an access point of the micronetwork.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communications network component is further configured to coordinate a handoff of a voice communication from a macronetwork to the micronetwork.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more location determination techniques is operable to determine the location of the first mobile device within approximately 20 meters of an actual location of the first mobile device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communications network component is an Unlicensed Network Controller (UNC) configured to locate the first mobile device in response to an emergency services communication between the first device and a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the provided identifier is at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a serial number of an access point of the micronetwork, or a machine name.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the micronetwork employs at least one of a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) standard, a Generic Access Network (GAN) standard, an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) standard, a Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB) standard, a ZigBee standard, or a Bluetooth standard.

17. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a first device to perform a plurality of operations for determining the location of a mobile device that is associated with a macronetwork and that is within communications range of at least one micronetwork, including:

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork having at least a desired level of expected accuracy of location information associated therewith and that are capable of being employed without communicating with any network with which the mobile device is not already associated, when the mobile device is engaged in an emergency services communication over the macronetwork and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique; and

if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques is available and if the at least one macronetwork-based location determination technique has an accuracy equal to or exceeding the desired level of expected accuracy of location information associated therewith, then coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork; and

otherwise, coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to the micronetwork by;

enabling a micronetwork interface of the mobile device;

searching for micronetworks identifiable by the mobile device; and

determining geographic coordinates or a street address according to a micronetwork identified by the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of operations further includes:

handing off an emergency services communication from the macronetwork to the micronetwork.

19. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a mobile device to perform a plurality of operations for determining the location of the mobile device, including:

determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques associated with a macronetwork having at least a desired level of expected accuracy of location information associated therewith and that are capable of being employed independent of any micronetwork, when the mobile device is engaged in an emergency services communication over the macronetwork and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique; and

if none of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork has an accuracy equal to or exceeding the corresponding desired level of expected accuracy of location information associated therewith;

scanning for micronetworks identifiable from the mobile device;

finding the at least one micronetwork, the at least one micronetwork identifiable from the mobile device, the micronetwork having an access point with an identifier;

receiving the identifier at the mobile device; and

providing the identifier from the mobile device to a network component to enable a lookup of a correlated street address or geographic coordinates of the access point; and

providing the street address or geographic coordinates as an indication of the location of the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of operations further include:

enabling a micronetwork interface of the mobile device.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the processor-readable instructions are executed in association with an emergency services communication, and wherein the plurality of operations further include:

forcing a handoff of an emergency services voice communication to the micronetwork.

22. A system for locating a mobile device that is involved in an emergency services communication with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), comprising:

means for determining an availability of one or more location determination techniques associated with a macronetwork having at least one attribute associated therewith of at least a selected level, and that are capable of being employed without communicating with any network with which the mobile device is not already associated, when the mobile device is engaged in an emergency services communication over the macronetwork and is within communications range of at least one micronetwork,

wherein the macronetwork-based location determination techniques include a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), or a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique, and

wherein each of the available macronetwork-based location determination techniques has a desired accuracy of determined location of the mobile device;

means for coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to one of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork if at least one of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork has an accuracy equal to or exceeding the corresponding desired accuracy of determined location of the mobile device; and

means for coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to the micronetwork if none of the one or more location determination techniques associated with the macronetwork have an accuracy equal to or exceeding the corresponding desired accuracy of determined location of the mobile device, wherein coordinating a location determination of the mobile device according to the micronetwork comprises receiving an identifier from at least one micronetwork and retrieving geographic coordinates based on the received identifier.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the available macronetwork based location determination techniques have a yield or time to fix attribute associated therewith of at least a selected level.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising receiving an indication from a network component to communicate with the micronetwork, and enabling a micronetwork interface of the mobile device to communicate with the micronetwork in response to the indication.