UE Coverage Navigation Using GPS in No-Service Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of user equipment (UE) often find themselves in areas without cellular coverage and are unable to determine the direction or distance to the nearest coverage area, as existing technologies lack precise location services to guide them to available networks, especially when out of service.
Innovation Solution
The UE utilizes precise location services, such as GPS coordinates, to determine its location and generate a map showing the direction and distance to the nearest cellular coverage area, either by pre-loading hexbin data or using satellite connections to identify home, roaming, and emergency carriers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UE performs cell search and selection activities to find network coverage, then the UE can connect to a terrestrial base station, but the battery consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-loads coverage area maps and performs preliminary location assessments using GPS before the UE needs to connect to a network. By having coverage information ready in advance and knowing where coverage areas are located, the UE can avoid exhaustive cell search operations and directly navigate to known coverage zones, significantly reducing battery consumption while maintaining connection reliability
2Loss of information
If the UE is in an out-of-service state with no coverage, then the UE cannot make phone calls or send messages, but the user has no way of knowing the direction or distance to the nearest coverage area
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a map application as an intermediary between the UE and coverage areas. This map displays the UE's current location relative to coverage zones and provides navigation directions, acting as a mediator that translates complex network coverage data into user-friendly visual information with turn-by-turn directions to the nearest coverage area
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the UE's location via GPS and updates the map in real-time as the UE moves. The feedback loop provides ongoing information about the UE's proximity to coverage areas and adjusts navigation directions dynamically, ensuring the user always has accurate information about how to reach the nearest coverage zone
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to efficiently navigate to the nearest cellular coverage area by providing a map with directions, ensuring they can make calls or send messages even when out of service.
Implementation Method 1
determining a precise location of the UE and using the precise location to determine a distance from the UE to a location where coverage is provided
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects herein provide a system, media, and methods for/of an application that utilizes collected telecommunication data, to accurately identify directions from a UE to a nearest coverage area. In aspects, the technology assists a user (i.e., subscriber) by navigating the user, via a UE, to a geolocation that includes some type of wireless cellular coverage, for example, through a telecommunications carrier, a roaming carrier, and/or an emergency carrier. If the user is currently and physically located in an area with no coverage, the system will generate a map on the user's device showing a distance and a direction to the nearest coverage area.