Snooping Sensor STA or Neighbor AP Ranging and Positioning in Wireless Local Area Networks

• US 20150139212A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, James June-Ming, Yee, Chih-Shi, Pare, Thomas Edward Jr., Hsu, YungPing, Wang, Chao-Chun, Jauh, Yuh-Ren, Hung, Kun-Chien, Bajko, Gabor
• Granted Patent: US 10,018,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• 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

A method of a ranging and positioning with sensor STA/neighbor AP is proposed. An initiating wireless device establishes an FTM procedure with a responding wireless device in an indoor wireless local area network. The initiating device exchanges FTM frames with the responding device and thereby receiving a first set of timestamps from the responding device. The initiating device receives a second set of timestamps associated with the exchanged FTM frames from one or more listening devices. Finally, the initiating device determines location information from the first and the second set of timestamps.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) establishing a fine timing measurement (FTM) procedure between an initiating wireless device and a responding wireless device in an indoor wireless local area network (WLAN);

(b) exchanging FTM frames with the responding wireless device and thereby receiving a first set of timestamps from the responding wireless device;

(c) receiving a second set of timestamps associated with the exchanged FTM frames from one or more listing wireless devices; and

(d) determining location information based on the first set and the second set of timestamps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the FTM frame exchange comprises receiving an FTM frame from the responding wireless device and in response transmitting an ACK frame to the responding wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, where the first set of timestamps comprises a transmitting timestamp of the FTM frame and a receiving timestamp of the ACK frame of the responding wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more listening wireless devices is a neighbor access point (AP) or a non-AP sensor station (STA).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set of timestamps including receiving timestamps of the exchanged FTM frames received by the one or more listening wireless devices.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set of timestamps are identified by a dialog token contained in the corresponding exchanged FTM frames.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set of timestamps are sent by the listening wireless devices through backhaul channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) involves:

transmitting an FTM request to the responding wireless device; and

receiving an ACK frame from the responding wireless device, wherein the ACK frame comprises information about the listening device identity, location, and configuration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating device is a non-AP station (STA), and wherein the responding device is an access point (AP).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the initiating non-AP STA receives the second set of timestamps from the responding AP or from the one or more listening devices directly.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the initiating non-AP STA receives the listening device identity, location, and configuration directly.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating device is an access point (AP), and wherein the responding device is a non-AP station (STA).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the initiating AP transmits the location information to the non-AP STA.

14. A wireless device, comprising:

a configuration module that establishes a fine timing measurement (FTM) procedure with a responding wireless device in an indoor wireless local area network (WLAN);

an FTM module that exchanges FTM frames with the responding wireless device and thereby receiving a first set of timestamps from the responding wireless device;

a receiver that receives a second set of timestamps associated with the exchanged FTM frames from one or more listing wireless devices; and

a positioning module that determines location information based on the first set and the second set of timestamps.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the FTM frame exchange comprises receiving an FTM frame from the responding wireless device and in response transmitting an ACK frame to the responding wireless device.

16. The device of claim 15, where the first set of timestamps comprises a transmitting timestamp of the FTM frame and a receiving timestamp of the ACK frame of the responding wireless device.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the one or more listening wireless devices is a neighbor access point (AP) or a non-AP sensor station (STA).

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the second set of timestamps including receiving timestamps of the exchanged FTM frames received by the one or more listening wireless devices.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the second set of timestamps are identified by a dialog token contained in the corresponding exchanged FTM frames.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the initiating device transmits an FTM request to the responding wireless device and in response receives an ACK from the responding wireless device, and wherein the ACK comprises information about the listening device identity, location, and configuration.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the initiating device is a non-AP station (STA), and wherein the responding device is an access point (AP).

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the initiating non-AP STA receives the second set of timestamps from the responding AP or from the one or more listening devices directly.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the initiating non-AP STA receives the listening device identity, location, and configuration directly.

24. The device of claim 14, wherein the initiating device is an access point (AP), and wherein the responding device is a non-AP station (STA).