JP5756616B2 - Positioning support apparatus and positioning support method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning support apparatus that transmits approximate position information used as assist data in positioning calculation by a communication terminal to a communication terminal and a positioning support method by the positioning support apparatus.

  Along with the improvement in performance of communication terminals such as mobile phones, communication terminals having a positioning function using GPS (Global Positioning System) are spreading. When performing a positioning calculation using GPS in a communication terminal, there is a concern that the positioning time may be prolonged and the power consumption in the communication terminal may be increased in a single positioning method in which only a radio wave from a GPS satellite is received for positioning. For this reason, a network assist method is adopted that shortens positioning time by transmitting capture information (assist data) such as the position of a GPS satellite from a positioning support server to a communication terminal. Also, in network-assisted GPS positioning, as information indicating the approximate position of a communication terminal (approximate position information), information that specifies the position of a base station in an area where the communication terminal is located is one of assist data. Is transmitted from the positioning support server to the communication terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The approximate position information of the communication terminal is information that greatly contributes to the success rate of GPS positioning. For this reason, a method for providing approximate position information with higher accuracy has been studied. For example, in Patent Document 2, a positioning support server receives a result of GPS positioning at a communication terminal, and using this result, approximate position information (position information and error radius of a communication area) stored in the positioning support server is obtained. The configuration to update is shown.

JP 2008-175824 A JP 2010-169554 A

  According to the positioning support method described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to update approximate position information including communication area position information and error information of a communication area in which the communication terminal is located based on a positioning result of the communication terminal, By repeating GPS positioning in the same communication area, learning based on the positioning result is performed in the positioning support server, and high accuracy of the approximate position information regarding the communication area is achieved.

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 2, unless the GPS positioning by the communication terminal is performed in the communication area, the update of the approximate position information regarding the communication area, that is, the learning of the approximate position information is not performed. Therefore, if GPS positioning is attempted in a communication area where positioning has never been successful in the past, only low-accuracy approximate position information, for example, rough position information specifying a rough region or country, should be provided. As a result, there is a possibility that the success rate of the GPS positioning in the communication area is reduced. Then, unless the GPS positioning in the communication area is successful, the approximate position information related to the communication area is not updated, and it is difficult to increase the success rate for the GPS positioning from the next time onward. As described above, it may be difficult to efficiently improve the accuracy of the approximate position information only by updating the approximate position information based on the positioning result of the communication terminal.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a positioning support apparatus and a positioning support method using the positioning support apparatus that can more efficiently improve the accuracy of approximate position information transmitted to a communication terminal. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a positioning support apparatus according to the present invention is used for positioning calculation in a communication terminal that captures a satellite and performs positioning using information from the satellite, and a communication area in which the communication terminal is located The history information indicating the history of the communication area where the communication terminal has been in the past, and the history information indicating the history of the communication area where the communication terminal has been located in the past Based on the information receiving means, the positional relationship estimating means for estimating the positional relationship of the communication area included in the historical information based on the historical information, and the result of estimating the positional relation of the communication area by the positional relationship estimating means And an approximate position information updating means for updating the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information storage means.

  According to the above positioning support device, the positional relationship of the communication area is estimated based on the history information indicating the history of the communication area where the communication terminal has been in the past, and the approximate position information is updated based on the estimation result. The Thus, by estimating the positional relationship of the communication area, it is possible to obtain the approximate position information more accurately than when there is no information regarding the position of the communication area. As a result, the approximate position information Can be more efficiently performed.

  Here, the approximate position information includes communication area position information indicating a reference position of a communication area where the communication terminal is located, error information indicating an error radius of the communication area position information, and information related to the communication area. Includes a flag indicating whether or not an update based on positioning result information that is transmitted from the communication terminal and indicates a result of the positioning calculation is performed, and the positional relationship estimation means includes the history information A proximity communication area that is close to the first communication area included in the history information is estimated based on the history in the history information, and the approximate position information update unit receives the positioning result information transmitted from the communication terminal. Based on this positioning result information, the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information storage means is updated, and the approximate position information storage means is referred to, and the proximity communication area is updated. Approximate location information on it when it is already updated, it is possible to aspects of updating the communication area location information and the error information of the approximate position information according to the first communication area.

  According to said structure, the positional relationship with respect to the communication area by which approximate position information was updated based on the result of the positioning calculation in the past is estimated, and the communication area position information and error information of the approximate position information based on the estimation result It is a mode to update. In this case, since the positional relationship of the communication area can be estimated based on the actual result that the positioning calculation has been performed in the past, and the approximate position information can be updated based on the estimation result, the approximate position information The success rate of the positioning calculation using is increased, and the accuracy of the approximate position information is improved more efficiently.

  The positional relationship estimation means estimates a proximity level indicating how far the proximity communication area is away from the first communication area based on the history, and the approximate position information update means includes: Referring to the approximate position information storage means, based on the proximity level between the first communication area and the communication area in which the approximate position information has been updated in the close proximity communication area, the approximate position related to the first communication area is determined. The error information of the position information can be updated.

  Thus, by updating the error information of the approximate position information according to the proximity level of the proximity communication area, the error information of the communication area can be updated to a more appropriate value according to the proximity level. The success rate of the positioning calculation using the approximate position information is increased, and the high accuracy of the approximate position information is more efficiently performed.

  Here, the history information may be included in the notification information from the communication terminal and transmitted from the communication terminal.

  As described above, the history information is transmitted from the communication terminal using the notification information, and the positioning support apparatus receives the history information, thereby newly increasing the communication amount for transmitting the history information from the communication terminal. Since the history information can be acquired in the positioning support apparatus without increasing, it is possible to achieve higher accuracy of the approximate position information more efficiently.

  Further, the communication area position information and the positioning result information may be information including latitude and longitude.

  The present invention can be described as the invention of the positioning support apparatus as described above, and can also be described as the invention of the positioning support method as follows. This is substantially the same invention only in different categories, and has the same operations and effects.

  That is, the positioning support method according to the present invention is used for positioning calculation in a communication terminal that acquires a satellite and performs positioning using information from the satellite, and indicates a position of a communication area where the communication terminal is located. A positioning support method by a positioning support device comprising position information and approximate position information storage means for storing information for identifying the communication area in association with each other, wherein the communication terminal has been in the past by the history information receiving means A history information receiving step for receiving history information indicating a history of the communication area; a positional relationship estimation step for estimating a positional relationship of the communication area included in the history information based on the history information by a positional relationship estimation means; Based on the result of estimating the positional relationship of the communication area by the positional relationship estimating unit by the approximate positional information updating unit, the approximate positional information storing unit Characterized in that it comprises a approximate position information updating step of updating the approximate location information accommodated.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the positioning assistance apparatus and the positioning assistance method by the said positioning assistance apparatus which can improve the precision of approximate position information transmitted with respect to a communication terminal more efficiently are provided.

It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the positioning system which concerns on suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a SUPL server, a positional information management apparatus, a user information management apparatus, a GW apparatus, and a base station apparatus. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a communication terminal. It is a figure which shows the example of a movement of the communication terminal accompanying a user's movement. It is a figure which shows the example of the cell ID profile list | wrist which shows the historical information of the communication terminal accumulate | stored in a communication terminal. It is an example of approximate position information (cell IDDB) stored in the approximate position information DB. It is an example of approximate position information (cell ID complementation DB) stored in the approximate position information DB. It is an example of the positional information on SGSN stored in rough position information DB. It is an example of the information stored in management DB. It is a sequence diagram in the case of updating the database of a SUPL server based on history information transmitted from a communication terminal. It is a flowchart which concerns on the update of the database of a SUPL server. It is a flowchart which concerns on the update of the database of a SUPL server. It is a flowchart which concerns on the update of the database of a SUPL server. It is a flowchart which concerns on the update of the database of a SUPL server. It is a sequence diagram explaining the process for communicating between a communication terminal and a SUPL server. It is a sequence diagram explaining the process which concerns on the authentication process of the communication terminal in a mobile communication network, and the preparation regarding the approximate position information transmitted with respect to a communication terminal. It is a flowchart explaining the process which determines the transmission data transmitted with respect to a SUPL server in a positional infomation management apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the process which determines the positional information used as rough positional information transmitted with respect to a communication terminal from a SUPL server. It is a sequence diagram explaining the process which concerns on GPS positioning in a communication terminal, and the process after positioning.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<Configuration of positioning system including positioning support system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a positioning system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The positioning system 1 includes a SUPL (Secure User Plane Location) server 20 and a location information management device 30, a user information management device 40, a GW (Gateway) device 50, a communication terminal 60, and a base that constitute the positioning support system 10. Station devices 70, 72, and 73. Among these, the positioning support system 10 including the SUPL server 20 and the location information management device 30 is a device that supports the positioning calculation by the communication terminal 60, and includes the user information management device 40, the GW device 50, and the base station device 70. , 72 and 73 are devices related to communication between the communication terminal 60 and the positioning support system 10, respectively. The SUPL server 20, the location information management device 30, the user information management device 40, and the GW device 50 are devices included in the same mobile communication network, and the communication terminal 60 is connected to the mobile communication network N1. Has a function to connect.

  In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 60 is in a state of roaming out from the mobile communication network N1, for example, when used overseas, and is included in the mobile communication network N2 different from the mobile communication network N1. Communication is performed by connecting to the base station device 70 to be connected. At this time, the communication terminal 60 performs positioning by receiving assistance data from the positioning support system 10 included in the mobile communication network N1, and is stored in the positioning support system 10 based on information from the communication terminal 60. A case where the assist data is updated will be described.

  Here, a positioning method performed by the communication terminal 60 in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the positioning method performed by the communication terminal 60 is GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning by a network assist method. GPS positioning refers to the position of the receiving terminal (communication terminal 60) (specifically, latitude, longitude and altitude) based on the positional information of the GPS satellite by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites in the sky. In order to do this, it is necessary to capture a GPS satellite by the communication terminal 60, and this process takes a certain time. For this reason, in the GPS positioning by the network assist method according to the present embodiment, information (assist data) such as the position of the GPS satellite and the approximate position (initial position) information of the communication terminal 60 is transmitted from the positioning support system 10 to the communication terminal. By transmitting, the processing related to the acquisition of GPS satellites by the communication terminal 60 and the shortening of the positioning time are achieved. In this embodiment, when the communication terminal 60 requests the positioning support system 10 to provide assist data, information indicating the approximate position of the communication terminal 60 and the position of the GPS satellite from which the communication terminal 60 can receive a signal. By receiving information from the positioning support system 10, GPS positioning is performed by the communication terminal 60 and the position of the communication terminal 60 is obtained.

  Among the assist data sent from the positioning support system 10 to the communication terminal 60, the position information of the GPS satellite is from an assist data provider (not shown) that manages the activation information of the GPS satellite in the positioning support system 10. The acquired information is used. On the other hand, as the approximate position information of the communication terminal 60, the position information of the base station device that transmits radio waves to the cell that is the communication area in which the communication terminal 60 is located is used. In this case, since the position of the base station apparatus is determined in advance, the position information of the base station apparatus can be stored in advance in the positioning support system 10, and information specifying the cell where the communication terminal 60 is located is communicated. This is because when it is transmitted from the terminal 60, it can be transmitted to the communication terminal 60 based on the information.

  When the above base station apparatus is provided by the mobile communication network N1 (that is, the base station apparatus included in the mobile communication network N1), the position information of the base station apparatus can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is easy to store the position information as assist data in the positioning support system 10. However, when the communication terminal 60 is roaming out as in the present embodiment, the base station device 70 and the other base station devices 72 and 73 in which the communication terminal 60 is located are connected by another mobile communication network N2. Since it is installed, it is difficult for the positioning support system 10 to grasp the accurate information of the position where the base station device 70 is provided. Therefore, when the approximate position information is created based on information provided from the communication terminal 60 (for example, information specifying a country in which the mobile terminal 60 is located or a communication carrier providing the mobile communication network N2), the accuracy is remarkably high. Therefore, the accuracy of the result of performing GPS positioning using this information may be lowered. In the following embodiment, the positioning system 1 including the positioning support system 10 in which the accuracy of the approximate position information transmitted to the communication terminal 60 is improved in view of the above problem will be described.

  Next, each device included in the positioning system 1 will be described. First, the SUPL server 20 constituting the positioning support system 10 included in the positioning system 1 is a device having the main functions of the positioning support system 10, stores assist data to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60, and On the basis of the request, the assist data is transmitted to the communication terminal 60.

  Similar to the SUPL server 20, the location information management device 30 that constitutes the positioning support system 10 has a function of performing an authentication process for performing communication related to positioning with the communication terminal 60, and also includes location information in the mobile communication network N1. It has a GMLC (Gateway Mobile Location Center) function for managing such data, and is realized, for example, as an EBSCP (External Business User Service Control Point). Specifically, profile data of a communication network (including mobile communication network N2) different from its own network (mobile communication network N1) is stored, and the data is transmitted to the SUPL server 20 as necessary. To do. Detailed processing according to the present embodiment will be described later.

  The user information management device 40 has a function of storing information (user profile) related to the owner (user) of a communication terminal that performs communication related to positioning with the positioning support system 10, and includes, for example, SUSCP (Specific User Service) Control Point). Then, the information is provided in response to a request from the location information management device 30.

  The GW apparatus 50 is provided between a mobile communication network (for example, the mobile communication network N2) different from the mobile communication network N1, and has a function of connecting the mobile communication network N2 and the mobile communication network N1. For example, it is realized as a Charging and Protocol Conversion Gateway (CPCG). In order for the communication terminal 60 roaming out like the communication terminal 60 to communicate with each device included in the mobile communication network N1, it is necessary to first connect to the GW device 50. The GW device 50 mediates communication between the communication terminal 60 that has transmitted a connection request from an external mobile communication network and each device (SUPL server 20 in the present embodiment) included in the mobile communication network N1. .

  The communication terminal 60 is used by a user. Specifically, for example, the communication terminal 60 is realized as a device having a communication function such as a mobile phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance). In addition, the communication terminal 60 according to the present embodiment includes a function related to roaming that can perform communication using equipment (for example, the base station device 70) provided by another communication carrier, so that the mobile terminal It has a function of performing communication via the communication network N2. Further, the communication terminal 60 has a function of performing GPS positioning using assist data from the positioning support system 10. Further, the communication terminal 60 has a function of periodically transmitting notification information to the SUPL server 20. This notification information is information for the communication carrier side to grasp the connection status and the like of the communication terminal 60, and automatically at a predetermined timing by the communication terminal 60 without the user operating the communication terminal 60. Is to be sent.

  Base station apparatuses 70, 72, and 73 are apparatuses included in mobile communication network N2, and form cells C1, C2, and C3 by transmitting radio waves to a specific range, respectively. When the communication terminal 60 is in the cell C <b> 1, the communication terminal 60 can perform communication by transmitting and receiving information via the base station device 70. Each cell is given a unique cell ID, and this cell ID makes it possible to distinguish which base station device 70 is a related cell. A plurality of base station apparatuses including the base station apparatus 70 and the base station apparatuses 72 and 73 are located upstream (upper) of the base station apparatus in the mobile communication network N2 and perform SGSN (Serving) GPRS Support Node) (not shown). That is, the SGSN is involved in control of packet communication in the area (upper area) A1 including the cells C1, C2, and C3 formed by the base station devices 70, 72, and 73.

As shown in FIG. 2, the SUPL server 20, the location information management device 30, the user information management device 40, the GW device 50, and the base station device 70 (72, 73) included in the positioning system 1 The computer includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 which are storage devices, a communication module 104 for performing communication, and an auxiliary storage device 105 such as a hard disk. And the function of each apparatus is exhibited when these components operate.
As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 60 includes hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a RAM 602, a ROM 603, an operation unit 604, a wireless communication unit 605, a display 606, and an antenna 607. And the function of the communication terminal 60 is exhibited by these components operating.

  Note that, between the SUPL server 20 and the location information management device 30, between the location information management device 30 and the user information management device 40, between the user information management device 40 and the GW device 50, and between the GW device 50 and the SUPL server 20. Are connected via a wired network. Information is exchanged between the communication terminal 60 and the GW apparatus 50 and between the communication terminal 60 and the base station apparatus 70 (72, 73) by wireless communication.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the SUPL server 20 and the position information management device 30 included in the positioning support system 10 that is a positioning support device included in the positioning system 1 and that characterizes the present invention will be described in detail. The SUPL server 20 includes a communication unit (history information reception unit) 21, a control unit (positional relationship estimation unit, approximate position information update unit) 22, an approximate position information DB (database) (general position information storage unit) 23, It is comprised including. The location information management device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, and a management DB 33.

  The communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 has a function of transmitting assist data including approximate position information to the communication terminal 60 based on a positioning information transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal 60. In addition, a function of receiving a positioning result transmitted from the communication terminal 60 is also provided. Further, it further has a function of transmitting / receiving information to / from the location information management device 30. Further, it further has a function of receiving history information transmitted from the communication terminal 60. Information received by the communication unit 21 is sent to the control unit 22.

  Here, the history information transmitted from the communication terminal 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement of the communication terminal 60 accompanying movement of the user. In FIG. 4, seven cells whose cell IDs specifying the cells are A to 7 are illustrated. In FIG. 4, cells (cells A, C, E) whose shapes are indicated by solid lines are cells in which GPS positioning has been performed in the past and the results are held in the SUPL server 20. . In addition, cells (cells B, D, F, and G) whose shapes are indicated by broken lines are cells in which the results of past GPS positioning in the cell are not held in the SUPL server 20. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a history profile acquired as a result of movement of the communication terminal 60 shown in FIG.

  When the user moves as shown in FIG. 4, the cell in which the communication terminal 60 is located (connected) is changed to the cell A-B-A-C-F-G according to the position of the communication terminal 60. The The communication terminal 60 stores cells that are regularly located at predetermined intervals (every 15 minutes in the present embodiment), and holds them in the communication terminal 60. The result is the cell ID profile list shown in FIG. In the communication terminal 60, this ID profile list is transmitted to the SUPL server 20 at regular intervals (for example, once every 6 hours) attached to the notification information. As a result, history information indicating the history of movement of the communication terminal 60 is sent from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20.

  Since the movement of the communication terminal 60 can be indicated by a one-stroke line as shown in FIG. 4, the cell in which the communication terminal 60 is located is also changed so as to travel through adjacent cells. For this reason, in the cell ID profile shown in FIG. 5 as well, it is estimated that the information of adjacent cells is continuously indicated except when the cell is moved between the cells at an interval shorter than the interval for storing the existing cell. can do. Therefore, by referring to this cell ID profile list, it can be estimated that, for example, cell A and cell B, cell A and cell C will be adjacent to each other, and cell C is between cell A and cell F. It can also be estimated that there is. As described above, from the cell ID profile list shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to estimate the “proximity level” whether the cells are adjacent to each other or whether a plurality of cells are provided between them. . In the present embodiment, “two cells are“ close ”” does not mean that the cells are adjacent to each other, but another cell is provided between the two cells. Including cases.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 22 of the SUPL server 20 has a function of acquiring approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 based on a positioning information transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal 60. Note that the approximate position information transmitted from the control unit 22 to the communication terminal 60 includes information transmitted from the position information management device 30 described later for the purpose of transmitting approximate position information with higher accuracy to the communication terminal 60. To be determined. The specific processing will be described in the description related to the positioning support method described later.

  In addition, the control unit 22 serves as an approximate position information update unit that updates approximate position information stored in an approximate position information DB 23 described later based on positioning result information indicating the result of GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 60. It has a function. The update of the approximate position information by the control unit 22 is not limited to the rewriting of the approximate position information when the communication terminal 60 succeeds in GPS positioning, but when the approximate position information is determined to be defective because the GPS positioning has failed. Initialization of approximate position information is also included. The update of the approximate position information by the control unit 22 will be described later.

  Further, the control unit 22 has a function as a positional relationship estimation means for estimating the positional relationship of the communication area (cell) based on the history information sent from the communication terminal 60, and estimates the positional relationship of this communication area. Based on the result, it has a function as approximate position information updating means for updating approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 described later.

  The approximate position information DB 23 functions as approximate position information storage means for storing information on base stations related to the cell in association with the cell ID of the cell. FIG. 6 is an example of approximate position information (cell ID DB) stored in the approximate position information DB 23. Among the information shown in FIG. 6, MCC (Mobile Country Code), MNC (Mobile Network Code, operator code (for example, determined for each communication carrier)), and cell ID are predetermined. is there. The positioning information transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal 60 also includes the above MCC, MNC, and cell ID as information for specifying the cell where the communication terminal 60 is located. Also, Lat (Latitude (Y), latitude), Lon (Longitude (X), longitude), Alt (Altitude, altitude from the WGS84 ellipsoid used as a reference for GPS positioning), Unc (Uncertainty (k), latitude / longitude Unc-Alt (Uncertainty Altitude (k), altitude uncertainty) indicates the approximate position information stored corresponding to the cell ID. The uncertainty indicates the accuracy based on the calculation method of the approximate position information, the size (width) of the cell corresponding to the cell ID, the GPS positioning result using the approximate position information, and the like. The update necessity is a flag indicating whether the information stored in the table shown in FIG. 6 needs to be updated based on the positioning result transmitted from the communication terminal 60.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the approximate position information stored in association with the cell ID is either (1) information indicating the exact position of the base station apparatus related to the cell specified by the cell ID, or (2) the base station It is not information that accurately indicates the position of the device, but information that has been updated based on the results of positioning in the same cell in the past. Of these, the information indicating the exact location of the base station device (1) is inquired of the GMLC of the carrier managing the base station device by specifying the cell ID corresponding to the base station device, for example. Can be obtained. In this case, since accurate information is already stored in the approximate position information DB 23, it is not necessary to further update the information in the approximate position information DB 23, and a flag indicating “update unnecessary” is given to the information.

  However, as described above, since the number of communication carriers that provide information indicating the position of the base station apparatus is limited, it is difficult to grasp the accurate position of the base station apparatus in the approximate position information DB 23. Accordingly, the approximate position information DB 23 stores (2) approximate position information calculated based on the approximate position information and positioning results used in the past in the same cell. Thus, when the exact position of the base station apparatus is not known, new approximate position information is created based on the result of positioning in the cell specified by the cell ID by the control unit 22 (approximate position information update means). The information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 is updated. The specific method will be described later. As described above, when the approximate position information is updated based on the positioning result by the communication terminal 60, a flag indicating “update required” is given to the approximate position information.

  In addition to a flag indicating whether or not it is necessary to update based on the positioning result, a flag indicating whether or not to provide approximate position information may be stored in the approximate position information DB 23 in association with the approximate position information. In this case, for example, if the approximate position information is not sufficient and accurate, for example, if the number of updates is small, a flag indicating that provision is not possible is provided. Is not permitted to be used, and acquisition of approximate position information by the control unit 32 described later is stopped.

  In addition, as described above, when the position of the base station apparatus is not accurately known and positioning has not been performed in the cell having the same cell ID in the past, it is associated with the cell ID. The approximate position information is not stored in the approximate position information DB 23 in advance. In this case, position information obtained from the MCC and MNC transmitted from the communication terminal 60 is used as approximate position information transmitted to the communication terminal 60. This information is transmitted from the location information management device 30 described later, and the processing will be described later.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the cell ID supplement DB stored in the approximate position information DB 23, which is information for supplementing the approximate position information of the cell shown in FIG. This cell ID supplement DB is created by the control unit 22 estimating the proximity level between cells based on the cell ID profile shown in FIG. Specifically, it indicates the positional relationship of other cells with respect to the cells (cells A and C) whose information is already described in the approximate position information of the cells shown in FIG. It is. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, cells B, D, and C that are estimated to be adjacent to cell A (adjacent to each other with no other cell in between) are classified as “level 1”. Cells estimated to be close to cell A with one cell in between are classified as “level 2”, and the error radius expansion width (+50 km / + 100 km: this is an example) for each level Is defined in advance. In FIG. 7, the shaded information is obtained by deleting the information after performing the level determination according to the flowchart described later, and the information is not used. A detailed method of creating the cell ID supplement DB will be described later.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the approximate position information of the SGSN that is also stored in the approximate position information DB 23. As described above, the SGSN is a device that manages a plurality of base station devices, and the positioning information transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal 60 specifies the SGSN that manages the base station device 70 to which the communication terminal 60 is connected. Contains the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the SGSN. For this reason, although the position of the base station apparatus 70 is not known, when the SGSN position information is known, this information can also be used as the approximate position information.

  Since there are a plurality of base station devices under the management of the SGSN, it is necessary to cover a wider area than a cell managed by a single base station device. Therefore, the SGSN approximate position information may be set with higher uncertainty than the cell approximate position information. That is, the uncertainty of latitude / longitude and the uncertainty of the altitude (error information) are appropriately changed according to the region where the approximate position information is estimated to be used. For the above reason, it is considered that the SGSN approximate position information has a wider error radius (error information) than the cell approximate position information. On the other hand, when the approximate position information of the SGSN is calculated including erroneous positioning results, an error radius that is completely different from the assumed error radius is derived from the general SGSN function, and this value is used as the error radius. When used, it is difficult to appropriately use the approximate position information, and the accuracy of the positioning result by the communication terminal 60 may be significantly reduced. Therefore, a minimum value and a maximum value can be set in advance for the error radius.

  The information shown in FIG. 8 is stored when it is transmitted from a location information management device 30 described later for use in GPS positioning. In the following description, “SGSN position information” refers to the center position of the area (upper area) A1 including the cells C1, C2, and C3 formed by the base station apparatuses 70, 72, and 73 shown in FIG. It does not necessarily indicate the position where the SGSN is installed, pointing to (reference position). That is, the position of the SGSN refers to a position that is the center of a communication area configured by base stations under the control of the SGSN.

  A flag indicating whether or not SGSN approximate position information can be provided may be stored in the approximate position information DB 23 in association with the SGSN approximate position information. In this case, for example, if the approximate position information is not sufficient and accurate, for example, if the number of updates is small, a flag indicating that provision is not possible is provided. Is not permitted to be used, and acquisition of approximate position information by the control unit 32 described later is stopped.

  Next, returning to FIG. 1, the position information management device 30 included in the positioning support system 10 will be described. The communication unit 31 of the location information management device 30 performs a communication process with the user information management device 40, thereby performing authentication processing of the communication terminal 60 that transmits a connection request to the SUPL server 20, and a SUPL server. A function of transmitting position information (position information specified by MCC and MNC, position information of SGSN, etc.) stored in the position information management apparatus 30 to the SUPL server 20 by performing communication with the position information management apparatus 30. Have.

  The control unit 32 has a function of performing authentication processing related to the communication terminal 60 based on a request from the SUPL server 20 and a part of the approximate position information transmitting unit that determines approximate position information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60. It has the function of. The information included in the approximate location information transmission request transmitted from the communication terminal 60 and transmitted from the SUPL server 20 to the location information management device 30 includes the above-described MCC, MNC, and cell ID. It is included as information on roaming cells (roaming area information). Similarly, information (SGSN IP address) for specifying the SGSN that controls the base station apparatus 70 related to the cell where the communication terminal 60 is located is included. Based on these pieces of information, the control unit 32 can obtain (1) information for specifying the position of the base station apparatus 70, or (2) manage the position of the SGSN that controls the base station apparatus 70 as position information management. A determination is made as to whether it is held in the device 30. Based on this determination result, information related to the approximate position information determination transmitted from the control unit 32 to the SUPL server 20 is selected and transmitted to the SUPL server 20. Details of the above determination and processing based on the determination result will be described later.

  The management DB 33 functions as a part of approximate position information storage means for storing information related to determination of approximate position information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60. An example of information stored in the management DB 33 is shown in FIG. The management DB 33 stores MCC, MNC, SGSN IP address, and location information (Lat, Lon, Alt, Unc, Unc-Alt) in association with each other. Also included are those in which the position information is stored in association with MCC and MNC. Of the information stored in the management DB 33 (information shown in FIG. 9), the position information stored in association with the IP address of the SGSN is based on, for example, information transmitted from an operator specified by the MCC and MNC. Is accurate and accurate information. In addition, when the SGSN location information is not disclosed, such as an operator (communication carrier) specified by the MNC “ZZZ”, location information (for example, the operator's (Location information indicating the location of the head office) is stored. As described above, the management DB 33 stores approximate position information obtained using at least a part of the IP addresses of the MCC, MNC, and SGSN.

  Further, the information stored in the management DB 33 is provided with a flag indicating “whether or not inquiry to GMLC is possible” in association with MCC and MNC. This is a flag indicating whether the location information management device 30 can inquire the location information of the base station device corresponding to the cell ID to the GMLC of the operator. When a flag indicating “inquiry is possible” is given to the GMLC of a specific operator, the location information management device 30 inquires the location information of the base station device to the GMLC of the operator using the cell ID. , Accurate position information of the base station apparatus can be obtained. Whether or not it is possible to make an inquiry to GMLC is determined by, for example, exchanging a contract in advance between the communication carrier providing mobile communication network N1 and the operator of the other party. Information stored in the management DB 33 of the location information management device 30 is stored in advance by a communication provider that provides the mobile communication network N1. The control unit 32 of the location information management device 30 determines which information is to be transmitted to the SUPL server 20 based on the information stored in the management DB 33 described above, and appropriate information is determined based on the result. It is transmitted to the SUPL server 20.

  In the positioning system 1 according to the present invention, each device functions as described above, so that approximate position information is transmitted to the communication terminal 60 in response to a request from the communication terminal 60, and a GPS positioning result by the communication terminal 60 is obtained. Based on the information, the approximate position information is updated.

<Positioning method by positioning system including positioning support system (positioning support method)>
Next, regarding the positioning method by the positioning system 1 including the above positioning support system 10 (positioning support method by the positioning support system 10), the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 10, 15, 16 and 19, and FIGS. This will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 10 is a sequence diagram in the case where the database of the SUPL server 20 is updated based on the movement history transmitted from the communication terminal 60, and FIGS. 11 to 14 are flowcharts related to the update of the database. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process for performing communication between the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an authentication process of the communication terminal 60 in the mobile communication network N1 and a process related to preparation of approximate position information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60. FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining the processing related to GPS positioning in the communication terminal 60 and the processing after positioning. FIGS. 17 and 18 are flowcharts for explaining the details of the processing shown in FIG.

  First, a process of acquiring history information indicating the movement history of the communication terminal 60 and updating the database of the SUPL server 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, the communication terminal 60 (history transmission terminal that collects movement history and transmits it to the SUPL server 20) periodically collects movement history (S1001). Then, this movement history is periodically attached to the notification information and transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20 (S1002). The movement history transmitted to the SUPL server 20 at this time refers to the cell ID profile list shown in FIG. And this is received in the communication part 21 of the SUPL server 20, and the update process of the database based on a movement history is performed by the control part 22 (S1003). The update process performed here refers to the update process of the cell ID supplement DB shown in FIG. The specific procedure is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the overall flow, and FIGS. 12 to 14 are flowcharts for explaining processing related to the details. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described using the cell ID profile list shown in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 22 obtains a cell ID profile list from the communication terminal 60 (S1011), reads a cell included in the cell ID profile list from the top, and sets this cell as X. (S1012) Then, it is determined whether or not the cell X exists (whether the cell X is appropriately selected / there is a cell that becomes the cell X) (S1013). The cell X update process shown is performed (S1014). At this time, if the cell X does not exist, the database update process is terminated.

  Here, the cell X update process is as shown in FIG. First, it is determined whether the cell X (the cell A described at the top of FIG. 5) is registered in the cell ID DB shown in FIG. 6 (S1021). Here, since cell A is described in the cell ID DB of FIG. 6, it is determined that it is registered, and the process proceeds to the next process. If the cell A is not described in the cell IDDB of FIG. 6, the process related to the cell A is terminated, and the cell X update process of the flowchart of FIG. .

  In this embodiment, since the cell A is described in the cell ID DB of FIG. 6, the process proceeds to the next step, reading is performed until a cell other than the cell X appears from the cell ID profile, and the cell A appears first outside the cell X. The cell is designated as cell Y (S1022). In the case of the cell ID profile of FIG. 5, a cell different from the first appearing cell A is cell B, and this cell B is designated as cell Y. The cell Y is a cell estimated to be a cell adjacent to the cell X.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the cell Y exists (whether the cell Y is appropriately selected / a cell that becomes the cell Y exists) (S1023). Update processing is performed (S1024). The update process of the cell Y will be described later with reference to FIG. After the update process of the cell Y is completed, the cell ID profile is read until a cell other than the cell Y appears, and the first cell other than the cell Y (cell A in the example of FIG. 5) is designated as the cell Z. (S1025). The cell Z is a cell estimated to be provided at a position close to the cell X with the cell Y interposed therebetween.

  Further, similarly to the processing related to the cell Y, it is determined whether or not the cell Z exists (whether the cell Z is appropriately selected / there is a cell that becomes the cell Z) (S1026), and the cell Z exists. If so, an update process related to the cell Z is performed (S1027). The update process of the cell Z will be described later with reference to FIG. When the update of the cell Z is completed, the next history of the cell X (cell A corresponds again in the example of FIG. 5) is read and determined as a new cell X (S1028). Thereby, the update process related to the cell X is ended, and the process returns to the determination step (S1013) of whether or not the cell X of FIG. 11 exists. When cells corresponding to the cell Y and the cell Z do not exist in the cell ID profile list, all the processes related to the cell Y and the cell Z are not performed, and a new cell X determination process (S1028) is performed.

  The update process related to the cell Y is a process of registering the cell Y in the cell ID supplement DB, and specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, whether cell Y (cell B in the example of FIG. 5) is registered at the level 1 location of the cell ID DB (the approximate position information of the cell shown in FIG. 6) and the cell ID supplement DB (FIG. 7). Judgment is made (S1031). Here, if already registered, the subsequent processing is not performed, and the update of the cell ID complementing DB is terminated (S1032).

  On the other hand, if the cell Y is not registered in the cell ID DB and the cell ID supplement DB (level 1), it is determined whether it is registered in the cell ID supplement DB (level 2) (S1033). Here, when registered in the cell ID supplement DB (level 2), the description of the cell ID supplement DB (level 2) is deleted (the shaded state shown in FIG. 7), and the cell ID supplement DB Cell B is registered at a location indicating that the proximity level is 1 with respect to cell A (S1034). On the other hand, when there is no registration in the cell ID supplement DB (level 2), the cell B is similarly registered in the cell ID supplement DB where the proximity level is 1 with respect to the cell A (S1035). Thereby, it is registered in the cell ID supplement DB that there is a cell B at a location where the proximity level is 1 (adjacent location) with respect to the cell A for which approximate position information has already been registered. Thus, the update process (S1024) related to the cell Y is completed.

  Next, the update process related to the cell Z will be described. The update process related to the cell Z is a process of registering the cell Z adjacent to the cell A across the cell Y in the cell ID supplement DB, and specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. is there. First, it is determined whether the cell Z is registered in either the level 1 or 2 of the cell ID DB (cell approximate position information shown in FIG. 6) and the cell ID supplement DB (FIG. 7) (S1041). Here, if it is already registered, the subsequent processing is not performed, and the update of the cell ID supplement DB is terminated (S1042). On the other hand, in the case where the cell ID DB (the approximate position information of the cell shown in FIG. 6) and the level IDs 1 and 2 of the cell ID supplement DB are not registered, the cell A for which the approximate position information has already been registered. Thus, the presence of the cell Z at a location where the proximity level is 2 (location adjacent to one cell) is registered in the cell ID supplement DB (S1043). With the above processing, the cell Z is registered at a position corresponding to level 2 of the cell ID supplement DB.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, first, one cell is set as a cell X, and it is determined whether this is registered in the cell IDDB. If cell X is registered and cell Y estimated to be adjacent to cell X is not registered in cell IDDB, cell X is a cell of proximity level 1 to cell X. Register in the ID supplement DB. Further, if the cell Z estimated to be adjacent to the cell Y is not registered in the cell IDDB and is not registered as a proximity level 1 cell with respect to another cell, the cell X Is registered in the cell ID supplement DB as a proximity level 2 cell. As a result, even if the cell has not been registered in the cell IDDB so far, the cell has already been registered in the cell IDDB (a known cell or a cell that has been updated (learned) based on past GPS positioning results). The positional relationship with respect to can be estimated. Then, depending on whether or not the cell ID is registered in the cell ID supplement DB, the information provided as the approximate position information is changed as described later. Thus, the database update process based on the history information of the communication terminal 60 is completed.

  Next, a process for performing communication related to GPS positioning between the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the database update process based on the transmission of history information from the communication terminal 60 and the GPS positioning process of the communication terminal 60 described below are not a series of processes. That is, as described above, the history information is transmitted from the communication terminal 60 periodically, for example, but the GPS positioning by the communication terminal 60 is appropriately performed as necessary.

  When performing GPS positioning in the communication terminal 60 (positioning terminal that performs GPS positioning), the communication path between the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20 that transmits assist data for GPS positioning to the communication terminal 60. It is necessary to provide. Therefore, the communication terminal 60 transmits a connection request for providing a communication path with the SUPL server 20 to the GW device 50 via the base station device 70. This connection request is transmitted when the user of the communication terminal 60 operates the communication terminal 60. The GW apparatus 50 receives this connection request, performs a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connection establishment process between the communication terminal 60 and the GW apparatus 50 (S01), and also between the GW apparatus 50 and the SUPL server 20. A TCP connection establishment process is performed (S02).

  In addition, when the TCP connection establishment process is performed between the GW device 50 and the communication terminal 60 (S01), information related to the communication terminal 60 transmitted from the communication terminal 60 is transmitted to the user information management device 40. The Here, the information transmitted to the user information management device 40 includes the source IP address, source port number, SGSN IP address, and roaming location information of the communication terminal 60. These pieces of information are also transmitted to the SUPL server 20 when the above TCP connection is established. When receiving this information from the GW device 50, the user information management device 40 updates the user information stored in the user information management device 40 based on this information (S04). Thereby, the roaming location information (MCC, MNC and cell ID) related to the cell C1 where the communication terminal 60 is located and the information related to the IP address of the SGSN controlling the base station device 70 related to the cell C1 are stored in the user information management. It is stored in the device 40.

  Subsequently, a process of establishing a TLS (Transport Layer Security) tunnel used for transmission / reception of information related to positioning is performed between the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20 via the TCP connection created by the above process. (S05). With the above processing, a communication path for performing communication related to positioning between the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20 is provided, and preparation for transmission / reception of information is completed.

  Next, an authentication process related to positioning in the communication terminal 60 will be described with reference to FIG. When the TLS tunnel is established by the above processing (S05), a positioning start request (ULP_SUPL-START) is transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20 (S11). Here, the positioning start request transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20 includes a session ID (an identifier commonly assigned for processing related to GPS positioning once) and communication indicating the positioning capability of the communication terminal 60. The terminal function (information indicating the communication terminal function), roaming location information, positioning accuracy by the communication terminal 60, and the connection status of the communication terminal 60 to the cell C1 are included. Further, as information for specifying the communication terminal 60, an MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number) of the communication terminal 60 is included. When receiving the positioning start request, the communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 requests the location information management device 30 for authentication processing related to the communication terminal 60 (HTTP_Authentication-Request) (S12). This request includes the session ID, roaming location information, the MSISDN of the communication terminal 60, the source IP address, and the source port number.

  Upon receiving this request from the SUPL server 20, the communication unit 31 of the location information management device 30 transmits the MSISDN of the communication terminal 60 to the user information management device 40 in order to confirm the user information. Is made (ISCP_Authentication-Request) (S13). When receiving the MSISDN of the communication terminal 60, the user information management device 40 calls the user information by reading the profile of the user (S14). Information relating to the user of the communication terminal 60 is transmitted from the GW apparatus 50 to the user information management apparatus 40 in advance and updated (S04). Therefore, the user information management device 40 acquires this information (source IP address, source port number, roaming location information, SGSN IP address) and transmits it to the location information management device 30 as a user information response (ISCP_Authentication-Response). (S15). In the position information management device 30, when the information transmitted from the user information management device 40 is received, the information is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the control unit 32 together with the information transmitted from the SUPL server 20 first. And it is judged in the control part 32 whether communication with the communication terminal 60 and the SUPL server 20 may be continued by confirming whether both correspond (S16). Here, if the above information does not match, it is determined that the communication with the communication terminal 60 cannot be continued, and the connection is stopped. If it is determined that the process can be continued, the process proceeds to the process related to the approximate position information transmission.

  As processing related to determination of information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60 as approximate position information, first, the control unit 32 determines information to be transmitted from the position information management device 30 to the SUPL server 20 (determination of transmission data). (S17, approximate position information transmission step), by transmitting the determined transmission data from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20, the authentication process is completed and preparation for outputting the approximate position information is performed. (HTTP_Authentication-Response) is performed (S18, approximate position information transmission step). The instruction transmitted from the location information management device 30 to the SUPL server 20 includes a session ID, an authentication result, location information acquired by the location information management device 30 and the level of the location information (details will be described later). , Roaming location information, and SGSN IP address.

  Here, processing performed in the control unit 32 of the location information management device 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The control unit 32 uses the roaming area information and the information stored in the management DB 33 among the information transmitted from the communication terminal 60 via the SUPL server 20, and asks "Can other network operators be inquired?" Is determined (S101). This is determined based on whether or not the information stored in the management DB 33 includes a flag of “inquiry to GMLC is possible” for the operator specified by the MCC and MNC included in the roaming location information. Here, when it is determined that an inquiry to the GMLC is possible, the communication unit 31 of the location information management device 30 requests the operator's GMLC to provide location information using the cell ID (Lr-IF SRLIR). As a result, the location information of the base station device 70 specified by the cell ID is acquired (Lr-IF SRLIA) (S102). Then, it is determined that the position information of the base station device 70 obtained as a result is to be the transmission data, and is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20 (S103 (S18)). At this time, for transmission data transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20, information indicating that the transmission data has been acquired by inquiring the GMLC of another network (mobile communication network N2). It is transmitted in correspondence.

  In addition, when transmitting the location information of the base station device 70 as transmission data from the location information management device 30 to the SUPL server 20, the information stored in the approximate location information DB 23 is associated with the information. And a flag indicating that “not to update the approximate position information DB 23 based on the positioning result transmitted from the communication terminal 60”. This is because the information of the base station device 70 acquired by making an inquiry to the GMLC is the most accurate, so this information is instructed to be used as the approximate position information with the highest priority, and the position information of the base station device 70 It is prohibited to use the result of positioning in the communication terminal 60 by using for updating the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23.

  On the other hand, when the flag indicating “inquiry to GMLC is not possible” is given, accurate position information of the base station device 70 corresponding to the cell ID cannot be acquired, so the base station device 70 is controlled next. It is confirmed whether the location information of the SGSN to be stored is stored in the management DB 33 (S105). Here, when the SGSN location information is stored in the management DB 33, it is determined that this location information is to be the transmission data described above, and is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20 (S106 ( S18)). At this time, the transmission data transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20 is transmitted in association with information indicating that the transmission data is the SGSN position information stored in the management DB 33.

  If the SGSN location information is not stored in the management DB 33, it is determined that the location information derived from the MCC and MNC is the transmission data described above, and is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20. (S108 (S18)). At this time, for transmission data transmitted from the communication unit 31 to the SUPL server 20, information indicating that the transmission data is position information derived from the MCC and MNC stored in the management DB 33 corresponds to the transmission data. To be sent. As described above, the transmission data is transmitted from the position information management device 30 to the SUPL server 20, and the preparation of the approximate position information is instructed.

  On the other hand, when the communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 receives an instruction related to preparation of approximate position information together with transmission data, these pieces of information are sent to the control unit 22 to prepare approximate position information to be notified to the communication terminal 60. Is performed (S19).

  First, in the control unit 22, transmission data transmitted from the location information management device 30 includes (1) location information of the base station device 70, (2) location information of the SGSN, (3) information calculated by the MCC-MNC, It is confirmed from the information attached to the transmission data. Then, the control unit 22 performs processing according to this result.

  First, when the transmission data is (1) position information of the base station apparatus 70, the control unit 22 determines that the position information of the base station apparatus 70 is transmitted to the communication terminal 60 as approximate position information. . Then, the location information of the base station device 70 transmitted from the location information management device 30 is stored in the approximate location information DB 23 in association with the cell ID. At this time, for the information stored in the approximate position information DB 23, since the information is the most accurate information as approximate position information, a flag of “update unnecessary” is given.

  Next, when the transmission data is (2) location information of SGSN or (3) information calculated by MCC-MNC, the transmission data is transmitted to communication terminal 60 according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Location information is determined.

  First, the control unit 22 determines whether the information stored in the cell IDDB can be used (S201). If it is determined that the information stored in the cell IDDB can be used, it is determined to transmit this information as approximate position information to the communication terminal 60 (S202).

  Next, when the information stored in the cell ID DB cannot be used (when the information corresponding to the cell ID is not stored in the cell ID DB), the information corresponding to the cell in the proximity level 1 of the cell ID supplement DB Is registered (S203). If information related to the cell is registered at the proximity level 1 of the cell ID supplement BD, this information is used as approximate position information (S204). For example, in the cell ID supplement DB of FIG. 7, cell B is in proximity level 1 to cell A for which information is stored in the cell ID DB, and therefore the approximate location of cell B using the approximate location information of cell A Generate information. Specifically, the position information of the cell A is used as the position information indicating the reference position of the cell B, and the error radius is a numerical value obtained by adding 50 km to the error radius of the cell A as the error information indicating the error radius of the cell B. And As a result, if the cell B is adjacent to the cell A as estimated (corresponding to the proximity level 1), it is possible to generate approximate position information that seems to include the cell B. The information is used as approximate position information related to the cell B.

  Furthermore, when the information corresponding to the cell is not stored in the proximity level 1 of the cell ID supplement DB, it is confirmed whether the information corresponding to the cell is registered in the proximity level (S205). If information related to the cell is registered in the proximity level 2 of the cell ID supplement BD, this information is used as approximate position information (S206). In this case, similarly to the case of the proximity level 1, the cell of the proximity level 2 is included by using the position information of the cell whose information is stored in the cell IDDB and adding an error radius corresponding to the proximity level. It is possible to generate approximate position information that is assumed to be, and this information is used as approximate position information.

  Further, when the information corresponding to the cell is not stored in the proximity level 2 of the cell ID supplement DB, it is determined whether the SGSN position information including a plurality of cells including the cell can be used. (S207). Here, when the transmission data transmitted from the location information management device 30 to the control unit 22 is (2) the location information of the SGSN, it is decided to use the location information of the SGSN as the approximate location information. (S208).

  Furthermore, when learning at the SGSN level, that is, when updating the approximate position information at the SGSN level based on the GPS positioning result, it is determined whether this information can be used (S209). If it is available, it is decided to use this SGSN level learning information, that is, the updated SGSN level position information as approximate position information (S210). When there is no information regarding the SGSN level, the transmission data transmitted from the location information management device 30 to the control unit 22 is (3) information calculated by the MCC-MNC. Is used as approximate position information (S211). Thus, the approximate position information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60 is determined according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Through the above processing, the control unit 22 of the SUPL server 20 prepares the approximate position information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60 (S19), and then performs positioning from the communication unit 21 to the communication terminal 60. A positioning start response (ULP_SUPL-RESPONSE) to the start request (S11) is transmitted (S20). The positioning start response at this time includes a session ID and information indicating the positioning method (“SET-Based-A-GPS” specifying the network assist method).

  Then, the process regarding the GPS positioning in the communication terminal 60 and the process after positioning are demonstrated using FIG. Based on the positioning method (network assist method) specified in the positioning start response (S20) from the SUPL server 20, the communication terminal 60 supplies a request for providing assist data (ULP_SUPL-POS-INT) including approximate position information to SUPL. It transmits to the server 20 (S21). This provision request includes session ID, roaming location information, and positioning performance (performance related to functions used in positioning by the network assist method) of the communication terminal 60.

  When the communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 receives the approximate position information provision request from the communication terminal 60, the communication unit 21 is notified to the control unit 22, and the approximate position information transmitted to the communication terminal 60 by the control unit 22 is transmitted. Obtained (S22). Here, the process for transmitting the information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 60 determined in the above-described notification information output preparation (S19) to the communication terminal 60 (specifically, the information is converted into a SUPL_POS message). Storage process). Then, a response (ULP_SUPL-POS (RRLP_Measure-Position-Request)) including the GPS satellite route information and approximate position information acquired by a process different from the above process is transmitted to the communication terminal 60 ( S23). Here, as the session ID and assist data, approximate position information (latitude, longitude, altitude, latitude / longitude uncertainty, altitude uncertainty), and GPS satellite route information (ephemeris, almanac) It is transmitted to the communication terminal 60.

  Subsequently, in the communication terminal 60, GPS positioning is performed based on these pieces of information (S24), and the position of the communication terminal 60 is calculated by performing calculations in the communication terminal 60. Then, the positioning result information (ULP_SUPL-POS (RRLP_Measure-Position-Response)) is transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20 and received by the communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 (S25, positioning result reception). Step). At this time, the positioning result information transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20 includes a session ID and a positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude, error radius).

  In the SUPL server 20, the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 is updated by the control unit 22 based on the positioning result transmitted from the communication terminal 60 (S26). Here, if the approximate position information associated with the cell ID has not yet been stored in the approximate position information DB 23, the positioning result by the communication terminal 60 is newly stored as the approximate position information. Further, when the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 is transmitted to the communication terminal 60, as described above, the approximate position information transmitted to the communication terminal 60 and the communication terminal 60 after positioning are used. The approximate position information is updated based on the transmitted result.

  Thereafter, a notification (ULP_SUPL-END) indicating that a series of processing related to positioning has been completed is transmitted from the communication unit 21 of the SUPL server 20 to the communication terminal 60 (S27), thereby relating to the positioning by the communication terminal 60. Processing is terminated.

  When the communication terminal 60 performs GPS positioning (S24), for example, if the GPS positioning cannot be performed due to inappropriate assist data, an assist data addition request is sent to the SUPL server. It is also possible to perform GPS positioning again by transmitting to 20 and receiving new assist data. In addition, when positioning fails due to reasons such as failure to properly receive signals from GPS satellites, the communication terminal 60 is notified that positioning has failed, and the processing related to positioning is terminated. You can also.

If the communication terminal 60 fails in GPS positioning, after a series of processes related to GPS positioning described above, an assist data addition request is transmitted to the SUPL server 20, new assist data is received, and GPS positioning is performed again. Can also be done.
<Effects of positioning support system and positioning support method>

  According to the positioning support system 10 and the positioning method (positioning support method) by the positioning system 1 including the positioning support system 10 according to the embodiment, the history indicating the history of the communication area (cell) in which the communication terminal 60 has been in the past. Based on the information, the positional relationship between the communication areas included in the history information is estimated, and the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB is updated based on the estimation result. Thus, by estimating the positional relationship of the communication area, it is possible to obtain the approximate position information more accurately than when there is no information regarding the position of the communication area. As a result, the approximate position information Can be more efficiently performed.

  In the positioning support system 10 according to the embodiment, the positional relationship with respect to the communication area (cell) in which the approximate position information is updated is estimated based on the result of the positioning calculation in the past, and the approximate position is determined based on the estimation result. The information communication area position information and error information are updated. In this case, since the positional relationship of the communication area can be estimated based on the actual result that the positioning calculation has been performed in the past, and the approximate position information can be updated based on the estimation result, the approximate position information The success rate of the positioning calculation using is increased, and the accuracy of the approximate position information is improved more efficiently.

  In addition, the control unit 22 of the SUPL server 20 updates the error information of the approximate position information stored in the approximate position information DB 23 according to the proximity level of the communication area that is close to the known communication area. Since the error information of the communication area can be updated to a more appropriate value according to the level, the success rate of positioning calculation using this approximate position information increases, and the accuracy of the approximate position information becomes more efficient. Done.

  In the positioning support system 10 according to the present embodiment, the history information is transmitted from the communication terminal 60 using the notification information, and the SUPL server 20 receives the history information. Since the history information can be acquired in the SUPL server 20 without newly increasing the amount of communication for transmission, the accuracy of the approximate position information can be achieved more efficiently.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, the positioning system 1 containing the positioning assistance system 10 which concerns on this invention can perform a various change.

  For example, the functions related to the SUPL server 20 and the position information management device 30 included in the positioning support system 10 may be included in one device, or each function is distributed to different devices. It may be. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the communication terminal 60 acquires assist data from the SUPL server 20 to perform GPS positioning, and further performs the positioning calculation process for calculating the current position of the communication terminal 60 from the positioning data. About the positioning calculation process calculated to the present position of the communication terminal 60, it can also be set as the aspect performed with the apparatus different from the communication terminal 60. FIG.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated using a cell as a communication area in which the communication terminal 60 exists, the communication area which concerns on this invention is not limited to a cell. For example, an area (upper area shown in the present embodiment) that is managed by an SGSN that controls packet communication and is located upstream of a base station device that manages a cell is regarded as a communication area, and a plurality of SGSNs Even when an area including an area to be managed is regarded as an upper area, positioning support similar to that in the above embodiment can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where there are two types of proximity levels (proximity levels 1 and 2) has been described. However, the proximity level may be further divided, or conversely, the proximity level may be one type (adjacent levels). Or only).

  In addition, although three types of update methods for the approximate position information have been described in the above embodiment, other calculation methods and the like may be employed as the update method for the approximate position information.

  In the above-described embodiment, a state is described in which the communication terminal 60 is roaming out from the mobile communication network N1, as in a case where the communication terminal 60 is used overseas. However, the positioning support system 10 and the positioning support method according to the present invention can be applied even when the communication terminal 60 is not roaming out. That is, when the position information of the base station apparatus to which the communication terminal 60 is connected cannot be accurately grasped, the positioning support method according to the present embodiment can be suitably used.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the aspect which updates the approximate position information stored in approximate position information DB23 based on the positioning result information from the communication terminal 60 which transmitted approximate position information, approximate position information is not necessarily changed. Only the positioning result of the transmitted communication terminal is not used for updating the approximate position information, and is stored in the approximate position information DB 23 based on the positioning result information obtained by positioning without transmitting the approximate position information (for example, by an independent method). Updated information may be updated.

  Moreover, although the communication terminal 60 which transmits a movement history and the communication terminal 60 which performs GPS positioning using rough position information were demonstrated in the said embodiment, the communication terminal which transmits a movement history was demonstrated. 60 and the communication terminal 60 that performs GPS positioning may not be the same terminal. Therefore, for example, even if the communication terminal 60 that transmits the movement history does not have a function of performing GPS positioning, the movement history from the communication terminal 60 is used to store in the approximate position information DB 23 as in the above embodiment. It is possible to update the approximate position information.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the communication terminal 60 has demonstrated the aspect which performs GPS positioning using the assist data transmitted from the SUPL server 20, when GPS positioning using assist data is not successful, It is also possible to stop using the assist data at the communication terminal 60 or continue the GPS positioning using the assist data uniquely generated at the communication terminal 60. In this case, when the positioning result information is notified from the communication terminal 60 to the SUPL server 20, it is possible to further notify the approximate position information by notifying which assist data is used to perform the GPS positioning. High accuracy can be achieved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Positioning system, 10 ... Positioning support system, 20 ... SUPL server, 30 ... Location information management apparatus, 40 ... User information management apparatus, 50 ... GW apparatus, 60 ... Communication terminal, 70, 72, 73 ... Base station apparatus.

Claims (5)

Used for positioning calculation in a communication terminal that captures a satellite and performs positioning using information from the satellite, approximate position information indicating the position of the communication area in which the communication terminal is located, and information for identifying the communication area And approximate position information storage means that associates and stores the proximity level indicating the positional relationship between the communication area and another communication area, which is information that complements the approximate position information,
History information receiving means for receiving history information indicating a history of a communication area in which the communication terminal has been in the past;
Based on the history information, positional relationship estimation means for estimating the positional relationship of communication areas included in the history information;
An approximate position information update means for updating the proximity level stored in the approximate position information storage means based on a result of estimating the positional relation of the communication area by the positional relationship estimation means;
With
The approximate position information storage means stores, as the approximate position information, communication area position information indicating a reference position of a communication area where the communication terminal is located and error information indicating an error radius of the communication area,
The approximate position information update means, when the communication terminal requests transmission of approximate position information related to a first communication area in which the approximate position information is not stored in the approximate position information storage means, The communication area position information related to the first communication area is generated based on the approximate position information of the close communication area that is close to one communication area and in which the approximate position information is stored in the approximate position information storage means. In addition, by adding an error radius based on the proximity level between the first communication area and the proximity communication area to the error radius of the proximity communication area, an error related to the first communication area A positioning support device characterized by generating information. The approximate position information update means includes:
The positioning result information is stored in the approximate position information storage unit as the approximate position information when the positioning result information that is transmitted from the communication terminal and indicates the result of the positioning calculation is received. The positioning support device according to Item 1.   The positioning support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the history information is included in broadcast information from the communication terminal and transmitted from the communication terminal.   The positioning support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication area position information and the positioning result information are information including latitude and longitude. Used for positioning calculation in a communication terminal that captures a satellite and performs positioning using information from the satellite, approximate position information indicating the position of the communication area in which the communication terminal is located, and information for identifying the communication area And positioning information by means of a positioning support device that stores information that complements the approximate position information and indicates a proximity level that indicates a positional relationship between the communication area and another communication area in association with each other. A support method,
A history information receiving step of receiving history information indicating a history of a communication area in which the communication terminal has been in the past by the history information receiving means;
A positional relationship estimation step of estimating a positional relationship of communication areas included in the history information based on the history information by a positional relationship estimation means;
An approximate position information update step of updating the proximity level of the approximate position information storage means based on the result of estimating the positional relationship of the communication area by the approximate position information update means by the approximate position information update means,
The approximate position information storage means stores, as the approximate position information, communication area position information indicating a reference position of a communication area where the communication terminal is located and error information indicating an error radius of the communication area,
When the communication terminal requests transmission of approximate position information relating to a first communication area in which the approximate position information is not stored in the approximate position information storage means, the approximate position information update means causes the first position information update means to The communication area position information related to the first communication area is generated based on the approximate position information of the close communication area that is close to one communication area and in which the approximate position information is stored in the approximate position information storage means. In addition, by adding an error radius based on the proximity level between the first communication area and the proximity communication area to the error radius of the proximity communication area, an error related to the first communication area A positioning support method characterized by generating information.

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