Use of movement information about a wireless client

• US 20090181695A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wirola, Lauri Aarne, Blomqvist, Mikko Juhani
• Granted Patent: US 8,761,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/31 Acquisition or tracking of other signals for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Movement information about a wireless client is correlated with information about the availability of wireless access points. A result of the correlation is used to estimate whether the wireless client is going to enter a region that is associated with a predetermined characteristic.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

correlating movement information about a wireless client with information about an availability of wireless access points; and

estimating based on a result of the correlating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the estimating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic comprises estimating a point in time when the wireless client is going to enter the region.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising using the estimated point in time when the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a positioning service is switched to an active mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning in time to ensure that the positioning service is functional in an active mode of the global navigation satellite system based positioning at the estimated time when the wireless client is going to enter the region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using the result of the estimation whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the service is a positioning service comprising a plurality of modes of positioning.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of modes of positioning comprises at least one of:

an active mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

a reduced power consumption mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

a switched off mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

an active mode of terrestrial positioning;

a reduced power consumption mode of terrestrial positioning; and

a switched off mode of terrestrial positioning.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic is associated with a region by means of a map.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the movement information based on a position and a velocity of the wireless client.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the movement information based on a determined guidance route.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic comprises at least one of a level of wireless access point density and a level of global navigation satellite system coverage.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising estimating the length of time that the wireless client will be in the region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising using the estimated length of time that the wireless client will be in the region as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

14. The method according to claim 1, comprising updating an association of a region with a predetermined characteristic, wherein the characteristic indicates whether a global navigation satellite system based mode of positioning is possible or not.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless access points comprise at least one of:

wireless local area network communication access points;

Wi-Fi™

communication access points;

WiMax communication access points;

cellular communication access points;

Bluetooth®

communication access points;

Wibree™

communication access points; and

ZigBee®

communication access points.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a correlating component configured to correlate movement information about a wireless client with information about an availability of wireless access points; and

an estimating component configured to estimate based on a result of the correlating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the estimating component is further configured to estimate a point in time when the wireless client is going to enter the region.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, comprising a switching component configured to use the estimated point in time when the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, comprising a switching component configured to switch a positioning service to an active mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning in time to ensure that the positioning service is functional in an active mode of the global navigation satellite system based positioning at the estimated time when the wireless client is going to enter the region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, comprising a switching component configured to use the result of the estimation of the estimating component whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the service is a positioning service comprising a plurality of modes of positioning.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of modes of positioning comprises at least one of:

an active mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

a reduced power consumption mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

a switched off mode of a global navigation satellite system based positioning;

an active mode of terrestrial positioning;

a reduced power consumption mode of terrestrial positioning;

a switched off mode of terrestrial positioning.

23. The apparatus according to claim 16, comprising a positioning component configured to determine a position and a velocity of the wireless client, wherein the correlating component is further configured to determine the movement information based on a position and velocity of the wireless client determined by the positioning component.

24. The apparatus according to claim 16, comprising a navigation component configured to determine a guidance route, wherein the correlating component is further configured to determine movement information based on a guidance route determined by the navigation component.

25. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined characteristic comprises at least one of a level of wireless access point density and a level of global navigation satellite system coverage.

26. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined characteristic is associated with a region by means of a map.

27. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the estimating component is further configured to estimate the length of time that the wireless client will be in the region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, comprising a switching component configured to use the estimated length of time as a decision criterion for switching a service to at least one of at least two modes.

29. The apparatus according to claim 16, comprising an updating component configured to update an association of a region to a predetermined characteristic, wherein the characteristic indicates whether a global navigation satellite system based mode of positioning is possible or not.

30. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the wireless access points comprise at least one of:

wireless local area network communication access points;

Wi-Fi™

communication access points;

WiMax communication access points;

cellular communication access points;

Bluetooth®

communication access points;

Wibree™

communication access points; and

ZigBee®

communication access points.

33. A system comprising:

a plurality of wireless access points; and

an apparatus according to claim 17.

31. A device comprising:

a correlating component configured to correlate movement information about a wireless client with information about an availability of wireless access points; and

an estimating component configured to estimate based on a result of the correlating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

32. The device according to claim 31, further comprising a user interface.

34. A computer readable medium in which computer program code is stored, the program code realizing the following when executed by a processor:

correlating movement information about a wireless client with information about an availability of wireless access points; and

estimating based on a result of the correlating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic.

35. An apparatus comprising:

means for correlating movement information about a wireless client with information about the availability of wireless access points; and

means for estimating based on a result of the correlating whether the wireless client is going to enter a region associated with a predetermined characteristic.