Location for minimization of drive test in LTE systems

• US 8,903,420 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HFI Innovation, Inc. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Johansson, Per Johan Mikael, Chen, Yih-Shen
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US13/633,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/456, 455/418, 455/404.1, 342/450
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for active location acquisition. An active location acquisition controller is included in a device. The active location acquisition controller can be a circuit or code running on a processor included in the device. A measurement collection request is communicated to the device. The device then determines if and how a location information is to be acquired. If the device determines that the location information is to be acquired, the device enables a location acquisition system to acquire the location information and the device then acquires the requested measurement and stores the requested measurement and the location information in the measurement log. If the device determines that the location information is not to be acquired, the device disables a location acquisition system and does not acquire the location information and the device then acquires the requested measurement and stores the requested measurement in the measurement log.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) communicating a measurement collection request onto a device;

(b) determining if and how a location information is to be acquired;

(c) acquiring a measurement information and the location information;

(d) storing the measurement information and the location information in a measurement log, wherein (c) and (d) are performed by the device; and

(e) suspending the acquisition of measurement information and the acquisition of location information when a local resource is not available, wherein the step of (c) further comprises;

(c1) enabling a location acquisition system, wherein the enabling of (c1) is performed by the device, wherein the location acquisition system generates the location information, wherein the location acquisition system is Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or Observed Time Difference of Arrival System (OTDOA), and wherein location information is generated in accordance with a LTE positioning protocol (LTP).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the suspending of (e) is also performed when the device determines that the location information is not to be acquired.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a Base Station (BS).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the suspending of (e) further comprises disabling a location acquisition system, and wherein the location acquisition system generates the location information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement log is a Minimization of Drive Test (MDT) log.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) disabling a location acquisition system, wherein (e) and (f) are performed by the device, and wherein the location acquisition system generates the location information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the suspending of (e) is initiated when the device has insufficient memory to store the requested measurement.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the suspending of (e) is initiated when the device is in a low battery mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a base station, wherein the determining of (b) is performed by the base station.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a base station, wherein a location acquisition system resides in a User Equipment (UE), and wherein a request to obtain a detailed location information is sent from the base station to the UE, thereby requesting the UE to attempt to make the detailed location information available.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a MDT measurement system resides in the User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE is configured to communicate a measurement report including the location information to the base station, wherein the UE attempts to have the detailed location information available when communicating the measurement report.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE), and wherein the location information is generated by a location server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a base station, wherein the location information is generated by a location server, and wherein a Mobile Management Entity (MME) performs address translation of a location request and a location response communicated between the base station and the location server.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the location server is a Secure user plane Location Platform (SLP) or an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC).