Patent Description:
Nowadays, almost everyone has an Internet connectable device (such as mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.), and the device may connect to the Internet through mobile networks (i.e., mobile networks). There are many mobile network operators (MNOs) in each country. MNO would always like to understand its competitors' network performance (coverage in terms of signal strength and signal quality) to evaluate its competitiveness. The conventional way is to use a mobile phone equipped with the SIM card relating to different MNOs when performaing drive test.

Geolocation methodology can reduce drive test by using Measurement Reports in the OSS call trace. With specific procedures as claimed in our previous application, it can support to monitor the network performance of competitor MNOs. Attention is drawn to <CIT> describing a method and an apparatus for calibrating a coverage database comprising: transmitting a measurement control message to terminals in a network coverage area, wherein the measurement control message is used to instruct a terminal supporting Global Position System (GPS) to include geographical position information for current position of the terminal in a measurement report to be reported; receiving the measurement report transmitted by the terminal; storing signal strengths of signals received from respective cells by the terminal and the geographical position information for the terminal into the coverage database, if the measurement report includes the signal strengths and the geographical position information. The technical solutions may improve the positioning precision, reduce time and cost spent on calibration, and thus facilitate popularization and application of the positioning technology. Further attention is drawn to <CIT> describing in a wireless communication network, base station antenna positions and time offsets are stored in a base station almanac data base along with other information used for obtaining the most reliable mobile station position fixes under a variety of conditions. The system uses the position fixes of mobile stations and terrestrial ranging information to determine base station antenna positions and base station timing offsets. The base station antenna positions are determined during normal mobile station position determinations, in order to maintain and improve the antenna location data, and to correct for change or relocation of the base station antennas. It is possible to recover quickly from a loss of cell sector identity during relocation of a base station antenna, and to ensure accuracy of mobile station position determination based on ranging from the base stations, and rapid acquisition of position data from mobile stations having global satellite receivers. Attention is further drawn to <CIT> describing methods, systems, and computer-readable media for verifying geolocation data provided with an electronic content request received from a mobile device. One method includes: receiving, over a network, a content request including a unique identifier and geolocation data; determining a unique device identifier of a mobile device based on the received unique identifier; transmit, over the network, a verification request that requests geolocation data of the mobile device, the verification request including the unique identifier of the mobile device; receiving, over the network, verified geolocation data of the mobile device in response to the transmitted verification request; verifying the geolocation data included with the content request based on the verified geolocation data; and transmitting, over the network, a verification result. Further attention is drawn to <CIT> describing methods and arrangements for reporting of measurements in a wireless communication system. The examples relate to methods and arrangements exercising automated collection of network performance statistics as an alternative to drive tests and reporting function called Minimizing Drive Tests (MDT). The described examples for reporting of measurements in a wireless communication system include acquiring suitable confidence information.

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a server, a communication system, and a positioning method based on the mobile network thereof, and the positioning result based on the mobile network would be corrected with satellite positioning system.

In one of the exemplary aspects, a server includes, but not limited to, a communication transceiver and a processor. The communication transceiver is used for transmitting and receiving signals. The processor is coupled to the communication transceiver. The processor is configured to receive a first measurement report through the communication transceiver, receive a second measurement report through the communication transceiver, determine second location information of a user equipment (UE) according to a monitoring result obtained from the second measurement report, and calibaratethe second location information according to the first location information. The first measurement report is related to a first network performance measurement of the UE with at least one mobile network, and the first measurement report includes the first location information of the UE. The second measurement report is related to a second network performance measurement of the UE with the mobile network. The monitoring result is related to the signal transmission condition of the UE in the one mobile network.

In one of the exemplary aspects, a positioning method based on mobile network includes, but not limited to, the following steps. A first measurement report is received. The first measurement report is related to a first network performance measurement of a UE with at least one mobile network, and the first measurement report includes the first location information of the UE. A second measurement report is received. The second measurement report is related to a second network performance measurement of the UE with the at least one mobile network. The second location information of the UE is determined according to a monitoring result obtained from the second measurement report. The monitoring result is related to the signal transmission condition of the UE in the mobile network. The second location information is calibrated according to the first location information.

In one of the exemplary aspects, a communication system includes, but not limited to, a UE and a server. The UE transmits a first measurement report and transmits a second measurement report. The first measurement report is related to a first network performance measurement of a UE with one or more mobile networks, and the first measurement report includes the first location information of the UE. The second measurement report is related to a second network performance measurement of the UE with the mobile network. The server determines the second location information of the UE according to a monitoring result obtained from the second measurement report and calibrates the second location information according to the first location information. The monitoring result is related to the signal transmission condition of the UE in the mobile network.

In light of the foregoing, according to the server, the communication system, and the positioning method based on mobile network thereof provided in one or more aspects, the first location information included in the first measurement report would be used for calibrating the second location information which is estimated based on monitoring result of the signal transmission condition. Accordingly, the positioning accuracy of the second location information may be improved, so as to further provide more reliable network performance measurement.

In light of the foregoing an easier way to improve the accuracy of the positioning is provided, so as to enhance the reliability of the network performance measurement.

The drawings illustrate aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred aspects of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a communication system <NUM> according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the communication system <NUM> includes, but not limited to, one or more cellular core network entities <NUM>, one or more base stations (BSs) <NUM>, one or more user equipments (UEs) <NUM>, and a server <NUM>. It should be noticed that the numbers of the cellular core network entities <NUM>, the BSs <NUM>, and the UEs <NUM> may be determined based on actual situation.

The cellular core network entity <NUM>, the BS <NUM>, and the UE <NUM> are in one mobile network of one mobile network operator (MNO). The mobile network may be global system for mobile communications (GSM)/general packet radio service (GPRS)/ enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) (i.e., second generation (<NUM>) mobile network), code division multiple access (CDMA) <NUM>/evolution-data optimized (EVDO), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/high speed packet access (HSPA) (i.e., <NUM> mobile network), long term evolution (LTE), (long term evolution- advanced) LTE-A (i.e., <NUM> mobile network), <NUM> New Radio or further generation mobile networks.

For different generations of the mobile network, the cellular core network entity <NUM> and the BS <NUM> could be different. For example, regarding <NUM> and <NUM> networks, the cellular core network entity <NUM> could be a home subscribe server (HSS), or a mobility management entity (MME), and the BS <NUM> could be a home evolved node B (HeNB), eNB, an advanced base station (ABS), or a base transceiver system (BTS). Regarding for <NUM> network, the cellular core network entity <NUM> could be an authentication server function (AUSF), or an access and mobility management function (AMF), and the BS <NUM> could be gNodeB (gNB). Alternatively, the cellular core network entity <NUM> could be any sever in the core network. In the aspect of the disclosure, the cellular core network entity <NUM> may further operates an operation support system (OSS), a business support (BSS), or other operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) related platforms of the mobile network.

The UE <NUM> may have multiple implementations, for example, (but is not limited to) a mobile station, an advanced mobile station (AMS), a telephone device, a customer premise equipment (CPE), a wireless sensor, etc. In oneaspect, the UE <NUM> may be equipped with one or more physical subscriber smart cards (such as a subscriber identity module (SIM), a removable user identity module (RUIM), a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), etc.) or embedded SIM (eSIM), which is/are allowed to register to it own subscribed mobile network(s) but not allowed to register to the other mobile networks (i.e., non-subscribed mobile networks) except for roaming.

The server <NUM> may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet, a network host, or any computing device. In some aspects, the server <NUM> may be one of the cellular core network entity <NUM>. The server <NUM> may include, but not limited to, a communication transceiver <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a display <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>.

The communication transceiver <NUM> could be a communication interface (such as universal serial bus (USB), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), RJ45, etc.) or a wireless transceiver (such as UMTS, LTE, <NUM> New Radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). The communication transceiver <NUM> is used to transmit/receive signals to/from the cellular core network entity <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> could be any type of a fixed or movable random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory or a similar device or a combination of the above devices. The memory <NUM> records program codes, network configurations, frequency spectrum information, measurement reports, location information, codebooks, buffer data or permanent data, which would be introduced later.

The display <NUM> could be liquid-crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or other displays.

The processor <NUM> is coupled to the communication transceiver <NUM>, the memory <NUM> and the display <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to process digital signals, executes a procedure of the exemplary aspect of the disclosure, and is adapted to access or load the data and software modules recorded by the memory <NUM>. Functions of the processor <NUM> may be implemented by using a programmable unit such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The functions of the processor <NUM> may also be implemented by an independent electronic device or an integrated circuit (IC), and operations of the processor <NUM> may also be implemented by software.

In the aspect of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may handle operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) functions for the mobile network, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or further generation. For example, the processor <NUM> can handle signaling and message of billing and operational support systems (BOSS)/operation support system (OSS) for <NUM> core network. The processor <NUM> may further establish communications through the communication transceiver <NUM> with the cellular core network entity <NUM> to transmit or receive data or message with each other.

In order to fully convey the disclosure to those skilled in the art, several aspects are provided below for further descriptions. In the following content, the method of the aspect of the disclosure is described with reference of various devices in the communication system <NUM>. Various steps of the method of the aspect of the disclosure may be adjusted according to an actual implementation, and are not limited by the disclosure.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method based on mobile network according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of the sever <NUM> may receive a first measurement report through the communication transceiver <NUM> (step S210). Specifically, the first measurement report is related to a network performance measurement of the UE <NUM> with one or more mobile networks. The network performance measurement could be a measurement report process, which is used to measure signal strength, signal quality, signal to noise/ interference ratio, etc. For example, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) with corresponding cell's physical cell identity (PCI) are reported in the measurement report for given reference signal with a specific carrier frequency. Besides the monitoring results (such as RSRP, RSRQ, etc.) directly from measurement report, the combination of the monitoring results may be converted into other results by using any form of formula. For example, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) can be derived by RSRP and RSRQ. In addition, the processor <NUM> may take the RSRP/RSRQ into a formula to generate new results for other network quality indicators. The UE <NUM> may scan all frequency spectrums listed in the frequency spectrum information, which is requested by BS <NUM>, to obtain corresponding monitoring result. It should be noticed that, the content of network performance measurement could be different for different generation mobile networks. In addition, the network performance measurement process can be either event-triggered or set as periodical. For example, in the case of event-triggered measurement, a threshold/offset would be configured properly in order to collect the required number of measurement reports. For another example, in the case of periodical measurement, the measurement report process may be performed according to one or more specific periods. After the first measurement report is transmitted by the UE <NUM>, the server <NUM> may receive the first measurement report or the monitoring result from the first measurement report via the BS <NUM> and the cellular core network entity <NUM>.

In oneaspect, the network performance measurement is the minimization of drive test (MDT) introduced in one release the third-generation partnership project (3GPP). In the mechanism of the MDT, an MNO may be able to configure the measurement report process of the UE <NUM> through network configuration, and the UE <NUM> will send measurement reports accordingly with latitude and longitude coordinates.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating the immediate MDT according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the BS <NUM> transmits a network configuration of MDT to the UE <NUM> (step S310), and the UE <NUM> may feedback measurement reports based on the network configuration (step <NUM>). It should be noted that the immediate MDT involves measurement performance by UE in the CONNECTED state (such as radio resource control (RRC) CONNECTED state or another state that UE <NUM> may perform user data transmission with the BS <NUM>) and reporting of the measurements to BS <NUM> available at the time of reporting condition (such as the period of the measurement report process).

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating the logged MDT according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the difference from the immediate MDT is that the logged MDT may involve measurement performance by the UE <NUM> in IDLE state (such as RRC IDLE state or another state that UE <NUM> may merely receive control signaling from the BS <NUM>) at points in time when configured conditions (such as a specific event or a specific period) are satisfied, one or more measurement logs in the storage of UE <NUM> would be reported to the BS <NUM> at a later point when the UE <NUM> is operated in CONNECTED state.

It should be noted that the first measurement report may further include the first location information of the UE <NUM>. In oneaspect, the first location information is obtained based on the satellite positioning operation of the UE <NUM>. The satellite positioning operation may be operated based on global positioning system (GPS), Galileo satellite system, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or other global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The first location information may be latitude and longitude coordinates or a relative location corresponding to one or more specific landmarks. The UE <NUM> may report the first measurement report which includes the first location information based on satellite positioning operation to the BS <NUM>.

In oneaspect, the processor <NUM> may configure a network configuration of the first network performance measurement. It means that the network performance measurement may be requested by the server <NUM>. In oneaspect, the network configuration may include a command to enable the satellite positioning operation of the UE <NUM>, and the network configuration is used by the cellular core network entity <NUM>. Therefore, the first location information could be obtained based on the satellite positioning operation of the UE <NUM>. The network configuration may be an OSS/BSS configuration which can be configured in the cellular core network entity <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may configure OSS/BSS operated on the cellular core network entity <NUM> by using batch scripts, so as to transmit the network configuration through the communication transceiver <NUM>. The batch scripts record commands can be implemented in the OSS/BSS according to network configuration. Then, the OSS/BSS operated on the cellular core network entity <NUM> would execute an instruction indicated in the network configuration towards BS <NUM>. The instruction is, for example, to request the BS <NUM> to transmit control message (such as RRC messages) of the network performance measurement (such as MDT or other measurements). Taking the network configuration of immediate MDT as an example, in a RRC reconfiguration message, the trigger type could be periodical (i.e., a periodical measurement report process), the maximum report cells could be <NUM>, the report interval could be <NUM> seconds, the reported amount could be <NUM>, and the location information included indicator (e.g., the aforementioned command of satellite positioning operation) set as true. It should be noticed that the values in the example is merely used for exemplary description, and these values could be modified based on actual requirement. Then, the measurement report may include, for example, RSRPs corresponding to four BSs <NUM> with the GNSS coordinates of the UE <NUM>.

Furthermore, to monitor the network performance of nearby mobile networks, such as competitors' and domestic roaming partners' networks in large spatial and temporal scale, by utilizing UE capabilities in line with 3GPP standard. One capability of the aspect is the full spectrum scan or desired spectrum scan capability of the UE <NUM>. The UE <NUM> is designed to scan a frequency spectrum including multiple carrier frequencies depending on its capability of the chipset. Although only the subscriber smart card or eSIM provided and activated by operator will allow the UE <NUM> to pass authorization process and register to its own mobile network (which corresponds to one frequency spectrum), the UE <NUM> may keep measuring the neighboring cells in specific carrier frequencies (which corresponds to other frequency spectrums) configured by OSS.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating frequency spectrum scanning according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the operator A uses carrier frequencies Freq1 and Freq2 while operator B uses carrier frequencies Freq3 and Freq4. However, operator A can mandate the UE <NUM> of its subscriber to measure all carrier frequencies Freq1, Freq2, Freq3, and Freq4 by proper OSS configuration. In this way, the frequency bands Freq3 and Freq4 which belong to the operator B can be monitored and used for later analysis,.

In oneaspect, the processor <NUM> may further configure the network configuration to include frequency spectrum information. The frequency spectrum information includes multiple frequency spectrums possessed by two or more mobile networks. The mobile networks include one mobile network of the communication system <NUM> and at least one other mobile network different from the mobile network of the communication system <NUM>. The frequency spectrums of two mobile networks would be different. The carrier frequencies in the frequency spectrums of two mobile networks are not be overlapped. For example, a first frequency spectrum of one mobile network includes carrier frequencies <NUM>~<NUM> and <NUM>~<NUM>, and a second frequency spectrum of another mobile network includes carrier frequencies <NUM>~<NUM> and <NUM>~<NUM>. The frequency spectrum information would record a list of carrier frequencies and allowed bandwidth for each frequency spectrum. For example, the frequency spectrum information includes <NUM>~<NUM> of carrier frequencies with <NUM> bandwidth of one mobile network and <NUM>~<NUM> of carrier frequencies with <NUM> bandwidth of another mobile network. Then, the frequency spectrums of the network configuration would be scanned for the network performance measurement of the UE <NUM>, and the frequency spectrum information may include frequency spectrum of competitor network.

It should be noted that the frequency spectrum could be one or more licensed frequency bands in a region or one or more supported frequency bands of the UE <NUM> (which may be conveyed by UE capability information).

The processor <NUM> of the server <NUM> may receive a second measurement report through the communication transceiver <NUM> (step S230). Specifically, the second measurement report is related to another network performance measurement of the UE with one or more mobile networks. The difference between the first and second measurement reports is that the second measurement report does not include the GNSS location information of UE <NUM>. The network performance measurement corresponding to the second measurement report may be a normal measurement report process or an MDT without reporting GNSS location information. The network configuraton may indicate that the UE <NUM> needs not or disables to report its GNSS capability in the second measurement report. Taking the network configuration of immediate MDT as an example, in a RRC reconfiguration message, the location information included indicator (e.g., the aforementioned command of satellite positioning operation) could be false. However, the network performance measurement, the other parameters of the network configuraton, and the frequency spectrum information corresponding to the second measurement report may be the same or similar to the first measurement report, and the description thereof would be omitted.

Then, the processor <NUM> of the server <NUM> may calculate the second location information of the UE <NUM> according to a monitoring result obtained from the second measurement report (step S250). Specifically, there are several positioning algorithms including triangulation, tri-lateration, and TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival), which can be applied to geo-locate the monitoring results (corresponding to the location of UE <NUM>) collected in the OSS. The monitoring result is related to signal transmission condition (such as signal strength, channel quality, encoding manner, etc.) of the UE <NUM> in one or more mobile networks. For example, the monitoring results could be RSRP, RSRQ, etc. The signal strength of the monitoring result may be used for the triangulation, trilateration, or other positioning algorithms. For example, the server <NUM> builds in the actual geographical information (such as latitude and longitude, direction, tilt, and etc.) of three BSs <NUM> and mutiple corresponding signal strengths of the UE <NUM> relative to the three BSs <NUM>, and the server <NUM> may calculate the location information of the UE <NUM> by positioning algorithms. The second location information could be this geographical information.

In oneaspect, the processor <NUM> may correlate signal strengths of the monitoring result of the first measurement report corresponding one or more BSs <NUM> with the first location information, respectively, to generate location reference information. It is assumed the accuracy of first location information providing GNSS is better than the second location information. On the other hand, the signal strength is related to relative distance or relative location. The location reference information represents the signal strengths from one or more BSs <NUM> may be measured at the location recorded in the first location information. Then, the processor <NUM> may compare the monitoring result of the second measurement report with the location reference information to determine the second location information of the UE <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may search corresponding cell identity recorded in the second measurement report from the location reference information, and compare their RSSIs of the same cell identity between the second measurement report and the location reference information, so as to determine the second location information based on the compared result and the first location information.

Then, the processor <NUM> of the server <NUM> may calibrate the second location information according to the first location information (step S270). Specifically, in order to improve the accuracy of the second location information, and second location information should be modified based on a more accurate positioning mechanism. The satellite positioning mechanism is used in theaspect. <FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating location information of two measurement reports according to one of the exemplary aspects of the disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, the black star sign represents the first location information P1, and the white star sign represents the second location information P2. It is assumed that a user holds the UE <NUM> and walks on the roads. The trajectory of the UE <NUM> based on the first location information P1 may be located on the roads. However, the trajectory of the UE <NUM> based on the second location information P2 may not be located on the roads, so that the second location information P2 maybe not reliable.

It should be noted that the first and second measurement reports may be linked with the timestamps, which represents the time when the UE <NUM> performs the network performance measurement. In one embodiment, the processor <NUM> compares time information between the first location information and the second location information of the UE <NUM> and use the first location information with matched time or closest time information to modify the second location information. The time information could be the aforementioned timestamp or other time indicator. If the times in the time information of the first and second measurement reports are the same, the processor <NUM> may replace the second location information with the corresponding first location information or use the weighted combination of the corresponding first and second location information as the modified second location information. Otherwise, the processor <NUM> may select one or more pieces of first location information having time information closer to the time information of the second location information. Then, the processor <NUM> may replace the second location information with the one piece of the selected first location information or use the weighted combination of the corresponding first and second location information as the modified second location information. Accordingly, the modified second location information may be more accurate.

After the second location information is corrected, the processor <NUM> may compare the monitoring results obtained from the first and second measurement reports of the mobile networks at locations corresponding to the first location information and corrected second location information. Location information can make the comparison more useful because measured performance in the same geographical area can be compared together. Therefore, how to associate collected competitor monitoring results with geographical information is an important part of the aspect of the disclosure. On the basis of the first and calibrated second location information, by comparing the monitoring results (such as signal strength and signal quality) of two or more mobile networks at the same geographical location, MNO can compare the network performance for benchmark purposes. In addition, a graphical user interface (GUI) with the monitoring result may be further presented on the display <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A server (<NUM>), comprising:
a communication transceiver (<NUM>), configured for transmitting and receiving signals; and
a processor (<NUM>), coupled to the communication transceiver (<NUM>), and the processor (<NUM>) is configured for:
receiving, through the communication transceiver (<NUM>), a first measurement report, wherein the first measurement report is related to a first network performance measurement of a user equipment (<NUM>), named UE hereinafter, with at least one mobile network, and the first measurement report comprises a plurality pieces of first location information (P1) of the UE (<NUM>), and each of the plurality pieces of first location information (P1) has time information;
receiving, through the communication transceiver (<NUM>), a second measurement report, wherein the second measurement report is related to a second network performance measurement of the UE (<NUM>) with the at least one mobile network;
determining second location information (P2) of the UE (<NUM>) according to a monitoring result obtained from the second measurement report, wherein the second location information (P2) has time information, and the monitoring result is related to signal transmission condition of the UE (<NUM>) in the at least one mobile network; and
calibrating the second location information (P2) according to the first location information (P1),
wherein the processor (<NUM>) is configured for calibrating by:
comparing the time information of each of the plurality of pieces of first location information (P1) with the time information of the second location information (P2) of the UE (<NUM>); and
using the first location information (P1) with matched time or closest time information to modify the second location information (P2).