Real-time location determination for in-building distributed antenna systems
First Claim
1. A method of determining a location of a wireless mobile device with respect to an interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, the method comprising:
- receiving a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless mobile device at each of a first wireless probe at a first location within the interconnected network, a second wireless probe at a second location within the interconnected network, and a third wireless probe at a third location within the interconnected network;
in the network, determining a first propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the first wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a first opening in a first wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the first wireless probe along a first path within the interconnected network;
in the network, determining a second propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the second wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a second opening in a second wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the wireless second probe along a second path within the interconnected network;
in the network, determining a third propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the third wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a third opening in a third wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the third wireless probe along a third path within the interconnected network; and
in the network, determining the location of the wireless mobile device with respect to the first, second, and third wireless probes using the first, second, and third propagation delays.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for determining the location of a wireless mobile device with respect to an interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides is disclosed. The interconnected network could be interconnected ducts of an HVAC system in a building. Multiple wireless probes are placed at multiple locations within the HVAC duct system (or similar interconnected network of waveguides). Each probe may detect a common signal from a wireless mobile device and independently preserve arrival time information of the detected signal, wherein the signal propagates to probes by way of a free-space path to an opening in one or another duct, and thereafter to the probes via one or another path through the interconnected ducts, which act as wireless transmission waveguides. By correlating timing information of a signal received at three or more probes, a location of the mobile wireless device may be determined by one or another form of triangulation.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method of determining a location of a wireless mobile device with respect to an interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, the method comprising:
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receiving a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless mobile device at each of a first wireless probe at a first location within the interconnected network, a second wireless probe at a second location within the interconnected network, and a third wireless probe at a third location within the interconnected network; in the network, determining a first propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the first wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a first opening in a first wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the first wireless probe along a first path within the interconnected network; in the network, determining a second propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the second wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a second opening in a second wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the wireless second probe along a second path within the interconnected network; in the network, determining a third propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the third wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a third opening in a third wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the third wireless probe along a third path within the interconnected network; and in the network, determining the location of the wireless mobile device with respect to the first, second, and third wireless probes using the first, second, and third propagation delays. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for determining a location of a wireless mobile device with respect to an interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, the system comprising:
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a first wireless probe at a first location within the interconnected network, a second wireless probe at a second location within the interconnected network, and a third wireless probe at a third location within the interconnected network; one or more processors; memory; and machine-language instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to carry out functions including; determining a first propagation delay of a wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the first wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a first opening in a first wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the first wireless probe along a first path within the interconnected network; determining a second propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the second wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a second opening in a second wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the wireless second probe along a second path within the interconnected network; determining a third propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to the third wireless probe, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a third opening in a third wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the third wireless probe along a third path within the interconnected network, and determining the location of the wireless mobile device with respect to the first, second, and third wireless probes using the first, second, and third propagation delays. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by the computing device of an interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:
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determining a first propagation delay of a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless mobile device to a first wireless probe at a first location within the interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a first opening in a first wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the first wireless probe along a first path within the interconnected network; determining a second propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to a second wireless probe at a second location within the interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a second opening in a second wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the second wireless probe along a second path within the interconnected network; determining a third propagation delay of the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless mobile device to a third wireless probe at a third location within the interconnected network of wireless transmission waveguides, wherein the wireless signal enters the interconnected network through a third opening in a third wireless waveguide that is part of the interconnected network, and thereafter propagates to the third wireless probe along a third path within the interconnected network; and determining the location of the wireless mobile device with respect to the first, second, and third wireless probes using the first, second, and third propagation delays. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification