Mobile device location determination using micronetworks

• US 9,398,418 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• 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): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US14/225,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20140295894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 computer-implemented method for determining a location of a dual-mode mobile device, the method comprising:

establishing, through a first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device, a communication session with a macronetwork;

identifying, based on the communication session with the macronetwork, an available macronetwork-based location determination technique,

wherein the available macronetwork-based location determination technique is associated with an accuracy, time-to-fix, and yield for determining a location of the mobile device;

determining, by communicating with the macronetwork, whether the macronetwork-based location determination technique fails location determination criteria,

wherein the location determination criteria are failed when at least one of the accuracy, time-to-fix, and yield associated with the available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails to satisfy a respective desired accuracy, desired time-to-fix, or desired yield associated with the mobile device; and

obtaining, following the determination that the macronetwork-based location determination technique fails the location determination criteria, location information by;

identifying, through a second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device, a micronetwork in-range of the dual-mode mobile device,

wherein the micronetwork is distinct from the macronetwork, and

wherein the dual-mode mobile device communicates with the macronetwork through a first protocol, and communicates with the micronetwork through a second protocol distinct from the first protocol;

maintaining the established communication session with the macronetwork through the first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device;

establishing a communication session with the micronetwork through the second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device by broadcasting a distress message to the micronetwork;

receiving an identifier from the micronetwork; and

retrieving location information based on the received identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed, at least in part, at a switch or at a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the macronetwork-based location determination technique comprises one of a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), and a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising providing the retrieved location information as an indication of the location of the dual-mode mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the desired accuracy is an accuracy within 20 meters of the actual location of the dual-mode mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein communicating with the macronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) protocols, and

wherein communicating with the micronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Generic Access Network (GAN), Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB), and ZigBee protocols.

7. A computer-implemented method for determining a location of a dual-mode mobile device, the method comprising:

determining, by communicating with a macronetwork through a first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device, that an available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails location determination criteria,

wherein the location determination criteria are failed when the available macro-network-based location determination technique does not satisfy at least one of a desired accuracy, a desired time-to-fix (TTF), and a desired yield; and

after determining that the available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails the location determination criteria, then determining, by communicating with a micronetwork, the location of the dual-mode mobile device according to a micronetwork-based location method,

wherein the micronetwork-based location method satisfies the location determination criteria,

wherein the micronetwork is distinct from the macronetwork,

wherein the communicating with the micronetwork is through a second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device,

wherein the first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device utilizes a first protocol and the second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device utilizes a second protocol distinct from the first protocol,

wherein communicating with the micronetwork comprises broadcasting a distress message from the dual-mode mobile device to the micronetwork, and

wherein the determining of the location of the dual-mode mobile device according to the micronetwork-based location method is performed while continuing to maintain a communication session previously established with the macronetwork through the first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails the location determination criteria comprises determining that the macronetwork-based location determination technique does not satisfy each of the desired accuracy, the desired time-to-fix (TTF), and the desired yield.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is performed, at least in part, at a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) or at a switch.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the macronetwork-based location determination technique comprises one of a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), and a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

11. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising providing the location of the dual-mode mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the desired accuracy is an accuracy within 20 meters of the actual location of the dual-mode mobile device.

13. The method of claim 7,

wherein communicating with the macronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) protocols, and

wherein communicating with the micronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Generic Access Network (GAN), Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB), and ZigBee protocols.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method for determining a location of a dual-mode mobile device, the method comprising:

determining, by communicating with a macronetwork through a first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device, that an available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails location determination criteria,

wherein the location determination criteria are failed when the available macronetwork-based location determination technique does not satisfy at least one of a desired accuracy, a desired time-to-fix (TTF), and a desired yield; and

after determining that the available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails the location determination criteria, then determining, by communicating with a micronetwork, the location of the dual-mode mobile device according to a micronetwork-based location method,

wherein the micronetwork-based location method satisfies the location determination criteria,

wherein the micronetwork is distinct from the macronetwork,

wherein the communicating with the micronetwork is through a second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device,

wherein the first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device utilizes a first protocol and the second network interface of the dual-mode mobile device utilizes a second protocol distinct from the first protocol,

wherein communication with the micronetwork comprises broadcasting a distress message from the dual-mode mobile device to the micronetwork, and

wherein the determining of the location of the dual-mode mobile device according to the micronetwork-based location method is performed while continuing to maintain a communication session previously established with the macronetwork through the first network interface of the dual-mode mobile device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is located at a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) or at a switch.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the macronetwork-based location determination technique comprises one of a Global Positioning System, Time Delay On Arrival (TDOA), an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS), and a Round Trip Time (RTT) technique.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the method further comprises providing the location of the dual-mode mobile device to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the desired accuracy is an accuracy within 20 meters of the actual location of the dual-mode mobile device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining that the available macronetwork-based location determination technique fails the location determination criteria comprises determining that the macronetwork-based location determination technique does not satisfy each of the desired accuracy, the desired time-to-fix (TTF), and the desired yield.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14,

wherein communicating with the macronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) protocols, and

wherein communicating with the micronetwork comprises communicating through at least one of the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), General Access Network (GAN), Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB), and ZigBee protocols.