System, method, and apparatus for determining and using the position of wireless devices or infrastructure for wireless network enhancements
First Claim
1. A system for locating the position of one or more wireless communications devices within a physical environment, comprising:
- a site specific environmental model of said physical environment including representations of a plurality of wireless or optical communications components deployed within said physical environment;
a plurality of tables, each associated with a specific point in the physical environment modeled by said site specific environmental model, and each containing one or more RF channel characteristics or performance metrics of at least one wireless or optical device;
one or more measuring devices positioned or positionable at one or more locations within said physical environment, said one or more measuring devices measuring RF channel characteristics or performance metrics; and
a computer controller which compares measured RF channel characteristics or performance metrics with RF channel characteristics or performance metrics in said plurality of tables, and identifies one or more locations of one or more wireless or optical communications devices within said physical environment based on one or more closest matching tables of said plurality tables to said RF channel characteristics or performance metrics measured with said one or more measuring devices, and on a position of the specific point in the physical environment modeled by the site specific environmental model associated with said one or more closest matching tables.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for estimating the position of wireless devices within a wireless communication network combines measured RF channel characteristics for the wireless device with one or more predicted performance lookup tables, each of which correlates an RF channel characteristic to some higher order network performance metric and/or a position within an environmental model. Measured RF channel characteristics for wireless devices are compared against the performance lookup tables to determine the sent of lookup tables that most closely match the measured RF channel characteristics. The positions within the environmental model corresponding to the selected set of matching lookup tables are identified as possible locations for the wireless device. The performance lookup tables are uniquely constructed by site-specific location, technology, wireless standard, and equipment types, and/or the current operating state of the communications network.
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Citations
131 Claims
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1. A system for locating the position of one or more wireless communications devices within a physical environment, comprising:
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a site specific environmental model of said physical environment including representations of a plurality of wireless or optical communications components deployed within said physical environment;
a plurality of tables, each associated with a specific point in the physical environment modeled by said site specific environmental model, and each containing one or more RF channel characteristics or performance metrics of at least one wireless or optical device;
one or more measuring devices positioned or positionable at one or more locations within said physical environment, said one or more measuring devices measuring RF channel characteristics or performance metrics; and
a computer controller which compares measured RF channel characteristics or performance metrics with RF channel characteristics or performance metrics in said plurality of tables, and identifies one or more locations of one or more wireless or optical communications devices within said physical environment based on one or more closest matching tables of said plurality tables to said RF channel characteristics or performance metrics measured with said one or more measuring devices, and on a position of the specific point in the physical environment modeled by the site specific environmental model associated with said one or more closest matching tables. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for locating the position of one or more wireless communications devices within a physical environment, comprising the steps of:
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providing a site specific environmental model of said physical environment including representations of a plurality of wireless or optical communications components deployed within said physical environment;
providing a plurality of tables, each associated with a specific point in the physical environment modeled by said site specific environmental model, and each containing one or more RF channel characteristics or performance metrics of at least one wireless or optical device;
measuring, using one or more measuring devices positioned or positionable at one or more locations within said physical environment, RF channel characteristics or performance metrics; and
using a computer controller to compare measured RF channel characteristics or performance metrics with RF channel characteristics or performance metrics in said plurality of tables, and identify one or more locations of one or more wireless or optical communications components within said physical environment based on one or more closest matching tables of said plurality tables to said RF channel characteristics or performance metrics measured with said one or more measuring devices, and on a position of the specific point in the physical environment modeled by the site specific environmental model associated with said one or more closest matching tables. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58)
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57. The method of claim 57 wherein said network management system allows exchanging data between a plurality of computing platforms.
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59. A computer implemented method for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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modeling a physical environment;
modeling a wireless communication system positioned within said physical environment;
monitoring signal levels in the wireless communication system using network monitoring software installed on at least one wireless device of the wireless communications system; and
dynamically reconfiguring one or more wireless devices of the wireless communications system based on the signal levels, the modeled physical environment, and the modeled wireless communications system. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A system or apparatus for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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a computerized model of a physical environment;
a computerized model a wireless communication system positioned within said physical environment, said computerized model of said wireless communication system being part of or separate from said computerized model of said physical environment;
one or more devices for monitoring signal levels in the wireless communication system using network monitoring software installed on at least one wireless device of the wireless communications system, said at least one wireless device of the wireless communication being separate from or one of said one or more devices for monitoring signal levels; and
a network management system for dynamically reconfiguring one or more wireless devices of the wireless communications system based on the signal levels, the modeled physical environment, and the modeled wireless communications system. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A computer implemented method for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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modeling a physical environment;
modeling a wireless communication system in said physical environment;
generating a computer simulation of at least one performance characteristic or signal level for said wireless communication system operating in said physical environment;
using embedded software in one or more wireless communications devices to monitor said at least one performance characteristic or signal level in said wireless communication system;
identifying interference in said wireless communication system from differences between said computer simulation and values of said at least one performance characteristic or signal level monitored using said embedded software; and
reconfiguring one or more wireless devices of said wireless communication system in response to interference identified in said identifying step. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92)
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93. A system or apparatus for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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a computerized model of a physical environment;
a computerized of a wireless communication system in said physical environment, said computerized model of said wireless communication system being part of or separate from said computerized model of said physical environment;
one or more devices for generating a computer simulation of at least one performance characteristic or signal level for said wireless communication system operating in said physical environment;
embedded software in one or more wireless communications devices for monitoring said at least one performance characteristic or signal level in said wireless communication system; and
a network management system for (i) identifying interference in said wireless communication system from differences between said computer simulation and values of said at least one performance characteristic or signal level monitored using said embedded software, and (ii) reconfiguring one or more wireless devices of said wireless communication system in response to interference identified in said identifying step. - View Dependent Claims (94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104)
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105. A computer implemented method for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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modeling a physical environment;
modeling a wireless communication system in said physical environment, said wireless communication system having a plurality of access points each of which has a predefined service region;
determining a location of one or more clients in said physical environment using a site-specific model of said physical environment and software which monitors at least one performance characteristic or signal level between said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points; and
adjusting power of at least one of said one or more clients based on said site-specific model of said physical environment, where said site-specific model is used to predict distance, signal level, or one or more performance characteristics for at least one of said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points. - View Dependent Claims (106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 116, 117)
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111. A system or apparatus for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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a computerized model of a physical environment;
a computerized model of a wireless communication system in said physical environment, said wireless communication system having a plurality of access points each of which has a predefined service region, said computerized model of said wireless communication system being part of or separate from said computerized model of said physical environment;
position location determining hardware, firmware or software for determining a location of one or more clients in said physical environment using a site-specific model of said physical environment and software which monitors at least one performance characteristic or signal level between said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points; and
a network management system for adjusting power of at least one of said one or more clients based on said site-specific model of said physical environment, where said site-specific model is used to predict distance, signal level, or one or more performance characteristics for at least one of said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points. - View Dependent Claims (112, 113, 114, 115)
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118. A computer implemented method for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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modeling a physical environment;
modeling a wireless communication system in said physical environment, said wireless communication system having a plurality of access points each of which has a predefined service region;
determining a site-specific location of one or more clients in said physical environment using a site-specific model of said physical environment and software which monitors at least one performance characteristic or signal level between said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points; and
selecting at least one access point of said plurality of access points for at least one of said one or more clients based on a predicted distance, signal level, or one or more other performance characteristics for said at least one of said one or more clients and one or more of said plurality of access points. - View Dependent Claims (119, 120, 121, 122, 123)
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124. A system or apparatus for managing a wireless communications system, comprising:
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a computerized model of a physical environment;
a computerized model of a wireless communication system in said physical environment, said wireless communication system having a plurality of access points each of which has a predefined service region, said computerized model of said wireless communication system being part of or separate from said computerized model of said physical environment;
position location determining hardware, firmware or software for determining a site-specific location of one or more clients in said physical environment using a site-specific model of said physical environment and software which monitors at least one performance characteristic or signal level between said one or more clients and at least one of said plurality of access points; and
a network management system for selecting at least one access point of said plurality of access points for at least one of said one or more clients based on a predicted distance, signal level, or one or more other performance characteristics for said at least one of said one or more clients and one or more of said plurality of access points. - View Dependent Claims (125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131)
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Specification