PEER-ASSISTED TRANSMITTER SIGNAL ATTRIBUTE FILTERING FOR MOBILE STATION POSITION ESTIMATION

• US 20110069627A1
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Naguib, Ayman Fawzy, Sridhara, Vinay, Aggarwal, Alok
• Application Number:
  US12/724,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069627A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein may relate to filtering one or more signal attributes from a given transmitter from use in mobile station position estimation operations based at least in part on variations in signal strength indicators for one or more wireless communications between the transmitter and a plurality of devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

estimating a range between a first mobile station and an access point; and

determining a confidence value related to the estimated range based, at least in part, on one or more signal attributes associated with wireless communications among the first mobile station, a second mobile station, and the access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point comprises:

obtaining a first signal strength value for a first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point;

obtaining a second signal strength value for a second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point; and

obtaining a third signal strength value for a third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said estimating the range between the first mobile station and the access point comprises the first mobile station measuring a signal strength of a beacon signal transmitted by the access point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication comprises said beacon signal.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point further comprises determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values comprises:

estimating a range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station based at least in part on said third signal strength value; and

determining the confidence value for the estimated range between the access point and the first mobile station by comparing the first signal strength value with the second signal strength value if said estimated range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station is within a specified threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining said confidence value to be high at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being approximately equal to the second signal strength value; and

determining said confidence value to be low at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being significantly lower than the second signal strength value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising excluding communications between the first mobile station and the access point from position fix operations at least in part in response to said confidence value being determined to be low.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said obtaining the first signal strength value for the first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point comprises receiving a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value from the access point at the first mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said obtaining the second signal strength value for the second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point comprises the first mobile station sniffing the second wireless communication to receive a second RSSI value included as part of the second wireless communication intended for the second mobile station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said obtaining the third signal strength value for the third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station comprises the first mobile station sniffing an acknowledge signal transmitted by the second mobile station and intended for the access point to determine the third strength value based at least in part on a measured strength of the acknowledge signal as received at the first mobile station.

12. A mobile station, comprising:

a receiver to receive wireless communications;

a processing unit coupled to the receiver to estimate a range between a first mobile station and an access point, the processing unit further to determine a confidence value related to the estimated range based, at least in part, on one or more signal attributes associated with wireless communications among the mobile station, a second mobile station, and the access point.

13. The mobile station of claim 12, the receiver to:

obtain a first signal strength value for a first wireless communication between the mobile station and the access point;

obtain a second signal strength value for a second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point; and

obtain a third signal strength value for a third wireless communication between the mobile station and the second mobile station.

14. The mobile station of claim 13, the processing unit to estimate the range between the mobile station and the access point by measuring a signal strength of a beacon signal transmitted by the access point and received by the receiver.

15. The mobile station of claim 14, wherein the first wireless communication comprises said beacon signal.

16. The mobile station of claim 13, the processing unit further to determine the confidence value related to the estimated range between the mobile station and the access point by determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values.

17. The mobile station of claim 16, the processing unit to determine the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values by:

estimating a range between the mobile station and the second mobile station based at least in part on said third signal strength value; and

determining the confidence value for the estimated range between the access point and the mobile station by comparing the first signal strength value with the second signal strength value if said estimated range between the mobile station and the second mobile station is within a specified threshold.

18. The mobile station of claim 17, the processing unit to determine said confidence value to be high at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being approximately equal to the second signal strength value, and the processing unit further to determine said confidence value to be low at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being significantly lower than the second signal strength value.

19. The mobile station of claim 18, the processing unit to exclude communications between the mobile station and the access point from position fix operations at least in part in response to said confidence value being determined to be low.

20. The mobile station of claim 13, the receiver to obtain the first signal strength value for the first wireless communication between the mobile station and the access point by receiving a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value from the access point.

21. The mobile station of claim 20, the receiver to obtain the second signal strength value for the second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point by sniffing the second wireless communication to receive a second RSSI value included as part of the second wireless communication intended for the second mobile station.

22. The mobile station of claim 21, the receiver to obtain the third signal strength value for the third wireless communication between the mobile station and the second mobile station by sniffing an acknowledge signal transmitted by the second mobile station and intended for the access point to determine the third strength value based at least in part on a measured strength of the acknowledge signal as received at the receiver.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for estimating a range between a first mobile station and an access point; and

means for determining a confidence value related to the estimated range based, at least in part, on one or more signal attributes associated with wireless communications among the first mobile station, a second mobile station, and the access point.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said means for determining the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point comprises:

means for obtaining a first signal strength value for a first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point;

means for obtaining a second signal strength value for a second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point; and

means for obtaining a third signal strength value for a third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said means for estimating the range between the first mobile station and the access point comprises means for measuring a signal strength of a beacon signal transmitted by the access point.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first wireless communication comprises said beacon signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said means for determining the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point further comprises means for determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said means for determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values comprises:

means for estimating a range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station based at least in part on said third signal strength value; and

means for determining the confidence value for the estimated range between the access point and the first mobile station by comparing the first signal strength value with the second signal strength value if said estimated range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station is within a specified threshold.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said confidence value is determined to be high at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being approximately equal to the second signal strength value and wherein said confidence value is determined to be low at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being significantly lower than the second signal strength value.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein if said confidence value is determined to be low, communications between the first mobile station and the access point are excluded from position fix operations related to the first mobile station.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said means for obtaining the first signal strength value for the first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point comprises means for receiving a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value from the access point at the first mobile station.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein said means for obtaining the second signal strength value for the second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point comprises means for sniffing the second wireless communication at the first mobile station to receive a second RSSI value included as part of the second wireless communication intended for the second mobile station.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said means for obtaining the third signal strength value for the third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station comprises means for sniffing an acknowledge signal transmitted by the second mobile station and intended for the access point to determine the third strength value based at least in part on a measured strength of the acknowledge signal as received at the first mobile station.

34. An article, comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a first mobile station to;

estimate a range between the first mobile station and an access point; and

determine a confidence value related to the estimated range based, at least in part, on one or more signal attributes associated with wireless communications among the first mobile station, a second mobile station, and the access point.

35. The article of claim 34, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to determine the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point by:

obtaining a first signal strength value for a first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point;

obtaining a second signal strength value for a second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point; and

obtaining a third signal strength value for a third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

36. The article of claim 35, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to estimate the range between the first mobile station and the access point by measuring a signal strength of a beacon signal transmitted by the access point.

37. The article of claim 36, wherein the first wireless communication comprises said beacon signal.

38. The article of claim 35, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to determine the confidence value related to the estimated range between the first mobile station and the access point by determining the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values.

39. The article of claim 38, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to determine the confidence value based, at least in part, on the first, second, and third wireless signal strength values by:

estimating a range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station based at least in part on said third signal strength value; and

determining the confidence value for the estimated range between the access point and the first mobile station by comparing the first signal strength value with the second signal strength value if said estimated range between the first mobile station and the second mobile station is within a specified threshold.

40. The article of claim 39, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to determine said confidence value to be high at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being approximately equal to the second signal strength value and wherein the storage medium has stored thereon additional instructions executable by the first mobile station to determine said confidence value to be low at least in part in response to the first signal strength value being significantly lower than the second signal strength value.

41. The article of claim 40, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to exclude communications between the first mobile station and the access point from position fix operations at least in part in response to said confidence value being determined to be low.

42. The article of claim 35, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to obtain the first signal strength value for the first wireless communication between the first mobile station and the access point by receiving a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value from the access point at the first mobile station.

43. The article of claim 42, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to obtain the second signal strength value for the second wireless communication between the second mobile station and the access point by sniffing the second wireless communication to receive a second RSSI value included as part of the second wireless communication intended for the second mobile station.

44. The article of claim 43, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions executable by the first mobile station to obtain the third signal strength value for the third wireless communication between the first mobile station and the second mobile station by sniffing an acknowledge signal transmitted by the second mobile station and intended for the access point to determine the third strength value based at least in part on a measured strength of the acknowledge signal as received at the first mobile station.