Determining scale for received signal strength indicators and coordinate information

• US 10,383,082 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Sharma, Manas, Agarwal, Gopal, Sugatoor, Manaswini Lakshmikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US16/035,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20180324741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein relate to determining a scale associated with received signal strength indicators (RSSIs). In one example, a computing device receives access point (AP) RSSIs. The RSSIs are determined at APs. The APs are associated with coordinate information. In one example, records are maintained for AP reference pairs. Each AP RSSI can be determined at one AP with reference to another AP. In one example, the computing device determines a scale associated with each record.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a signal strength engine to receive a plurality of access point (AP) received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) from a first plurality of APs, each of the first plurality of APs are associated with coordinate information including a first coordinate associated with a first dimension and a second coordinate associated with a second dimension and a first one of the APs corresponds to a set of the AP RSSIs, and each of the AP RSSIs from the set relate to a respective signal strength associated with each of a second plurality of the APs;

a scale engine to determine a plurality of coordinate scale values according to the RSSIs from the set and the respective coordinate information of the first one AP and the second plurality of the APs, wherein the coordinate scale values are the same

as the AP RSSIs; and

a client location engine to;

receive a plurality of client RSSIs associated with a client device from the first one AP and the second plurality of the APs; and

determine a coordinate location of the client device based on the client RSSIs, the coordinate scale values, and the coordinate information of the first one AP.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the first one of the plurality of APs to;

collect a group of the AP RSSIs associated with the second plurality of the APs;

and send the group of the RSSIs to the signal strength engine.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first one of the plurality of APs further includes a location sensor that determines the coordinate information associated with the first one AP.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a client location engine to determine a coordinate location of a client device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the coordinate location of the client device is determined based on client RSSIs and coordinate scale values.

6. A system, comprising:

a network of access points (AP) comprising;

a first plurality of APs; and

a second plurality of APs, each access point to publish its location information; and

a device, comprising;

a signal strength engine to receive a plurality of access point (AP) received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) from the first plurality of APs, each of the first plurality of APs are associated with coordinate information including a first coordinate associated with a first dimension and a second coordinate associated with a second dimension, a first one of the plurality of APs corresponds to a set of the AP RSSIs, and each of the AP RSSIs from the set relate to a respective signal strength associated with each of the second plurality of APs;

a scale engine to determine a plurality of coordinate scale values according to the RSSIs from the set and the respective coordinate information of the first one of the plurality of APs and the second plurality of APs, wherein the coordinate scale values are the same as the AP RSSIs; and

a client location engine to;

receive a plurality of client RSSIs associated with a client device from the first one of the first plurality of APs and the second plurality of APs; and

determine a coordinate location of the client device based on the client RSSIs, the coordinate scale values, and the coordinate information of the first one of the plurality of APs.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the network of APs are mobile.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the network of APs use a communication protocol to publish location information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication protocol is IEEE 802.11 Vendor Specific Information Element.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein two or more of the network of APs can collect information from the client device.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the network of APs can sense their position location.

12. A computing device comprising at least one processor and a memory to determine coordinate locations of client devices, comprising:

the computing device being configured to receive a plurality of access point received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) determined at a plurality of wireless access points, wherein each of the wireless access points are associated with coordinate information,

the computing device being configured to maintain a plurality of records for wireless access point reference pairs, each of the access point RSSIs are determined at a first one of the wireless access points and reference a second one of the wireless access points, and the wireless access point reference pairs correspond to the respective first one of the wireless access points and the second one of the wireless access points; and

the computing device being configured to determine a scale associated with each of the records based on the respective RSSIs for the respective wireless access point reference pairs and the coordinate information for the corresponding wireless access points in the wireless access point reference pairs.

13. The computing device of claim of claim 12, wherein the computing device being further configured to receive a plurality of client RSSIs associated with a client from at least two of the wireless access points and to determine coordinate information for the client based on the respective scale associated with the at least two wireless access points.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device being further configured to determine, by one of the at least two wireless access points, a first portion of the access point RSSIs and a second portion of the client RSSIs and to send, by the one of the at least two wireless access points the first portion and the second portion to the computing device.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computer device being further configured to receive a plurality of client RSSIs associated with a client from at least three of the wireless access points, to determine an estimated distance of the client from each of the at least three wireless access points based on at least one of the scales associated with the respective at least three wireless access point, and to determine coordinate information for the client based on the respective estimated distances of the client from the at least three wireless access points.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device being further configured to map the wireless access points to a plane based on sensor information, wherein the respective coordinate information is based on the sensor information and mapping.

18. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device being

further configured to receive, a different plurality of access point RSSIs from one of the wireless access points and to update the scale associated with one of the records for a corresponding one of the wireless access point reference pairs.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein a RSSI includes an identifier of an AP that sent the RSSI, an identifier of an AP which is to receive the RSSI, and a timestamp that the RSSI was sent.

16. The computing device of 12, wherein the computing device being further configured to determine a location specific message for the client and to cause transmittal of the location specific message to the client.