WO2004052042A1

WO2004052042A1 - Terminal assisted positioning updating

Info

Publication number: WO2004052042A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001852
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henrik Groth; Magnus Erixson
Original assignee: Telia Ab (Publ)
Priority date: 2002-12-02
Filing date: 2003-12-01
Publication date: 2004-06-17
Also published as: SE0203556D0; AU2003282657A1

Abstract

The invention relates to continuous positioning of a mobile terminal in a digital wireless telecommunication and data communication network, which communication network includes a plurality of cells and at least one mobile terminal. The invention includes to in said mobile terminal execute program code parts arranged to control said mobile terminal to always be in a mode which is arranged to indicate to said communication network in which cell said mobile terminal is, to make a positioning enquiry/request with only cell-ID and to transmit an answer to said positioning enquiry.

Description

TERMINAL ASSISTED POSITIONING UPDATING

Technical field

The present invention relates to positioning of a mobile terminal in a digital wireless telecommunication and data communication network. Particularly does the present invention relate to terminal assisted continuous positioning by means of an efficient utilization of radio resources, at which the number of paging-messages in connection with the continuous positioning is reduced.

Prior art

The mobile communication networks of today are adapted to efficiently utilize of existing radio resources. A consequence of this is that the communication network does not continuously keep track of in which cell a mobile terminal is. Usually it is only when a terminal shall be reached via for instance speech or data, that the communication network finds out in which cell a mobile terminal is by a so called paging-message . From a positioning perspective this means that each time one wants to find out where a terminal mobile is, the network has to initiate paging. If the position of the mobile terminal shall be obtained continuously, the terminal consequently has to be found out at each positioning occasion, which results in an increased load in the communication network in form of, for instance, a large amount of paging- messages .

The American patent US 5,943,327 A shows a method to reduce signaling in connection with establishing of connection. A mobile station which is in a cell is allocated, via a signal channel, a transmission channel belonging to the cell. This makes transmission of data packets possible without a paging-message first being needed to be transmited. The network obtains information about the identity of the cell in which the mobile station for the time being is, from data packets which the mobile station has transmitted earlier.

The European patent application EP 1 191 800 A2 shows a method by which data can be transmitted directly to a mobile station without any paging-message first being transmitted. If the mobile station is in a certain cell, it can be set in stationary mode. The mobile station stays in the cell as long as the signal quality is above a certain threshold value. It is only when the mobile station is in stationary mode that a paging-message need not be transmitted.

The American patent US 6,400,943 Bl shows a method in which paging-messages are transmitted. These paging- messages are transmitted to a mobile station which is in a specific/certain cell. Information about the cells is obtained by the mobile station at regular intervals giving/ providing its position to the network.

One disadvantage with the known technology/prior art is that it requires that the mobile station transmits a data packet to make it possible for the network to obtain information about the cell in which the mobile station is, that is, the mobile station has to transmit a data packet to make the network receive information about the position of the mobile station.

Another disadvantage with the known technology is that it is based on that a mobile station can be set in one of a plurality/number of modes, and that it is only when the mobile station is in stationary mode that paging messages need not be transmitted. Today there are no procedure or system in which a mobile terminal always is in a mode which makes possible for a communication network to know in which cell the terminal is, at which a continuous positioning updating with reduced load of the communication network is obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aim of the present invention therefore is to provide continuous positioning of a mobile terminal under reduced load of the communication network. Another aim with the present invention is to provide terminal-assisted continuous positioning-updating.

These and other aims are achieved by a procedure at a digital wireless communication network for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal according to patent claim 1, a system at a digital wireless communication network for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal according to patent claim 5, and a computer program product at a digital wireless communication network for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal according to patent claim 9. Embodiments of the procedure according to the invention, the system and the computer program product are to be found in enclosed subclai s .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater details in the following with reference to enclosed drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a flow chart over a procedure for traditional positioning enquiry/request; and

Figure 2 shows a flow chart over a procedure for positioning enquiry/request according to the invention. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In mobile communication networks, for instance GPRS (GPRS, General Packet Radio Service) and UMTS (UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) there are different modes for a mobile terminal. In some of these modes, when the mobile terminal for instance transmits or receives data, the network knows in which cell the terminal is. When the terminal does not transmit or receive data, the terminal changes into the standard mode whereupon the network does no longer know in which cell the terminal is.

The invention relates to a procedure, a system and a computer program product which makes possible that a mobile terminal always is in a mode so that the communication network knows in which cell the mobile terminal is, at which continuous positioning/position finding of mobile terminals in a mobile communication network, for instance GPRS or UMTS, is provided.

The invention includes on the one hand a software which is arranged to be executed in the mobile terminal, and on the other a change of the positioning procedure.

The software can be implemented by, for instance, Java or SIM toolkit. This software is arranged to be transmitted to a mobile terminal, for instance to the terminal's SIM- card (SIM, Subscriber Identity Module) or the like, via the mobile communication network, at which the software is arranged to be executed in the mobile terminal.

The software includes software/program code parts which are arranged to attend to that the terminal always is in a mode which causes that the network knows in which cell the terminal is. This can, for instance, be effected by software code parts controlling the mobile terminal to, at suitable intervals, transmit and/or receive data. The change in the positioning procedure relates to a change in the positioning enquiry/request so that it can be made in two ways. In Figure 1 a first, traditional procedure to make a positioning enquiry/request is shown. As is shown, a positioning enquiry/request can be made by asking for a mobile terminal's position with, for instance, cell ID (cell identity) and TA (TA, Timing Advance) , which initiates a paging. It should be understood that other methods, such as E-OTD, A-GPS, etc also can be used.

In Figure 2 a second way of making a positioning enquiry/request is shown. As is shown a positioning enquiry/request also can be made by asking for the terminal's position with only cell ID. According to this procedure no paging-message is transmitted in the cases when the terminal is already known at cell-level. Thus an enquiry/request can be made in an alternative way, for instance cell ID position, but an enquiry/request also can be made as cheapest position etc.

A mobile terminal, such as a mobile telephone or one by hand carried computer which shall utilize services with continous positioning by that can be equipped with the software, and by that the mobile terminal can be positioned without extra paging messages being needed to be transmitted and in that way the paging-laod is reduced in the mobile communication network.

Example The Company Spedition Ltd shall utilize a traffic information service. The traffic information service compares the position of each incoming vehicle with traffic disruptions, if any, in the area. The terminals which Spedition Ltd have in their vehicles are equipped with a software. By terminal assisted updating of positions,

Spedition Ltd can utilize the traffic information service where the position of the vehicle is checked regularly, for instance every minute, without continuously loading the mobile network with paging messages.

Even if the invention has been described with reference to particular exemplified embodiments of it, experts in the field will realize that a number of different changes, modifications and the like are possible. The described embodiments consequently are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as it is defined by the enclosed claims .

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Procedure at a digital, wireless telecommunication and data communication network, which communication network includes a plurality of cells and at least one mobile terminal, for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal, at which the procedure includes the steps to: in said mobile terminal execute program code parts; - control said mobile terminal to, at suitable intervals, transmit and/or receive data, at which said mobile terminal is in a mode which is arranged to indicate to said communication network in which cell said mobile terminal is; - make a positioning enquiry/request with only cell- ID; and transmit an answer to said positioning enquiry/ request .

2. Procedure as claimed in patent claim 1, further including the step to control said terminal to, at specific predetermined points of time, transmit and/or receive data.

3. Procedure as claimed in patent claim 1 or 2, further including the step to make a positioning enquiry/ request with cell-ID and Timing Advance.

4. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-3, at which said telecommunication and data communication network is GPRS.

5. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-3, at which said telecommunication and data communication network is UMTS.

6. System at a digital, wireless telecommunication and data communication network, which communication network includes a plurality of cells and at least one mobile terminal, for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said mobile terminal includes devices arranged to execute program code parts/segments, that said program code parts are arranged to control said mobile terminal to, at suitable intervals, transmit and/or receive data, at which said mobile terminal is in a mode which is arranged to indicate to said communication network in which cell said mobile terminal is; that said communication network is arranged to make a positioning enquiry/request with only cell-ID; and that said mobile terminal is arranged to transmit an answer/response to said positioning enquiry/request.

7. System as claimed in patent claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said program code parts are arranged to control said mobile terminal to, at specific predetermined points of time, transmit and/or receive data.

8. System as claimed in patent claim 6 or 7 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said communication network is arranged to make a positioning enquiry/ request with cell-ID and Timing Advance.

9. System as claimed in any of the patent claims 6 - 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said communication network is GPRS.

10. System as claimed in any of the patent claims 6 - 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said communication network is UMTS.

11. Computer program product at a digital, wireless telecommunication and data communication network, which communication network includes a plurality of cells and at least one mobile terminal, for continuous positioning of a mobile terminal, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in program code parts arranged to be executed in said mobile terminal, and arranged to control said mobile terminal to, at suitable intervals, transmit and/or receive data, at which said mobile terminal is in a mode which is arranged to indicate to a communication network in which cell said mobile terminal is.

12. Computer program product as claimed in patent claim 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said program code parts are arranged to control said mobile terminal to, at specific/certain predetermined points of time, transmit and/or receive data.

13. Computer program product as claimed in patent claim 11 or 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said program code parts are arranged to, by means of devices included in said communication network, be transmitted to a SIM-card in the mobile terminal.

14. Computer program product as claimed in any of the patent claims 11-13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said program code parts are implemented by means of SIM Toolkit.

15. Computer program product as claimed in any of the patent claims 11-13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said program code parts are implemented by means of Java.