Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer readable media for providing wireless location service using at least one beacon

• US 10,064,008 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Naver Cloud Corporation (Naver Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Naver Business Platform Corporation (Naver Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Weongi, Lee, Ho Jin, Lim, Hyang Sub, Kim, Daewoong
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US14/939,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing

Abstract

Provided is a method and/or apparatus for providing a wireless location service using a beacon signal. A wireless location service method may include collecting a plurality of beacon signals from each of a plurality of beacon transceivers positioned around a user, and determining a current location of the user based on at least one of a virtual point and the plurality of beacon signals, the virtual point positioned in a space in which the beacon transceivers are provided.

Claims

1. A wireless location service method executed on a wireless location service apparatus including at least one processor, the method comprising:

collecting a plurality of beacon signals from each of a plurality of beacon transceivers positioned around a user of the wireless location service apparatus; and

determining a current location of the user based on at least one virtual point of a plurality of virtual points and the plurality of beacon signals, the plurality of virtual points assigned to a physical space by a wireless location service server in which the plurality of beacon transceivers are provided, the determining the current location of the user including,

determining a plurality of candidate beacon signals based on signal strengths of the collected plurality of beacon signals and a desired threshold signal strength; and

determining whether the current location of the user corresponds to the at least one virtual point based on the signal strength of the plurality of candidate beacon signals; and

associating location coordinates corresponding to the at least one virtual point as the current location of the user in response to the current location of the user corresponding to the at least one virtual point, wherein

the determining whether the current location of the user corresponds to the at least one virtual point comprises determining whether the current location of the user corresponds to the at least one virtual point based on a difference value between the signal strengths of at least two of the plurality of candidate beacon signals and a desired difference value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual point is virtually provided to at least one of a corner of a passage and an intersection formed inside a building in which the user is positioned, and is positioned between the plurality of beacon transceivers provided at desired intervals inside the building.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a location based service based on the current location of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a travel route according to a direction change of the user, in response to sensing the direction change of the user using a gyro sensor provided in the wireless location service apparatus of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying of the travel route comprises rotating and displaying an indoor map in response to the changed direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting of the plurality of beacon signals comprises collecting the plurality of beacon signals using the plurality of beacon transceivers that are constructed in advance.

7. A wireless location service apparatus comprising:

a memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon; and

at least one processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions to,

collect a plurality of beacon signals from each of a plurality of beacon transceivers positioned around a user of the wireless location service apparatus, and

determine a current location of the user based on at least one virtual point of a plurality of virtual points and the plurality of beacon signals, the plurality of virtual points assigned to a physical space by a wireless location service server in which the beacon transceivers are provided, the determining the current location of the user including,

determining a plurality of candidate beacon signals based on signal strengths of the collected plurality of beacon signals and a desired threshold signal strength;

determining whether the current location of the user corresponds to the at least one virtual point based on the signal strengths of the plurality of candidate beacon signals; and

associating location coordinates corresponding to the at least one virtual point as the current location of the user in response to the current location of the user corresponding to the at least one virtual point, wherein

the determining whether the current location of the user corresponds to the at least one virtual point is based on a difference value between the signal strengths of at least two of the plurality of candidate beacon signals and a desired difference value.

8. The wireless location service apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one virtual point is virtually provided to at least one of a corner of a passage and an intersection formed inside a building in which the user is positioned, and is positioned between the plurality of beacon transceivers provided at desired intervals inside the building.

9. The wireless location service apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless location service apparatus is configured to display a travel route according to a direction change of the user, in response to sensing the direction change of the user based on a gyro sensor provided in the wireless location service apparatus of the user.

10. The wireless location service apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to collect the plurality of beacon signals using the plurality of beacon transceivers that are constructed in advance.