Home Zone Location Accuracy via MPS Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of location areas provided by Mobile Positioning Systems (MPS) is often inadequate for determining a subscriber's location within a Home Zone, especially due to uncertainties in radio interference, weather conditions, and mast density, leading to inaccuracies in charging models and service provisioning.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that scale the MPS location area using a factor (f-factor) to match the extent of the Home Zone vicinity, allowing for simple determination of whether the Home Zone lies within the scaled location area, regardless of the shape of the location area, by applying different multipliers to radius, axes, and angles based on the shape type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the MPS location area is used directly for determining Home Zone presence, then the determination process is simple, but the accuracy is insufficient due to various interference factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by scaling the location area radius using a scaling factor (e.g., 0.5, 0.75, or 1.0) to adjust the location area size based on the Home Zone extent. This transforms the original location area parameters into adjusted parameters that better match the actual Home Zone boundaries, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring complex overlap analysis algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing the Home Zone extent and scaling factors before the actual location determination. The service provider server prepares the scaled location area criteria in advance, so that when a location query is received, the system can quickly compare the subscriber's location against the pre-scaled area without performing complex real-time calculations, thus improving accuracy while maintaining simplicity
2Measurement precision
If the location area is scaled to match Home Zone extent, then the accuracy of Home Zone determination is improved, but the complexity of processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the scaling process by using predefined scaling factors (0.5, 0.75, or 1.0) that can be selected based on the Home Zone type (apartment, farm, etc.) rather than performing complex geometric transformations. The service provider server stores multiple scaling factors and selects the appropriate one based on the Home Zone configuration, converting a potentially complex scaling operation into a simple parameter selection and multiplication process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating the scaled location area boundaries and storing them along with the Home Zone configuration. When a location determination is needed, the system retrieves the pre-complied scaled area parameters and performs a simple point-in-polygon comparison, avoiding the need to perform complex geometric scaling and overlap calculations in real-time
3Measurement precision
If complex overlap analysis is performed between location area and Home Zone, then the accuracy is maximized, but the processing time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the complex overlap analysis problem into a simpler point-in-polygon containment test by scaling the location area to match the Home Zone extent. Instead of calculating the intersection area between two arbitrary polygons, the system scales the location area radius and checks whether the Home Zone center point falls within the scaled area, reducing computational complexity from O(n*m) polygon intersection to O(1) point containment check
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-scaling the location area parameters and storing the scaled boundaries in the service provider server. When a location determination is required, the system retrieves the pre-scaled area and performs a simple geometric containment test, avoiding the need to perform complex real-time overlap calculations and significantly reducing processing time
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining whether or not a subscriber is located within the vicinity of a Home Zone defined by a geographical coordinate set. The method comprises receiving from a mobile positioning system a shape specifying a location of the subscriber taking into account a degree of uncertainty, and scaling the received shape to account for an extent of the Home Zone vicinity. It is then determined whether or not the Home Zone lies within the scaled shape.