JP2002044715A - Method for positioning mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to display or output a map information or a location name by roughly specifying the current position of a mobile terminal without modifying hardware and software thereof. SOLUTION: A database managing the map information and a database for the location name for each area identification information and the base station location for each base station identification information are added to the exsisting location registration management database for the mobile terminal and the location registration control.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for specifying the current location of a mobile terminal (mobile telephone, PHS telephone).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, mobile terminals (portable telephones, PHS
The following three methods have been used to determine the current location of a telephone.

A first method is to attach a function of receiving a signal from a GPS satellite to a mobile terminal, calculate the current position by the mobile terminal itself, and transmit the position information in an information format such as latitude and longitude. is there. If signals from three or four GPS satellites can be received, the position can be calculated with considerable accuracy.

In a second method, a plurality of base stations receive radio waves emitted from a mobile terminal, and comprehensively calculate information such as a radio wave reception level, a phase, and a direction in which the radio waves arrive. This is a method for estimating the position. Using information received by at least three base stations, the position can be estimated using the principle of triangulation.

[0005] A third method is to attach a function of receiving a signal from a GPS satellite to a mobile terminal, transmit a signal from the GPS satellite received by the mobile terminal to a base station, and determine the current position of the mobile terminal. Calculate on server. Mobile terminal is GPS
It is only necessary to have a function of receiving signals from satellites, and a calculation function is not required. Since the installation location of the base station is known, more accurate calculation can be performed by including the installation location information in the calculation.

[0006]

Among the conventional methods, the first method and the third method require the mobile terminal to have a function of receiving a signal from a GPS satellite. GP
In order to receive signals from the S satellite, it was necessary to incorporate a special radio circuit. Since the frequency of the radio wave used by the mobile terminal in the original communication is different from the frequency of the signal from the GPS satellite, a circuit dedicated to receiving the GPS signal has to be added. The addition of the GPS signal receiving circuit increases the weight and size of the mobile terminal.
A power supply for operating the GPS signal receiving circuit is also required, and compared with a mobile terminal without the GPS signal receiving circuit,
There is a disadvantage that the battery becomes larger and heavier, or the battery life is shortened. In addition, the price of mobile terminals has also increased, and manufacturers and mobile phone service companies have been risking how much demand can be expected.

Also, unlike a terrestrial base station, it is necessary to provide an antenna to receive a weak signal from a distant satellite. As a result of technological development, the size of antennas has gradually decreased, but is still too large compared to mobile terminals that fit in pockets. When the size of the antenna is extremely reduced, a required number of GPS satellite signals cannot be received, and position calculation cannot be performed.

[0008] Among the conventional methods, the second method has to add a function unnecessary for normal communication to the base station. In normal communication, only the base station designated by the mobile terminal needs to receive radio waves from the mobile terminal. However, when the second method is used, it is necessary that a plurality of base stations receive the same radio wave, analyze the radio waves at the plurality of base stations, transfer the analysis result to a server, and perform further analysis at the server. .

[0009] If the same radio wave is received by three base stations using the principle of triangulation and the arrival direction of the radio wave can be measured, it seems that the position of the mobile terminal can be easily specified. However, in order to accurately measure the arrival direction (angle) of a radio wave, an antenna having sharp directivity must be used. Ordinary base stations use omni-directional antennas so that mobile terminals can normally transmit and receive radio waves in any direction. A single omnidirectional antenna cannot measure the direction of arrival of radio waves. There is also a method of installing a plurality of antennas and using a time difference between arrivals at the respective antennas. However, if the distance between the antennas is short, the time difference is extremely short and a large error occurs.

[0010] Even if the antenna is devised to create a mechanism for recognizing the arrival direction of the radio wave, there is a problem of irregular reflection of the radio wave. The radio wave transmitted by the mobile terminal is reflected by surrounding buildings, mountains, trees, and the like. For this reason, not only a direct wave that directly reaches the base station from the mobile terminal, but also a reflected wave that is reflected by various things and reaches the base station. In addition, the diffracted wave diffracted at the corner of the building also reaches the base station.
If there is no obstacle between the mobile terminal and the base station, and the line of sight can be seen, the signal strength of the direct wave is often the strongest. However, when there is an obstacle and it cannot be seen directly, there are no direct waves, and only reflected waves and diffracted waves. In the case of a reflected wave, even if the direction of arrival is detected, only the direction of the reflecting object is known, and the direction of the mobile terminal is not known. In an actual urban space, the reflected waves reflected by many reflective objects arrive at the base station antenna from all directions, so even if it was assumed that the direction of arrival of the radio wave could be identified using an antenna with sharp directivity, It is extremely difficult to specify the direction in which the mobile terminal exists.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is the GPS
How to enable the current location of the mobile terminal to be specified without adding hardware and software such as a signal receiving circuit and antenna and using the current mobile terminal hardware and software The point is to take appropriate measures.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that hardware such as an antenna having a sharp directivity, software for estimating the arrival direction of radio waves, and the like can be provided without adding hardware or the like. What means should be taken in order to be able to specify the current position of the mobile terminal while keeping the wear and software.

[0013]

First, the mechanisms of the current mobile terminal, base station, and database will be described.

When a paging signal is transmitted from a base station nationwide when a mobile terminal receives an incoming call, the capacity of a control channel for transmitting the paging signal becomes enormous. When the number of incoming calls increases, the control channel becomes full, and it may be necessary to wait before calling.

In order to avoid such a situation, the whole of Japan is divided to create a calling area. Area identification information is provided for each call area. All the base stations installed in a certain calling area store the area identification information and periodically transmit the information by radio waves. The mobile terminal receives this radio wave and detects its own area by detecting the area identification information.

When the power is turned on from off, the mobile terminal searches for radio waves from the base station and receives area identification information. Radio waves are transmitted to the nearest base station to perform location registration. The base station that has received the radio wave sends the terminal identification information sent from the mobile terminal and the area identification information held by the base station to a database that manages location registration. When the registration is completed, the base station sends a completion notification to the mobile terminal.

The mobile terminal that has received the location registration completion notification stores the area identification information received from the base station in a storage area in the terminal. Thereafter, the mobile station periodically receives the area identification information transmitted by the base station and compares the area identification information with the area identification information stored in the own terminal storage area. If the comparison results are different, it is determined that the own terminal has moved to a different calling area, and a radio wave is transmitted to the nearest base station to perform location registration. The base station that has received the radio wave sends the terminal identification information and the area identification information to a database that manages location registration.
The database manages the registration area for each terminal identification information, and updates the area identification information. Upon receiving the position registration completion notification, the mobile terminal updates the area identification information in the storage area of the mobile terminal.

When there is an incoming call to the mobile terminal, the location registration management database is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key to obtain the latest area identification information. Radio waves for calling are transmitted from all the base stations existing in the calling area to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal that has received the paging radio wave for its own terminal selects one of the plurality of base stations closest to the base station and transmits a response signal to the base station. In order to prevent a tampering response, the base station checks the terminal identification information included in the response signal, and transmits a bell ringing signal only when the terminal is a correct terminal, at which point the mobile terminal starts ringing.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems by maximizing the above-described mechanism, the present invention employs a database as described below, and uses area identification information registered in the location registration management database. Is used to provide the call area as location information.

A database according to the present invention (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information) will be described with reference to FIG. Convert area identification information to map range,
This is a database to be converted to place names. A search is performed using the area identification information as a search key, and a range of a calling area having the area identification information is obtained. As a result, the range is displayed on a map, or a place name indicating the range of the calling area is displayed.

In order to improve the accuracy of the location information, the present invention further employs a database as described below, calls a mobile terminal, and designates a base station designated as a destination to which the mobile terminal sends a response signal. Is provided as location information using the installation location information of the server.

A database according to the present invention (where installation locations are managed for each base station identification information) will be described with reference to FIG.
This is a database for managing installation location information for each base station. As a result of the search of the location registration management database, a call signal is transmitted from all base stations in the call area where the terminal is located. The mobile terminal receives paging signals from a plurality of base stations, selects a base station having the strongest signal among them, and sends a response signal to the base station. The base station sends its own base station identification information and the terminal identification information of the mobile terminal to the database. In the database, the installation location information of the base station is searched from the base station identification information and displayed on a map or a place name is displayed.

[0023]

The position specifying method according to the present invention operates as follows.

First, using the current mechanism, the latest location of the mobile terminal is registered in the location registration management database.

When the location information is inquired, the location registration management database is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key to obtain area identification information.

Using the area identification information as a search key, a database (manage maps or place names for each area identification information)
Search for a map or place name.

A map or a place name is notified to an inquirer.

The location method of the present invention, which calls a mobile terminal and improves the accuracy of the location, operates as follows.

First, using the current mechanism, the latest position of the mobile terminal is registered in the position registration management database.

When the location information is inquired, the location registration management database is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key to obtain area identification information.

A paging signal to the mobile terminal is transmitted from all base stations in the paging area indicated by the area identification information.

The mobile terminal receiving the call signal selects one of the nearest base stations and transmits a response signal to the selected base station.

The base station that has received the response signal transmits the base station identification information of the base station and the terminal identification information of the mobile terminal to a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information). Since the base station does not send a bell ringing start signal to the mobile terminal, the ringing bell of the mobile terminal does not ring and does not bother the user. Since no special method is used, the present invention can be applied to all mobile terminals up to now.

Using the area identification information as a search key, a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information) is searched to obtain a map or a place name.

The map or the place name is notified to the inquirer.

[0036]

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
It is an example of a database (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information) using the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information) using the present invention. FIG. 3 is an example showing a flow when providing a map or a place name of a calling area. FIG. 4 shows a flow when providing a map or a place name around a base station installation location.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, when the area identification information 2 is input as a search key, a database (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information) 1 stores a call area specified by the area identification information. Output map or place name 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, when the base station identification information 5 is input as a search key, the database (management location for each base station identification information) 4 stores the base specified by the base station identification information. A map or a place name 6 around the place where the station is installed is output.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the calling area 7
A plurality of base stations 8 are provided in the area. The base station 8
The area identification information 12 is periodically transmitted by radio waves. All the base stations 8 belonging to the paging area 7 have transmitted the same area identification information 12. The mobile terminal 9 that has been turned on from the power off or the mobile terminal 9 whose neck storage device-specific information other than the area identification information of the calling area 7 is stored in the internal storage area is transmitted from the base station 8. Upon receiving the area identification information 12, the nearest base station 8 is selected and the location registration 13 is performed for the base station 8. The base station 8 having received the position registration signal 13 transmits the received mobile terminal identification information and the area identification information 14 to which the own base station belongs to the position registration management database 15 and registers the same in the database.

Inquiry 1 about location information of mobile communication terminal
If there is 6, the mobile terminal identification information 17 of the inquiry is transferred to the location registration management database 15 and searched.
The area identification information 18 read as a result of the search is a database (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information).
The map or the place name 19 is read out using the area identification information as a search key. The read map or place name 19 is transferred to the inquirer and displayed on the screen, read out by voice, or transmitted by fax 20.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
Has a plurality of base stations 22 in the area. The base station 22 periodically transmits the area identification information 26 by radio waves. All the base stations 22 belonging to the paging area 21 transmit the same area identification information 26. The mobile terminal 23 that has been turned on from the power off state, or the mobile terminal 23 whose neck storage device-specific information other than the area identification information of the calling area 7 is stored in the internal storage area is transmitted from the base station 22. Receiving the area identification information 26, the nearest base station 2
2 is selected and the location registration 27 is performed for the base station 22. The base station 22 that has received the location registration signal 27 transmits the received mobile terminal identification information and the area identification information 28 to which the base station belongs to the location registration management database 26,
Register in the database.

Inquiry about location information of mobile communication terminal 2
If there is 9, the mobile terminal identification information 30 of the inquiry is transferred to the location registration management database 26 and searched.
A calling signal 32 for calling the terminal is transmitted by radio from all the base stations 22 belonging to the calling area 21 having the area identification information 31 read as a result of the search. The mobile terminal 23 that has received the paging signal 32 selects the nearest base station, and transmits a response signal 33 to that base station. The base station 22 that has received the response signal 33 transfers the base station identification information 34 and the mobile terminal identification information to the database (managing the installation location for each base station identification information) 24. In the database (managing the installation location for each base station identification information) 24, a map or a place name 35 is read using the base station identification information as a search key. The read map or place name 35 is transferred to the inquirer, displayed on the screen, read out by voice, or transmitted by fax 36.

[0043]

The range of the calling area is generally considerably large. Taking Tokyo as an example, for example, the calling area is as large as the ward. Therefore, the accuracy is not enough to find the actual location of the mobile terminal.
However, such accuracy may be sufficient depending on the purpose of using the position information. For example, when you are meeting, you may be worried if you do not come. The date and time may have been wrong. The other person wonders if he has left home. Even if you call the other party's mobile terminal, you may not be able to talk if the other party is on a train. In such a case, it is very useful to know the location of the opponent roughly.

As described above, the position specifying method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention can specify a rough position without using a special mobile terminal or using a special base station. .

The housewife waiting for the office worker's husband is also very useful. For example, a couple who works for a company in Tokyo and lives in a suburban city will be described. If she knows her husband's approximate location, she can decide when to return home. If it is displayed as Chiyoda-ku, it can be determined that you are still at the company, if it is displayed as Toshima-ku, it is about to get on the train, and if it is displayed as Tokorozawa-shi, it can be determined that it is soon. Since location information is not used by wives to search for husbands, rough location information on a ward or city basis is sufficient.

In the method of specifying a position using radio waves from GPS satellites, latitude and longitude are calculated as position information. In general, the location cannot be understood by looking at the latitude and longitude numbers, so it is displayed on a map. For example, when the terminal to be displayed is a mobile terminal, there is no storage capacity for storing the map, and the map is received at the time of display. The amount of data required for displaying the map is considerably large, and the transmission time and the transmission fee are both large. Such a drawback can be solved by displaying a rough position with a rough place name or outputting a sound. The method of the present invention is sufficient if only rough place names are displayed and output. There is no point in calculating the exact position using an effective and complex GPS method. Anyone can understand if the voice is output as "Shinjuku-ku", but even if the voice is output as "Shinjuku 3-chome, Shinjuku-ku", there is no difference in the information obtained except for those who are familiar with Shinjuku.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a database (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information) of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Database (manage map or place name for each area identification information) 2 Area identification information 3 Map or place name

FIG. 2 is an example of a database (installation location is managed for each base station identification information) of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Database (installation location is managed for each base station identification information) 5 Base station identification information 6 Map or place name of base station installation location

FIG. 3 is an example of searching for a map or a place name of a calling area according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 Calling area 8 Base station 9 Mobile terminal 10 Database (manage map or place name for each area identification information) 11 Terminal to input location information inquiry and display the result 12 Send area identification information by radio wave 13 Location registration signal 14 Location registration (terminal identification information and area identification information are registered in the location registration management database) 15 Location registration management database 16 Query input 17 Transfer the telephone number of the inquired mobile terminal to the location registration management database Step 18 The area identification information obtained as a result of the search in the location registration management database is transferred to a database (a map or a place name is managed for each area identification information) and is referred. 19 A map or a place name obtained as a result of a search in a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information) is transferred to a result output terminal. 20 Output map or place name.

FIG. 4 is an example of searching for a map or a place name of a base station installation location according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 21 Calling area 22 Base station 23 Mobile terminal 24 Database (manage map or place name for each base station identification information) 25 Terminal to input location information inquiry and display the result 26 Transmit area identification information by radio wave 27 Location registration Signal transmission by radio wave 28 Location registration (registering terminal identification information and area identification information in location registration management database) 29 Query input 30 Transferring the telephone number of the inquired mobile terminal to location registration management database 31 Location registration A call request is issued to a call area having area identification information as a result of the search in the management database. 32 Paging the mobile terminal from all base stations in the paging area 33 The mobile terminal transmits a response signal to the nearest base station. The base station that has received the response signal transfers and queries the base station identification information of the base station to a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information). 35 A map or a place name obtained as a result of a search in a database (where the installation location is managed for each base station identification information) is transferred to a result output terminal. 36 Output map or place name. 37 Location Registration Management Database

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04Q 7/04 C

Claims (8)

[Claims] A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) When position information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a fourth step of searching the database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (e) Fifth step of displaying the call area specified by the area identification information on a map 2. A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) Fourth step of storing the registered area identification information in the storage area in the mobile terminal (e) Receiving the area identification information transmitted by the base station and storing the area identification information in its own terminal storage area When receiving area identification information different from the stored area identification information, a radio wave is transmitted to the nearest base station to register the position of the terminal itself. Fifth step (f) The last registered area identification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. (G) When location information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a seventh step of searching a database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (H) Eighth step of displaying the calling area specified by the area identification information on a map 3. A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) When position information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a fourth step of searching the database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (e) Fifth step of calling the designated mobile terminal from all the base stations having the searched area identification information (f) Sixth step in which the called mobile terminal selects the nearest base station and responds (g) Seventh step of extracting the location information from the database in which the location information of the base station that has received the response is registered is registered. (H) Eighth step of displaying a map of the installation location and its surroundings 4. A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) Fourth step of storing the registered area identification information in the storage area in the mobile terminal (e) Receiving the area identification information transmitted by the base station and storing the area identification information in its own terminal storage area When receiving area identification information different from the stored area identification information, a radio wave is transmitted to the nearest base station to register the position of the terminal itself. Fifth step (f) The last registered area identification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. (G) When location information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a seventh step of searching a database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (H) Eighth step of calling the designated mobile terminal from all the base stations having the retrieved area identification information (i) Ninth step of receiving the call, selecting the nearest base station and responding ( j) Tenth step of extracting the location information from the database in which the location information of the base station that has received the response is registered (k) Eleventh step of displaying a map of the installation location and its surroundings 5. A method for specifying a position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) When position information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a fourth step of searching the database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (e) Fifth step of outputting the place name of the calling area specified by the area identification information 6. A method for specifying a position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) Fourth step of storing the registered area identification information in the storage area in the mobile terminal (e) Receiving the area identification information transmitted by the base station and storing the area identification information in its own terminal storage area When receiving area identification information different from the stored area identification information, a radio wave is transmitted to the nearest base station to register the position of the terminal itself. Fifth step (f) The last registered area identification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. (G) When location information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a seventh step of searching a database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (H) Eighth step of outputting the place name of the calling area specified by the area identification information 7. A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) When position information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a fourth step of searching the database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (e) Fifth step of calling the designated mobile terminal from all the base stations having the searched area identification information (f) Sixth step in which the called mobile terminal selects the nearest base station and responds (g) Seventh step of extracting the location information from the database in which the location information of the base station that has received the response is registered is registered. (H) Eighth step of outputting the location of the installation location and the surrounding places 8. A method for specifying the position of a mobile terminal, comprising a combination of the following steps. (A) First step of transmitting area identification information from each base station (b) When the power of the mobile terminal changes from the off state to the on state, a radio wave is sent to the nearest base station to register the position of the own terminal. (C) the terminal identification information and the area information received by the base station,
Third step of registering in the database (d) Fourth step of storing the registered area identification information in the storage area in the mobile terminal (e) Receiving the area identification information transmitted by the base station and storing the area identification information in its own terminal storage area When receiving area identification information different from the stored area identification information, a radio wave is transmitted to the nearest base station to register the position of the terminal itself. Fifth step (f) The last registered area identification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. (G) When location information is searched using the telephone number of the mobile terminal as a search key, a seventh step of searching a database using the telephone number as a search key to obtain area identification information (H) Eighth step of calling the designated mobile terminal from all the base stations having the retrieved area identification information (i) Ninth step of receiving the call, selecting the nearest base station and responding ( j) Tenth step of extracting the location information from the database in which the location information of the base station that received the response is registered, and (k) Eleventh step of outputting the installation location and the names of the surrounding places.