CN101557575B - Method for indicating position of user equipment and access point equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for indicating the location of the user equipment when the location of the user equipment is updated, and a corresponding access point device. In the embodiment of the present invention, the access point device of the femtocell sends the location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment, and the user identity card can judge whether to enter or The mobile terminal that is not in the femto cell and triggers the user equipment to make a corresponding prompt, so that the user can accurately know the current location information.

Description

User equipment location indication method and access point device

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a method for indicating the location of user equipment and a corresponding access point device.

Background technique

With the development of communication technology, a femto-cell networking scenario has appeared in the 3rd generation (3G, The 3rd Generation) network. In the Femto-Cell networking scenario, users deploy access point (AP, Access Point) devices with small coverage in fixed locations (such as homes or companies), such as home gateways, home base stations, small base stations, etc., The access of the wireless communication user equipment is performed. These AP devices are usually connected to the Internet (Internet) through a wired access network (DSL, Digital Subscriber Line), and then connected to the mobile core network through an access gateway (AG, Access Gateway). Since users do not occupy macro network resources when accessing AP cells to use services, they can enjoy lower tariffs and high-speed network services.

Usually, the place where AP equipment is deployed will also be covered by a macro cell. Users need to know whether they are currently staying in a macro cell or a home AP cell, so as to know exactly whether the current service enjoys the preferential tariff of the AP cell or the macro cell tariff. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to provide users with appropriate location indication information to avoid billing disputes when users use services within their homes.

What is currently used is the location indication scheme based on short messages: when the user equipment (UE, UserEquipment) enters the coverage of the AP and completes the location/routing area update (LAU/RAU), the AP transmits a Direct Transfer (Direct Transfer) message to the UE Send a reminder short message to inform the user that he has entered the AP cell. The type of prompt short message is usually a lightning short message, and this type of short message will be automatically deleted after the user confirms.

During the research and practice of the above solution, the inventors of the present invention found that it has at least the following disadvantages: when the UE enters the AP cell, the AP can send a short message to remind, and when the UE leaves the AP cell and enters the macro cell, the macro cell Then no short message will be sent to the UE, so the user cannot know the location information for sure.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method capable of accurately indicating the location of a user equipment and a corresponding access point device.

A user equipment location indication method, comprising: an access point device determines that the user equipment is connected; the access point device sends a location indication program to a user identity card of the user equipment, and the location indication program includes a location update event subscription program and a location Update event triggering program; wherein, the location update event subscription program is used to make the user identity card subscribe to the location update event to the mobile terminal of the user equipment, and the location update event trigger program is used to make the user identity card receive the location update event reported by the mobile terminal Afterwards, the location information of the access point device is obtained and compared with the current location information of the mobile terminal, if the same, the mobile terminal is triggered to make a prompt to enter the access point cell; hint.

An access point device, comprising: an access module for accessing user equipment; a download service module for sending a location indication program to a user identity card of the user equipment after it is determined that the access module is connected to the user equipment; The so-called location indication program includes a location update event subscription program and a location update event trigger program, wherein the location update event subscription program is used to make the user identity card subscribe to the location update event from the mobile terminal of the user equipment, and the location update event trigger program is used to Make the user identity card obtain the location information of the access point device after receiving the location update event reported by the mobile terminal and compare it with the current location information of the mobile terminal, and if they are the same, trigger the mobile terminal to make a prompt to enter the access point cell, If different, the mobile terminal is triggered to make a prompt that it is not in the cell of the access point.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the access point device sends the location indication program to the user ID card of the user equipment, so that the user ID card can judge whether to enter/exit the AP cell when the location update of the user equipment occurs by executing the location indication program. , and trigger the mobile terminal of the user equipment to make a corresponding prompt, so that the user can accurately know the current location information.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a method for indicating a location of a user equipment according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the example of a kind of FemtoZone menu structure in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a basic logical structure of an embodiment of an access point device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of networking in an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a signaling flow in application scenario 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a signaling flow in application scenario 2 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for indicating a location of a user equipment. An access point device sends a location indicating program to a user ID card of the user equipment, and the user ID card implements the location indication by executing the program. The embodiment of the present invention also provides a corresponding access point device. Each will be described in detail below.

The basic flow of the embodiment of the method for indicating the location of the user equipment in the present invention can refer to FIG. 1, which mainly includes steps:

101. An access point (AP) device determines user equipment (UE) access.

After the UE enters the coverage area of the AP cell, it can access the AP. This process can be performed by referring to the existing implementation method. For example, for an AP with admission control, this process may include a process of making an admission judgment on the UE according to the user identity of the UE.

102. The AP sends the location indication program to the user identity card of the UE.

The user identity card referred to in this article may be a smart card with a microprocessor, which can provide user identity authentication for the network. Depending on the specific application network type and scenario, it can have various manifestations, such as the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM, Subscriber Identity Module) card in the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM, Global System of Mobile Communication) network, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) CDMA, Code Division Multiple Access) mobile user identification (RUIM, Removable User Identity Module) card in the network, universal mobile communication system (UMTS, Universal MobileTelecommunications System) network in the universal integrated circuit card (UICC, Universal Integrated Circuit Card) and universal user identification (USIM, Universal SIM) card, etc.

The user identity card in this paper can interact with the mobile terminal (ME: Mobile Equipment) of the UE through the application toolkit. The so-called application toolkit is actually a set of instructions, which makes detailed regulations on how the user ID card interacts with the outside world, and expands the communication protocol between the user ID card and the mobile terminal, so that the user ID card can be used on mobile Play a more active role in the terminal. At present, the types of application toolkits include: SIM toolkit (STK, SIMApplication Toolkit) for GSM network, RUIM application toolkit for CDMA network, USIM toolkit (USAT, Universal SIM Application Toolkit) for UMTS network And USIM toolkit interpretation (USAT-I, USAT Interpreter), etc. Take GSM as an example. At present, GSM has determined SIM toolkit standards, such as GSM: 11.14, 02.19, 11.11, etc. These standards allow a large number of small programs running in the SIM to initiate operations outside the SIM on mobile terminals that meet the above standards, such as , directly interact with the user by setting the menu on the mobile terminal, implementing operations such as input and output. In a word, the use of the application toolkit provides an active control interface to the mobile terminal for the program running in the user identity card.

For the sake of brevity, "SIM card" is used instead of "user identity card" for description below.

The location indication program sent by the AP to the SIM card may contain two parts:

① Location update event subscription program. This program is used to enable the SIM card to subscribe to location update events from the ME. After executing the subscription, the ME will report the location update event to the SIM card when the location update occurs. For example, after the location update occurs and the ME camps on the AP cell, it obtains the location update information by receiving the broadcast information of the AP cell, and then reports the obtained location update information to the SIM card through "report location update event".

② The location update event triggers the program. This program is used to enable the SIM card to obtain the location information of the AP after receiving the location update event reported by the ME and compare it with the current location information reported by the ME. If the same, it will trigger the ME to make a prompt to enter the AP cell. Trigger the ME to make a prompt that it is not in the AP cell. The so-called entry prompt can be a voice prompt, text information displayed on the screen, or both. The prompt not in the AP cell may be a voice prompt, text information displayed on the screen, or both. It is worth noting that when the prompt "not in the AP cell" is given, the user may move from the AP cell to the macro cell, or move between macro cells. If the two situations are not distinguished, the "not in the AP cell" The reminder of "AP cell" can be set as a text prompt when it is idle, so as not to interfere with the user; of course, it is also possible to further record the information of the previous location update. To distinguish, if it is judged to move from the AP cell to the macro cell, a voice prompt can be given; if it is judged to be a location update between macro cells, no prompt is given, or only a text prompt is given.

The location information of the AP can be stored in the SIM card in advance, and can also be obtained by the ME from the AP in real time. Optionally, when the AP sends the location indication program, it can also send its own location information to the SIM card. In this case, the location update event triggers the program to obtain the location information of the AP. location information. The location information of the AP can specifically be the identification information allocated for the AP based on network planning, it can be the cell ID (Cell Identity) of the AP, or the location area code (LAC, Location Area Code)+Cell ID of the AP, Or the service area code (SAC, ServiceArea Code) of the AP, etc., using these types of location information to compare the location information with the current location information of the mobile terminal of the user equipment, it can be used for the location update of the user equipment between the AP cell and the macro cell. , providing accurate location indications.

In order to send the location indication program to the SIM card, the AP needs to provide a program download function. Generally, the AP can use OTA (Over the Air) technology for program push. OTA is a technology that uses the air interface of a mobile communication network (such as GSM/CDMA/WCDMA) as a bearer, and uses OTA commands to realize the interaction between the UE and the SIM card, thereby remotely managing the data and applications in the SIM card. The air interface can use protocols such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP, Wireless Application Protocol)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS, General Packet Radio Service)/Wireless Internet Browser (WIB, Wireless Internet Browser)/CDMA1X, and the most popular short messaging technology. Of course, other wireless or wired download methods are also possible. For example, the UE can be connected to the AP through a Universal Serial Bus (USB, Universal Serial Bus) interface, and download programs through the USB interface.

As an optional manner, steps may also be included between the above steps 101 and 102:

102a. The AP sends the access point function menu (which may be called the FemtoZone menu) to the SIM card of the UE. The FemtoZone menu contains:

①AP location information setting item. It is used to make the UE's SIM card save the location information of the AP device under this item.

② Location update event application item. It is used to make the UE's SIM card install the location update event subscription program and location update event trigger program under this item.

Step 102a enables the AP to install the FemtoZone menu on the SIM card before or at the same time as pushing the location indication program, and the contents of the location indication program are the subitems of the FemtoZone menu. On the one hand, this menu-based approach is convenient for the AP to provide services. For example, if the AP expands new service functions later on, it can also refresh the FemtoZone menu (add or update sub-items) through OTA downloads to conveniently provide users with rich service content. ; On the one hand, it is also convenient for the SIM card to present service functions to the user, and provide the user with an entrance for personalized settings. Of course, items in the FemtoZone menu that do not require user intervention (such as location update event application items) can be shielded from the user.

Based on step 102a, it is further preferred that the FemtoZone menu also includes:

③Personalized prompt setting items. The SIM card of the UE is used to provide the user with an interface for setting a prompt mode through the UE. The user can set the prompt mode when the mobile terminal enters and/or is not in the AP cell through this interface. For example, set the text content displayed when the mobile terminal enters and/or exits the AP cell, or the display method, or the prompt sound used, etc.

It should be understood that the FemtoZone menu may also include other functional items, such as the "Location Update Settings" item that provides the user with the function of enabling/disabling the location update indication function, and may also include the "Menu Download" item. update download. An example of a FemtoZone menu structure is shown in Figure 2.

As an optional way, the AP can perform the following steps before sending content (FemtoZone menu, location indication program, etc.) to the SIM card of the UE:

102b. The AP judges whether the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication program has been sent to the SIM card of the UE. If the result of the judgment is that it has been sent, it will not send it. If the result of the judgment is no, that is, it has not been sent, then transfer to Steps to send FemtoZone menu and/or location indication procedure.

Correspondingly, the AP needs to perform the following steps after sending the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication program to the SIM card of the UE:

102c. The AP records that the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication procedure has been sent to the SIM card of the UE.

In this way, it is possible to prevent the user from downloading the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication program every time he enters the AP cell, saving resources.

As an optional implementation, if the SIM card supports Java, the content sent by the AP (FemtoZone menu, location indication program, etc.) Bytecode interpreter or virtual machine execution. The specific implementation process may include: 1. Under the Java Card Runtime Environment (JCRE, Java Card Run Time Environment), the application programming interface (API, Application Programming Interface) of the Java Card Development Kit (JCDK, Java Card Development Kit) is used to write the position Indicates the program. ②Use the JCDK tool to compile the Java program and convert it into the application protocol data unit (APDU, Application Protocol Data Unit) bytecode format according to the global platform (GP, Global PlatForm) protocol, and then convert the APDU code into the APDU format code of the SMS . ③ Download the short message byte code to the SIM card in the UE through OTA, and install it in the SIM card in the UE in the way of menu application, and the location indication program can execute its application function.

In the above embodiment of the method for indicating the location of the user equipment, the AP sends the location indicating program to the SIM card of the UE. The SIM card can determine whether to enter/exit the AP cell when the UE's location is updated by executing the location indicating program, and trigger The UE makes a corresponding prompt, so that the user can accurately know the current location information. If the AP further installs the FemtoZone menu on the SIM card before or at the same time as pushing the location indication program, on the one hand, it will facilitate the AP to expand or refresh service functions, and on the other hand, it will also facilitate the SIM card to present service functions to users, providing users with personalized Entrance of customization settings. In addition, if the AP further confirms that the content has not been pushed before pushing the content to the UE, it can prevent the user from downloading the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication program every time he enters the AP cell, saving resources.

The following describes an embodiment of the access point device of the present invention for performing the above method for indicating the location of the user equipment. Its basic logic structure refers to FIG.

The access module 201 is configured to access user equipment.

The download service module 202 is configured to provide a download service to the accessed user equipment, including sending the location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment.

The so-called location indication program includes a location update event subscriber program and a location update event trigger program;

The so-called location update event subscription program is used to make the user identity card subscribe to the location update event to the mobile terminal where it is located;

The so-called location update event trigger program is used to enable the user ID card to obtain the location information of the access point device after receiving the location update event reported by the mobile terminal and compare it with the current location information of the mobile terminal, and if they are the same, trigger the mobile terminal Make a prompt to enter the AP cell, and if not, trigger the mobile terminal to make a prompt to not be in the AP cell.

The download service module 202 may be further configured to, when sending the location indication program to the user ID card of the user equipment, also send the location information of the access point device to the user ID card of the user equipment.

Preferably, the download service module 202 may further have a menu download function for sending the access point function menu to the user identity card of the user equipment.

The so-called access point function menu includes access point location information setting items and location update event application items;

The so-called access point location information setting item is used to enable the user identity card of the user equipment to store the received location information of the access point device under this item;

The so-called location update event application item is used to enable the user identity card of the user equipment to install a location update event subscription program and a location update event trigger program under this item.

Further preferably, the so-called access point function menu may also include: a personalized prompt setting item, which is used to enable the user identity card of the user equipment to provide the user with an interface for setting the prompt mode through the mobile terminal of the user equipment; The user can be prompted to enter and/or not be in the AP cell according to the prompt mode set by the user.

In addition, preferably, the download service module 202 can specifically adopt a structure including a first unit 2021 and a second unit 2022, and the first unit 2021 is used to download the content (access point function menu and/or location indication program) before providing First judge whether the content has been sent to the user identity card of the user equipment, and the second unit 2022 is used to execute the sending of the content when the judgment result of the first unit 2021 is no; correspondingly, the download service module 202 can send the content ( After the access point function menu and/or location indication program) is sent to the user ID card of the user equipment, it is recorded that the content has been sent to the user ID card of the user equipment.

The download service module 202 may preferably use an over-the-air technology to send the location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment. This can be realized by integrating the OTA service function into the AP, so that the AP becomes an access point device integrated with the OTA function.

In order to better understand the foregoing embodiments, a specific application scenario is taken as an example below for description. The schematic diagram of the networking is shown in Figure 4, including an access point device AP OTA Server 301 with an OTA service function, a user equipment UE 302 (including a mobile terminal ME 3021 and a SIM card 3022). The AP OTA Server 301 communicates with the UE 302 through the air interface, and uses OTA to push content to the UE 302, and the ME 3021 and the SIM card 3022 can use OTA commands to interact.

Scenario 1: UE 302 enters the coverage of AP OTA Server 301 for the first time. Assuming that AP OTAServer 301 is an AP with access control, UE 302 is allowed to access (for example, after a home user purchases and installs a home base station, and connects to the network for the first time, the home base station is set by the user to only allow specific users to access) . Refer to Figure 5 for the signaling process in this scenario, including:

① AP OTA Server establishes a radio resource control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) layer connection with UE;

② The AP OTA Server judges that the FemtoZone menu and location indication program have not been sent to the UE according to the user identity obtained in the access control, so the FemtoZone menu (see Figure 2) is pushed (PUSH) to the ME of the UE through the OTA function;

③ ME downloads (PUSH) the obtained FemtoZone menu command to the first-level menu of the SIM card and saves it (for simplicity, the subsequent OTA download from the AP OTA Server to the UE is directly described as the download from the AP OTA Server to the SIM card, which is no longer divided into two steps express);

④AP OTA Server downloads the location information data (LAC+CELL ID or SAC) of the AP through OTA and saves it in the SIM card;

⑤ AP OTA Server downloads location update event subscription (SET UP EVENT, location status event) to SIM card through OTA;

⑥SIM card subscribes location update event to ME;

⑦AP OTA Server downloads location update event trigger (Location status Eventtrigger) program to SIM card through OTA.

After the above scenario, the SIM card 3022 of the UE 302 has the function of performing location indication, and the APOTA Server records accordingly that the FemtoZone menu and location indication program have been sent to the user.

Scenario 2: The UE 302 switches between the macro cell and the AP cell of the AP OTA Server 301. Assuming that UE302 first enters the AP cell from the macro cell, and then enters the macro cell from the AP cell, refer to Figure 6 for the signaling flow in this scenario, including:

① When the UE enters the AP cell from the macro cell, the UE has a location update and resides in the AP cell, and the UE reports the location update event (Location status change) to the SIM card through the OTA event download (Event download) command;

②The SIM card triggers the location update event application to compare the current location information with the saved location information of the AP (such as LAC+CELL ID or SAC), and the comparison result is the same;

③The SIM card triggers the ME to make a prompt to enter the AP cell, for example, actively initiates the "display text when idle" (SET UP IDLE MODE TEXT) command to the ME, so that when the UE is in an idle state, it will keep displaying location indication information on the screen (such as " Welcome to FemtoZone", etc.); of course, it can also send a voice prompt; the specific form and content of the location indication information can be set on the FemtoZone menu through "Personalized Prompt Settings";

④ When the UE leaves the AP cell and enters the macro cell, the UE generates a location update and resides in the macro cell, and the UE reports a location status change to the SIM card through the OTA Event download command;

⑤ The SIM card triggers the location update event application to compare the current location information with the saved AP location information, and the comparison result is different;

⑥The SIM card triggers the ME to make a prompt that it is not in the AP cell, for example, first initiate the SETUP IDLE MODE TEXT(length=0) command to the UE to cancel the location indication information displayed on the screen when the UE is in an idle state; then,

⑦The SIM card sends a display text (Display Text) command to the ME, prompting the user on the ME that the user is no longer in the AP cell.

The user equipment location indication method in the embodiment of the present invention adopts the method that the AP sends the location indication program to the SIM card of the UE. The SIM card can judge whether to enter/exit the AP cell when the UE's location is updated by executing the location indication program, and The UE is triggered to make a corresponding prompt, so that the user can accurately know the current location information. If the AP further installs the FemtoZone menu on the SIM card before or at the same time as pushing the location indication program, on the one hand, it will facilitate the AP to expand or refresh service functions, and on the other hand, it will also facilitate the SIM card to present service functions to users, providing users with personalized Entrance of customization settings. In addition, if the AP further confirms that the content has not been pushed before pushing the content to the UE, it can prevent the user from downloading the FemtoZone menu and/or location indication program every time he enters the AP cell, saving resources.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above-mentioned embodiments can be completed by instructing related hardware through a program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium can include: Read Only Memory (ROM, Read Only Memory), Random Access Memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), disk or CD, etc.

The method for indicating the location of the user equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the corresponding access point device are described above in detail. In this paper, specific examples are used to illustrate the principle and implementation of the present invention. The description of the above embodiment is only It is used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation and scope of application. In summary, this The content of the description should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A method for indicating a location of a user equipment, comprising: The access point device determines the access of the user equipment; The access point device sends a location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment, and the location indication program includes a location update event subscription program and a location update event trigger program; Wherein, the location update event subscription program is used to make the user identity card subscribe to the location update event to the mobile terminal of the user equipment, and the location update event triggering program is used to make the user identity card receive the After the location update event reported by the mobile terminal, obtain the location information of the access point device and compare it with the current location information of the mobile terminal, if the same, trigger the mobile terminal to make a prompt to enter the access point cell, if not, then The mobile terminal is triggered to make a prompt that it is not in the cell of the access point. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: when the access point device sends the location indication program to the user ID card of the user equipment, it also sends the location information of the access point device to the user The user ID card of the device; The location update event triggering program to obtain the location information of the access point device specifically includes: obtaining the location information of the access point device saved in the user identity card. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that after the access point device determines that the user equipment is connected, before the access point device sends the location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment, Also includes: The access point device sends the access point function menu to the user identity card of the user equipment, The access point function menu includes: an access point location information setting item and a location update event application item, wherein the access point location information setting item is used to make the user identity card of the user equipment set the access point The location information of the point device is stored under this item, and the location update event application item is used to make the user identity card of the user equipment install the location update event subscription program and location update event trigger program under this item. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the access point function menu further comprises: The personalized prompt setting item is used to make the user identity card of the user equipment provide an interface for setting prompt mode to the user of the mobile terminal through the mobile terminal of the user equipment; The prompt made by the mobile terminal to enter the cell of the access point and/or not to be in the cell of the access point is specifically to prompt according to the prompt mode set by the user. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, After the access point device determines that the user equipment accesses, before the access point device sends the location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment, it also includes: the access point device judging whether the The user identity card of the user equipment has sent the location indication program, if not, go to the step of sending the location indication program. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: the access point device sends the location indication program to the user ID card of the user equipment using an over-the-air technology. 7. An access point device, characterized in that it comprises: an access module, configured to access user equipment; A download service module, configured to send a location indication program to the user identity card of the user equipment after it is determined that the access module accesses the user equipment; The location indication program includes a location update event subscription program and a location update event trigger program, wherein the location update event subscription program is used to make the user identity card subscribe to a location update event from the mobile terminal of the user equipment, and The location update event triggering program is used to enable the user identity card to obtain the location information of the access point device and compare it with the current location information of the mobile terminal after receiving the location update event reported by the mobile terminal. If they are the same, the mobile terminal is triggered to make a prompt of entering the access point cell, and if they are different, the mobile terminal is triggered to make a prompt of not being in the access point cell. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the download service module is further configured to, when sending the location indicating program to the user identity card of the user equipment, also send the location information of the access point device A user identity card sent to the user equipment. 9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the download service module is further configured to send the access point function menu to the user equipment after it is determined that the access module accesses the user equipment user ID card; The access point function menu includes an access point location information setting item and a location update event application item, wherein the access point location information setting item is used to make the user identity card of the user equipment set the access point The location information of the point device is stored under this item, and the location update event application item is used to make the user identity card of the user equipment install the location update event subscription program and location update event trigger program under this item. 10. The device according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that: the download service module includes a first unit and a second unit, wherein, The first unit is configured to first determine whether the location indication program has been sent to the user identity card of the user equipment after it is determined that the access module accesses the user equipment; The second unit is configured to send the location indication program when the determination result of the first unit is negative.

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