LOCATION TRACKING METHOD IN COORDINATOR-BASED WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20100189082A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Hyong-uk, Choi, Yun-hwa
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2612 Arrangements for wireless medium access control, e.g. by allocating physical layer transmission capacity H04B7/2615 - H04B7/2643 take precedence; provision for broadband connection H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network is provided. The location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network includes transmitting a first frame including its own identifier and time information to the wireless network by a device associated with the wireless network in order to disclose its location information; and receiving a second frame including the location information of the device transmitted from the wireless network by the device, as a response to the first frame.

Claims

1. A geographic location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the geographic location tracking method comprising:

receiving, at a second device, a first frame including an identifier of a first device which requests geographic location tracking of the second device and an identifier of the second device from the coordinator-based wireless network; and

transmitting, from the second device, a second frame including the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device, and time information of the second device to the coordinator-based wireless network, as a response to the first frame,

wherein the coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which a randomly selected includes a network device within the coordinator-based wireless network acts functioning as a coordinator that assigns channel time to other devices within the coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the coordinator-based wireless network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network uses IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time information is a transmission time of the second frame.

5. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving a first frame including an identifier and time information of a device transmitted by the device;

obtaining location calculating information used in calculating a location of the device using the time information; and

transmitting a second frame including the identifier of the device and the obtained location calculating information to a network coordinator of the coordinator-based wireless network,

wherein the coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the network coordinator is randomly selected, and the randomly selected network coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the network coordinator are highest among all devices of the coordinator-based wireless network.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the wireless network uses IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the time information is a transmission time of the first frame.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the location calculating information is a difference between reception time and transmission time of the first frame.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the identifier of the device is a medium access control (MAC) address of the device.

10. A geographic location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the geographic location tracking method comprising:

receiving a plurality of frames including an identifier of a device and location calculating information of the device from a network coordinator of the coordinator-based wireless network;

calculating a geographic location of the device using the location calculating information; and

transmitting a frame including the calculated geographic location to the device,

wherein the coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the network coordinator is randomly selected, and the randomly selected network coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the network coordinator are highest among all devices of the coordinator-based wireless network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the wireless network uses IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the identifier of the device is a medium access control (MAC) address of the device.

13. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving, at a first network coordinator of the coordinator-based wireless network from a second network coordinator of another network, a plurality of frames including an identifier of a first device which requests location tracking of a second device, an identifier of the second device, and location calculating information of the second device;

selecting a predetermined number of frames among the received plurality of frames and calculating a location of the second device using the location calculating information included in the selected frames; and

transmitting to the first device a frame including the location of the second device,

wherein the coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the first network coordinator is randomly selected, and the randomly selected first network coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the first network coordinator are highest among all devices of the coordinator-based wireless network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the wireless network uses IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

16. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving a first frame including an identifier of a first device which requests location tracking of a second device, and an identifier of a second device from the coordinator-based wireless network;

transmitting the first frame to the second device of the coordinator-based wireless network;

receiving a second frame which notifies that location tracking has been denied from the second device; and

transmitting the second frame to the first device,

wherein the coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which includes a network device within the coordinator-based wireless network functioning as a coordinator is randomly selected, and the randomly selected network coordinator that assigns channel time to other devices within the coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the coordinator-based wireless network.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the wireless network uses IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

19. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking \method comprising:

receiving from a first device a first frame including an identifier of the first device and an identifier of a second device so that a coordinator of a first coordinator-based wireless network can track the second device, wherein the second device is in a second coordinator-based wireless network separate from the first coordinator-based wireless network;

transmitting from the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network a second frame including an identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, and the identifier of the second device to a coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network;

receiving at the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network a third frame including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device and location information of the second device, transmitted by the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network, as a response to the second frame; and

transmitting a fourth frame including the location information of the second device to the first device by the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network,

wherein the first coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network is randomly selected and the randomly selected coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the first coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the first coordinator-based wireless network.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first and second wireless networks use IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

22. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving from a first device a first frame including an identifier of the first device and an identifier of a second device, so that a coordinator of a first coordinator-based wireless network can track the second device, wherein the second device is in a second coordinator-based wireless network separate from the first coordinator-based wireless network;

transmitting from the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network a second frame including an identifier of the first wireless network, the identifier of the first device, and the identifier of the second device to a coordinator of a second coordinator-based wireless network;

receiving at the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network a third frame including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device, as a response of the second frame, if the second device which received the second frame denies location tracking; and

transmitting from the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network a fourth frame including information about the second device denying location tracking to the first device,

wherein the first coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network is randomly selected and the randomly selected coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the first coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the first coordinator-based wireless network.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first and second wireless networks use IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

25. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving from a coordinator of a first coordinator-based wireless network a first frame including an identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, an identifier of a first device which requests location tracking of a second device, and an identifier of a second device, by a coordinator of a second coordinator-based wireless network, wherein the second device is in the second coordinator-based wireless network which is separate from the first coordinator-based wireless network;

transmitting from the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network a second frame including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, and the identifier of the second device to the second device included in the second coordinator-based wireless network;

receiving from the second coordinator-based wireless network a plurality of third frames including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device, and location calculating information of the second device, by the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network;

calculating a location of the second device using the location calculating information of the second device by the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network; and

transmitting from the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network a fourth frame including the identifier of the first wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device and the calculated location of the second device to the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network,

wherein the first coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network is randomly selected and the randomly selected coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the first coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the first coordinator-based wireless network.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first and second wireless networks use IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.

28. A location tracking method in a coordinator-based wireless network, the location tracking method comprising:

receiving, at a coordinator of a second coordinator-based wireless network from a coordinator of a first coordinator-based wireless network, a first frame including an identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, an identifier of a first device which requests location tracking of a second device, and an identifier of the second device, wherein the second device is included in a third coordinator-based wireless network;

transmitting to a coordinator of the third coordinator-based wireless network a second frame including the identifier of the first wireless network, the identifier of the first device, and the identifier of the second device by the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network;

receiving at the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network a third frame including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device, and location information of the second device transmitted by the third coordinator-based wireless network; and

transmitting from the coordinator of the second coordinator-based wireless network a fourth frame including the identifier of the first coordinator-based wireless network, the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the second device, and the location information of the second device to the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network

wherein the first coordinator-based wireless network is a network in which the coordinator of the first coordinator-based wireless network is randomly selected and the randomly selected coordinator assigns channel time to other devices within the first coordinator-based wireless network for data transmission, wherein computing capability and resources of the coordinator are highest among all devices of the first coordinator-based wireless network.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the first, second and third wireless networks use IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the identifiers of the first and second devices are medium access control (MAC) addresses of the first and second devices, respectively.