LOCATION AWARE SELF-LOCATING ACCESS POINT

• US 20140376529A1
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Ponmudi, Anantharaman, Subramanian
• Granted Patent: US 9,386,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A location aware, self-locating access point can provide a wireless link through a wireless network to a wireless device. If the wireless link bandwidth is less than a target bandwidth for the wireless device, then the location aware, self-locating access point can move itself to a new operating location that provides an increased wireless link bandwidth. If a second wireless device is added to the wireless network, then the new operating location is selected to provide an increased link bandwidth for both wireless devices. In one embodiment, the wireless devices in the wireless network can be prioritized so that the new operating location increases the wireless link bandwidth for the wireless device with a higher priority.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a self-locating access point, a first wireless link bandwidth between the self-locating access point and a first wireless device, wherein the self-locating access point is at a first operating location and communicably coupled with the first wireless device;

determining a second operating location of the self-locating access point when the first wireless link bandwidth is less than a first target bandwidth of the first wireless device; and

causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location via a component of the self-locating access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises operating the component of the self-locating access point to reposition the self-locating access point to the second operating location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises autonomously repositioning the self-locating access point from the first operating location to the second operating location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first wireless link bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than a bandwidth threshold, and less than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operating location and the second operating location are constrained to an operating pathway.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location constrains the self-locating access point to locations within a tolerance distance of the operating pathway.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining the operating pathway by capturing, using the self-locating access point, location information while the self-locating access point moves along a desired operating pathway.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location information comprises Global Positioning System location information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises moving the self-locating access point by hovering to the second operating location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises moving the self-locating access point by one of rolling and driving operations to the second operating location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first target bandwidth is determined by a device profile corresponding to the first wireless device stored in the self-locating access point.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the device profile is created in response to user input.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the device profile is created by monitoring a wireless connection between the first wireless device and the self-locating access point.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second operating location of the self-locating access point comprises selecting a location having a reduced distance to the first wireless device with respect to the first operating location.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second operating location of the self-locating access point further comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth between the self-locating access point and a second wireless device communicably coupled to the self-locating access point.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprises determining when the second wireless link bandwidth for the second wireless device is less than a second target bandwidth of the second wireless device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a third wireless link bandwidth, greater than the second target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the second wireless device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a priority number of the first wireless device and the second wireless device; and

in response to determining that the first wireless device has a higher priority number than the second wireless device, selecting the second operating location that increases a wireless link bandwidth to the first wireless device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the priority number for the first wireless device and the second wireless device is determined by a device profile.

22. A self-locating access point comprising:

a communication module configured to provide a wireless connection between a first wireless device and a first network having a first wireless link bandwidth operating at a first operating location;

a location module configured to determine a second operating location of the self-locating access point when the first wireless link bandwidth is less than a first target bandwidth; and

a motion services module configured to cause the self-locating access point to move from the first operating location to the second operating location.

23. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the motion services module further comprises a component configured to reposition the self-locating access point to the second operating location.

24. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module further comprises a location engine configured to determine autonomously the second operating location.

25. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module is further configured to determine the second operating location comprising a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first wireless link bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device.

26. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module is further configured to determine the second operating location comprising a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device.

27. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module is further configured to determine the second operating location comprising a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than a bandwidth threshold link bandwidth and less than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device.

28. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module is further configured to constrain the second operating location to an operating pathway.

29. The self-locating access point of claim 28, wherein the location module is further configured to determine the operating pathway by capturing location information while the self-locating access point moves along a desired operating pathway.

30. The self-locating access point of claim 29, wherein the location information comprises Global Positioning System location information.

31. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the motion services module is further configured to hover the self-locating access point to the second operating location.

32. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the location module is configured to determine the first target bandwidth from a device profile corresponding to the first wireless device.

33. The self-locating access point of claim 32, wherein the location module is further configured to provide the device profile in response to user input.

34. The self-locating access point of claim 32, wherein the location module is further configured to provide the device profile by monitoring a wireless connection between the first wireless device and the self-locating access point.

35. The self-locating access point of claim 22, wherein the communication module is further configured to determine a second wireless link bandwidth between the self-locating access point and a second wireless device.

36. The self-locating access point of claim 35, wherein the location module is configured to determine the second operating location of the self-locating access point when the second wireless link bandwidth is less than a second target bandwidth.

37. The self-locating access point of claim 35, wherein the location module is configured to:

determine a priority number of the first wireless device and the second wireless device; and

in response to determining that the first wireless device has a higher priority number than the second wireless device, select the second operating location that increases a wireless link bandwidth to the first wireless device.

38. The self-locating access point of claim 37, wherein the priority number is determined, at least in part, by a device profile.

39. A non-transitory machine-readable storage media having instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining a first wireless link bandwidth between a self-locating access point and a first wireless device, wherein the self-locating access point is at a first operating location and communicably coupled with the first wireless device;

determining a second operating location of the self-locating access point when the first wireless link bandwidth is less than a first target bandwidth of the first wireless device; and

causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location via a component of the self-locating access point.

40. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises operating the component of the self-locating access point to reposition the self-locating access point to the second operating location.

41. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises autonomously repositioning the self-locating access point from the first operating location to the second operating location.

42. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first wireless link bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

43. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

44. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth, greater than a bandwidth threshold, and less than the first target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the first wireless device at the second operating location.

45. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein the first operating location and the second operating location are constrained to an operating pathway.

46. The non-transitory media of claim 45, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location constrains the self-locating access point to locations within a tolerance distance of the operating pathway.

47. The non-transitory media of claim 46, further comprising:

determining the operating pathway by capturing, using the self-locating access point, location information while the self-locating access point moves along a desired operating pathway.

48. The non-transitory media of claim 47, wherein the location information comprises Global Positioning System location information.

49. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein causing the self-locating access point to move to the second operating location comprises moving the self-locating access point by hovering to the second operating location.

50. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein the first target bandwidth is determined by a device profile corresponding to the first wireless device stored in the self-locating access point.

51. The non-transitory media of claim 50, wherein the device profile is created by monitoring a wireless connection between the first wireless device and the self-locating access point wherein the first operating location and the second operating location are constrained to an operating pathway.

52. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein determining the second operating location of the self-locating access point comprises selecting a location having a reduced distance to the first wireless device with respect to the first operating location.

53. The non-transitory media of claim 39, wherein determining the second operating location of the self-locating access point comprises determining a second wireless link bandwidth between the self-locating access point and a second wireless device communicably coupled to the self-locating access point.

54. The non-transitory media of claim 53, further comprising determining when the second wireless link bandwidth for the second wireless device is less than a second target bandwidth of the second wireless device.

55. The non-transitory media of claim 54, wherein determining the second operating location comprises determining a third wireless link bandwidth, greater than the second target bandwidth, between the self-locating access point and the second wireless device.

56. The non-transitory media of claim 53, further comprising:

determining a priority number of the first wireless device and the second wireless device; and

in response to determining that the first wireless device has a higher priority number than the second wireless device, selecting the second operating location that increases a wireless link bandwidth to the first wireless device.