Estimation of Speed and Direction of Travel in a WLAN Positioning System

• US 20110058495A1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Wireless Incorporated (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Skyhook Wireless Incorporated (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Inventors: PAHLAVAN, Kaveh, MORGAN, Edward J., ALIZADEH-SHABDIZ, Farshid
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A method for estimating the speed and bearing of a Wi-Fi enabled device using WLAN radio signals in a WLAN based location service is provided. A method used to estimate a speed of travel of a Wi-Fi enabled device comprises the Wi-Fi enabled device receiving signals transmitted by Wi-Fi access points in range of the Wi-Fi enabled device, and using the signals to estimate the speed of and/or direction of travel of the Wi-Fi enabled device.

Claims

1. A method used to estimate a speed of travel of a Wi-Fi enabled device without requiring position estimates of the Wi-Fi enabled device, comprising:

the Wi-Fi enabled device receiving signals transmitted by at least one Wi-Fi access point in range of the Wi-Fi enabled device, the receiving occurring over time;

measuring at least one amount of time during which the Wi-Fi enabled device detects signals transmitted by the at least one Wi-Fi access point; and

estimating the speed of travel of the Wi-Fi enabled device based on the at least one amount of time during which signals from the at least one Wi-Fi access points were detected, so that the speed of travel of the Wi-Fi enabled device can be estimated without requiring position estimates of the Wi-Fi enabled device.