JP2003319434A - Position server and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a position server to exactly locate a mobile telephone. <P>SOLUTION: The position server estimates the environment of a portable telephone on the basis of base station information received from the portable telephone or almanac information of a base station, makes a base station retrieval list including base stations existing around the portable telephone at high possibilities, and sends it to the portable telephone. The portable telephone may measure base station signals from one base station located at a near range from own to send proper measurement results of the base station signals to the position server, based on the base station retrieval list received from the position server, whereas setting a good radio-horizon base station located remotely from own as a communication base station. Thus, the position server can receive the proper measurement results from the portable telephone to exactly locate the portable telephone. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention is carried out by a position server for specifying the position of a mobile communication terminal based on a measurement result of a base station signal received from a mobile communication terminal through a communication base station, and the position server. Related to computer programs.

[0002]

As one of the position specifying systems for specifying the position of a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone, a peripheral base station located around a communication base station with which the mobile communication terminal is communicating There are some which utilize the base station signal of. In this case, when the mobile communication terminal tries to identify its own position by itself, the mobile communication terminal needs to hold the almanac information of the base station, and the mobile communication terminal needs to perform a complicated calculation. However, there are circumstances in which the price of the mobile communication terminal becomes high and the configuration becomes complicated.

From this background, the location server holds the almanac information of the base station, the mobile communication terminal transmits the measurement result of the base station signal to the location server, and the location server receives the base station signal from the mobile communication terminal. Assisted positioning type systems that perform calculation based on the measurement result of a station signal and specify the position of a mobile communication terminal are in widespread use.

Now, in such an assisted positioning system in which the position server specifies the position of the mobile communication terminal, when the mobile communication terminal receives a base station signal from a peripheral base station located around the communication base station, The reception intensity and phase of the received base station signal are measured, and the measurement result of the base station signal is transmitted to the position server through the communication base station. The location server is
When the measurement result of the base station signal is received from the mobile communication terminal, calculation is performed based on the received measurement result of the base station signal, the position of the mobile communication terminal is specified, and the specified result is transmitted to the mobile communication station through the communication base station. Send to the terminal. In this way, between the mobile communication terminal and the position server, the measurement result of the base station signal necessary for the calculation and the specification result specifying the position of the mobile communication terminal are transmitted and received through the communication base station.

By the way, the mobile communication terminal receives the paging channel from the communication base station in the idle state and acquires a neighbor list showing a list of peripheral base stations located in the vicinity of the communication base station. In this case, each time the mobile communication terminal changes the communication base station, it receives the paging channel from the communication base station after changing the communication base station and acquires the neighbor list, so that the mobile communication terminal always acquires the latest neighbor list. It will be. Then, when positioning, the mobile communication terminal receives the base station signal from the base station existing in the neighbor list held at that time, and measures the base station signal.

Since a mobile communication terminal generally has a configuration in which a base station having a good radio wave reception condition is set as a communication base station, normally, as shown in FIG. For example, the base station (A) located at a short distance is set as the communication base station. Here, in FIG. 8, the solid line indicates communication between the mobile communication terminal and the communication base station.

As a result, in this case, base stations located in the vicinity of the base station (A), that is, base stations (B), (C), (D), which are located in a short distance from the mobile communication terminal,
Since (E) and (F) are the base stations existing in the neighbor list, the mobile communication terminal is highly likely to succeed in the search when searching for the base stations existing in the neighbor list. It is possible to measure a base station signal from a base station that has been successfully searched, and to transmit an appropriate base station signal measurement result to the position server. Here, the broken line in FIG. 8 indicates communication between the mobile communication terminal and the base station existing in the neighbor list. In this way, the position server can perform the calculation based on the measurement result of the appropriate base station signal received from the mobile communication terminal to appropriately specify the position of the mobile communication terminal.

However, as shown in FIG. 9, the mobile communication terminal moves to a shadowed place such as a building, and when radio waves from a base station located at a short distance are blocked by the building or the like. Does not set a base station located at a short distance as a communication base station, but has a good visibility located at a distant place (there is no obstacle blocking radio waves between the mobile communication terminal), for example, a base station (K) May be set as a communication base station.

In this case, in this case, base stations located near the base station (K), that is, base stations (I), (J), (L), located far from the mobile communication terminal,
Since (M) and (N) are the base stations existing in the neighbor list, the mobile communication terminal is less likely to succeed in the search when searching for the base stations existing in the neighbor list. Even if the base station signal from the base station existing in the neighbor list cannot be received well, and even if the search is successful and the base station signal can be received, the appropriate base station signal is received. Of the base station signal cannot be acquired, and the measurement result of the appropriate base station signal cannot be transmitted to the position server. Therefore, the position server cannot properly specify the position of the mobile communication terminal.

Further, such a defect is not limited to the case where the mobile communication terminal is set as a communication base station which is located in a distant place and has a good visibility, and as shown in FIG. 10, it is a repeater base station such as a base station. This may occur when the station (I) 'is set as the communication base station, or when the base station (H) located on the opposite bank is set as the communication base station as shown in FIG.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to determine the position of the mobile communication terminal based on the measurement result of the base station signal received from the mobile communication terminal through the communication base station. In the specified location server,
Even when the mobile communication terminal is set to a distant base station with good visibility as the communication base station, it is possible to receive the measurement result of the appropriate base station signal from the mobile communication terminal, It is to provide a position server and a computer program capable of appropriately specifying a position.

[0012]

According to the position server described in claim 1, the control means is held in the base station information (antenna direction and position information) received from the mobile communication terminal and the holding means. The environment of the mobile communication terminal is estimated based on the almanac information of the base station, and the base station search list is created to include the base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile communication terminal, and the created base station search list Is transmitted from the communication means to the mobile communication terminal through the communication base station. The mobile communication terminal searches for a base station based on the base station search list received from the position server and transmits the measurement result of the base station signal to the position server through the communication base station. Then, the position server specifies the position of the mobile communication terminal based on the measurement result of the base station signal received from the mobile communication terminal.

Therefore, the position server will transmit to the mobile communication terminal a base station search list including base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile communication terminal, so that the mobile communication terminal itself receives the list. When a distantly visible base station, repeater base station, or base station located on the opposite bank is set as a communication base station, that is, when a base station located in a short distance from itself does not exist in the neighbor list. Even if it is, it is possible to measure a base station signal from a base station located in a short distance from itself based on the base station search list received from the position server, and obtain an appropriate measurement result of the base station signal from the position server. Can be sent to. Along with this, the position server can receive the appropriate measurement result of the base station signal from the mobile communication terminal, and can appropriately specify the position of the mobile communication terminal.

According to the computer program of the second aspect, the computer program searches the base station existing in the base station search list received from the position server to obtain the measurement result of the base station signal as the communication base. Used in a position identification system comprising a mobile communication terminal configured to transmit to a position server through a station, the mobile communication terminal based on a measurement result of a base station signal received from the mobile communication terminal through a communication base station. When installed and executed on the location server that identifies the location of the mobile communication terminal, the procedure for estimating the environment of the mobile communication terminal based on the base station information received from the mobile communication terminal or the retained almanac information of the base station, A procedure for creating a base station search list that includes base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of communication terminals, and Since the Chikyoku search list comes to execute the steps of transmitting to the location server through a communication base station, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those described in claim 1 described above.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to GPS (Global P
1 to FIG. 1 for an embodiment applied to a position server that specifies the position of a mobile phone based on a GPS satellite signal from a satellite or a base station signal from a peripheral base station located in the vicinity of a communication base station. This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, FIG. 2 schematically shows the overall configuration of the position specifying system. The mobile phone 1 determines a communication base station from a plurality of base stations 2 based on, for example, the reception intensity of a base station signal, and the determined communication base station performs CDMA.
(Code Division Multiple Access) Various signals are transmitted to and received from the position server 4 through the network 3.
The mobile phone 1 and the position server 4 receive GPS satellite signals from GPS satellites 5. Also, the position server 4
Almanac information about GPS satellite 5 and base station 2
It holds almanac information (installation position, antenna direction (directivity), service area, etc.) related to.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the functional blocks of the location server 4. The position server 4 is a CPU (Central
Processing Unit) 6 (control means in the present invention)
GPS radio unit 7 for searching PS satellite 5 and mobile phone 1
A communication unit 8 (communication means in the present invention) for transmitting / receiving information to / from the CDMA network 3;
The memory 9 (holding means in the present invention) holding the almanac information about the PS satellite 5 and the almanac information about the base station 2 is connected.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 to 7. Here, a case will be described in which the position server 4 specifies the position of the mobile phone 1 based only on the base station signal from the base station, that is, without using the GPS satellite signal from the GPS satellite 5.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the mobile phone 1
A case where, for example, a base station (A) located at a short distance from itself is set as a communication base station will be described.

When the mobile phone 1 is in the idle state and receives a paging channel from the base station (A) located at a short distance from itself, the mobile phone 1 analyzes the received paging channel and acquires a neighbor list. (In Fig. 1,
Step S1). At this time, in the neighbor list acquired by the mobile phone 1, as shown in FIG. 5A, the mobile phone 1 sets the base station (A) located at a short distance from itself as a communication base station. Therefore, for example, base stations (B), (C), which are located at a short distance from the mobile phone 1,
There will be (D), (E) and (F). Then, the mobile phone 1 detects, for example, that the user has performed an operation to instruct the start of positioning (step S in FIG. 1).
2), The positioning request and the base station information are transmitted to the position server 4 through the base station (A) which is a communication base station.

In the position server 4, when the positioning request and the base station information are received from the mobile phone 1 by the communication unit 8, the CPU 7 identifies the communication base station based on the received base station information (see FIG. 1). , Step T1), and a reference base station is specified (step T2 in FIG. 1). And CPU
7 estimates the environment of the mobile phone 1 based on the received base station information (antenna direction and position information) and the base station almanac information (step T3 in FIG. 1), and exists in the vicinity of the mobile phone 1. A base station search list is created so as to include base stations with a high probability (step T in FIG. 1).
4).

More specifically, when the CPU 7 estimates that the mobile phone 1 is located in the vicinity of the base station (A) in this case, as shown in FIG. ) Around the base stations (B), (C),
Select (D), (E), (F), and (H), and select the base station search list so as to include the selected base station, that is, the base station that is likely to be present around the mobile phone 1. create. In this way, when the mobile phone 1 sets the base station (A) located at a short distance from itself as the communication base station, the base station existing in the neighbor list acquired by the mobile phone 1 and the position server 4 are included. The base stations existing in the base station search list created by are substantially matched. Then, the CPU 7 causes the communication unit 8 to transmit the positioning response and the base station search list to the mobile phone 1.

When the mobile phone 1 receives the positioning response and the base station search list from the position server 4, it searches for a base station existing in the received base station search list (see FIG. 1).
In step S3), the base station signal from the successfully retrieved base station is measured (step S4 in FIG. 1), and the measurement result of the base station signal is acquired (step S5 in FIG. 1). Then, the mobile phone 1 causes the position server 4 to transmit the measurement result of the base station signal thus obtained through the base station (A) which is a communication base station.

In the position server 4, when the communication unit 8 receives the measurement result of the base station signal from the mobile phone 1, the CPU 7 performs calculation based on the received measurement result to identify the position of the mobile phone 1. (Step T5 in FIG. 1). Then, the CPU 7 causes the communication unit 8 to transmit the identification result to the mobile phone 1.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the mobile phone 1 does not set a base station located at a short distance from itself as a communication base station, but the mobile phone 1 is located far from itself. A case where a good base station (K) is set as a communication base station will be described.

When the mobile phone 1 is in the idle state, when the paging channel is received from the base station (K) which is located far from the communication base station and has good visibility, the mobile phone 1 analyzes the received paging channel. And get the neighbor list. At this time, in the neighbor list acquired by the mobile phone 1, as shown in FIG.
Since the mobile phone 1 is set as a communication base station that is located far from itself and has good visibility, for example, a base station (I) located far from the mobile phone 1,
There will be (J), (L), (M) and (N). Then, for example, when the mobile phone 1 detects that the user has performed an operation of instructing the positioning start, the mobile phone 1 transmits the positioning request and the base station information to the position server 4 through the base station (K) which is a communication base station.

In the position server 4, when the positioning request and the base station information are received from the mobile phone 1 by the communication unit 8, the CPU 7 specifies the communication base station based on the received base station information, and the reference base station. Specify. And CP
U7 estimates the environment of the mobile phone 1 based on the almanac information of the base station, and creates a base station search list so as to include base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile phone 1.

In this case, the CPU 7 does not mean that the mobile phone 1 is located near the base station (K),
If it is estimated that the mobile phone 1 is located in the vicinity of the base station (A), as in the case described above, as shown in FIG. Stations (B), (C), (D), (E), (F) and (H)
Is selected and a base station search list is created so as to include the selected base station, that is, a base station that is likely to be present around the mobile phone 1. In this way, when the mobile phone 1 sets the base station (K) that is located far from itself and has good visibility as the communication base station, the base station existing in the neighbor list acquired by the mobile phone 1 and the position The base station existing in the base station search list created by the server 4 does not match. Then, the CPU 7 causes the communication unit 8 to transmit the positioning response and the base station search list to the mobile phone 1.

When the mobile phone 1 receives the positioning response and the base station search list from the position server 4, it searches the base stations existing in the received base station search list, and the base stations that have succeeded in the search. The base station signal is measured and the measurement result of the base station signal is acquired. Then, the mobile phone 1 causes the position server 4 to transmit the measurement result of the base station signal thus obtained through the base station (K) which is a communication base station.

In the position server 4, when the communication unit 8 receives the measurement result of the base station signal from the mobile phone 1, the CPU 7 performs calculation based on the received measurement result to identify the position of the mobile phone 1. To do. And CPU7
Causes the communication unit 8 to transmit the identification result to the mobile phone 1.

As described above, the location server 4 is
By estimating the environment of the mobile phone 1 and creating a base station search list including base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile phone 1 and transmitting the list to the mobile phone 1, the mobile phone 1 can obtain an appropriate The measurement result of the base station signal can be received, and the position of the mobile phone 1 can be appropriately specified.

By the way, the above description has been made on the case where the mobile phone 1 is set as a communication base station which is located in a distant place and has good visibility. However, when the repeater base station is set as a communication base station, The same applies when a base station located on the opposite bank is set as a communication base station.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
In the position server 4, the environment of the mobile phone 1 is estimated based on the base station information received from the mobile phone 1 and the almanac information of the base station so that the base stations likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile phone 1 are included. A base station search list is created on the mobile phone 1, and the created base station search list is transmitted to the mobile phone 1.

Therefore, the mobile phone 1 is located at a short distance from itself when a base station, a repeater base station or a base station located on the opposite bank, which is located far from the mobile phone 1, is set as a communication base station. Even when the base station to be used does not exist in the neighbor list, it is possible to measure the base station signal from the base station located at a short distance from itself based on the base station search list received from the position server 4. Therefore, the measurement result of the appropriate base station signal can be transmitted to the position server 4. Along with this, the position server 4 can receive an appropriate measurement result of the base station signal from the mobile phone 1, and can appropriately specify the position of the mobile phone 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be modified or expanded as follows. The mobile communication terminal is not limited to a mobile phone, and may be another device such as a mobile information terminal having a communication function. The base station may have a function of a position server. It may be applied when the position of the mobile phone is specified by using both the GPS satellite signal and the base station signal.

The computer program executed by the CPU is not limited to the one stored from the beginning (for example, the stage of commercialization), but may be downloaded from a specific server through a network or a CD-ROM (Compac).
It may be installed by being transferred from a recording medium such as a t Disk-Read Only Memory) or a card.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a processing flow of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the system.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a position server.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a base station (A) located at a short distance is set as a communication base station.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a neighbor list and a base station search list.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a distantly visible base station (K) is set as a communication base station.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a base station (A) located at a short distance is set as a communication base station.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a base station (K) with a good visibility located at a distant place is set as a communication base station.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a repeater base station (I) ′ is set as a communication base station.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing an aspect in which a base station (H) located on the opposite bank is set as a communication base station.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a mobile phone (mobile communication terminal), 2 is a base station, 4 is a position server, 6 is a CPU (control means), 8 is a communication unit (communication means), and 9 is a memory (holding means).

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tatsuya Shinobi             1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi stock market             Inside the company DENSO (72) Inventor Toshihiro Takeuchi             1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi stock market             Inside the company DENSO F-term (reference) 5J062 AA08 BB05 CC07                 5K067 AA33 BB04 CC10 DD27 DD43                       EE02 EE10 EE12 EE24 HH21                       JJ51 JJ55 JJ56

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A mobile communication terminal configured to search for a base station existing in a base station search list received from a position server and to transmit a measurement result of a base station signal to the position server through the communication base station. A position server that is used in a position identification system that includes a base station signal based on the measurement result of a base station signal received from a mobile communication terminal, and that provides base station information from the mobile communication terminal. Communication means for receiving and transmitting the base station search list to the mobile communication terminal through the communication base station, holding means for holding the almanac information of the base station, base station information received by the communication means from the mobile communication terminal, The environment of the mobile communication terminal is estimated based on the almanac information of the base station held in the holding means, and there is a high possibility that the environment exists around the mobile communication terminal. A location server comprising: a base station search list including base stations; and control means for transmitting the created base station search list from the communication means to the location server through the communication base station. 2. A mobile communication terminal configured to search for a base station existing in the base station search list received from the position server and to transmit the measurement result of the base station signal to the position server through the communication base station. It is used in a position identification system that comprises a mobile communication terminal, and the position server identifies the position of the mobile communication terminal based on the measurement result of the base station signal received from the communication base station. Base station search list to include the procedures for estimating the environment of the mobile communication terminal based on the stored base station information and the retained almanac information of the base station, and the base stations that are likely to exist in the vicinity of the mobile communication terminal. And a computer program for causing the location server to transmit the created base station search list to the location server through the communication base station.