JP2004242053A - Terminal position detecting system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and method for detecting a position of a terminal and a position of a possessor of the terminal with high accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: The system and method detects a spot position of a user terminal by using a low sensitivity base station to narrow a position detecting range. The low sensitivity base station is installed at a location within a cover area of a base station of a mobile communication system and related to known position information, receives a position registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal, with sensitivity lower than that of the base station, and informs a control station of the mobile communication system about identification information of the user terminal transmitting the position registration request signal. The control station acquires position information of the low sensitivity base station receiving the position registration request signal as the position information of the user terminal transmitting the position registration request signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting a position of a terminal and a position of an owner of the terminal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there is a system for detecting a user position using GPS. When using GPS, it is assumed that the user is outdoors. In addition, since the GPS has only a position detecting function in principle, a system based on the GPS is provided with a communication function for transmitting and receiving a user's voice and data, and a user identification function separately.
[0003]
On the other hand, as a system having a user position detecting function and a user identifying function, a system using PDC or PHS has been proposed. When PDC is used, the position detection accuracy is 1 km or more corresponding to the coverage area of the base station, and in the case of PHS, the position detection accuracy is 100 m or more corresponding to the coverage area of the base station.
[0004]
It is also possible to detect a position using a wireless LAN. The position detection accuracy in this case is １００100 m (about several tens m) corresponding to the coverage area of the base station.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Thus, there is a limitation that GPS cannot be used indoors. In addition, PDC and PHS have a limitation that the receiving area is wide and the accuracy of position detection is low. For this reason, it is difficult for these conventional information distribution services to identify the position of the user at the spot level regardless of whether the user is indoors or outdoors.
[0006]
Position detection using a wireless LAN may achieve higher detection accuracy than position detection using a PDC or PHS, but since wireless LAN users and wireless LAN terminal owners are limited, However, few users can use position detection by wireless LAN.
[0007]
At present, the wireless LAN terminal does not always turn on the terminal due to the limitation of the battery driving time, and normally turns on the terminal only when the user uses the wireless LAN terminal. In order to perform position detection, the wireless LAN terminal needs to be connected to the base station. Therefore, in a wireless LAN in which the power of the terminal is not always turned on, there is a problem in terms of the frequency of position detection or simplicity. There is.
[0008]
Further, in the position detection using the wireless LAN, the position detection accuracy, that is, the coverage area of the communication by the base station is determined by the requirement of the communication service provided by the wireless LAN itself. Therefore, in order to provide a position detection service which is considered to be an additional service of the communication service by the original wireless LAN or an information providing service using one detection function, the position detection accuracy by the wireless LAN is adjusted or changed. Is practically difficult.
[0009]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for detecting the position of a terminal and the position of a terminal owner with high accuracy. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method in which the accuracy of position detection is adjustable.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention enables high-accuracy spot position detection by installing a low-sensitivity base station in a mobile communication system (for example, a mobile phone system). The low-sensitivity base station is installed at a location associated with known position information within the coverage area of the base station of the mobile communication system, and receives a position registration request signal transmitted from a user terminal with lower sensitivity than the base station. , And notifies the control station of the mobile communication system of the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the location registration request signal. The control station acquires, as the position information of the user terminal that has transmitted the position registration request signal, the position information of the low-sensitivity base station that has received the position registration request signal. The present invention makes it possible to implement a position detection function, a user communication function, and a user identification function by installing a low-sensitivity base station in a mobile communication system.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 1 is a terminal position detection system including a mobile communication system and a low-sensitivity base station. The mobile communication system includes a base station that receives a position registration request signal from a user terminal in a coverage area and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal, and a control station that manages information necessary for mobile communication and controls the base station. Have.
[0012]
The low-sensitivity base station is installed at a location associated with known position information within the coverage area of the base station, receives a position registration request signal transmitted from a user terminal with lower sensitivity than the base station, and The control station is notified of the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the registration request signal. In various embodiments of the present invention described later, a user's telephone number, mail address, terminal MAC address, or the like is used as identification information of a user terminal.
[0013]
The control station is a position information management unit that associates the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station with the position information of the low-sensitivity base station, and the low-sensitivity base station that has notified the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the position registration request signal. A position information acquisition unit that acquires associated position information from the position information management unit, and associates the acquired position information with the identification information of the user terminal as the position information of the user terminal.
[0014]
The present invention narrows the position detection range by installing a low-sensitivity base station (small gain base station) dedicated to reception, thereby improving the position detection accuracy. Furthermore, low-sensitivity base stations can be limited to the reception function, so there is no problem of interference with existing mobile phone base stations and other wireless systems, and the cost can be reduced. It can be used to build a system. In addition, by using a mobile communication system such as a mobile phone system, for example, user identification can be performed from a telephone number or the like.
[0015]
Further, since the position (information) of the low-sensitivity base station is linked to the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station, the position information of the user terminal can be acquired from the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station.
As a result, the terminal position detection system of the present invention can be introduced at a low cost to an existing mobile communication system such as a mobile phone system.
[0016]
According to the invention described in claim 2, the low-sensitivity base station receives a location registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal when the coverage area in which the mobile terminal is located changes.
[0017]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the low-sensitivity base station receives a location registration request signal periodically transmitted from the user terminal.
[0018]
This makes it possible to detect the position of the user terminal even when the user terminal moves through a plurality of low-sensitivity base station coverage areas within the coverage area of the base station.
[0019]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the low-sensitivity base station receives a location registration request signal transmitted from a user terminal in response to a user operation. With this system, the user's own position can be notified to the low-sensitivity base station according to the user's intention.
[0020]
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the user terminal has a mode for transmitting a position registration request signal periodically and a mode for transmitting a position registration request signal in response to a user operation. With this system, it is possible to select whether to notify the low-sensitivity base station of the user's own position to the low-sensitivity base station according to the user's intention. Therefore, for example, when the user wants to receive the service based on the position information, the user sets the mode to transmit the position registration request signal, does not want to receive the service based on the position information, wants to keep his / her position confidential, or In the case where the position is not notified according to the user's own intention, a mode in which the position registration request signal is transmitted in accordance with the operation of the user may be set.
[0021]
According to the invention described in claim 6, the low-sensitivity base station is configured to be able to change the sensitivity for receiving a position registration request signal from a user terminal. This allows the terminal position detection system to change the detection range (detection accuracy).
[0022]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the low-sensitivity base station includes a receiving antenna that can change an antenna gain so that the receiving sensitivity can be changed.
[0023]
According to the invention of claim 8, the low-sensitivity base station is configured to be able to change the antenna gain by exchanging the receiving antenna in order to change the receiving sensitivity.
[0024]
According to the ninth aspect, the low-sensitivity base station includes a receiver that can change the receiving sensitivity. As described above, the receiving sensitivity of the low-sensitivity base station can be changed, and the optimum receiving sensitivity (position detection accuracy) can be adjusted and set according to the type of the provided service and the category of the user. According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the control station associates the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the location registration request signal with the user management information of the mobile communication system, thereby identifying the user of the user terminal. Parts.
[0025]
The invention according to claim 11 is a base station that receives a location registration request signal from a user terminal in a coverage area and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal, and manages information necessary for mobile communication and controls the base station. This is a terminal position detecting method for detecting the position of a user terminal in a mobile communication system including a control station.
[0026]
The terminal position detection method of the present invention,
A position transmitted from a user terminal by the low-sensitivity base station installed at a location associated with known position information within the cover area of the base station and receiving a position registration request signal with lower sensitivity than the base station Receiving a registration request signal;
A procedure of notifying the identification information of the user terminal that transmitted the position registration request signal from the low-sensitivity base station to the control station,
A step of acquiring known position information related to the low-sensitivity base station that has notified the identification information of the user terminal as position information of the user terminal;
Having.
[0027]
The present invention narrows the position detection range by installing a low-sensitivity base station (also referred to as a small gain base station) dedicated to reception, thereby improving the position detection accuracy. Furthermore, low-sensitivity base stations can be limited to the reception function, so there is no problem of interference with existing mobile phone base stations and other wireless systems, and the cost can be reduced. It can be used to build a system. In addition, by using a mobile communication system such as a mobile phone system, for example, user identification can be performed from a telephone number or the like.
[0028]
According to the twelfth aspect, the location registration request signal is transmitted when the coverage area where the user terminal is located changes.
[0029]
According to the thirteenth aspect, the user terminal periodically transmits the location registration request signal.
[0030]
According to the fourteenth aspect, the user terminal transmits a position registration request signal in response to a user operation.
[0031]
The invention according to claim 15 further includes a procedure of selecting one of a mode in which the user terminal periodically transmits a location registration request signal and a mode in which the location registration request signal is transmitted in response to a user operation.
[0032]
The invention according to claim 16 further includes a step of changing the reception sensitivity of the low-sensitivity base station.
[0033]
The invention according to claim 17 further includes a step of identifying the owner of the user terminal by associating the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the position registration request signal with the user management information of the mobile communication system.
[0034]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, identical or equivalent components or functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0035]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal position detection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The terminal position detection system is a terminal position detection system including the mobile communication system 5 and the low-sensitivity base station 3. The mobile communication system 5 receives a location registration request signal from the user terminal 2 in the coverage area 6 and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal 2, and manages information necessary for mobile communication and manages the base station. It has a control station 20 for controlling.
[0036]
The low-sensitivity base station 3 is installed at a location associated with known position information in the cover area 6 of the base station 10 and transmits a position registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal 2 to a lower sensitivity than the base station 10. And notifies the control station 20 of the identification information (telephone number, mail address, terminal MAC address, etc.) of the user terminal 2 which has received the location registration request signal. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, terminal identification information or terminal identification information includes a telephone number, a mail address, a terminal MAC address, and the like.
[0037]
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the control station 20 in the first embodiment of the present invention. The control station 20 notifies the position information management unit 25 that associates the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 with the position information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the identification information of the user terminal 2 that has transmitted the position registration request signal. The position information acquisition unit 26 acquires the position information associated with the low-sensitivity base station 3 from the position information management unit 25 and associates the acquired position information with the identification information of the user terminal 2 as the position information of the user terminal 2. And The control station 20 further includes a user identification unit 27 that identifies the owner of the user terminal 2 by associating the identification information of the user terminal 2 that has transmitted the location registration request signal with the user management information of the mobile communication system.
[0038]
In this embodiment, the position detection range is narrowed by installing the low-sensitivity base station 3 (or also referred to as a small gain base station) dedicated to reception, and as a result, the position detection accuracy is improved. Furthermore, since the low-sensitivity base station 3 can be limited to the reception function, there is no problem of interference with the existing mobile phone base station 10 and other wireless systems, and the cost can be reduced. A system can be constructed using equipment. In addition, by using a mobile communication system such as a mobile phone system, for example, user identification can be performed from a telephone number or the like.
[0039]
Further, since the position (information) of the low-sensitivity base station is linked to the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station 3, the position information of the user terminal can be obtained from the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station. As a result, the terminal position detection system according to the present embodiment can be introduced at low cost to an existing mobile communication system such as a mobile phone system.
[0040]
The low-sensitivity base station 3 receives a position registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal 2 when the coverage area in which it is located changes and / or a position registration request signal transmitted periodically from the user terminal 2. I do. Since the user terminal 2 periodically transmits the position registration request signal, especially when the user terminal 2 moves through a plurality of low-sensitivity base station cover areas 7 in the cover area 7 of the base station 10, the user terminal position is determined. Can be detected.
[0041]
Alternatively, the user terminal 2 may be configured to transmit a position registration request signal in response to a user operation. In this case, it is preferable that the user terminal 2 has a mode for transmitting a position registration request signal periodically and a mode for transmitting a position registration request signal in response to a user operation.
[0042]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the low-sensitivity base station 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The low-sensitivity base station 3 is configured to be able to change the sensitivity for receiving the position registration request signal from the user terminal 2. This allows the terminal position detection system to change the detection range (detection accuracy). In addition, the low-sensitivity base station 3 includes a receiving antenna 31 that can change the antenna gain in order to change the receiving sensitivity. The low-sensitivity base station 3 may be configured to be able to change the antenna gain by replacing the receiving antenna 31 in order to change the receiving sensitivity. Further, the low-sensitivity base station 3 includes a receiver 32 that can change the receiving sensitivity. The low-sensitivity base station 3 further includes a signal demodulation unit 33 and a multiplexing device 34, demodulates a radio signal from the user terminal 2 in the low-sensitivity base station 3, and registers a location transmitted from a plurality of user terminals. Necessary information such as terminal identification information included in the request signal is multiplexed and transmitted to the control unit.
[0043]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a terminal location detecting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The terminal position detection method according to the present embodiment manages a base station 10 that receives a position registration request signal from the user terminal 2 in the cover area 6 and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal 2 and information necessary for mobile communication. In the mobile communication system 5 including the control station 20 for controlling the base station 10, the position of the user terminal 2 is detected.
[0044]
According to the terminal position detection method of the present embodiment, the terminal is installed at a location associated with known position information in the cover area 7 of the base station 10 and receives a position registration request signal with lower sensitivity than the base station 10. The low-sensitivity base station 3 receives the location registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal 2 (step 1).
[0045]
The user terminal 2 transmits a position registration request signal periodically or in response to a user operation when the coverage area where the user is located changes.
[0046]
The low-sensitivity base station 3 notifies the control station 20 of the identification information of the user terminal 2 that has transmitted the position registration request signal (step 2).
[0047]
The control station 20 acquires known position information related to the low-sensitivity base station 3 that has notified the identification information of the user terminal 2 as the position information of the user terminal 2 (step 3).
[0048]
Further, the control station 20 identifies the owner of the user terminal 2 by associating the identification information of the user terminal 2 that has transmitted the position registration request signal with the user management information of the mobile communication system (step 4). Alternatively, when the information service provider and the mobile communication infrastructure provider are separate, the user terminal may be simply identified and identified instead of identifying the owner of the user terminal. In this case, the mobile communication infrastructure provider provides the terminal location information and the attribute information associated with the user terminal to the information service provider, and the information service provider selects information matching the location information and the attribute information. And provide information to mobile communication infrastructure providers. Then, the mobile communication infrastructure provider transmits the selection information to the user terminal using the telephone number and the mail address.
[0049]
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a position information-based information distribution system according to a third embodiment of the present invention that distributes information related to position information to the user terminal based on the position information of the user terminal acquired by the present invention. is there. The information distribution system of the present embodiment receives a location registration request signal from the user terminal 2 in the coverage area, manages the base station 10 that wirelessly communicates with the user terminal 2, and manages information necessary for mobile communication. The mobile communication system 1 includes a control station 20 that controls the base station 10. The coverage area of the base station 10 includes, for example, a restaurant street and a shopping street, but is not limited to these examples.
[0050]
One example of the mobile communication system 1 is a current mobile phone system. When a mobile phone system is adopted as the mobile communication system 1, the user terminal 2 is a so-called mobile phone. The user terminal 2 appropriately transmits a position registration request signal in response to broadcast information or the like from the base station 10 and registers the position of the terminal itself with the control station 20. In a mobile communication system 1 such as a mobile phone system, usable user terminals 2 are registered together with information on the holders (that is, users) of the user terminals 2.
Therefore, there is an advantage that the user authentication is automatically performed by designating the user terminal 2 that can be used in the mobile communication system 1 as the information distribution destination of the information distribution system.
[0051]
Regarding the location registration processing in the mobile phone system, for example, see the document: Supervised by Tachikawa, "W-CDMA mobile communication system", Maruzen, 2001, pp. 146-64. 250-253 and literature: Hattori, "Wireless Broadband Textbook", IDG Japan, 2002, pp. 32-35.
[0052]
The information distribution system further includes a low-sensitivity base station 3. The low-sensitivity base station 3 is installed at a location associated with known position information in the coverage area of the base station 10 and transmits a position registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal 2 with lower sensitivity than the base station 10. The control station 20 is notified of the identification information of the user terminal 2 that has received and transmitted the location registration request signal. The low-sensitivity base station 3 is a low-sensitivity base station dedicated to reception, and equivalently improves the position detection accuracy by narrowing the detection range, that is, by making the detection area spot-like. The coverage area of the low-sensitivity base station 3 includes, for example, a corner of a restaurant or a shopping street (one or several stores), but is not limited to these examples.
[0053]
The control station 20 in the present embodiment detects the location registration request signal from the user terminal 2 with the low-sensitivity base station 3 so that the detection range is narrow independently of the location management information used in the normal call service. Perform location management.
[0054]
The information distribution system further accumulates information related to the location information, and transmits the information related to the known location information to the user terminal 2 whose identification information has been notified to the control station 20 via the mobile communication system 1. And an information distribution unit 4 for distributing the obtained information.
[0055]
The information distribution unit 4 collects information from the service providing server 43 via, for example, a network. The information to be collected includes, for example, information provided by restaurants and shops.
[0056]
Since the coverage area of the low-sensitivity base station 3 is small, the information distribution unit 4 selects information on restaurants and shops located around the position of the low-sensitivity base station 3 from the stored information, and Send to 2. Since the user terminal 2 and the user are associated with each other by the control station 20, the information distribution unit 4 can narrow down information to be provided to the user based on information specific to the specific user corresponding to the user terminal 2. .
[0057]
Therefore, the information distribution system according to the third embodiment of the present invention can distribute useful information for a specific user based on user position information, user identification information, and user attribute information on the specific user. It is.
[0058]
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information distribution unit used in the information distribution system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The information distribution unit 4 is connected to the control station 12 and manages personal information data corresponding to the identification information of the user terminal 2 notified to the control station 12; , And a service aggregation server 42 that collects provided information associated with the location information via a network. The personal information management server 41 requests the service aggregation server 42 for information corresponding to the known position information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the personal information data. The service aggregation server 42 supplies the provided information selected in response to the request from the personal information management server 41 to the control station 20 and the user whose identification information has been notified to the control station 20 via the base station 10. Send to terminal 2. Therefore, the low-sensitivity base station 3 does not participate in transmitting the provided information to the user terminal 2.
[0059]
The service aggregation server 42 evaluates the difference between the known location information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the location information associated with the provided information, and the relevance between the personal information data and the provided information, and Is selected as information to be transmitted to the user terminal. Further, the service aggregation server 42 transmits individual log information including at least the information transmitted to the user terminal 2 to the personal information management server 41, and the personal information management server 41 Information is added to the personal information data.
[0060]
Assume that the user is in a shopping district. First, the service aggregation server 42, as an example, collects handling products including recommended products of each store and discount information. These pieces of information exist in each service providing server 43, and the service aggregation server 42 periodically collects, updates, and registers the information.
[0061]
From the position information of the low-sensitivity base station 3, it is possible to know at which store the user who is the owner of the user terminal is located. The store location is stored in advance in the service aggregation 42 together with the store information.
[0062]
The personal information management server 41 manages personal identification information, personal attribute information, and personal history. Assuming that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the user terminal 2 (for example, a mobile phone) and a user (for example, a mobile phone owner or contractor), the user can be specified. Further, the personal information management server 41 stores, for example, age, gender, occupation, hobby, and the like as personal attribute information. Further, the personal information management server 41 stores the information transmitted from the service aggregation server 42 in the user terminal 2 (that is, the user) as an information provision log, and manages the information as an information provision log for each individual. .
[0063]
In this embodiment, as described above, the position of the user terminal 2 is considered to be equal to the position of the low-sensitivity base station 3. The position of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the store position are handled by latitude and longitude information. Although GPS cannot be used in a store, for example, since latitude and longitude information can be easily obtained using a GPS terminal at a store entrance or the like, it is stored in the service aggregation server 42. The location information setting operation itself is performed by, for example, a provider that provides a platform for an information distribution service.
[0064]
When the latitude / longitude information is adopted as the position information, the distance calculated from the latitude and longitude of the two points is a straight-line distance. Therefore, the existence of a route from the terminal position to the store position may be a problem. However, assuming a service to be deployed in a city, there is a route between the two points although there may be a slight detour, so the problem of this route is not serious. In addition, the range of the provided information can be flexibly changed by changing the distance setting by defining the surroundings as the distance as the range of providing the surrounding information.
[0065]
According to the configuration of this embodiment, the service aggregation server 42 considers personal information of the user based on the personal information of the user based on the location information and stores information close to the current location of the terminal owner (for example, cosmetics, beauty salon, etc. for men). Information can be removed in advance, and information (information on amusement facilities, etc.) according to taste can be transmitted. In addition, since the information providing log is managed, it is possible to provide information in an individual-oriented manner, such as not to output information issued in the past.
[0066]
In this embodiment, the distance is calculated from the position (latitude, longitude) of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the store position (latitude, longitude), and the store information within the distance based on the calculated distance is selected. More specifically, the user can specify a distance (for example, transmit a condition that the radius is ** m or less), and the service provider can output store information within the range. As a result, the user can enjoy providing the service using the low-sensitivity base station installed by the operator without using the GPS (for example, without using the GPS-equipped terminal). (For example, the user only needs to have an existing user terminal).
[0067]
On the other hand, in another embodiment of the present invention, when the low-sensitivity base station 3 is installed in a certain store, the store and nearby stores and (the position information of) the low-sensitivity base station 3 are It is associated in advance. As a result, when a location registration request signal from a certain user terminal 2 is received by the low-sensitivity base station 3, nearby stores associated with the location information of the user terminal (ie, the location information of the low-sensitivity base station 3). Etc. can be obtained. In this case, it is unnecessary to perform the calculation regarding the position information, for example, the calculation of the distance between the two points described above. The identification information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the associated shop information are stored in the service aggregation server 42 in advance. As an example, the terminal location information may be the identification number of the low-sensitivity base station. In the service aggregation server 42, the identification number of the low-sensitivity base station is added to the store information (several tens of meters) around the low-sensitivity base station. May be linked. This embodiment is suitable for the case where the operating organization of the service aggregation server and the installing organization of the low interest base station are the same.
[0068]
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a control station in the information distribution system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The control station 20 includes a first control station 21 that manages the located user terminals 2 within the coverage area of the base station 10 and a second control that manages the profile of the mobile communication user and the position information of the user terminal. And a station 22.
[0069]
The first control station 21 is configured to associate the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station 3 with the visited user terminal 2 notified of the identification information from the low-sensitivity base station 3. This first control station 21 can be realized, for example, by a GMSC MSC / VLR BSC in an IMT-2000 core network as described in the above-mentioned document. Here, the GMSC provides a gateway switching function for interconnecting with a telephone network, ISDN and other mobile communication networks. The MSC / VLR temporarily holds subscriber information at the setting, release, exchange, and mobility management functions of the telephone communication path and data communication path, and at the destination of the terminal. Also, the BSC controls allocation and switching of wireless channels to user terminals.
[0070]
The second control station 22 is configured to manage base station identification information and low-sensitivity base station identification information as user terminal location information. Since the position information of the low-sensitivity base station is linked to the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station, the position information of the low-sensitivity base station can be acquired as the position information of the user terminal from the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station. This second control station 22 can be realized, for example, by an HLR in an IMT-2000 core network as described in the above-mentioned document. Here, the HLR indicates a home location register that holds and manages location information, service subscription information, authentication information, and the like for all subscribers who subscribe to the mobile phone carrier.
[0071]
In the present embodiment, since the (high sensitivity) base station 10 and the low sensitivity base station 3 for a normal call service coexist, the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC is different from the normal high sensitivity base station and the low sensitivity base station of the present invention. The location registration request signal is received from both of the sensitive base stations 3. The home location register (HLR) sends the position information of the user terminal to the personal information management server. Also, information from the service aggregation server is transmitted to the user terminal via the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC.
[0072]
The location registration request signal from the mobile phone is common, but the purpose of use is different (one is for detecting a change in the communication area, the other is for detecting the presence of the mobile phone in a small area), so that the GMSC MSC / In the VLR BSC or HLR, it is necessary to treat it as another signal. For this purpose, a field or the like for storing a signal from a low-sensitivity base station is added in the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC or HLR.
[0073]
The low-sensitivity base station 3 needs to transmit to the HLR, as identification information, information indicating to which mobile phone base station 10 the low-sensitivity base station 3 belongs. Information transmission to the user terminal 2 is transmitted from a normal mobile phone base station 10. Since the low-sensitivity base station 3 can be identified from the position information based on the identification information, by registering the position of the low-sensitivity base station 3 in advance, the low-sensitivity base station 3 can be transmitted to the HLR as position information.
[0074]
A mobile phone based on the conventional IMT-2000 network architecture transmits a location registration request signal when detecting a change in the location registration area based on broadcast information from the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC. In one embodiment of the present invention, the low-sensitivity base station 3 receives the position registration request signal for changing the normal position registration area without separately transmitting broadcast information. Since the location registration request signal sent by the ordinary mobile phone is used, the conventional mobile phone itself can be used as the user terminal 2. The low-sensitivity base station 3 receives the location registration request signal issued by the mobile phone, and transmits it to the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC.
[0075]
In this case, the location registration request signal is transmitted from the mobile phone as before, is used as an existing system to recognize the area to which the mobile phone belongs, and is further received by the low-sensitivity base station. Used to detect the presence of a mobile phone in a small area.
[0076]
As described above, the low-sensitivity receiving base station does not output the broadcast information but uses the broadcast information from the existing base station 10 to the last. Therefore, this embodiment is particularly suitable for an environment in which spot information is provided at a destination.
[0077]
On the other hand, when the user terminal 2 moves from one low-sensitivity base station to the cover area of another low-sensitivity base station within the coverage area of the existing base station, the user terminal 2 provides the destination spot information. In another embodiment of the present invention, the low-sensitivity base station 3 can receive a position registration request signal periodically transmitted from the user terminal 2. When only the broadcast information from the conventional base station 10 is used, a change in the broadcast information cannot be determined when moving within the existing base station, and as a result, the mobile phone cannot output a position registration request signal. Therefore, in the present embodiment, instead of a method in which the mobile phone detects a change in the broadcast information and issues a position registration request signal, a method in which the mobile phone periodically (for example, at regular intervals) issues a position registration request signal is used. adopt. Accordingly, even when the mobile phone moves within the existing base station, the presence of the mobile phone can be detected in a narrow range by the low-sensitivity base station receiving the position registration request signal of the mobile phone. By transmitting location registration information periodically (at regular intervals), the low-sensitivity base station can always detect the presence of a mobile phone if it enters the detection area, and as a result, the information transmission can be completely performed. is there.
[0078]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an information distribution method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention based on terminal location information acquired by the present invention. This information distribution method includes a base station that receives a position registration request signal from a user terminal in a cover area and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal, and a control station that manages information necessary for mobile communication and controls the base station. This is implemented in a mobile communication system including
[0079]
Step 11: Transmitted from the user terminal by the low-sensitivity base station installed at a location associated with known position information within the cover area of the base station and receiving a position registration request signal with lower sensitivity than the base station The received location registration request signal is received.
[0080]
Step 12: The low-sensitivity base station notifies the control station of the identification information of the user terminal that has transmitted the location registration request signal.
[0081]
Step 13: The identification information of the user terminal and the identification information of the low-sensitivity base station are transmitted from the control station to the information distribution unit.
[0082]
Step 14: Based on personal information related to the identification information of the user terminal and the known position information associated with the low-sensitivity base station, select provided information from collected information associated with the position information. I do.
[0083]
Step 15: The selected provided information is transmitted to the user terminal via the mobile communication system.
[0084]
FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an information distribution and service providing system based on location information according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the sequence. The system of this embodiment is constructed based on a mobile phone system.
[0085]
In the mobile phone system, when the cover area to which the user terminal 2 belongs changes due to the movement of the owner (that is, the user) of the user terminal 2, for example, the mobile terminal moves from the wireless base station cover area B to the wireless base station cover area A. Then, the user terminal 2 detects the change of the coverage area by the broadcast information transmitted from the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC 21 via the mobile phone base station 10, and after the detection, sends a location registration request signal to the mobile phone base station. 10 and to the HLR 22 via the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC 21.
[0086]
In the present embodiment, a position registration request signal from the user terminal 2 is used for user position detection. That is, the low-sensitivity base station 3 is provided. The low-sensitivity base station 3 uses a low-gain receiving antenna or a low-sensitivity receiver to set the detection range of the position registration request signal small. This makes it possible to detect that the user is present in a specific narrow spot area. The mobile phone base station 10 has a high detection sensitivity, and its detection range is 1 km or more for current mobile phones and 100 m or more for PHS, and it is impossible to detect a specific narrow spot area in terms of position detection accuracy. is there.
[0087]
As shown in the sequence explanatory diagram of FIG. 10, when the user terminal 2 detects a change in the coverage area by the broadcast signals (2) and (3) from the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC 21, the user terminal 2 outputs a position registration request signal (4). Is transmitted, the low-sensitivity base station 3 receives the location registration request signal (4), and transmits it to the HLR 22 via the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC 21 (5) (6).
[0088]
The HLR 22 can determine which terminal has arrived at which spot position by the position registration request signal received from the user terminal 2 from the correspondence between the installation position of the low-sensitivity base station 3 and the spot position. It is transmitted to the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 as user terminal position information (7).
[0089]
The personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 identifies the user (owner of the user terminal) from the user terminal identification information (such as a telephone number). Here, the user terminal and the user have a one-to-one relationship. The personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 is a service aggregation server that transmits to the user terminal 2 information selected by referring to the personal attribute information and the history information, or information requested in advance from the user terminal 2. 42 is instructed (8). Here, the information transmission result from the service aggregation server 42 is managed by the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 (9), and the selection information is stored in the HLR 22, the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC 21, and the mobile phone base station 10. (10), and transmitted to the user terminal 2 (11).
[0090]
In the present embodiment, the selection information is transmitted to the user terminal 2 via the mobile phone base station 10 instead of the low-sensitivity base station 3. By limiting the low-sensitivity base station 3 to the reception function in this way, cost reduction is realized, and the problem of radio interference with other existing wireless systems is avoided.
[0091]
Further, the service aggregation server 42 periodically receives, collects, and updates provided information from the service providing server 43 (1).
[0092]
According to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, based on the current position of a specific individual, personal attribute information, and history information, information that is significant for the individual is stored in the portable terminal owned by the individual. Can be sent to
[0093]
The identification information managed by the personal identification / attribute / history server 41 includes, for example, information that can identify an individual such as a contractor number, and the attribute information includes gender, age, hometown, hobby, occupation, and the like. . Also, the personal history information includes the number of times the individual has come to the place, the purchase history, and the like, in addition to the URL and file name that have already been transmitted to the individual.
[0094]
As for the purchase history, the service aggregation server 42 or the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 provides the personal information of a specific individual to the service providing server 43 (that is, the store). By acquiring the purchase information of a specific individual from the personal identification 43, the personal identification / attribute / history server 41 finally manages the purchase information. The purchase history has a different category from the personal attribute information. The attribute information is basically the same and the data is not updated frequently, but the history information is always updated as data. This history information is significant information as discounts, coupon issuance, and market information according to purchase results.
[0095]
The information managed by the service aggregation server 42 includes, for example, a URL or an HTTP file (such as a store advertisement), image data, and coupons.
[0096]
The service aggregation server 42 can be configured in various forms, but is divided into two in terms of whether to store information for each user.
[0097]
The first configuration is that the service aggregation server 42 does not store any personal information. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a sequence of the service aggregation server according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention corresponding to this mode.
[0098]
In this case, the service aggregation server 42 stores only store information (store position and provided information). Then, the service aggregation server 42 sends, from the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41, the terminal identification information (= telephone number, mail address or terminal MAC address) of the partner to whom the information is to be provided, and the current position (= terminal position Information), the attribute of the person, and the history of the information provided to the person in the past, search for the appropriate information from the stored store information, and apply the appropriate information to the destination indicated by the terminal identification information. To send important information. The user terminal 2 is identified by notifying the service aggregation server 42 of the terminal MAC address but not the user's telephone number or e-mail address, and the information of the service aggregation server 42 is personally identified, attributed, and history managed. A configuration in which information is transmitted from the server 41 to the user terminal 2 is also possible. In this case, the service aggregation server 42 only needs to have a function of transmitting information requested from the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 to the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41. Of course, the service aggregation server 42 can accumulate the terminal identification information, the attribute of the person, and the history of the person and make it into a database. For example, the first name and the last name (= name of the subscriber of the mobile phone) Alternatively, the telephone number and the mail address cannot be specified. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the operating organization of the service aggregation server 42 and the operating organization of the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 are separate. For example, when the operating organization A of the low-sensitivity base station 3, the GMSC MSC / VLR BSC21, and the HLR 22 and the operating organization B of the personal identification / attribute / history management server 41 have a close relationship, for example, the operating organization A and the operating organization B This is an advantageous form when are the same or in an alliance.
[0099]
Another configuration is suitable for a case where the operating organization of the service aggregation server and the operating organization of the personal identification / attribute / history management server are integrated. FIG. 12 is an explanatory sequence diagram of a service aggregation server according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to this mode. Since the personal information is sent to the service aggregation server 42, the service aggregation server 42 can be extended to provide the personal information to the service providing server 43 (or a store), for example.
[0100]
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an information distribution system and a service providing system in which user position information, user identification information, user attribute information, and user history information are linked can be realized.
[0101]
For example, the terminal position detection according to the present invention
(I) Issuing electronic coupons on the spot according to visit history and purchase history
(Ii) Presentation of recommended products based on purchase history
(Iii) Monitoring the number of rides and the distance traveled and providing customer service accordingly
(Iv) Provision of recipe information at the food counter
(V) Providing spot information according to user preferences
Used for etc.
[0102]
According to these application examples, the effect of attracting customers at service providing spots, an increase in sales, and an increase in sales due to advertising effects can be expected. In addition, the user can provide various information and enjoy various services. Further, the service management organization can construct a business model in which system integration costs and platform usage costs are earned from service providers.
[0103]
The representative embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims.
[0104]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to acquire the spot area position information of a user terminal or the owner of a user terminal with high accuracy and adjustable accuracy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal position detection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control station according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a low-sensitivity base station according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a terminal location detecting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an information distribution system based on position information according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an information distribution unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a control station according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an information distribution method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an information distribution and service providing system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a sequence explanatory diagram of an information distribution and service providing system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a sequence of a service aggregation server according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a sequence explanatory diagram of a service aggregation server according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 mobile communication system
2 User terminal
3 Low sensitivity base station
5 Mobile communication system
6 Base station cover area
7 Low sensitivity base station cover area
10 base stations
20 control stations
21 GMSC MSC / VLR BSC
22 HLR
25 Location Information Management Department
26 Location information acquisition unit
27 User identification unit
31 receiving antenna
32 receiver
33 signal demodulation unit
34 Multiplexer

Claims (17)

A mobile communication system including a base station that receives a position registration request signal from a user terminal in a coverage area and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal, and a control station that manages information necessary for mobile communication and controls the base station When,
Installed at a location associated with known location information within the coverage area of the base station, received a location registration request signal transmitted from the user terminal with lower sensitivity than the base station, and transmitted the location registration request signal. A low-sensitivity base station for notifying the control station of the identification information of the user terminal,
The control station,
A position information management unit that associates identification information of the low-sensitivity base station with position information of the low-sensitivity base station,
The position information associated with the low-sensitivity base station that has notified the identification information of the user terminal that transmitted the position registration request signal is obtained from the position information management unit, and the obtained position information is obtained as the position information of the user terminal. A terminal position detection system, comprising: a position information acquisition unit that associates the terminal information with terminal identification information. The terminal position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the low-sensitivity base station receives a position registration request signal transmitted from a user terminal when a coverage area where the base station is located changes. The terminal position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the low-sensitivity base station receives a position registration request signal transmitted periodically from a user terminal. The terminal position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the low-sensitivity base station receives a position registration request signal transmitted from a user terminal in response to a user operation. The user terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the user terminal has a mode for periodically transmitting a position registration request signal and a mode for transmitting a position registration request signal in response to a user operation. Terminal location detection system as described in the above. The terminal position detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the low-sensitivity base station is configured to change a sensitivity of receiving a position registration request signal from a user terminal. The terminal position detecting system according to claim 6, wherein the low-sensitivity base station includes a receiving antenna capable of changing an antenna gain. The terminal position detection system according to claim 6, wherein the low-sensitivity base station is configured to be able to change an antenna gain by exchanging a receiving antenna. The terminal position detection system according to claim 6, wherein the low-sensitivity base station includes a receiver capable of changing reception sensitivity. The said control station is provided with the user identification part which identifies the owner of a user terminal by associating the identification information of the user terminal which transmitted the position registration request signal with the user management information of a mobile communication system. The terminal position detection system according to claim 1. A mobile communication system including a base station that receives a position registration request signal from a user terminal in a coverage area and wirelessly communicates with the user terminal, and a control station that manages information necessary for mobile communication and controls the base station At
A position transmitted from a user terminal by the low-sensitivity base station installed at a location associated with known position information within the cover area of the base station and receiving a position registration request signal with lower sensitivity than the base station Receiving a registration request signal;
A procedure of notifying the identification information of the user terminal that transmitted the position registration request signal from the low-sensitivity base station to the control station,
A step of obtaining known position information related to the low-sensitivity base station that has notified the identification information of the user terminal as the position information of the user terminal. The terminal position detection method according to claim 11, wherein a position registration request signal is transmitted when a coverage area where the user terminal is located changes. The terminal position detection method according to claim 11, wherein the user terminal periodically transmits a position registration request signal. The terminal position detecting method according to claim 11, wherein the user terminal transmits a position registration request signal in response to a user operation. 12. The terminal position detection according to claim 11, further comprising a step of selecting one of a mode in which the user terminal periodically transmits a position registration request signal and a mode in which the position registration request signal is transmitted in response to a user operation. Method. The terminal position detection method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising changing a reception sensitivity of the low-sensitivity base station. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising a step of associating the identification information of the user terminal that transmitted the position registration request signal with the user management information of the mobile communication system to identify the owner of the user terminal. Terminal location detection method.

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