Methods and apparatus for determining relationships in heterogeneous networks

• US 9,739,867 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nylander, Tomas, Stlnacke, Per-Daniel, Zee, Oscar
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/421,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20160069984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method enables automatic determination that an area covered by an Access Point (AP) of a Wi-Fi Radio Access Network (RAN) overlaps with a cell of a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN. The method comprises, at an entity of the Wi-Fi RAN, obtaining a 3GPP identifier related to a user terminal that is attached to the Wi-Fi RAN and an identifier for an AP of the Wi-Fi RAN to which the terminal is attached. The method further comprises, at the entity, generating and sending a Location Service Request including the 3GPP identifier to a Location Services (LCS) Server associated with the 3GPP RAN, receiving a Location Service Response from the LCS Server that includes information identifying a cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located, and causing storage of an association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell.

Claims

1. A method enabling automatic determination that an area covered by an Access Point (AP) of a Wi-Fi Radio Access Network (RAN) overlaps with a cell of a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN, the method comprising, at an entity of the Wi-Fi RAN:

obtaining a 3GPP identifier related to a user terminal that is attached to the Wi-Fi RAN and an identifier for a Wi-Fi AP to which the user terminal is attached;

generating and sending a Location Service Request including the 3GPP identifier to a Location Services (LCS) Server associated with the 3GPP RAN;

receiving a Location Service Response from the LCS Server that includes information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located;

causing storage of an association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell;

recording an indication of a time at which the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell is generated; and

when a further association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell is not generated within a specified time period, cancelling the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN to function as an LCS Client of the LCS Server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the storage of the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell comprises storing the association in a memory of the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein it is determined that the area covered by the Wi-Fi AP overlaps with the identified 3GPP cell if the number of stored associations between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell exceeds a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the storage of the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell comprises sending the association for storage at a further entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN generates and sends the Location Service Request upon receipt of the 3GPP identifier associated with the user terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN receives an attachment notification from a Wi-Fi Access Controller, the attachment notification including the 3GPP identifier associated with the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN is a Wi-Fi Access Controller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the entity of the Wi-Fi RAN obtains the 3GPP identifier during authentication of the user terminal in the Wi-Fi RAN.

10. A method of operating a Location Services (LCS) Server associated with a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Network (RAN) the method comprising:

receiving a Location Service Request from an LCS Client within a Wi-Fi RAN, the Location Service Request including a 3GPP identifier related to a user terminal;

determining that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with location information identifying a cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located;

obtaining the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN; and

generating and sending a Location Service Response to the LCS Client within the Wi-Fi RAN, the Location Service Response including the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN,

wherein the sending of the Location Service Response to the LCS Client causes the LCS Client to;

store an association between an identified Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN,

record an indication of a time at which the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN is generated, and

when a further association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN is not generated within a specified time period, cancel the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN comprises:

determining that the Location Service Request includes an indication that the LCS Server should respond with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN comprises:

obtaining an identifier for the LCS Client from the Location Service Request; and

determining that the identified LCS Client requires the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN.

13. A Wi-Fi Radio Access Network (RAN) configured to enable automatic determination that an area covered by an Access Point (AP) of the Wi-Fi RAN overlaps with a cell of a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN, the Wi-Fi RAN comprising an entity, the entity comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a 3GPP identifier related to a user terminal that is attached to the Wi-Fi RAN and an identifier for a Wi-Fi AP to which the user terminal is attached;

a processor configured to generate a Location Service Request including the 3GPP identifier;

a transmitter configured to send the Location Service Request to a Location Services, (LCS) Server associated with the 3GPP RAN;

the receiver further configured to receive a Location Service Response from the LCS Server that includes information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located; and

the processor further configured to;

cause storage of an association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell;

record an indication of a time at which the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell is generated; and

cancel the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell when a further association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell is not generated within a specified time period.

14. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 13, wherein the entity is configured to function as an LCS Client of the LCS Server.

15. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 13, wherein the entity further comprises a memory configured to store the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell, and the processor is further configured to cause the storage of the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell by storing the association in the memory.

16. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the area covered by the Wi-Fi AP overlaps with the identified 3GPP cell if the number of stored associations between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell exceeds a threshold.

17. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the area covered by the Wi-Fi AP overlaps with the identified 3GPP cell upon the storage of the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell.

18. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the storage of the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified 3GPP cell by sending the association for storage at a further entity.

19. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the Location Service Request upon receipt of the 3GPP identifier associated with the user terminal.

20. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 19, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive an attachment notification from a Wi-Fi Access Controller, the attachment notification including the 3GPP identifier associated with the user terminal.

21. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 13, wherein the entity is a Wi-Fi Access Controller.

22. The Wi-Fi Radio Access Network of claim 21, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the 3GPP identifier during authentication of the user terminal in the Wi-Fi RAN.

23. A Location Services (LCS) Server associated with a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Network (RAN) and configured to provide location information to a Wi-Fi RAN, the LCS Server comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a Location Service Request from an LCS Client within the Wi-Fi RAN, the Location Service Request including a 3GPP identifier related to a user terminal;

a processor configured to determine that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with the location information identifying a cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located, to obtain the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN in which the user terminal is located, and to generate a Location Service Response including the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN;

a transmitter configured to send the Location Service Response to the LCS Client within the Wi-Fi RAN,

wherein the transmitter upon sending the Location Service Response to the LCS Client causes the LCS Client to;

store an association between an identified Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN,

record an indication of a time at which the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN is generated, and

cancel the association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN when a further association between the identified Wi-Fi AP and the identified cell of the 3GPP RAN is not generated within a specified time period.

24. The LCS Server of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN by determining that the Location Service Request includes an indication that the LCS Server should respond with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN.

25. The LCS Server of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the LCS Server should respond to the Location Service Request with the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN by:

obtaining an identifier for the LCS Client from the Location Service Request; and

determining that the identified LCS Client requires the location information identifying the cell of the 3GPP RAN.