INDOOR POSITION DETERMINATION METHOD AND SYSTEM BASED ON WLAN SIGNAL STRENGTH

• US 20130003572A1
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Golden Eye Technologies LLC (Harfang IP Investment Corp)
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Tong Sok, Du, Ju Young, Kim, Sung Gwan, Choi, Choul-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An indoor position determination method and system based on WLAN signal strength using remote monitoring and cell space environmental attenuation is provided. The indoor position determination method includes a remote monitoring step of collecting information about signal strength from a neighboring AP and generating an AP signal strength table, a position information requesting step of receiving identification information and signal strength of a detected AP from a mobile terminal, and a cell determination step of comparing a signal strength pattern of each AP received from the mobile terminal with a neighboring AP signal strength pattern of each AP with reference to the AP signal strength table and determining a cell having an AP with a most similar pattern as a cell where the mobile terminal is presently located. Environmental attenuation is used instead of wall attenuation and floor attenuation, and locations of an AP and a mobile terminal in the same cell space may be may be simply estimated by applying the same environmental attenuation.

Claims

1. An indoor position determination method based on WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) signal strength, comprising:

a remote monitoring step of collecting information about signal strength from a neighboring AP (Access Points) and generating an AP signal strength table;

a position information requesting step of receiving identification information and signal strength of a detected AP from a mobile terminal; and

a cell determination step of comparing a signal strength pattern of each AP received from the mobile terminal with a neighboring AP signal strength pattern of each AP with reference to the AP signal strength table and determining a cell having an AP with a most similar pattern as a cell where the mobile terminal is presently located.

2. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring step includes:

sending an instruction, requesting information about signal strength from the neighboring AP, to each AP; and

receiving a response signal including the information about signal strength from the neighboring AP as an answer to the instruction.

3. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 2, wherein the instruction and the response signal is transmitted based on SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

4. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 3,

wherein the AP manages an AP profile in the form of MIB (Management Information Base) for each neighboring AP, and

wherein the AP profile includes identification information and signal strength value of the AP.

5. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 1, wherein in a case APs are arranged based on the received signal strength, the cell determination step performs the determination based on the similarity of AP sequences.

6. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 1,

wherein the cell determination step includes determining a cell where the mobile terminal is presently located, with reference to cell information data including information of APs installed in each cell, and

wherein the cell is set based on a space where the AP is installed so that there is no overlapping region among cells.

7. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 1, in the position information requesting step, in a case where identification information and signal strength of three or more APs are received from the mobile terminal,

wherein the method further comprises determining a detailed position of the mobile terminal in the cell, where the mobile terminal is determined as being located, by means of triangular surveying.

8. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 7, whether the detailed position determining step includes:

calculating a distance from each AP to the mobile terminal in consideration of signal attenuation where at least one of a wall hop count and a floor hop count from each AP is reflected, when using the triangular surveying.

9. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 8,

wherein the remote monitoring step includes receiving information about strength of the signal, sent by each AP, from the corresponding AP, and

wherein the detailed position determining step includes calculating a distance (d) from each AP to the mobile terminal by using the following equations:

10. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 7,

wherein the detailed position determining step includes calculating a distance from each AP to the mobile terminal in consideration of environmental attenuation from each AP to the mobile terminal, when using the triangular surveying, and

wherein the environmental attenuation from each AP to the mobile terminal employs environmental attenuation from each AP to an AP installed in the cell where the mobile terminal is located.

11. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 10,

wherein the remote monitoring step includes receiving information about strength of a signal, sent by each AP, from the corresponding AP, and

wherein the detailed position determining step includes calculating a distance (d_i,m) from each AP to the mobile terminal by using the following equation:

d_i,m=d₀10^(Ldi,m/10n)

where d₀ represents a reference distance for signal measurement, n represents a variable endowed depending on a characteristic of the space, and Ld_i,m represents distance attenuation from the AP_i to the mobile terminal.

12. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 11, wherein the Ld_i,m is calculated by using the following equation:

Ld_i,m=PL(d)−

PL(d₀)−

L(c_i,j)

where PL(d) represents strength of an AP signal received by the mobile terminal, PL(d₀) represents strength of a signal of each AP, which is received by the corresponding AP, L(c_i,j) represents environmental attenuation of a signal path sent by the AP_i and received by AP_j, and the AP_j is an AP installed in the cell where the mobile terminal is located.

13. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 12, wherein the L(c_i,j) is calculated by using the following equation:

14. The indoor position determination method based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 13, wherein then is calculated by using the following equation:

15. An indoor position determination system based on WLAN signal strength, comprising:

a mobile terminal for sending identification information and signal strength of an AP whose signal is detected to a position determination service server to request position information;

an AP for sending information about signal strength from a neighboring AP to the position determination service server;

a position determination service server for collecting information received from the APs and generating an AP signal strength table, in a case the position information is requested by the mobile terminal, the position determination service server comparing a pattern of signal strength of each AP received from the mobile terminal with a pattern of signal strength of a neighboring AP of each AP with reference to the AP signal strength table, determining a cell having an AP with a most similar pattern as a cell where the mobile terminal is presently located, and sending information about the determined cell to the mobile terminal as position information;

a space information storage unit for storing data about a location of an AP and a cell where the AP belongs to; and

an AP information storage unit for storing the AP signal strength table.

16. The indoor position determination system based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 15, wherein in case of receiving information of three or more APs from the mobile terminal, the position determination service server further determines a detailed position of the mobile terminal in the cell, where the mobile terminal is determined as belonging to, by means of triangular surveying, and further provides the detailed position information to the mobile terminal.

17. The indoor position determination system based on WLAN signal strength according to claim 16, wherein, when using the triangular surveying, the position determination service server calculates a distance from each AP to the mobile terminal in consideration of environmental attenuation from each AP to the mobile terminal, and the environmental attenuation from each AP to the mobile terminal employs environmental attenuation from each AP to an AP installed in the cell where the mobile terminal is located.

18. An AP for monitoring signal strength of neighboring APs, comprising:

an Ethernet interface;

a storage unit for storing identification information and signal strength of a neighboring AP;

an RF module for storing strength of a WLAN signal received from another AP and identification information of the AP which has sent the signal; and

a monitoring client for providing the information stored in the storage unit through the Ethernet interface in a wired manner.

19. The AP for monitoring signal strength of neighboring APs according to claim 18,

wherein the monitoring client supports analysis of data and generation of data based on an SNMP protocol, and

wherein the signal strength information of each AP stored in the storage unit is stored in the form of MIB.

20. The AP for monitoring signal strength of neighboring APs according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring client provides the information stored in the storage unit only when an instruction requesting the signal strength information of a neighboring AP is received from a monitoring server.

21. The AP for monitoring signal strength of neighboring APs according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring client periodically provides the information stored in the storage unit to a monitoring server.