KR102147429B1 - Method for providing location information of subscriber terminal disconnected form a network - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of providing location information of a subscriber terminal leaving a network is provided. This method is a method in which a subscriber information storage device manages the location information of a subscriber terminal in a mobile communication network, and receives a purge request message notifying the deletion of subscriber information of a subscriber terminal whose communication connection has been released from the mobility management device. And storing location information of the subscriber station extracted from the deletion request message, receiving a request for location information of the subscriber station from a positioning device, and transmitting the stored location information to the positioning device. And, the deletion request message includes the location information of the subscriber station received from the subscriber station before the subscriber station is disconnected from communication.

Description

Method of providing location information of subscriber terminals whose network connection is disconnected {METHOD FOR PROVIDING LOCATION INFORMATION OF SUBSCRIBER TERMINAL DISCONNECTED FORM A NETWORK}

The present invention relates to a method of providing location information of a subscriber terminal from which a network connection has been released, and to a technology for providing the last location information of a subscriber terminal even if the subscriber terminal is not connected to a network.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard proposes a purge function. This fuzzy function is performed by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) immediately deleting subscriber information of a subscriber terminal whose network connection is disconnected or after a certain period of time elapses, and then a subscriber information storage device (Home Subscriber System, HSS) This function notifies the deletion of subscriber information to the user.

However, if the subscriber information is deleted in this way, since the location information of the subscriber terminal is also deleted, the final location of the subscriber cannot be determined. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not possible to provide location information, which is an important clue, to a subscriber who has an accident or disappearance.

However, in reality, there are cases where it is necessary to know the final location information of a subscriber who has departed from the network due to a request from an investigation agency or an emergency rescue. In this case, in order to be able to know the final location information, it is necessary to prevent the MME from deleting the subscriber information or to increase the time to maintain the subscriber information before deletion.

However, in this case, since the MME has to store unnecessary information for a long time, the consumption of MME resources is large and a load problem occurs due to this, and thus, it may act as an obstacle in performing the original function of the MME.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the subscriber information storage device stores the final location information of the subscriber terminal even if the subscriber terminal is disconnected from the network, and then provides the location information of the subscriber terminal from which the network connection is released, which can be provided if necessary. Is to provide a way to do it.

According to one feature of the present invention, a method of providing location information is a method in which a subscriber information storage device provides location information of a subscriber terminal in a mobile communication network, and deletes subscriber information of a subscriber terminal whose communication connection is disconnected from the mobility management device. Receiving a purge request message notifying, storing location information of the subscriber terminal extracted from the deletion request message, receiving a request for location information of the subscriber terminal from a positioning device, and the stored location information And transmitting to the positioning device, wherein the deletion request message includes location information of the subscriber station received from the subscriber station before a communication connection of the subscriber station is released.

The location information of the subscriber station is obtained from a location information message periodically received from the subscriber station, and the deletion request message includes cell information and the cell information for distinguishing a cell in which the subscriber station is receiving service. It may include time information at which the location information message was received.

The deletion request message may further include a location parameter displaying the cell information and the time information.

Prior to the step of receiving the deletion request message, receiving a request for location information of the subscriber station from the positioning device, and transferring information of a mobility management device to which the subscriber station is connected to the positioning device, , The positioning device may obtain a cell ID accessed by the subscriber station through the mobility management device.

According to another feature of the present invention, a method for providing location information is a method in which a mobility management device provides location information of a subscriber terminal in a mobile communication network, the step of generating a communication disconnection event of the subscriber terminal, and deleting the subscriber information. Transmitting a purge request message informing to a subscriber information storage device, and deleting subscriber information of the subscriber terminal, wherein the deletion request message is sent immediately before the communication disconnection event occurs. It contains the location information of the subscriber station received from the subscriber station.

Before the generating step, when a specific period arrives, receiving a location information message including the location information of the subscriber terminal from the subscriber terminal, deleting the previously stored location information, and storing the received location information The method further comprises storing the location information of the subscriber terminal, wherein the transmitting comprises location information of the subscriber terminal stored immediately before the communication disconnection event occurs and time information at which the location information was received. You can send a deletion request message.

Between the generating step and the transmitting step, driving a predefined timer, and determining deletion of the subscriber information if reconnection with the subscriber station is not possible until the predefined timer expires. It may further include.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by adding a location information parameter of a subscriber terminal to a purge request message used for a mobility management entity (MME) and a subscriber information storage device (Home Subscriber System, HSS). , To store the final location information of the subscriber terminal in the subscriber information device. Therefore, there is an effect that the location information of a subscriber who has departed from the network can be provided at any time without time constraints by using the standard procedure Purge Request message.

1 shows the configuration of a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a subscriber information storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a location information registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a hardware block diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and similar reference numerals are assigned to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a certain part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated to the contrary.

In addition, terms such as "... unit", "... group", and "... module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which can be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. I can.

In the present specification, a terminal is a user device, and a device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile equipment (ME), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a subscriber station, SS), a portable subscriber station (PSS), a user equipment (UE), an access terminal (AT), etc., and may be referred to as a mobile terminal, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, It may include all or part of functions such as user equipment.

Base Station (BS) is an Access Point (AP), Radio Access Station (RAS), Node B, Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Mobile Multihop Relay (MMR). )-It may refer to a BS or the like, and may include all or part of functions such as an access point, a radio access station, a node B, a transceiver base station, and an MMR-BS.

Expressions described in the singular in this specification may be interpreted as the singular or plural unless an explicit expression such as "one" or "single" is used.

Embodiments of the present invention may be supported by a standard document related to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G system such as Study on Architecture for Next Generation System (FS_NextGen). That is, among the embodiments of the present invention, steps or parts not described in order to clearly reveal the technical idea of the present invention may be supported by the document. In addition, all terms disclosed in this document can be described by the standard document.

Now, a method of providing location information of a subscriber terminal from which a network connection has been released according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 shows the configuration of a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the subscriber station 100 is connected to the mobility management apparatus 300 through a base station 200. This connection is called the network connection state.

The disconnection of the network connection of the subscriber station 100 means a state in which the connection with the base station 200 is released. Such network disconnection is performed when the subscriber terminal 100 is powered off or in an area where the subscriber terminal 100 cannot transmit and receive signals received from the base station 200 (eg, a shadow area). Yes.

The subscriber station 100 transmits a location information message including location information for a currently connected cell or base station periodically or by a paging request from the mobility management entity (MME) 300. For example, the location information may be a cell ID.

Here, the cell refers to a logical node that logically encompasses a plurality of TA (Tracking Area) areas (or groups) in which dozens of base stations (eg, eNodeBs) are grouped into one group.

The base station 200 may be managed in a form in which a plurality of TA areas (or groups) form one TA area (or group), and several to tens of TA areas form one cell area. The base station 200 can guarantee a stable connection with a plurality of subscriber terminals 100, and collects the location information messages of the subscriber terminals 100 and transmits them to the mobility management apparatus 300.

The base station 200 collects and transmits a deregistration message received from the subscriber station 100 to the mobility management apparatus 300 when the subscriber station 100 is powered off. Here, the location information message may be a message generated from the subscriber terminal 100 according to a preset period and collected periodically, or a message generated by the subscriber terminal 100 in response to paging from the mobility management device 300.

The mobility management apparatus 300 is a node that manages the mobility of the subscriber terminal 100 and is responsible for session management, idle subscriber management, paging, and subscriber authentication functions. The mobility management apparatus 300 may include a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the like.

The mobility management apparatus 300 receives a location information message transmitted from the subscriber station 100 through the base station 200. The mobility management apparatus 300 extracts the location information of the subscriber station 100 from the location information message, or extracts the location information of the subscriber station 300 from the deregistration message received from the subscriber terminal 100.

The mobility management device 300 performs a purge function when a network connection disconnection event occurs. The network connection release event may occur when a registration release message is received from the subscriber terminal 100. The network disconnection event may occur when a location information message is not received from the subscriber terminal 100 for a predetermined time. The network connection release event may occur when a paging request is made to the subscriber terminal 100 but there is no response.

The subscriber information storage device 400 may include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Home Location Register (HLR), and the like. The subscriber information storage device 400 is a master database for the subscriber terminal 100, and stores and manages subscription-related information necessary for supporting session processing in a network entity.

When receiving a location inquiry request from the location service support device 600, the gateway mobile location center (GLMC) 500 receives serving node information of the subscriber station 100 from the subscriber information storage device 400. Then, the location information of the subscriber station 100 is obtained by using the serving node information, and is provided to the location service support device 600.

The location service support apparatus 600 may be referred to as a type of reception unit in that the location service is started by receiving a location request from a subscriber. For example, it includes a location-based service platform (LBSP), a location manager (LM), and the like.

The location service support device 600 provides a common component that facilitates location tracking and management, and location-based service development. Location information request and response processing (Request and Response), location information management (Location Managing), authentication and security (Authentication & Security) can be performed. For example, the location service support device 600 stores location information identified by a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a global positioning system (GPS) dedicated terminal requesting an application service of a location-based service from inside/outside a mobile communication network. It can perform a series of functions to provide to external clients and applications.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a subscriber information storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the subscriber information storage device 400 includes a subscriber information DB 401, a location information registration unit 403, and a location information management unit 405.

The subscriber information DB 401 stores the final location information of the subscriber terminal 100. The final location information refers to location information immediately before the subscriber terminal 100 is disconnected from the network.

When performing a purge function, the location information registration unit 403 acquires the final location information of the subscriber terminal 100 from the mobility management device 300 and stores it in the subscriber information DB 401. When the subscription data or the MM (Mobility Management) context of the subscriber terminal 100 is deleted, the mobility management device 300 transmits a Purge UE Request message to the subscriber terminal 100 ) Notifies the location information registration unit 403 that the network connection has been released (Detach). Then, the location information registration unit 403 detects this as a loss of connectivity.

In this case, the Purge UE Request message includes International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) information for identifying the subscriber terminal 100, a cell ID to which the subscriber terminal 100 is connected, a cell ID acquisition time, and the like. Such information is provided through parameters newly added to the deletion request message.

The location information management unit 405 checks whether the subscriber terminal 100 is in a fuzzy state at the request of the positioning device (GLMC) 500. If it is not in a fuzzy state, information from the serving node of the subscriber station 100, that is, the mobility management apparatus 300 is responded. However, if it is in a fuzzy state, it responds with the final location information of the subscriber station 100.

Then, a process of providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a location information registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when a specific period arrives (S101), the mobility management apparatus 300 receives a location information message from the subscriber terminal 100 (S103).

The mobility management device 300 stores location information extracted from the location information message (S105). At this time, if there is previously stored location information, it is deleted and updated with the extracted location information.

Thereafter, when a communication disconnection event of the subscriber terminal 100 occurs (S107), the mobility management apparatus 300 drives a purge timer (S109).

When the purge timer expires (S111), it is determined whether to reconnect with the subscriber terminal 100 (S113).

At this time, when reconnection is made, it starts again from step S101. However, if the reconnection fails, a fuzzy request message including the location information stored in step S105 is generated (S115) and transmitted to the subscriber information storage device 400 (S117).

The subscriber information storage device 400 stores the location information extracted from the fuzzy request message (S119) in the subscriber information DB 401 (S121).

Next, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when a subscriber location inquiry request is received from the location service supporting apparatus 600 (S201), the positioning device 500 transmits a subscriber location inquiry request to the subscriber information storage device 400 (S203).

The location information management unit 405 of the subscriber information storage device 400 determines whether the subscriber terminal 100 requested to be inquired is in a fuzzy state (S205).

In the fuzzy state, the stored final location information, that is, the last access cell ID, is transmitted to the positioning device 500 (S207). Then, the positioning device 500 transmits the received cell ID (S207) to the location service supporting device 600 (S209).

In this way, in the fuzzy state, the positioning device 500 does not request a location inquiry from the mobility management device 300, but transmits the cell ID received from the subscriber information storage device 400 to the location service support device 600 (S209). .

If it is not in a fuzzy state, the location information management unit 405 transmits the serving node information to the positioning device 500 (S211).

The positioning device 500 transmits a subscriber location inquiry request to the mobility management device 300 corresponding to the received (S211) serving node information (S213).

The mobility management apparatus 300 determines whether the subscriber terminal 100 is in a connected state or an idle state (S215).

In the connected state, the subscriber station 100 transmits the connected cell ID to the positioning device 500 (S217). Then, the positioning device 500 transmits the received cell ID (S217) to the location service support device 600 (S219).

In the idle state, the mobility management apparatus 300 transmits a paging message to the subscriber terminal 100 to activate the subscriber terminal 100 and request location information (S221). Then, a location information message including the currently accessed cell ID is received from the subscriber station 100 (S223).

The mobility management device 300 transmits the cell ID received in step S223 to the positioning device 500 (S225). Then, the positioning device 500 transmits the received cell ID (S225) to the location service support device 600 (S227).

Meanwhile, FIG. 5 is a hardware block diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mobility management device 300, the subscriber information storage device 400, the positioning device 500, and the location service described in FIGS. 1 to 4 The hardware configuration of each of the supporting devices 600 is shown.

Referring to FIG. 5, the network device 700 includes a communication device 701, a memory 703, a storage device 705, and at least one processor 707. The communication device 701 is connected to at least one processor 707 to transmit and/or receive data to and from an external network. The memory 703 is connected to at least one processor 707 and stores a program including instructions for executing the configuration and/or method according to the embodiments described in FIGS. 1 to 4. The program is combined with hardware such as memory 703 and at least one processor 707 to implement the present invention.

The storage device 705 includes information necessary for operation or operation of a network device. The processor 707 implements the present invention in combination with hardware such as the memory 703 and the storage device 705.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not implemented only through an apparatus and a method, but may be implemented through a program that realizes a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

Claims (7)

A method in which a subscriber information storage device provides location information of a subscriber terminal in a mobile communication network, comprising:
Receiving, from a mobility management device, a purge request message informing of deletion of subscriber information of a subscriber terminal whose communication connection has been released,
Storing the location information of the subscriber station extracted from the deletion request message,
Receiving a request for location information of the subscriber station from a positioning device, and
And transmitting the stored location information to the positioning device,
The deletion request message,
A method for providing location information, including location information including information on a cell that the subscriber terminal last accessed before disconnection of a communication connection with the mobility management device. In claim 1,
The location information of the subscriber terminal,
The mobility management device is obtained from a location information message periodically received from the subscriber terminal,
The deletion request message,
A method for providing location information, including time information when the mobility management device receives the location information message from the subscriber terminal. In paragraph 2,
The deletion request message,
The method of providing location information, further comprising a location parameter that displays the cell information and the time information. In claim 1,
Before the step of receiving the deletion request message,
Receiving a request for location information of the subscriber station from the positioning device, and
Further comprising the step of transferring information of the mobility management device to which the subscriber terminal is connected to the positioning device,
The positioning device,
A method of providing location information for obtaining a cell ID to which the subscriber station has accessed through the mobility management device. As a method for a mobility management device to provide location information of a subscriber terminal in a mobile communication network,
Generating a communication disconnection event of the subscriber terminal,
Transmitting a purge request message notifying the deletion of subscriber information to the subscriber information storage device, and
Including the step of deleting subscriber information of the subscriber terminal,
The deletion request message,
A method of providing location information, including location information including information on a cell last accessed by the subscriber station, received from the subscriber station immediately before the communication disconnection event occurs. In clause 5,
Prior to the occurring step,
When a specific period arrives, receiving a location information message including location information of the subscriber terminal from the subscriber terminal, and
Deleting the previously stored location information, further comprising the step of storing the received location information as location information of the subscriber terminal,
The transmitting step,
A method of providing location information, transmitting a deletion request message including location information of the subscriber station stored immediately before the communication disconnection event occurs and time information at which the location information is received. In clause 5,
Between the generating step and the transmitting step,
Driving a predefined timer, and
Determining deletion of the subscriber information if reconnection with the subscriber station is not possible until the predefined timer expires
A method for providing location information further comprising a.

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