MTC Device Location Monitoring via Segmented Allowed Areas

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems fail to effectively detect and report movements of machine type communication (MTC) devices within allowed location areas smaller than tracking areas, leading to undetected movements and potential false reporting.

Innovation Solution

Configuring specific allowed location areas for MTC devices, using SGSN/MME to compare location area information and implementing timers to detect and report movements between these areas, ensuring accurate location tracking and minimizing false alarms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If tracking area update procedures are used to detect movement, then location changes can be detected, but movements within the same tracking area cannot be detected leading to false negatives

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation monitoring precisionVSAvoiddetection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the tracking area into multiple smaller allowed location areas (cells or groups of cells). By configuring specific allowed location areas for MTC devices and monitoring movements between these segmented areas, the system achieves both fine-grained detection capability and reliable movement detection, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If location monitoring is implemented to detect all movements, then detection accuracy improves, but false reporting increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidfalse reporting
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by configuring device-specific allowed location areas within the broader tracking area. Each MTC device receives customized location area information tailored to its authorized movement scope. This localized approach enables accurate detection of unauthorized movements while avoiding false reports for authorized movements, thus improving reliability without increasing false reporting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If detailed location tracking is implemented, then location precision improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation tracking precisionVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements partial monitoring by focusing only on movements between allowed location areas rather than continuous tracking of all location changes. The SGSN/MME monitors whether devices move outside their configured allowed areas, which provides sufficient location control precision while significantly reducing system complexity compared to continuous detailed tracking of all device movements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2878160B1Methods and apparatus for device monitoring
Publication Date: 2019.01.09 NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY
  • EP2878160B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2878160B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2878160B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and techniques for detecting movement of machine type communication devices. An allowed location area is configured for one or more machine type communication devices, and a machine type communication device, upon detecting movement between an area outside its allowed location area and an area inside its allowed location area, notifies a network of the movement.