KR100422930B1 - Apparatus and Method for Location Information Providing in Gateway Mobile Location Center - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center for providing subscriber location information.

Conventionally, in order to obtain the location information of a particular subscriber, the GMLC needs to find out the address of the MSC to request the location information of the subscriber from the HLR. This is not an operation of obtaining the location information of the actual subscriber, but to obtain the location information. As an incidental operation, there is a problem in that the time required for obtaining location information of a particular subscriber becomes long.

According to the present invention, when routing information and storage time obtained from the HLR are stored at the gateway mobile location center and the location information for the subscriber is requested again, the stored routing information is used to reduce the location of the transaction to the HLR. The time for acquiring the information can be shortened.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Location Information Providing in Gateway Mobile Location Center}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center for providing subscriber location information.

In general, mobile communication networks provide additional services based on the location of subscribers (hereinafter referred to as 'location services'), for example, emergency rescue, location-based billing, location tracking, location-based information, etc. The method of obtaining the location information of the subscriber varies depending on the type of service provided.

In a first method, a system providing location service requests and obtains a subscriber's location information from a mobile communication network, and a second method includes transmitting location information from a subscriber's terminal to a location service providing system. Since the present invention is applied to the case where the location service providing system requests and obtains the subscriber's location information from the mobile communication network, only the case where the location service providing system requests and obtains the subscriber's location information from the mobile communication network will be described below.

When a service request is generated, a system for providing a location service provides a service according to a method and structure for processing each service with the location information obtained by requesting the subscriber's location information from the mobile communication network.

In this case, a mobile communication network needs a device that accepts a location information request, authenticates a request, requests a subscriber's location information from network devices, and responds to a location service providing system that has requested the location information. Gateway Mobile Location Center (hereinafter referred to as GMLC).

1 illustrates a road, a location service providing system 10, a GMLC 20, a home location register (HLR) 30, and a mobile switching center (MSC) 40. ) Is made.

In such a configuration, the location service providing system 10 requests the location information to the GMLC 20 to know the location information of the subscriber when there is a location service request from a predetermined service subscriber, and requests the GMLC 20 to the location service request. The location information obtained by using the location information is provided to the service subscriber.

The GMLC 20 includes a message processing unit 23 for processing messages transmitted and received with the location service providing system 10, the HLR 30, and the MSC 40, and a database 25 in which an address of the HLR 30 is stored. When the location information of a specific subscriber is requested from the location service providing system 10, the address of the MSC 40 where the subscriber is located is requested to the HLR 30 to which the subscriber belongs, and the HLR 30 is provided. The location information of the subscriber obtained by requesting the location information of the corresponding subscriber is transmitted to the location service providing system 10 by requesting the location information of the corresponding subscriber to the MSC 40 of the received address.

The HLR 30 searches for the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located according to the request of the GMLC 20, and transmits the address of the searched MSC to the GMLC 20.

The MSC 40 obtains the location information of the subscriber from the wireless network equipment according to the request of the GMLC 20 and transmits the location information of the subscriber to the GMLC 20.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method for providing location information of GMLC.

First, when the GMLC 20 receives a message requesting the location information of a particular subscriber from the location service providing system 10, the location service providing system 10 determines the location information of the MSC where the subscriber is located. Finds the address of the HLR 30 to which the subscriber belongs by using the subscriber number requesting from the database 25, and sends a message requesting the address of the MSC 40 where the subscriber is located to the found HLR 30. (S10, S12).

In step S12, the HLR 30 that receives the address of the MSC 40 in which the subscriber is located from the GMLC 20 searches for the address of the MSC 40 in which the subscriber is located by using the subscriber number, and retrieves the MSC. The address 40 is transmitted to the GMLC 20 (S14).

Then, when receiving the address of the MSC (40) where the subscriber is located from the HLR (30), GMLC 20 sends a message requesting the location information of the subscriber to the MSC (40) of the address received from the HLR (30) Transmit (S16).

In step S16, the MSC 40, which has requested the location information of the subscriber from the GMLC 20, obtains the location information of the subscriber from the radio network equipment and transmits the location information of the subscriber to the GMLC 20 (S18).

Then, when receiving the location information of the subscriber from the MSC 40, GMLC 20 transmits the location information of the subscriber received from the MSC 40 to the location service providing system 10 requesting the subscriber location information. (S20).

The location service providing system 10 that has received subscriber location information from the GMLC 20 in step S20 provides a location service provided by the user based on the subscriber location information received from the GMLC 20.

As described above, in order to acquire the location information of a particular subscriber, the GMLC needs to find an address of the MSC to request the location information of the subscriber from the HLR, which is an operation of obtaining the location information of the actual subscriber. Rather, it is an incidental operation to obtain location information, and the time required for obtaining location information of a particular subscriber becomes long.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and routing information and storage time from the HLR is stored in the gateway mobile location center, when the location information for the subscriber is required, the routing information is stored. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center that can shorten a time for acquiring location information by reducing a transaction to the HLR.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication network that provides a location service.

2 is a procedure for explaining a method for providing location information of a conventional GMLC.

3 is a view showing the configuration of a location information providing apparatus of GMLC according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing location information of GMLC according to the present invention.

*** Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing ***

100.Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC),

110. Location service providing system matching processing unit,

120. location information provider, 130. subscriber table,

140. HLR matching processor 150. MSC matching processor

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center, comprising: a subscriber table storing an address of an MSC where a subscriber is located and a time at which the address is stored; A location service providing system matching processing unit that interfaces with the location service providing system; An HLR matching processing unit that interfaces with the HLR; An MSC matching processor that interfaces with the MSC; From the subscriber table, the location service providing system retrieves the address of the MSC where the subscriber requesting the location information is located. If the address of the searched MSC is valid, the location service providing system requests and acquires the location information of the subscriber from the address of the searched MSC. If the location information is provided to the location service providing system and the address of the searched MSC is not valid or the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is not found from the subscriber table, the HLR requests the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located. It is provided with a location information providing unit.

The method of providing location information of a gateway mobile location center may include retrieving an address of an MSC at which the subscriber is located and a time at which the address is stored from a subscriber table when receiving a message requesting location information of a specific subscriber from a location service providing system; ; When the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is retrieved from the subscriber table, determining whether the time of storing the searched MSC address is within an allowable time; When the stored time of the address of the searched MSC is within the allowed time, a message requesting the location information of the subscriber is transmitted to the MSC of the searched address, and a response message to the subscriber location information request message is sent from the MSC. Receiving a process; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; When the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, the step of transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system.

Here, when the searched time of the MSC address is not within the allowed time, a message requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is transmitted to the HLR to which the subscriber belongs, so that the MSC where the subscriber is located from the HLR. Receiving the address of the; Storing the address of the MSC received from the HLR, the subscriber number of the subscriber, and the time at which the address of the MSC is stored in the subscriber table; Transmitting a message requesting the location information of the subscriber to the MSC of the address received from the HLR, and receiving a response message to the subscriber location information request message from the MSC; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; And when the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system. do.

When the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is not retrieved from the subscriber table, a message requesting the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is transmitted to the HLR to which the subscriber belongs, and the MSC in which the subscriber is located is transmitted from the HLR. Receiving the address of the; Storing the address of the MSC received from the HLR, the subscriber number of the subscriber, and the time at which the address of the MSC is stored in the subscriber table; Transmitting a message requesting the location information of the subscriber to the MSC of the address received from the HLR, and receiving a response message to the subscriber location information request message from the MSC; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; And when the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system. do.

Furthermore, when the response message received from the MSC does not include the location information of the subscriber, determining whether the MSC is an error that there is no subscriber; If it is determined that the MSC does not have the subscriber, the MSC sends a message requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located, and if the MSC does not have the subscriber, the MSC sends the message to the location service providing system. The method may further include transmitting an error message including an error cause.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the position information providing apparatus and method of the gateway movement location center according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 illustrates a road, a location service providing system matching processing unit 110, a location information providing unit 120, a subscriber table 130, and an HLR matching processing unit showing the configuration of a location information providing device of GMLC according to the present invention. 140 and the MSC matching processing unit 150.

In such a configuration, the location service providing system matching processing unit 110 processes an interface with a location service providing system (not shown).

The location information providing unit 120 searches whether there is an address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located in the subscriber table 130, and if the address is available by analyzing the stored time value of the retrieved MSC address, the location information is provided as the MSC of the corresponding address. The location information of the subscriber obtained by requesting the location information of the subscriber is transmitted to the location service providing system through the location service providing system matching processing unit 110. If the address is not available or the MSC address of the subscriber is not found in the subscriber table 130, the address of the MSC obtained by requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is requested to the HLR (not shown). Stored in the subscriber table 130, the location information of the subscriber obtained by requesting the location information of the subscriber by the MSC of the address obtained from the HLR is transmitted to the location service providing system through the location service providing system matching processing unit 110.

The subscriber table 130 stores the address of the MSC in which a given subscriber is located and the time at which the address information is stored.

The HLR matching processor 140 processes an interface with the HLR.

The MSC matching processor 150 processes an interface with an MSC (not shown).

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing location information of GMLC according to the present invention.

First, when the GMLC 100 receives a message requesting location information of a particular subscriber from the location service providing system through the location service providing system matching processing unit 110, the location information providing unit 120 determines that the location service providing system is located. The subscriber table 130 searches the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located and the time when the address is stored in the subscriber table 130 using the subscriber number requesting the information, and determines whether the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is found (S30, S32, and S34). ).

If the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is found from the search result subscriber table 130 of step S34, the address of the MSC found in step S34 is determined to determine whether the address of the MSC found in step S34 is allowed. The stored time is compared with the current time to determine whether the stored time of the address of the MSC is within the allowable time, that is, whether the address of the MSC retrieved in step S34 is available (S34, S36).

In the above process S36, the allowable time for determining whether to allow the MSC address can be determined by the operator. If the allowable time is short, the MSC address request message transmission to the HLR occurs more frequently, but the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located. Becomes more accurate, and the longer the time allowed, the MSC's address can be less accurate, instead of reducing the message transmission to the HLR. Therefore, the operator has a more accurate address as the MSC's address stored in the subscriber table 130 becomes more accurate. Allows you to select the allowable time to minimize the number of MSC address request messages to the server.

When the time when the address of the MSC is stored within the allowable time, that is, when the address of the MSC retrieved in the step S34 is available, the MSC matching processing unit 150 determines in step S34. The message requesting the location information of the subscriber is transmitted to the address of the retrieved MSC (S38).

In step S38, the MSC, which has requested the location information of the subscriber from the GMLC 100, obtains the location information of the subscriber from the wireless network equipment and transmits the location information of the subscriber to the GMLC 100.

As described above, when receiving the response message for the subscriber location information request message from the MSC, GMLC 100 analyzes the response message received from the MSC to include the location information of the subscriber in the response message received from the MSC It is determined whether there is (S40, S42).

When the location information of the corresponding subscriber is included in the response message of the determination result of step S42, the location information of the subscriber included in the response message is transmitted to the location service providing system requesting the subscriber location information (S44).

On the other hand, if the location information of the corresponding subscriber is not included in the response message of the determination in step S42, it is determined whether there is an error that there is no corresponding subscriber in the corresponding MSC (S46).

If the result of the determination in step S46 is not an error that there is no corresponding subscriber in the MSC, an error message is transmitted to the location service providing system requesting subscriber location information (S48). In order to know the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located, the location service providing system retrieves the address of the HLR to which the subscriber belongs from a database (not shown) by using the subscriber number that requested the location information, and the HLR matching processing unit ( In step S50, the mobile station transmits a message requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located to the HLR.

On the other hand, when the determination result of the process S36 is the time when the address of the MSC is not stored within the allowable time, that is, when the address of the MSC retrieved in the process S34 is not available through the HLR matching processing unit 140 The message requesting the address of the MSC belonging to the subscriber to the HLR is transmitted (S50).

On the other hand, if the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is not retrieved from the search result subscriber table 130 of step S34, the location service providing system requests the location information to know the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located. Using the subscriber number, the address of the HLR to which the subscriber belongs is searched from the database, and the message requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is transmitted to the HLR searched through the HLR matching processing unit 140 (S50).

In step S50, the HLR, which has received the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located from the GMLC 100, searches for the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located by using the subscriber number, and transmits the address of the searched MSC to the GMLC 100. do.

As described above, when receiving the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located from the HLR through the HLR matching processing unit 140, the location information providing unit 120, the location information providing system and the subscriber number requested the location information, HLR The MSC address received from the MSC and the time when the MSC address is stored are stored in the subscriber table 130, and a message requesting the subscriber's location information is transmitted to the MSC of the address received from the HLR (S52, S54, and S38). .

In step S38, the MSC, which has requested the location information of the subscriber from the GMLC 100, obtains the location information of the subscriber from the wireless network equipment and transmits the location information of the subscriber to the GMLC 100.

As described above, when receiving the response message for the subscriber location information request message from the MSC through the MSC matching processing unit 150, GMLC 100 analyzes the response message received from the MSC to the response message received from the MSC It is determined whether the location information of the subscriber is included (S40, S42).

When the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message of the determination result of step S42, the location information of the subscriber included in the response message is transmitted to the location service providing system requesting the subscriber location information, and corresponds to the response message. If the location information of the subscriber is not included, it is determined whether there is no corresponding subscriber in the corresponding MSC (S44, S46).

If the result of the determination in step S46 is not an error that there is no corresponding subscriber in the MSC, an error message including an error cause is transmitted to the location service providing system requesting subscriber location information (S48). If there is no error, the process proceeds to step S50 and transmits a message requesting the address of the MSC to which the subscriber belongs to the HLR through the HLR matching processing unit 140, and repeats the following process.

The apparatus and method for providing location information of a gateway mobile location center of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

According to the apparatus and method for providing location information of the gateway mobile location center of the present invention as described above, the routing information and storage time obtained from the HLR are stored in the gateway mobile location center, and the location information for the subscriber is required again. In this case, by using the stored routing information, it is possible to shorten the time to obtain the location information by reducing the transaction to the HLR.

Claims (5)

A subscriber table for storing an address of the MSC where the subscriber is located and a time at which the address is stored; A location service providing system matching processing unit that interfaces with the location service providing system; An HLR matching processing unit that interfaces with the HLR; An MSC matching processor that interfaces with the MSC; From the subscriber table, the location service providing system retrieves the address of the MSC where the subscriber requesting the location information is located. If the address of the searched MSC is valid, the location service providing system requests and acquires the location information of the subscriber from the address of the searched MSC. If the location information is provided to the location service providing system and the address of the searched MSC is not valid or the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is not found from the subscriber table, the HLR requests the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located. A location information providing device of a gateway moving location center, comprising a location information providing unit. When receiving a message requesting location information of a particular subscriber from a location service providing system, retrieving the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located and the time at which the address is stored from the subscriber table; When the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located is retrieved from the subscriber table, determining whether the time of storing the searched MSC address is within an allowable time; When the stored time of the address of the searched MSC is within the allowed time, a message requesting the location information of the subscriber is transmitted to the MSC of the searched address, and a response message to the subscriber location information request message is sent from the MSC. Receiving a process; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; When the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, a step of transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system. How to provide location information for a mobile location center. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the retrieved MSC's address is not within a time allowed for storage, Transmitting a message requesting the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located to the HLR to which the subscriber belongs, and receiving the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located from the HLR; Storing the address of the MSC received from the HLR, the subscriber number of the subscriber, and the time at which the address of the MSC is stored in the subscriber table; Transmitting a message requesting the location information of the subscriber to the MSC of the address received from the HLR, and receiving a response message to the subscriber location information request message from the MSC; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; When the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, further comprising transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system. How to provide location information for Gateway to Mobile Location Center. The method of claim 2, wherein the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located is not retrieved from the subscriber table. Transmitting a message requesting the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located to the HLR to which the subscriber belongs, and receiving the address of the MSC in which the subscriber is located from the HLR; Storing the address of the MSC received from the HLR, the subscriber number of the subscriber, and the time at which the address of the MSC is stored in the subscriber table; Transmitting a message requesting the location information of the subscriber to the MSC of the address received from the HLR, and receiving a response message to the subscriber location information request message from the MSC; Determining whether location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC; When the location information of the subscriber is included in the response message received from the MSC, further comprising transmitting the location information of the subscriber included in the response message to the location service providing system. How to provide location information for Gateway to Mobile Location Center. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the location information of the subscriber is not included in the response message received from the MSC. Determining whether the MSC is an error that there is no subscriber; If it is determined that the MSC does not have the subscriber, the MSC sends a message requesting the address of the MSC where the subscriber is located, and if the MSC does not have the subscriber, the MSC sends the message to the location service providing system. The method of providing location information of a gateway moving location center further comprising the step of transmitting an error message including an error cause.