EP2628276A1 - Location of equipment by its ip address - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to locating equipment. In particular, the equipment is connected via a high-speed line to a distributor device (10) of fixed and predetermined position. Within the meaning of the invention, there is performed: - a measurement of signal attenuation between the equipment (11) and the distributor device (10), and - an estimation of the position of the equipment relative to the distributor device, deduced from this attenuation measurement.

Description

 Locating a device by its IP address

The present invention relates to the location of equipment based on the IP address of this equipment ("IP" for "Internet Protocol").

Reliable techniques for obtaining the location of a telecommunication terminal user are now increasingly required. Indeed, with the increasingly pronounced expansion of location-based services (or "LBS"), there is increased demand from users to be localized quickly, accurately and with low rates. rejection.

 Frequently used localization solutions are:

 - those based on satellite systems,

 - those based on mobile networks, and

 - those based on the Internet network.

Location-based solutions based on satellite systems, such as the US GPS (Global Positioning System) system, are used by terminals equipped with GPS reception means that can decode the synchronization signals sent by the satellites in order to deduce therefrom their position, provided they are in visibility of at least three satellites. As a result, this method, while performing well in terms of accuracy, only works in certain types of environments (direct visibility of the sky) and with a limited number of terminals.

Location solutions based on mobile networks (GSM, UMTS, or other) or local networks (or "WLAN", for example WiFi type) in which the location of mobile terminals is based only on two main mechanisms such as:

 - the use of signal strength indications received, and

 the use of the cell identifier to which the terminal is connected.

In the first technique above, signal power indications received from fixed transmitters or access points or relay antennas ("RSS" technique for "Received Signal Strength") are used. From this received signal information, several methods of location were designed. The most common is the one based on the creation of a database of RSS vectors corresponding to a discretization of positions in space. The principle of this method, commonly called "calibration" (or "fingerprinting") or "sampling", is:

finding the best match between the RSS vector measured by the mobile terminal (measured signal level at a given location) and those kept in a database, and then estimating the location from this correspondence.

 This method is then necessarily accompanied by a permanent exchange between the terminal and the dedicated server integrating the correspondence database in the network.

The second aforementioned location technique is for the use of the cell identifier to which the mobile terminal is connected. Indeed, each mobile terminal "hangs" a cell for exchanging data or sending / receiving voice calls via the mobile network. Each cell corresponds to a relay antenna or "access point" whose coordinates are known only by the network equipment. Therefore, to know its location, a mobile terminal must trace the cell identifier (in which it is located) to a dedicated platform in the network. The latter returns to the mobile terminal the position associated with the relay antenna. Nevertheless, there are disadvantages:

 in particular poor accuracy (compared to other localization techniques), and - high latency (due in particular to the response time of the aforementioned platform).

Internet-based location solutions, through the use of the IP address associated with the user's terminal (PC or mobile), implement mechanisms for associating the location of the last IP address with an IP address. public router whose location is known on the Internet Wide Area Network. As a result, the accuracy obtained is however much less good than those obtained by techniques as presented above. The level of accuracy is typically regional (or departmental, in France), in cases where the location can be obtained.

The present invention improves the situation.

It proposes in particular to improve the accuracy of the latter type of location based on the IP address of a device (including a terminal) of a user. For this purpose, this The invention relates to a method for locating equipment connected via a high-speed line to a predetermined fixed position distribution device, the method comprising:

 a signal attenuation measurement between the equipment and the splitter, and an estimate of the equipment position relative to the splitter, deduced from this mitigation measure.

 Thus, the invention proposes the use of measurements on signals, for example of the xDSL or ADSL type (for "Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line"), between the aforementioned equipment (for example but not necessarily the terminal of a user). and a splitter device such as for example a DSLAM multiplexer (for "Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer") which serves a subscriber using an ADSL line with a well identified IP address.

 Since the location (geographical position) of the DSLAM type equipment is known and fixed, it is possible to determine the coarse position of the subscriber. However, within the meaning of the invention, the accuracy of the location is advantageously improved by using attenuation measurement mechanisms. In particular, as described below by way of example, flow measurements are made to specify the estimate of the distance between the equipment of the subscriber and the geographical position of the distributor device. Thus, in one exemplary embodiment, the attenuation measurement comprises a flow measurement on a high-speed line established between the distribution device and the equipment.

We then obtain a location in a thin crown (just a few hundred meters crown width), instead of a localization in a disk-like area of a few kilometers radius around the tundish, as will be seen later with reference In one embodiment, this location can be further reduced to a sector only crown, precision corresponding to a restricted area through the use of the information of an angle of attack between the DSLAM splitter and equipment using the ADSL line. This angle of attack information can for example be deduced from the trench directions made during the installation of the "local loop" (pair of copper wires) between the splitter and the housing of a given user. One can typically take advantage of a mapping of these trenches, or actual tests performed on site. In addition, the local loop may also, in some cases, include a local radio frequency loop, so without wired links between the distributor and the subscriber's home. In this case, the above-mentioned angle measurements can be deduced from a sector covered by a transmitting antenna used to broadcast the radiofrequency signals of the splitter to a receiving antenna close to the subscriber's housing. It is therefore a possible variant to build a map of angles of attack measurements. In a possible embodiment, to achieve a location in a sector only, the method can then generally include:

 prior establishment of a signal attenuation mapping around at least one distribution device, and

a current location of the equipment in a sector around the distributor by the above-mentioned attenuation measure.

 This mapping can be established by test measurements around the distribution device or by topology configuration of the network around the distribution device.

The user equipment may be a terminal using an assigned IP address for at least one given communication. Thus, at least one IP address is assigned to the equipment and the equipment, in communication, then using this IP address, the method comprises a mitigation measure, for this IP address in use, to locate the equipment.

In a particular embodiment (especially when the equipment is a gateway between a local area network to which at least one terminal is connected to a wide area network), a set of predetermined IP addresses may be assigned to the equipment, and the equipment, in use, using at least one of these predetermined IP addresses, the method then comprises:

 a dynamic determination of the IP address in use by the equipment, and - a mitigation measure, for this IP address in use, to locate the equipment.

Known IP location technologies on the Internet use a database containing a mapping between an IP address and the location of the last known Internet router. This type of database, essentially static, particularly limits the possibilities of providing location information up to date and with acceptable accuracy. Advantageously, in this embodiment of the invention, an approach based on dynamically harvested IP address data makes it possible to reduce the uncertainty on the location determination.

In an exemplary embodiment where the equipment comprises a gateway to a short-range local network, it is possible to further locate a terminal connected to this short-range network. The method then further comprises a location of a terminal connected by the short-range network to equipment. In particular, the location of the terminal is assimilated to that of the gateway. Indeed, we determine the location of the gateway at first. Thus, any terminal subsequently identified by its IP address in the short-range network around the gateway is determined to be located in an area immediately close to the gateway, since the network is short-range (a few tens of meters). We then consider that the position of the terminal corresponds to that of the bridge, with a small uncertainty (corresponding to these few tens of meters).

In such an embodiment where a plurality of terminals can be connected to the equipment by the short-range network, a set of predetermined IP addresses is assigned to the equipment and the equipment assigns each terminal one of said IP addresses. predetermined. The method then comprises: a dynamic determination of each IP address of the game in use by a terminal, and

 a mitigation measure, for each IP address in use, to locate each terminal connected to the equipment by the short-range network.

The present invention also relates to an element of an extended telecommunication network, intended to be connected to a distribution device of the aforementioned type. The network element comprises in particular signal attenuation measurement means between a telecommunication equipment connected via a high-speed line to this distribution device, for the implementation of the method presented above.

This network element within the meaning of the invention may further comprise means for estimating the location of the equipment, deduced from the attenuation measurements, in particular in the case where the network element is in the form of a dedicated service platform as described below in an exemplary embodiment.

The present invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, implements the method presented above. This program can be installed with a platform of the aforementioned type, in an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 presented below may be a flowchart of the general algorithm of such a program.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear on reading the description of possible embodiments given below and on examining the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a device 11 connected to a splitter 10 and which can thus be located in a crown portion LOC, within the meaning of the invention,

 FIG. 2 illustrates the main steps of a method according to the invention, in an exemplary embodiment,

FIG. 3 illustrates a location of a terminal in a mobility situation.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, in which a distribution device 10 has been represented, for example a DSLAM multiplexer (for the "Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer") to which a user's equipment 11 is connected. 16 (for example a PC type computer) having an Internet connection 14 and which is then assigned an IP address. The equipment 11 is then connected to the distribution device 10 by a high-speed link, for example of the xDSL or ADSL type (for "Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line"), via a gateway 12 between a local network and the Internet network 14 in the network. example shown.

The splitter device 10 is connected to the Internet network 14 via a server 13 (for example type BRAS for "Broadcast Remote Access Server") in the example shown, and possibly via one or more IP routers (not shown).

 In particular, a zone D in FIG. 1 represents the range that the splitter 10 can reach to connect via a high-speed link all the telecommunications equipment included in this zone D. The zone in question is comparable to a disk.

For the location of such equipment 11, the invention proposes to reduce the uncertainty of location on the complete disk D, with an IP-DSLAM localization solution proposed on the basis of the equipment of the ADSL network. This uncertainty disk D is reduced, thanks to the implementation of the invention, to a precision crown characterized by a minimum radius R _in and a maximum radius R _out where:

R _in corresponds to the minimum distance estimated by measuring the flow rate between the user's terminal (PC or mobile) and the DSLAM equipment of the network, and

R _out is the maximum distance estimated by measuring the flow between the user's terminal (PC or mobile) and the DSLAM equipment in the network.

Advantageously, it is also possible to use an angular sector information SA between the DSLAM splitter and the building where the ADSL line is used to further refine the location in the LOC intersection between this angular sector and the aforementioned ring. This Angular sector information SA can be obtained from operational staff in charge of setting up the local loop (copper pair drawn between each housing of a building and the first element of the network of the operator). More generally, a map may be established by test measurements around the distribution device or by network topology configuration around the distribution device. These measurements are made by the technicians in charge of the trench placement during the installation of the local loop between the distributor and the housing of a given user.

In an example of use, a user can then connect to a content website and obtain, thanks to the location in the sense of the invention, a list of addresses (restaurants, cinemas, ATMs, or others) near his home in an area typically extending a few hundred meters (corresponding to the difference between R _out and R _in rays, according to tests carried out). Finally, the extent of this zone corresponds to an estimated portion of uncertainty ring with the localization solution in the sense of the invention, based on the attenuation of the ADSL signal and resulting, in an exemplary embodiment, by a decrease of flow.

With reference to FIG. 2, the steps of an exemplary method for obtaining such a location are described. The connection of the equipment 11 is first initiated and, in particular, its IP address (or an IP address of the gateway 12) is identified in step 20 and associated with step 21 (by elements of the ADSL access network) to a given DSLAM splitter 10, to first determine a location in a disk D. At a next step 22, a rate measurement is initiated by an ADSL access network element or by a dedicated remote platform for this purpose (referenced 15 in Figure 1). Once the flow measurement has been carried out, in step 23, an estimation of distance is deduced from it, with the obtaining of the radii R _in and R _out associated with the uncertainty ring thus estimated. In an exemplary embodiment, this ray estimation can be obtained by measuring the bit rate and the response time (or "ping") of an IP test packet sent from the platform 15 to the equipment 11 (or the gateway 12) and returned by the latter to the platform 15, in step 22 above. For this purpose, the platform 15 sends a test packet by sending means C1 and receives the return packet by reception means C2, and then measures an attenuation on the received packet which is concretized by a reduction of bit rate ( with the possible taking into account of a response time "ping"), using measurement means MES, taking into account, of course, a loss of standard flow between the distributor 10 and the flat - form 15.

Of course, the ping time is a basic example of flow measurement technique. Other more sophisticated and / or complementary variants can be envisaged. Once the uncertainty ring is defined by the flow measurements, the next step 24 may be to use the SA angular sector information to refine the location to a well-defined precision area LOC in step 25. As indicated previously, the angle information SA can be stored in a correspondence database between an ADSL line identifier and an angular sector information determined by operational teams.

The equipment 11 connected to the bridge 12 may be fixed or mobile. In particular, when the equipment 11 is, as represented in FIG. 3, a terminal TER in a mobility situation as part of a connection by a short-range wireless link of the terminal TER to several successive gateways, it is possible to locate in a succession of short-range local networks the movements of this terminal borrowing a succession of IP addresses allocated by the successive gateways, thanks in particular to the aforementioned dynamic determination of the IP address in use by the terminal mobile. This situation is represented in FIG. 3, in which the mobile terminal TER is capable of communicating (VoIP telephone call or data communication) with a plurality of successive gateways PI, P2, P3 (via local networks, for example WiFi), by assigning respective IP addresses @ IP1, @ IP2, @ IP3. The first and second gateways PI, P2 are connected to the multiplexer DLSAM 10, but the second gateway P2 is further away from the distributor 10. It then detects a decrease in the rate at which the TER terminal has access, which then results in a mobility of the terminal away from the distributor 10. Then, in the example shown, the terminal TER is connected by a local network to a new gateway P3 which assigns it the address @ IP3. Here, the gateway P3 is connected to a DSLAM splitter 10 ', different from the splitter 10 and an attenuation measurement between the gateway P3 and this splitter 10' makes it possible to locate the terminal TER using the address @ IP3 in the immediate vicinity of the P3 gateway (in a short-range local area network).

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above by way of example; it applies to other variants.

For example, an attenuation measurement performed by the platform 15 has been described above.

However, more generally, such a measurement can be carried out by any element of the wide area network connected to the splitter box 10. The present invention then generally targets an element of the wide area network which, for example, may be the platform 15.

In addition, the case of a location in a LOC area of a few hundred meters in extent has been presented above. However, depending on the accuracy of the mitigation mapping, it is It is possible to locate the exact address of a device connected to an ADSL line, which makes it possible to consider other applications than providing a list of relevant addresses around the equipment. For example, the user can connect to an online sales site to have a product or service delivered and it is then possible to locate his ADSL line in a transparent manner to find the exact address corresponding to his current location. .

Claims

1. A method of locating equipment connected via a high-speed line to a distribution device (10) of fixed and predetermined position, characterized in that it comprises: a signal attenuation measure (22) between the equipment (11) and the distribution device (10), and  an estimate (25) of the position of the equipment with respect to the splitter device deduced from said attenuation measure. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said attenuation measurement comprises a flow measurement on the line between the distribution device and the equipment. 3. Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the line is ADSL type and the splitter device is a multiplexer DSLAM type. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one IP address is assigned to the equipment, the equipment, in communication, using said IP address, characterized in that it comprises said attenuation measurement, performed for said IP address (20) in use, for locating the equipment. The method according to claim 4, wherein a set of predetermined IP addresses is assigned to the equipment, the equipment, in use, using at least one of said predetermined IP addresses, characterized in that it comprises: a dynamic determination of the IP address in use by the equipment (@ IP1, @ IP2, @ IP3), and  said mitigation measure, for said IP address in use, for locating the equipment. 6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises prior establishment of a signal attenuation mapping around at least one distribution device, and  a current location of the equipment in a sector (24) around the distributor by said attenuation measure. 7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that said mapping is established by test measurements around the distribution device. 8. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that said mapping is established by topology configuration of the network around the splitter device. 9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the equipment comprises a gateway (12) to a short-range local network, characterized in that the method further comprises: - A location of a terminal (TER) connected by the short-range network to the equipment, said location of the terminal being assimilated to the location of the gateway (12). The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of terminals are connected to the equipment by the short-range network, and a set of predetermined IP addresses is assigned to the equipment (12), the equipment assigning to each terminal one of said predetermined IP addresses, characterized in that the method comprises:  dynamically determining each IP address (20) of the game in use by a terminal, and said attenuation measure, for each IP address in use, for locating each terminal connected to the equipment by the short-range network. 11. Element of an extended telecommunication network, intended to be connected to a distribution device (10), characterized in that it comprises at least means (MES) signal attenuation measurement between a connected telecommunication equipment via a high-speed line to said splitter device, for implementing the method according to one of the preceding claims. 12. Computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 to 10, when the program is executed by a processor.