EP-4740648-A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION OF A USER EQUIPMENT (UE)

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for determining a location of a user equipment (UE) The disclosure encompasses receiving, at a Location management function (LMF) from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a location request of UE, wherein location request at least comprises a new radio (NR) Cell Global Identifier (NCGI) value associated with a radio access network (RAN) of the UE. Further the disclosure encompasses: determining, at the LMF, a target RAN vendor based on NCGI value. Further the method comprising configuring, at the LMF, a set of cell details based on the NCGI value; identifying, at the LMF, at least a target pre-configured technique from a set of pre-configured techniques associated with an area type identifier; and determining, the location of the UE associated with the location request based on at least the target pre-configured technique.

Inventors

• SINGH, MUKESH
• BHATNAGAR, AAYUSH
• BHATNAGAR, PRADEEP KUMAR
• Bansal, Amrish
• Agrahari, Nilesh
• Dhiman, Anshul
• Ghag, Arpita Jaywant

Assignees

• Jio Platforms Limited

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240702

Claims (15)

1. 1. A method [300] for determining a location of a user equipment (UE), the method [300] comprising: receiving [304], by a transceiver unit [202], at a Location management function (LMF) from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) [106], a location request of the UE, wherein the location request at least comprises a new radio (NR) Cell Global Identifier (NCGI) value associated with a radio access network (RAN) of the UE; determining [306], by a determination unit [204] at the LMF, a target RAN vendor from a set of pre-stored RAN vendors based on the NCGI value; configuring [308], by a setup unit [206] at the LMF, a set of cell details based on the NCGI value, wherein the set of cell details comprises at least an area type identifier associated with the target RAN vendor; identifying [310], by an identification unit [208] at the LMF from a database, at least a target pre-configured technique from a set of pre-configured techniques associated with the area type identifier; and determining [312], by the determination unit [204], the location of the UE associated with the location request based on at least the target pre-configured technique.
2. 2. The method [300] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of cell details further comprises at least one of a Next Generation Node B (gNB) Identifier, a cell identifier, a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), a cell latitude identifier, a cell longitude identifier, and a cell radius identifier.
3. 3. The method [300] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the area type identifier is at least one of an urban area type identifier, and a rural area type identifier.
4. 4. The method [300] as claimed in claim 3, the target pre-configured technique from the set of pre-configured techniques is identified based on the at least one of the urban area type identifier, and the rural area type identifier configured at the LMF.
5. 5. The method [300] as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pre-configured techniques include at least one of signal strength-based methods, Wi-Fi positioning, cellular network positioning, or assisted GPS (A-GPS) techniques.
6. 6. The method [300] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target pre-configured technique continuously receives inputs from regulatory authorities and update a categories of the area type.
7. 7. The method [300] as claimed in claim 1, updating by an updating unit [212], the database within the LMF to reflect a modified set of pre-configured techniques.
8. 8. A system [200] for determining a location of a user equipment (UE), the system comprises: a transceiver unit [202], wherein the transceiver unit [202] is configured to receive, at a Location management function (LMF) from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a location request of the UE, wherein the location request at least comprises a new radio (NR) Cell Global Identifier (NCGI) value associated with a radio access network (RAN) of the UE; a determination unit [204], connected to the transceiver unit [202], wherein the determination unit [204] configured to determine at the LMF, a target RAN vendor from a set of pre-stored RAN vendors based on the NCGI value; a setup unit [206], connected to the determination unit [204], wherein the setup unit [206], is configured to configure, at the LMF, a set of cell details based on the NCGI value, wherein the set of cell details comprises at least an area type identifier associated with the target RAN vendor; and an identification unit [208], connected to the setup unit [206], wherein the identification unit [208], configured to identify at the LMF from a database, at least a target preconfigured technique from a set of pre-configured techniques associated with the area type identifier; and the determination unit [204] configured to determine the location of the UE associated with the location request based on at least the target pre-configured technique.
9. 9. The system [200] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the set of cell details further comprises at least one of a Next Generation Node B (gNB) Identifier, a cell identifier, a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), a cell latitude identifier, a cell longitude identifier, and a cell radius identifier.
10. 10. The system [200] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the area type identifier is at least one of an urban area type identifier, and a rural area type identifier.
11. 11. The system [200] as claimed in claim 10, the target pre-configured technique from the set of pre-configured techniques is identified based on the at least one of the urban area type identifier, and the rural area type identifier configured at the LMF.
12. 12. The system [200] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pre-configured techniques include at least one of signal strength-based methods, Wi-Fi positioning, cellular network positioning, or assisted GPS (A-GPS) techniques.
13. 13. The system [200] as claimed in claim 8, the target pre-configured technique continuously receives inputs from regulatory authorities and update a categories of the area type.
14. 14. The system [200] as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an updating unit [212] configured to update the database within the LMF to reflect a modified set of pre-configured techniques.
15. 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for determining a location of a user equipment (UE), the storage medium comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system [200], causes: a transceiver unit [202] to receive, at a Location management function (LMF) from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) [106], a location request of the UE, wherein the location request at least comprises a new radio (NR) Cell Global Identifier (NCGI) value associated with a radio access network (RAN) of the UE; a determination unit [204] to determine at the LMF, a target RAN vendor from a set of prestored RAN vendors based on the NCGI value; a setup unit [206] to configure, at the LMF, a set of cell details based on the NCGI value, wherein the set of cell details comprises at least an area type identifier associated with the target RAN vendor; an identification unit [208] to identify at the LMF from a database, at least a target preconfigured technique from a set of pre-configured techniques associated with the area type identifier; and the determination unit [204] to determine the location of the UE associated with the location request based on at least the target pre-configured technique.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION OF A USER EQUIPMENT (UE) FIELD OF INVENTION [0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communication systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for determining a location of a user equipment (UE). BACKGROUND [0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art. [0003] Wireless communication technology has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, with each generation bringing significant improvements and advancements. The first generation of wireless communication technology was based on analog technology and offered only voice services. However, with the advent of the second generation (2G) technology, digital communication and data services became possible, and text messaging was introduced. The third generation (3G) technology marked the introduction of high-speed internet access, mobile video calling, and location-based services. The fourth generation (4G) technology revolutionized wireless communication with faster data speeds, better network coverage, and improved security. Currently, the fifth generation (5G) technology is being deployed, promising even faster data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously. With each generation, wireless communication technology has become more advanced, sophisticated, and capable of delivering more services to its users. [0004] In previous solutions for determining a location of a user equipment (UE) configured in a wireless network system, there was a lack of consideration for selecting techniques based on different area types such as Urban, Semi-Urban, Rural for determining said location. This oversight meant that the same technique was often employed for location determination across various area types, leading to potential impacts on location accuracy. Without taking into account the specific characteristics and requirements of different area types, such as urban, rural, or mountainous regions, the chosen technique may not be optimized to deliver precise and reliable location data in each scenario. This limitation could result in inaccuracies, inconsistencies, or even failures in accurately determining the location, thereby affecting the overall effectiveness of the wireless network system. [0005] Further, over the period of time various solutions have been developed to improve the performance of communication devices (e.g., UEs) and to optimise location determination of a UE based on an area type. However, there are certain challenges with existing solutions. A significant technical limitation in the existing solutions is the absence of steps to select techniques (for determining location) based on area types. This limitation can adversely impact location accuracy. By utilizing the same process for location determination across different area types, the existing systems failed to account for the unique characteristics and challenges presented by each area type. For instance, urban areas with dense buildings and high signal interference require solutions optimized for such environments, while rural or mountainous regions necessitate solutions that consider factors like terrain and sparse signal coverage. Neglecting to select appropriate processes or techniques based on area type can lead to reduced location accuracy, resulting in inaccurate or unreliable location data. [0006] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to optimise location determination of a UE based on an area type, which the present disclosure aims to address. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION [0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below. [0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for optimising location determination of a UE based on an area type. [0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that retrieves a set of positioning instructions from a Location management function (LMF) of a network entity based on an area type defined for a particular cell of the network entity, wherein each positioning instruction from the set of positioning instructions include an instruction for enhancing accuracy and reliability of location determination for the UE within the said cell. SUMMARY [0010] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to ide