METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SHORT-RANGE COMMUNICATION BASED DIRECTION FINDING

• US 20130188538A1
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: KAINULAINEN, Antti, Salokannel, Juha
• Granted Patent: US 8,929,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/48 the waves arriving at the antennas being continuous or intermittent and the phase difference of signals derived therefrom being measured
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product example embodiments provide short-range communication based direction finding. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method comprises transmitting by a target device, information in one or more advertising packets, including preferences of the target device for using data signing associated with direction finding; and receiving by the target device from a tracker device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting by a target device, information in one or more advertising packets, including preferences of the target device for using data signing associated with direction finding; and

receiving by the target device from a tracker device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating by the target device, a data signature of the target device; and

transmitting by the target device, one or more direction finding packets to the tracker device, including the data signature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including in the transmitted advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

receiving by the target device from the tracker device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating by the target device, a data signature of the target device; and

transmitting by the target device, at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets, including the data signature.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

transmit information in one or more advertising packets, including preferences of the target device for using data signing associated with direction finding; and

receive from a tracker device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

generate a data signature of the apparatus; and

transmit one or more direction finding packets to the tracker device, including the data signature.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

include in the transmitted advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

receive from the tracker device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

generate a data signature of the apparatus; and

transmit at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets, including the data signature.

9. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

transmitting by a target device, information in one or more advertising packets, including preferences of the target device for using data signing associated with direction finding; and

receiving by the target device from a tracker device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

generating by the target device, a data signature of the target device; and

transmitting by the target device, one or more direction finding packets to the tracker device, including the data signature.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

including in the transmitted advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

receiving by the target device from the tracker device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

generating by the target device, a data signature of the target device; and

transmitting by the target device, at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets, including the data signature.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving by a tracker device, information in one or more advertising packets from a target device, including preferences of the target device for data signing associated with direction finding; and

transmitting by the tracker device to the target device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving by the tracker device, one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving in the transmitted one or more advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

transmitting by the tracker device to the target device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving by the tracker device, at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive information in one or more advertising packets from a target device, including preferences of the target device for data signing associated with direction finding; and

transmit to the target device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

receive one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

receive in the transmitted one or more advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

transmit to the target device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to:

receive at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.

21. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

receiving by a tracker device, information in one or more advertising packets from a target device, including preferences of the target device for data signing associated with direction finding; and

transmitting by the tracker device to the target device, one or more direction finding request packets including a request for data signing corresponding with the target device preferences.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

receiving by the tracker device, one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

receiving in the transmitted one or more advertising packet, a request for data signing by tracker devices; and

transmitting by the tracker device to the target device, a data signature of the tracker device included in at least one of the one or more direction finding request packets.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code when executed, performing the steps comprising:

receiving by the tracker device, at least one of angle of departure information and angle of arrival information in one or more direction finding packets from the target device, including a data signature of the target device.