METHOD FOR DETERMINING WIRELESS DEVICE LOCATION BASED ON PROXIMATE SENSOR DEVICES

• US 20130231130A1
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cherian, George, Sampath, Hemanth
• Granted Patent: US 9,503,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method operational in a mobile device is provided for ascertaining location information for the mobile device by using captured/received locating information broadcast by local sensor devices. The method captures, at the mobile device, a message from a sensor device transmitted, for example, over a local wireless network. The method identifies a locating data in the message and may determine a location of the mobile device based on the identified locating data.

Claims

1. A method operational in a mobile device, comprising:

capturing, at the mobile device, a message from a sensor device transmitted over a local wireless network;

identifying a locating data in the message; and

determining a location of the mobile device based on the identified locating data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the message comprises listening via the local wireless network, for messages from the sensor device intended for a different device and intercepting the message from the sensor device to the different device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises identifying a corresponding location data in a reference map based on the locating data and identifying the location of the mobile device as the corresponding location data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising listening over at least two local wireless networks for messages that may be transmitted from the sensor device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the message from the sensor device comprises capturing at least one message from each sensor device from a plurality of sensor devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the locating data in the messages comprises identifying locating data in at least one message of each sensor device from the plurality of sensor devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises selecting the locating data within a message from at least one sensor device from the plurality of sensor devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises performing a triangulation computation based on the identified locating data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises selecting a particular locating data associated with a particular message having the strongest signal and using the particular locating data to identify the location of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device and the sensor device communicate with each other via a local communication link, and the message from the sensor device is for the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified locating data is a non-coordinate based location data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified locating data is a Global Positioning System (GPS) based location data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor device broadcasts the message within a limited range so that it is only captured by the mobile device when it is nearby.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the location of the mobile device to provide navigational directions.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting a direct connection with the sensor device via the local wireless network; and

directly connecting via the local wireless network with the sensor device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein capturing the message comprises receiving the message from the sensor device, and the received message is intended for the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein directly connecting via the local wireless network is performed after receiving a confirmation from sensor device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the sensor device, for a direct connection with the sensor device via the local wireless network; and

directly connecting via the local wireless network with the sensor device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor device periodically transmits locating data over the local wireless network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor device transmits the message using a transmission power that is based on a distance between the sensor device and another device.

21. A mobile device comprising:

a wireless communication interface for communicating over a local wireless network; and

a processing circuit coupled to the wireless communication interface, the processing circuit adapted to;

capture, at the mobile device, a message from a sensor device transmitted over the local wireless network;

identify a locating data in the message; and

determine a location of the mobile device based on the identified locating data.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit adapted to capture the message is adapted to listen via the local wireless network, for messages from the sensor device intended for a different device and intercept the message from the sensor device to the different device.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit adapted to determine the location of the mobile device is adapted to identify a corresponding location data in a reference map based on the locating data and identify the location of the mobile device as the corresponding location data.

24. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to:

listen over at least two local wireless networks for messages that may be transmitted from the sensor device.

25. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to:

use the location of the mobile device to provide navigational directions.

26. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit adapted to capture the message from the sensor device is adapted to capture at least one message from each sensor device from a plurality of sensor devices.

27. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the mobile device and the sensor device communicate with each other via a local communication link, and the message from the sensor device is for the mobile device.

28. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising another wireless communication interface for communicating over a subscriber wireless network, wherein the processing circuit is coupled to the other wireless communication interface.

29. A mobile device, comprising:

means for capturing, at the mobile device, a message from a sensor device transmitted over a local wireless network;

means for identifying a locating data in the message; and

means for determining a location of the mobile device based on the identified locating data.

30. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein capturing the message comprises listening via the local wireless network, for messages from the sensor device intended for a different device and intercepting the message from the sensor device to the different device.

31. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein determining the location of the mobile device comprises identifying a corresponding location data in a reference map based on the locating data and identifying the location of the mobile device as the corresponding location data.

32. The mobile device of claim 29, further comprising:

means for listening over at least two local wireless networks for messages that may be transmitted from the sensor device.

33. The mobile device of claim 29, further comprising:

means for using the location of the mobile device to provide navigational directions.

34. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein the mobile device and the sensor device communicate with each other via a local communication link, wherein the message from the sensor device is for the mobile device.

35. A processor-readable storage medium having one or more instructions operational in a mobile device, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

capture, at the mobile device, a message from a sensor device transmitted over a local wireless network;

identify a locating data in the message; and

determine a location of the mobile device based on the identified locating data.

36. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to capture the message comprises one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to listen via the local wireless network, for messages from the sensor device intended for a different device and intercept the message from the sensor device to the different device.

37. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to determine the location of the mobile device comprises one or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to identify a corresponding location data in a reference map based on the locating data and identify the location of the mobile device as the corresponding location data.

38. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

listen over at least two local wireless networks for messages that may be transmitted from the sensor device.

39. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

use the location of the mobile device to provide navigational directions.

40. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the mobile device and the sensor device communicate with each other via a local communication link, and the message from the sensor device is for the mobile device.