Area-based positioning method in mobile communications system

• US 7,706,813 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shim, Dong-Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hua; Quan M
• Application Number:
  US11/501,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20100062752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/414.2, 455/440, 455/456.3, 340988-996
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

A positioning method in a SUPL based position information (positioning) system, and particularly a positioning method capable of variously efficiently performing an area-based positioning (location tracking) performed by a location server or a mobile communications terminal when the location server and the mobile communications terminal respectively manage triggers generating the area-based positioning.

Claims

1. An area-based positioning method for a mobile communications system wherein said system is conformed to the existing Open Alliance Mobile'"'"'s SUPL standard, the method performed by a server and comprising:

receiving, from a SUPL (Secure User Plane Location) Agent, a request message of a positioning request for a target SET (SUPL Enabled Terminal);

initiating a SUPL procedure for an area event triggered session by sending a SUPL INIT message to the SET, the SUPL INIT message including (1) at least one of a session-id, a positioning method, and an SLP (SUPL Location Platform) mode, and (2) information indicating a trigger type;

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL TRIGGERED START message that includes a session-id, a location-id, and SET capability information;

sending, to the SET, a SUPL TRIGGERED RESPONSE message that includes at least one of a session-id, a positioning method, trigger parameters and location identifiers of an area specified for the area event triggered session;

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL POS INIT message to start a positioning session when a current area id and at least one of the location identifiers matches with each other;

calculating exact positioning information of the SET, upon exchanging positioning procedure messages with the SET during the positioning session, the exact positioning information including longitudinal and latitudinal data of the SET;

sending, to the SET, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning information of the SET;

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning information, if it is indicated, based on the calculated positioning information, that the SET is moved into a specified area or is positioned in the specified area or moved out of the specified area;

sending, to the SUPL Agent, a REPORT message that includes the calculated positioning information of the SET; and

sending, to the SET, a SUPL END message to end the area event triggered session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

informing the SUPL Agent that the positioning request for the SET is accepted, after sending the SUPL TRIGGERED RESPONSE message to the SET.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the SUPL REPORT message is performed if a trigger condition is satisfied, and the trigger condition is satisfied if an area event is triggered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least one of cell id(s) belonging to the positioning-requested area, Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), Location Area Code (LAC), a scrambling code number, and a primary scrambling code number.

5. An area-based positioning method for a mobile communications system wherein said system is conformed to the existing Open Alliance Mobile'"'"'s SUPL standard, the method performed by a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) and comprising:

receiving, from a network, a SUPL INIT message to initiate a SUPL (Secure User Plane Location) procedure for an area event triggered session in response to a request from a SUPL Agent, the SUPL [NIT message including (1) at least one of a session-id, a positioning method, and an SLP (SUPL Location Platform) mode, and (2) information indicating a trigger type,

sending, to the network, a SUPL TRIGGERED START message that includes a session-id, a location-id, and SET capability information;

receiving, from the network, a SUPL TRIGGERED RESPONSE message that includes at least one of a session-id, a positioning method, trigger parameters and location identifiers of an area specified for the area event triggered session;

sending, to the network, a SUPL POS [NIT message to start a positioning session when a comparison between a current area id and at least one of the location identifiers received from the network indicates that a first trigger condition is satisfied;

exchanging positioning procedure messages with the network;

receiving a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and calculated exact positioning information of the SET from the network, the calculated positioning information including longitudinal and latitudinal data of the SET;

comparing the calculated positioning information with position data of a specified area defined in the trigger parameters to check whether a second trigger condition is satisfied;

sending, to the network, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning information if the second trigger condition is satisfied; and

receiving, from the network, a SUPL END message to end the area event triggered session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first trigger condition is satisfied when the current area id and the at least one of the location identifiers matches with each other.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second trigger condition is satisfied when the SET is moved into a specified area or is positioned in the specified area or moved out of the specified area.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein for the step of sending the SUPL REPORT message, the second trigger condition is satisfied if an area event is triggered.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least one of cell id(s) belonging to the positioning-requested area, Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), Location Area Code (LAC), a scrambling code number, and a primary scrambling code number.

10. An area-based positioning method for a mobile communications system wherein said system is conformed to the existing Open Alliance Mobile'"'"'s SUPL standard, the method performed by a server and comprising:

receiving, from a target SET (SUPL Enabled Terminal), a SUPL TRIGGERED START message to initiate a SUPL (Secure User Plane Location) procedure for an area event triggered session in response to a positioning request from a SUPL Agent, the SUPL TRIGGERED START message including (1) at least one of a session-id, location-id, and SET capability information and (2) information indicating a trigger type and trigger parameters;

sending, to the SET, a SUPL TRIGGERED RESPONSE message that includes at least one of a session-id, a positioning method and location identifiers of an area specified for the area event triggered session;

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL POS INIT message to start a positioning session when a current area id and at least one of the location identifiers matches with each other;

calculating exact positioning information of the SET upon exchanging positioning procedure messages with the SET during the positioning session, the exact positioning information including longitudinal and latitudinal data of the SET;

sending, to the SET, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning information to allow the SET to compare the calculated positioning information with position data of a specified area defined in the trigger parameters to check whether the SET is moved into a specified area or is positioned in the specified area or moved out of the specified area;

reporting the calculated positioning information to the SUPL Agent;

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL END message to end the area event triggered session.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, from the SET, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning value, if a trigger condition is satisfied, wherein the trigger condition is satisfied if an area event is triggered.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least one of cell id(s) belonging to the positioning-requested area, Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), Location Area Code (LAC), a scrambling code number, and a primary scrambling code number.

13. An area-based positioning method for a mobile communications system that is conformed to the existing Open Alliance Mobile'"'"'s SUPL standard, the method performed by a SET (SUPL Enabled Terminal) and comprising:

sending, to a network, a SUPL TRIGGERED START message to initiate a SUPL (Secure User Plane Location) procedure for an area event triggered session in response to a request from a SUPL Agent in the SET, the SUPL TRIGGERED START message including (1) at least one of a session-id, a location-id, and SET capability information and (2) information indicating a trigger type and trigger parameters;

receiving, from the network, a SUPL TRIGGERED RESPONSE message that includes at least one of a session-id, a positioning method and location identifiers of an area specified for the area event triggered session;

sending, to the network, a SUPL POS INIT message to start a positioning session when a comparison between a current area id and at least one of the location identifiers received from the network indicate that a first trigger condition is satisfied;

exchanging positioning procedure messages with the network during the positioning session to allow the network to calculate exact positioning information of the SET;

the exact positioning information including longitudinal and latitudinal data of the SET;

receiving, from the network, a SUPL REPORT message that includes the session-id and the calculated positioning information;

comparing the calculated positioning information with position data of a specified area defined in the trigger parameters to check whether a second trigger condition is satisfied;

sending, to the SUPL Agent in the SET, the calculated positioning information, if the second trigger condition is satisfied; and

sending, to the network, a SUPL END message to end the area event triggered session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first trigger condition is satisfied when the current area id and the at least one of the location identifiers matches with each other.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second trigger condition is satisfied when the SET is moved into a specified area or is positioned in the specified area or moved out of the specified area.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least one of cell id(s) belonging to the positioning-requested area, Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), Location Area Code (LAC), a scrambling code number, and a primary scrambling code number.