Master Access Node Location Reporting Granularity

The patent segments location information reporting by distinguishing between MeNB serving cell information and SeNB serving cell information. The MeNB reports its own serving cell information through existing control plane signaling, while SeNBs report their serving cell information through user plane GTP-U packets. This segmentation allows fine-grained location information to be collected without overcomplicating the control plane signaling architecture.

The MeNB acts as an intermediary that collects serving cell information from multiple SeNBs and forwards it to the core network node. Instead of requiring direct control plane connections between each SeNB and the core network node (which would increase complexity), the MeNB mediates the information flow by embedding SeNB location information within user plane GTP-U packets and forwarding them through the established control plane path.

The patent employs a universal reporting mechanism where both MeNB and SeNBs use the same GTP-U packet structure to convey serving cell information. The information format is standardized with consistent fields for access node identification and serving cell details, allowing the core network node to process location information from multiple sources uniformly without requiring complex source-specific processing logic.

The patent introduces specific parameters within the GTP-U packet structure to carry location information, including access node identification parameters and serving cell information parameters. By defining standardized parameter fields, the system enables flexible adaptation to different access node configurations while maintaining consistent processing rules at the core network node.