Device clustering for enhanced location services

• US 10,278,025 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2018
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2018
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Levin, Tirosh, Aswani, Chandru, Khatakalle, Shidlingeshwar, Meyer, Stefan, Rochberger, Haim
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D
• Application Number:
  US15/937,616
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The apparatus of a first wireless communication device includes memory comprising instructions and processing circuitry coupled to the memory. The processing circuitry is to implement the instructions to establish a wireless connection between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to a wireless connectivity protocol, establish, using the wireless connectivity protocol, a location profile communication cluster including the first device and the second device, and within the communication cluster: process a message from the second device including location information and determine a provision of location services for the cluster based on the location information.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a first wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

processing circuitry coupled to the memory to;

establish a wireless connection between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to a wireless connectivity protocol;

establish, using the wireless connectivity protocol, a location profile communication cluster including the first device and the second device; and

within the communication cluster;

process a message from the second device including location information; and

determine a provision of location services for the cluster based on the location information, wherein determining the provision of location services comprises determining whether the location services are to be provided by the first device, the second device, or a combination thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is to determine the provision of location services by one of:

providing location services for the cluster;

or

handing off to the second device the provision of location services for the cluster and disabling location services of the first device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein handing off provision of the location services for the cluster includes causing transmission, within the cluster, of a wakeup message to the second communication device to enable location services of the second device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is to provide location services for the cluster by:

processing a wakeup message from the second device to enable location services; and

causing transmission to the second device of position reports in response to processing the wakeup message to enable location services.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is to establish the cluster by:

processing a request from the second device to connect to the cluster; and

causing transmission to the second device of a connection accept message in response to the request to connect to the cluster.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

cause transmission to the second device of a request for the location information; and

process the message including the location information in response to the request for the location information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

cause transmission to the second device of at least one of a request for status information and a request for positioning session information;

process at least one of a message including the status information from the second device and a message including the positioning session information from the second device in response to corresponding ones of the request for status information and the request for positioning session information; and

determine the provision of the location services based on at least one of the status information and the positioning session information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

process a request from the second device for a current position report; and

cause transmission to the second device of a current position report.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is further to:

cause transmission of a request for assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS) data in response to processing the request from the second device for a position report; and

cause transmission to the second device of the A-GNSS data.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a location services component coupled to the processing circuitry, the location services component including circuitry to provide location services according to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS); and

a Bluetooth component coupled to the processing circuitry, the Bluetooth component including circuitry to establish the wireless connection between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication.

11. A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement operations comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to a wireless connectivity protocol;

establishing, using the wireless connectivity protocol, a location profile communication cluster including the first device and the second device;

processing a message from the second device including location information; and

determining a provision of location services for the cluster based on the location information, wherein determining the provision of location services comprises determining whether the location services are to be provided by the first device, the second device, or a combination thereof.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein the operations further include determining the provision of location services by one of:

providing location services for the cluster;

or

handing off to the second device the provision of location services for the cluster and disabling location services of the first device.

13. The product of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

causing transmission to the second device of at least one of a request for status information and a request for positioning session information;

processing at least one of a message including the status information from the second device and a message including the positioning session information from the second device in response to corresponding ones of the request for status information and the request for positioning session information; and

determining the provision of the location services based on at least one of the status information and the positioning session information.

14. An apparatus of a first wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

processing circuitry coupled to the memory to;

establish a wireless connection between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to a wireless connectivity protocol;

establish, using the wireless connectivity protocol, a location profile communication cluster including the first device and the second device; and

within the communication cluster;

cause transmission to the second device of a message including location information;

receive an indication from the first device that the second device is to provide certain location services for the cluster in response to causing transmission of the message; and

provide the location services for the cluster based on the indication.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

process a wakeup message from the second device to enable location services; and

enable location services on the first device in response to processing the request for location services; and

provide location services for the cluster in response to processing a handoff, from the second device, of a current provision of location services for the cluster.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

cause transmission of a wakeup message to the second device to enable location services on the second device;

disable location services on the first device in response to transmission of the request to enable location services on the second device; and

provide location services for the cluster based on repeated position reports from the second device in response to the request to enable location services on the second device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is to cause transmission of the wakeup message in response to detecting that a resource level of the first device is below a threshold value.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

cause transmission of a request to the second device for a current position report; and

provide location services for the cluster based on a position report from the second device in response to the request for the position report.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitry is to cause transmission of the request for a current position report in response to detecting the second device is assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS) capable.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

cause transmission to the second device of a request to connect to the cluster; and

process a connection accept message from the second device in response to the request to connect to the cluster.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further to, within the cluster:

process a request from the second device for at least one of status information and positioning session information; and

cause transmission to the second device of at least one of a message including the status information and a message including the positioning session information in response to processing corresponding ones of the request for status information and the request for positioning session information.

22. An apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a wireless connection between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to a wireless connectivity protocol;

means for establishing, using the wireless connectivity protocol, a location profile communication cluster including the first device and the second device; and

means for causing transmission to the second device of a message including location information;

means for receiving an indication from the first device that the second device is to provide certain location services for the cluster in response to causing transmission of the message; and

means for providing the location services for the cluster based on the indication.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for processing a wakeup message from the second device to enable location services; and

means for enabling location services on the first device in response to processing the request for location services; and

means for providing location services for the cluster in response to processing a handoff, from the second device, of a current provision of location services for the cluster.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for causing transmission of a wakeup message to the second device to enable location services on the second device;

means for disabling location services on the first device in response to transmission of the request to enable location services on the second device; and

means for providing location services for the cluster based on repeated position reports from the second device in response to the request to enable location services on the second device.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for causing transmission of a request to the second device for a current position report; and

means for providing location services for the cluster based on a position report from the second device in response to the request for the position report.