Localization of radio-frequency transceivers

• US 7,640,026 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Cameron, Richard Neill
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US11/399,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/41.2, 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/556, 455/450, 455/453, 342/463, 342/453, 370/332
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention concerns a localization and communication methods and system between mobile stations and a central server through a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless radio-frequency transmitting access points (APQ-AP4), among which a first access point is chosen to perform the communication, comprising the steps of measuring the signal strengths received by said station from the plurality of access points; storing each measured strength with an address identifying the corresponding connected access point; comparing said stored strengths to values of a predetermined table of signal strength thresholds affected to access points, defining one or more event zones (EVA, EVB) each comprising one or more attenuation ranges of one or more access points; and considering the station as located in a given event zone if the measured strength corresponding to an access point defining that event zone is comprised in the attenuation range of that access point.

Claims

1. A localization method of a mobile station communicating with at least one central server through a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless radio frequency transmitting access points, comprising:

measuring the signal strengths received by said mobile station from the plurality of access points;

storing each measured signal strength with an address identifying the corresponding connected access point;

comparing said stored signal strengths to values of a predetermined table of signal strength thresholds assigned to access points, the signal strength thresholds defining one or more event zones (EZ), at least one of the one or more each event zone (EZ) comprising multiple attenuation ranges of multiple access points,

wherein the multiple access points comprise a first access point and a second access point configured to be in the same event zone and a first signal attenuation range around the first access point is different from a second signal attenuation range around the second access point in the same event zone; and

considering the mobile station as located in a given event zone if the measured signal strength corresponding to a selected access point in the given event zone is within a pre-determined attenuation range of the selected access point.

2. A communication method between at least one mobile station and at least one central server through radiofrequency transmitting access points to which said station is wireless connectable, comprising;

establishing a communication between said station and said central server through a first access point of said access points from which said station receives a highest signal strength;

comparing the signal strength received by said mobile station from at least one second access point with at least one signal strength threshold used for defining at least one event zone (EZ), wherein each event zone (EZ) comprises multiple attenuation range of multiple access points; and

making available for said mobile station said at least one specific application of the central server if the mobile station is considered in the event zone;

wherein the event zone is independent of the first access point having the highest signal strength through which the mobile station is communicating with the central server and determines an event zone boundary base on the signal strength received by the mobile station from the second access point and the signal strength threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, in which said station is considered to be in the event zone if the received signal strength is weaker than said defined threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, in which said station is considered to be in the event zone if the received signal strength is stronger than said defined threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, in which said signal strength threshold comprises at least one signal strength around multiple access points and said multiple access points comprise the second access point.

6. The method of claim 2, in which the communication are made according to one of the following spectrum standard suites:

802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11e, 802.11f, 802.11g, 802.11h, 802.15.1, 802.15TG2, 802.15TG3, 802.15TG4, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HiperLAN1, and HiperLAN2.

7. A communication system between at least one mobile station and at least one central server through radiofrequency transmitting access points to which the mobile station is wireless connectable, comprising;

means to define, with at least a signal strength threshold of at least one access point, at least one event (EZ) in which at least one specific application of the central server is to be available to the mobile station if present in that zone;

means to localize the mobile station with respect to an event zone boundary, base on a signal strength received by the mobile station from the access point;

means to implement a communication between the mobile station and the central server through a first access point of said access point from which said station receives the highest signal strength; and

means to compare signal strength received by the mobile station from at least one second access point with at least one signal strength threshold used for defining ay least one event zone (EZ) wherein the at least one event zone (EZ) comprises multiple attenuation range of multiple access point.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a specific application is available for the mobile station if the mobile station is considered in the event zone (EZ).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile station is considered to be in the event zone if the received signal strength is stronger than the defined threshold.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile station is considered to be in the event zone if the received signal strength is weaker than the defined threshold.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication is made according to one of the following spectrum standard suites:

802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11e, 802.11f, 802.11g, 802.11h, 802.15.1, 802.15TG2, 802.15TG3, 802.15TG4, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HiperLAN1, and HiperLAN2.

12. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a server in communication with plurality of wireless access points having an access point address assigned to each access point; and

a database comprising an event zone table of the access point address and corresponding signal strength thresholds wherein each event zone id defined at least with a signal strength threshold;

wherein said server is operable to receive signal level measurements and assigned access point addresses from a mobile station configured to measure signal levels received from the multiple access points, and to compare the received signal level measurement with a signal strength threshold for the assigned access point and determine whether the mobile station is located in the defined event zone;

wherein each event zone is further defined with a signal attenuation range around one or more access point;

wherein the multiple access pint comprises a first access point and a second access point configured to be the dame event zone and a first signal attenuation range around the first access point is different from the second signal attenuation range around the second access point in the same event zone.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile station is in the event zone if a received signal is weaker than the first attenuation range and stronger than the second attenuation range.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal attenuation range is a function of an environment and of a shape of the event zone (EZ).

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the event zone table comprises a first event zone and a second event zone configured to include the same access point.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal strength threshold of the event zone is modifiable with one of an application and the mobile station.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more access points transmit an application to the mobile station in the event zone and the application comprises at least one of service, software, or data.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the access point addresses are unique in an environment and the environment is indoors.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the access point addresses are unique in an environment and the environment is outdoors.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is operable to communicate a specific application associated with the defined event zone to the mobile station determined to be in the defined event zone.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the database is contained in the server or the mobile station.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the event zone encompasses the physical area that is exterior to the signal threshold.

23. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a server in communication with plurality of wireless access points having an access point address assigned to each access point; and

a database comprising an event zone table of the access point address and corresponding signal strength thresholds wherein each event zone id defined at least with a signal strength threshold;

wherein said server is operable to receive signal level measurements and assigned access point addresses from a mobile station configured to measure signal levels received from the multiple access points, and to compare the received signal level measurement with a signal strength threshold for the assigned access point and determine whether the mobile station is located in the defined event zone;

wherein the multiple access point comprise a first access point having first signal attenuation range and a second access point having second signal attenuation range and the first signal attenuation range is different from the second signal attenuation range wherein the mobile station is considered to be in the event zone if an attenuation of a signal received at he mobile station is beyond the first attenuation range but within the second attenuation range.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one specific application of the central server is available for the mobile station through the second access point.

25. A localization system having a mobile station communicating with at least one central server through a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless radiofrequency transmitting access point, comprising:

means for comparing signal strengths received by said mobile station from the plurality of access point to value a predetermined table of signal strength thresholds assigned to the access points;

one or more event zones (EZ) configured to be defined by the signal strength thresholds, at least one of the one or more event zone (EZ) comprising multiple attenuation range of multiple access points;

wherein the one or more event zone (EZ) further comprises;

a first event zone defined in a area of a predetermined physical area and supplying a user with a first application delivered to the mobile station; and

a second event zone defined in a second area of a predetermined physical area and supplying a user with a second application delivered to the mobile station;

wherein the first application includes first services associated with functionality of the first area and the second application includes second services associated with the functionality of the second area;

wherein the first services are delimited by a first event zone boundary and the first event zone boundary can cover non-overlapping areas of the physical area.

26. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first application is unavailable out of the first event zone and the second application is unavailable out of the second event zone.

27. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first and second applications are unavailable out of the physical area.

28. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the central server communicates with the mobile station when the user enters into the first area and the central server provides the mobile station with data relating to the first application.

29. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first application and the second application are, respectively, associated with dedicated services which comprise data communicated to the mobile station in the first and the second event zones.

30. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first application and the second application are, respectively, associated with dedicated applications which comprise program stored in the central server or the wireless network available in the first and the second event zones.

31. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first and the second event zones comprise one or more attenuation ranges of the access points and the attenuation ranges are a function of an environment and of a shape of the first and second event zones.

32. The localization system of claim 25, wherein the first event zone and the second event zone are formed based on a map of the physical area.

33. A localization system having a mobile station communicating with at least one central server through a plurality of access point, the localization system comprising:

means for comparing signal strengths received by said mobile station from the plurality of access point to value a predetermined table of signal strength thresholds assigned to the access points;

one or more event zones (EZ) configured to be defined by the signal strength thresholds, at least one of the one or more event zone (EZ) comprising multiple attenuation range of multiple access points;

wherein the one or more event zone (EZ) further comprises;

a first event zone supplying a users with a first application delivered to the mobile station located within the first event zone; and

a second event zone supplying a users with a second application delivered to the mobile station located within the second event zone; and

wherein the first and second applications are delivery to mobile station located within the first event zone, or the second event zone, independently of actual location of the mobile station within the first event zone or the second event zone;

wherein content of the first and he second applications are determined by individual functionality assigned to the first event zone and the second event zone and associated with common functionality of a physical area where the first and the second event zone reside, and the functionality of the physical are specifies the content available to the first event zone and the second event zone.

34. The localization system of claim 33, wherein the content is represented with one of data communicated to the mobile station, programs stored in the central server and services rendered available for the mobile station in the first and second event zones.