CONVEYING PRECISE CIVIC ADDRESS WITH AN EMERGENCY CALL
A system for appending an emergency call (e.g., E911) with a location is described herein. The system appends the emergency call to a public safety answering point (PSAP) with a location from which the E911 call occurred. A user equipment (UE), which places the emergency call, connects to the beacon via short-range communication and acquires the location from a beacon. The UE transmits the location to the PSAP via a telecommunications network.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/887,220, filed May 29, 2020, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUNDWired phone lines (or landlines) used to dominate the telecommunications industry. Determining a location of the landline associated with an emergency call was straightforward since the landline was registered to a fixed physical location. The emergency service could look-up the location of the landline, such as with an ANI (Automatic Number Identification) and ALI (Automatic Location Identification) system or a comparable system. However, as mobile devices have become more ubiquitous, landlines have essentially become obsolete.
Providing a location of the mobile device at the time an emergency service is requested is more complicated than matching an address to which the mobile device is registered because, by its very nature, the mobile device physically moves around, such as moving with its user.
Timely giving location information of a user requesting an emergency service can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major catastrophe. When an incorrect or inaccurate location is provided, the emergency service must search for the proper location, which can delay the requested or needed help and potentially cause the requester of the emergency service or others to suffer harm. However, providing the proper location allows the emergency service to efficiently head directly to the physical location of the incident requiring the emergency service. The time delays caused by emergency services needing to search for the location of the incident increase the risk and decrease the safety of the incident for the affected person(s) or situation.
What is needed is a telecommunications network for providing a more accurate location of a user equipment for deployment of emergency services. What is further needed is a telecommunication network for determining the location of the user equipment more efficiently.
A system for appending an emergency call (e.g., E911 call) with a location is described herein. To ensure an emergency service can properly locate a user requesting or requiring the emergency service, a location, including an updated or up-to-the-minute location, of the user equipment (UE) can be provided to the emergency service.
The system appends the emergency call to a public safety answering point (PSAP) with a location, such as a civic address, associated with a beacon. The UE connects to the beacon via a short-range communication protocol and requests the location. The location is stored in memory, such as cache memory, of the UE. The UE, upon recognizing the “911” string for the emergency call, retrieves the location from the memory and appends the call with the physical address.
The network site includes a UE communication module programmed to communicate with the UE 102 (i.e., transmit a signal or data). The UE communication module can be an interface, such as a UU or e-Uu interface. The network site also includes a data core communication module programmed to communicate (i.e., transmit a signal or data) with the data core 110. The data core communication module can be an interface, such as a S1, GTP, or NG interface.
The UE 102 is any device used by an end-user for communication or data transmission purposes, including, without limitation, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a laptop with mobile connectivity, or the like.
The data core 110 is an IP-based core network infrastructure that provides packet data services, such as to support the convergence of licensed and unlicensed radio technologies (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G Core). The data core 110 can be defined around various paradigms, including mobility, policy management, and security. The four elements of the data core include a home subscriber server (HSS) 114, a mobility management entity (MME) 112, a serving gateway (SGW) 116, and a packet data network gateway (PGW) 118.
The MME 112 pages and authenticates the UE 102. The MME 112 can retain location information at the tracker level for each UE 102 and selects the appropriate gateway during the initial registration process. The MME 112 can connect to the network site via a S1-MME interface and to the SGW 116 via a S11 interface.
The SGW 116 forwards and routes packets (e.g., data packets) to and from the network site and the PGW 118. The SGW 116 connects to the network site via an S1-M and to the PGW 118 via a S5/S8 interface.
The PGW 118 provides connectivity between the UE 102 and external data packet networks, including the IMS 120. The PGW 118 can be connected to a proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) 124 of the IMS 120 via a SGi interface. The PGW 118 can also be connected to a media gateway (MGW) 128 of the IMS 120 via a SGi interface.
The HSS 114 of the data core 110, which is in communication with the MME 112 via a S6 interface, is a database that contains user-related information and subscriber-related information.
The IMS 120, which is an architectural framework for delivering IP multimedia services. The IMS 120 also handles session management and media control. The IMS 120 can communicate with a secondary network, such as the PSTN 140, via a gateway or function. The IMS 120 can include a serving call state control function (S-CSCF) 122, emergency call state control function (E-CSCF) 126, the P-CSCF 124, the MGW 128, and a media gateway control function (MGCF) 130.
The P-CSCF 124 can connect to the S-CSCF 122 via an Mw interface, to the E-CSCF 126 via an Mw interface, and to the PGW 118 via a Gm interface. The P-CSCF 124 can handle registration requests with an emergency public user identifier, detect and prioritize an emergency session, prevent the assertion of an emergency public user identifier in non-emergency requests, query IP connectivity access network, select an E-CSCF 126 in the network to handle the emergency session request, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof
The S-CSCF 122 can determine the duration of the registration for a received emergency registration. The S-CSCF 122 can also download or request a user profile.
The E-CSCF 126 can receive an emergency session establishment request from the P-CSCF 124, request a location retrieval function (LRF) 132 to retrieve location information (including a validation request), determine or query the LRF 132 for proper routing information or PSAP destination, route emergency session establishment requests to an appropriate destination, forward session initiation protocol requests including UE location information to a PSAP 142, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof.
The MGCF 130 facilitates call control between the IMS 120 and the PSTN 140. The MGCF 130 can connect to the E-CSCF 126 via an Mw interface. The MGW 128 can translate or convert media streams between dissimilar telecommunications networks.
The LRF 132 can connect to the E-CSCF 126 via an Mi interface and to the PSTN 140 via a Le interface. The LRF 132 can retrieve location information for the UE 102 (including interacting with one or more location servers), can route information, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof.
The PSAP 142 is a call center where emergency calls (e.g., police, fire, ambulance) initiated by the UE 102 are received (i.e., where the call terminates). The PSTN 140 can route or direct, whether selectively or otherwise, a call to the PSAP 142, such a as via router or selective router. The PSAP 142 can initiate the emergency service response, such as by dispatching the emergency service provider.
The beacon 200 also includes a short-range communicator 220 to communicate with one or more external devices, such as the UE 102, within range via a short-range communication protocol. The short-range communication protocol can be Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, ultra-wideband, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof. In one example, the short-range communication protocol has a range less than or equal to 10 meters.
The short-range communicator 220 can acquire the location 212 of the UE, such as via a message or instruction to the memory 210, for transmission to the UE 102 via the short-range protocol.
The beacon 200 also includes an identifier 230 to identify the beacon 200 amongst other devices running the same short-range communication protocol within range of the UE 102 that are discoverable by the UE 102. The short-range communicator 220 can broadcast the identifier 230 via the short-range protocol for recognition by the UE 102 when within range. In one example, the UE 102 can select the beacon 200 automatically based on the emergency number or string having been input into the UE 102. In another example, a user or operator can select the beacon 200, such as from a list of discoverable devices running the same short-range communication protocol within range of the UE 102.
The UE 102 includes a communication module 250 including a short-range communicator 252 and a network communicator 254. The short-range communicator 252 communicates with one or more discoverable devices, such as the beacon 200, within range via a short-range communication protocol. The short-range communication protocol can be Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, ultra-wideband, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof. In one example, the short-range communication protocol has a range less than or equal to 10 meters.
The short-range communicator 252 can acquire the location 212 from the beacon 200 for transmission to the PSAP 142 via the telecommunications network 100. To acquire the location 212, the UE 102 initially pairs with or connects to the beacon 200. To pair with or connect to the beacon 200, the UE 102 identifies the beacon 200 based on the identifier 230. When multiple beacons are present, the proper beacon is selected (e.g., automatically by the UE 102 or with user or operator input). The UE 102, via the short-range communicator 252, then sends a pairing request to the short-range communicator 220 of the beacon 200 via the short-range protocol. The beacon 200, via the short-range communicator 220, then sends a pairing response accepting or rejecting the pairing request to the short-range communicator 252 of the UE 102 via the short-range protocol. When the pairing request is accepted, the short-range communicator 252 of the UE 102 and the short-range communicator 220 of the beacon 200 then pair via legacy pairing or a secure connection, including generating a temporary or secure key. A connection, such as an encrypted connection, with the key generated during the pairing step is then established.
The UE 102 can also detect the identifier 230 broadcasted by the beacon 200 via the short-range communication protocol. To detect the identifier 230, the beacon 200 and the UE 102 need not be paired. In other words, the beacon 200 can be identified and selected before the UE 102 and the beacon 200 are paired or connected.
The network communicator 254 communicates with the telecommunications network through the network site, such as via a Uu or e-Uu interface. The network communicator 254 can output or transmit the civic address (e.g., physical address) via a message.
The UE 102 can also include a movement module 240 to determine whether or not the UE 102 has changed locations, including the rate of movement, the direction of movement, or both. By determining whether or not the UE 102 has moved via the movement module 240, the UE 102 can determine whether or not the location stored within the memory 260 is still appropriate to send to the emergency services or if a new location should be acquired via another beacon.
The movement module 240 can include a magnetometer, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a pedometer, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof The magnetometer measures magnetic fields and can be used as a compass (i.e. determine orientation), due, at least in part, to the earth's magnetic field. The accelerometer, which measures one or more accelerations, can measure a change in velocity since the acceleration is the first time derivative of the velocity, and a change in position, such as by integrating the acceleration signal. The gyroscope measures either changes in orientation or rotational velocity. The pedometer counts the number of steps taken by a user of the UE 102. In one example, the movement module 240 can include a secondary location determiner to validate or confirm the location or movement. The secondary location determiner can be assisted GPA, Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), the magnetometer, the gyroscope, the accelerometer, the pedometer, the like, or combinations or multiples thereof.
The UE 102 also includes memory 260 to store information, such as the location 212 acquired from the beacon 200, whether temporarily or permanently. One type of memory 260 is cache memory 262. The cache memory 262 is temporary storage which is more readily available or more efficiently retrievable than one or more other types of memory 260. The cache memory 262 can be chip-based.
At 304, the UE 102 connects to the beacon 200 via the short-range protocol implemented by the short-range communicators 252, 220, respectively. In one example, the UE 102, upon recognizing the emergency number or string, can automatically pair with the beacon 200. In another example, the UE 102, upon recognizing the emergency number of string, displays the beacon 200 or a list of discoverable devices, including the beacon 200, to the user or operator for selection.
At 306, the UE 102 acquires the location 212 from the beacon 200. To acquire the location 212, the UE 102, via the short-range communicator 252, sends a message to the short-range communicator 220 of the beacon 200 via the short-range protocol. The message can include an instruction or a request for the beacon 200 to return the location 212. The beacon 200 processes the message and retrieves the location 212 from the memory 210. The beacon 200, via the short-range communicator 220, then transmits the location 212 to the short-range communicator 252 of the UE 102 via the short-range protocol.
The UE 102 can then store the location 212 in the memory 260. Alternatively, the UE 102 can push the location 212 directly to the PSAP 142 and forego, at least initially, storing the location 212 within the memory 260.
In one example, steps 304 and 306 occur before step 302. The UE 102 connects to the beacon 200 via the short-range protocol implemented by the short-range communicators 252, 220, respectively. The beacon 200 transmits the location 212 to the UE 102, which stores the location 212 in the memory 260. The UE 102 then receives the emergency number or string.
At 308, the location 212 of the beacon 200 is transmitted to the PSAP 142 via the UE 102. The emergency call is appended with the location 212. In the telecommunications network 100, as shown in
Furthermore, a user plane is provided for media, such that a media pathway for a voice service is established. A voice signal is transmitted from the UE 102 via the access network 104 to the SGW 116 then to the PGW 118. The voice signal is then transmitted from the PGW 118 to the MGW 128. The voice signal is routed from the MGW 132 to the PSAP 142 via the PSTN 140.
In other words, the location 212 can be transmitted with the instruction or request to initiate the communication session or in response to a data pass. The voice signal can be transmitted on an established user plane separate from the instruction or request pathway.
Alternatively, at 320 and 322, the UE 102 moves within range of the first beacon, such as by the UE 102 initially entering a building or domicile, and connects to the first beacon.
For example, as shown in
In one example, the beacons 200a-200f can have different ranges among the beacons 200a-200f (e.g., beacon 200a has a 10 meter range, beacon 200b has a 2 meter range, beacon 200c has a 20 meter range, and so on). In another example, the range of one or more of the beacons 200a-200f can be customized based on the physical space (e.g., a floor of a building is 5 meters by 5 meters, and the beacon range is set to 5 meters even when it has a 10 meter range capability). The ranges can be affected by or customized by transmission power, emission capabilities, or both.
As the UE 102 moves throughout the building 400, the UE 102 pairs to beacon 200a, then unpairs from beacon 200a and pairs with one of the other beacons 200b-200f based on movement of the UE 102. In other words, the UE 102 pairs to the beacon that is closest or most proximal to the UE 102 to provide the most accurate location of the UE 102 when calling an emergency service. To determine the closest or most proximal beacon, the UE 102 can determine the signal strength of the beacons 200a-200f and pair with the beacon having the strongest signal. Alternatively, the UE 102 can display a list to the user or operator showing the available beacons and the respective signal strengths, to permit selection of the closest or most proximal beacon.
Each beacon of the multiple beacons can have a unique identifier (e.g., the beacon 200a can have an identifier of “First Floor, NW Corner,” the beacon 200f can have an identifier of “Third Floor, SE Corner,” etc.), a unique location (e.g., the beacon 200a can have an identifier of “123 Main Street, Anytown, 09876, First Floor, NW Corner,” the beacon 200f can have an identifier of “123 Main Street, Anytown, 09876, Third Floor, SE Corner,” etc.), or both. The unique identifier is an identifier which is unique to an individual beacon within range of the UE via the short-range communication protocol, such as when one or more devices use the short-range communication protocol. This permits the beacon to be selected over one or more other devices, such as earbuds, speakers, or the like, which run on or communicate with the same short-range communication protocol.
Returning to
The UE 102 can then store the beacon location in the memory 260. The UE 102 can also store the identifier 230 in the memory 260. Alternatively, the UE 102 can push the location 212 directly to the PSAP 142 and forego, at least initially, storing the location 212 within the memory 260.
At 316, an emergency number or string (e.g., “911”) is input into the UE 102 and a call to that emergency number or string is initiated.
At 318, the location 212 of the second beacon (or the first beacon, where appropriate) is transmitted to the PSAP 142 via the UE 102. The emergency call is appended with the location. In the telecommunications network 100, as shown in
Furthermore, a user plane is provided for media, such that a media pathway for a voice service is established. A voice signal is transmitted from the UE 102 via the access network 104 to the SGW 116 then to the PGW 118. The voice signal is then transmitted from the PGW 118 to the MGW 128. The voice signal is routed from the MGW 132 to the PSAP 142 via the PSTN 140.
In other words, the location 212 can be transmitted with the instruction or request to initiate the communication session or in response to a data pass. The voice signal can be transmitted on an established user plane separate from the instruction or request pathway.
Embodiments of the invention can include a non-transitory computer readable medium which can store instructions for performing the above-described methods and any steps thereof, including any combinations of the same. For example, the non-transitory computer readable medium can store instructions for execution by one or more processors or similar devices.
Further embodiments of the present invention can also include the one or more user equipment(s), network sites, backend network, or servers which read out and execute computer executable instructions, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, recorded or stored on a storage medium (which may be the same as or different than the storage medium for storing images or files, as discussed above), to perform the functions of any embodiment. The user equipment or server may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU), or other circuitry, such as a processor, and may include a network of separate user equipment or servers or separate computer processors. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the user equipment, network node, or server, for example, from a network or the storage medium.
Though certain elements, aspects, components or the like are described in relation to one embodiment or example of a telecommunications network, those elements, aspects, components or the like can be including with any other telecommunications network, such as when it desirous or advantageous to do so.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the systems and methods described herein. The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments or examples are presented by way of examples for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive of or to limit this disclosure to the precise forms described. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments or examples are shown and described in order to best explain the principles of this disclosure and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize this disclosure and various embodiments or examples with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of this disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
- a communication module configured to transmit a beacon connection inquiry; and
- a processor configured to: generate the beacon connection inquiry in response to receiving user input that includes an emergency string, receive a beacon inquiry response from a beacon that includes a beacon precise location, in response to receiving the beacon inquiry response, determine whether the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than a stored location stored within a memory of the UE, and
- an output configured to, based on the determination of whether the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmit a communication in response to the emergency string that includes the beacon precise location or the stored location.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the beacon precise location includes one or more of a building number, a street name, a town, an identifying location within the a building, a floor number, a room number, and a directional corner.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is further configured to store the beacon inquiry response or the beacon precise location.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the UE further includes a short-range communication module, the short-range communication module configured to receive the beacon inquiry response from the beacon and to transmit the communication in response to the emergency string that includes the beacon precise location.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein a short-range communication protocol of the short-range communication module includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or ultra-wideband.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: the output is further configured to, based on the determination that the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmit the communication in response to the emergency string that includes the beacon precise location.
- in response to receiving the beacon inquiry response, determine that the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, and
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the beacon inquiry response is a first beacon inquiry response from a first beacon that includes a first beacon precise location, and the processor is further configured to: the output is further configured to, based on the determination that the first beacon precise location or the second beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmit the communication in response to the emergency string that includes the first beacon precise location or the second beacon precise location, respectively.
- receive a second beacon inquiry response from a second beacon that includes a second beacon precise location,
- in response to receiving the first beacon inquiry response and the second beacon inquiry response, determine that the first beacon precise location or the second beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location stored within the memory of the UE, and
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the first beacon precise location or the second beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE based on a comparison of a feature of the first beacon inquiry response and the second beacon inquiry response.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the feature is a signal strength.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the signal strength of the first beacon inquiry response and the signal strength of the second beacon inquiry response before comparing the signal strength of the first beacon inquiry response and the second beacon inquiry response.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first beacon inquiry response includes the signal strength of the first beacon inquiry response, and the second beacon inquiry response includes the signal strength of the second beacon inquiry response.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the UE further includes a network communicator configured to communicate with a network site of a telecommunications network, the network communicator configured to transmit the communication in response to the emergency string including the beacon precise location or the stored location to a public safety answering point (PSAP) via the telecommunications network.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the UE further includes a movement module configured to:
- after receiving the beacon inquiry response, determine movement of the UE from a first location to a second location,
- transmit another beacon connection inquiry when the UE is determined to have moved from the first location to the second location, and
- receive another beacon inquiry response when the UE is located at the second location.
14. A method of determining a precise location of a user equipment (UE), comprising:
- receiving user input that includes an emergency string,
- in response to receiving the user input that includes the emergency string, generating a beacon connection inquiry,
- transmitting the beacon connection inquiry to one of multiple beacons;
- in response to transmitting the beacon connection inquiry, receiving a beacon inquiry response that includes a beacon precise location,
- in response to receiving the beacon inquiry response, determining whether the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than a stored location saved in a memory of the UE, and
- based on determining whether the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmitting a response communication to the emergency string that includes the beacon precise location or the stored location, respectively.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the beacon inquiry response in the memory if the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
- determining that the beacon precise location is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location saved in the memory based on a signal strength of the beacon precise location, and
- transmitting the response communication to the emergency string that includes the beacon precise location.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
- determining that the stored location is closer in proximity to the UE than the beacon precise location based on a signal strength of the beacon precise location, and
- transmitting the response communication to the emergency string that includes the stored location.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
- transmitting the beacon connection inquiry to more than one of the multiple beacons,
- in response to transmitting the beacon connection inquiry to more than one of the multiple beacons, receiving multiple beacon inquiry responses from the more than one of the multiple beacons, each of the multiple beacon inquiry responses including a respective beacon precise location,
- in response to receiving the multiple beacon inquiry responses from the multiple beacons, determining whether any one or more of the multiple beacon inquiry responses is in closer proximity to the UE than the stored location, and
- based on determining whether any one of the multiple beacon inquiry responses is in closer proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmitting the response communication to the emergency string that includes the one or more beacon precise locations or the stored location, respectively.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:
- determining that one of the multiple beacon precise locations of the respective more than one multiple beacon inquiry responses is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, and
- based on determining that the one of the multiple beacon precise locations of the respective more than one multiple beacon inquiry responses is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location, transmitting the response communication to the emergency string that includes the one or more of the multiple beacon precise locations.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining that one of the multiple beacon precise locations is closer in proximity to the UE than the stored location based on a comparison of a respective signal strength of each of the multiple beacon precise locations.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 9, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 30, 2021
Inventor: Wei-Ming LAN (Morrisville, NC)
Application Number: 17/470,887