Methods and apparatus for encoding and transmitting mobile device location information

• US 8,514,968 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jovicic, Aleksandar, Measson, Cyril, Richardson, Thomas, Li, Junyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US12/875,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267, 375/295, 375/299
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for communicating the location of a mobile wireless communications device are described. Codewords, e.g., values or sets of bits, are selected from a codebook mapping different codewords to corresponding pieces of location information. In a first approach location information is communicated by using codewords from different codebooks with the product, e.g., intersection of location information provided by the codewords, providing relatively detailed location information using relatively few bits. In a second approach user specific codebooks are defined for individual users. The codewords in the codebook corresponding to a particular user map to locations the individual specific user is likely to frequent. In another approach codewords are transmitted at different power levels and/or using different coding rates. Received codewords corresponding to a device may be used in combination to determine the location or refine the understanding of the device location.

Claims

1. A method of communicating the position of a device using codewords, the method comprising:

selecting, based on a location of the device, a first codeword from a first codebook, said first codeword corresponding to a first geographic area;

selecting, based on the location of the device, a second codeword from a second codebook, said second codeword corresponding to a second geographic area; and

transmitting said first and second codewords, the intersection of the first and second areas to which the first and second codewords correspond indicating the location of the device.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein codewords of the first codebook correspond to different areas of a first map.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein codewords of the second codebook correspond to locations of different types, an individual word in said second codebook indicating one of said different types.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said second codeword indicates a nearest office or conference room to the current location of the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting said first and second codewords including transmitting said first code word during a first peer discovery time period and transmitting said second codeword during a second peer discovery time period.

6. A mobile wireless device comprising:

means for selecting based on a location of the device a first codeword from a first codebook, said first codeword corresponding to a first geographic area;

means for selecting based on the location of the device a second codeword from a second codebook, said second codeword corresponding to a second geographic area; and

means for transmitting said first and second codewords, the intersection of the first and second areas to which the first and second codewords correspond indicating the location of the device.

7. The mobile wireless device of claim 6,

wherein codewords of the first codebook correspond to different areas of a first map.

8. The mobile wireless device of claim 7,

wherein codewords of the second codebook correspond to locations of different types, an individual word in said second codebook indicating one of said different types.

9. The mobile wireless device of claim 7, wherein said second codeword indicates a nearest office or conference room to the current location of the device.

10. The mobile wireless device of claim 6, wherein said means for transmitting said first and second codewords includes means for transmitting said first code word during a first peer discovery time period and means for transmitting said second codeword during a second peer discovery time period.

11. A computer program product for use in a mobile wireless device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to select, based on a location of the device, a first codeword from a first codebook, said first codeword corresponding to a first geographic area;

code for causing said at least one computer to select, based on the location of the device, a second codeword from a second codebook, said second codeword corresponding to a second geographic area; and

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit said first and second codewords, the intersection of the first and second areas to which the first and second codewords correspond indicating the location of the device.

12. A mobile wireless device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

select, based on a location of the device, a first codeword from a first codebook, said first codeword corresponding to a first geographic area;

select, based on the location of the device, a second codeword from a second codebook, said second codeword corresponding to a second geographic area; and

transmit said first and second codewords, the intersection of the first and second areas to which the first and second codewords correspond indicating the location of the device; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

13. The mobile wireless device of claim 12,

wherein codewords of the first codebook correspond to different areas of a first map.

14. The mobile wireless device of claim 13,

wherein codewords of the second codebook correspond to locations of different types, an individual word in said second codebook indicating one of said different types.

15. The mobile wireless device of claim 13, wherein said second codeword indicates a nearest office or conference room to the current location of the device.

16. A method of operating a first device to determine the location of a second device, comprising:

receiving a peer discovery signal from said second device providing a codeword communicating location information;

selecting, based on a user identifier or device identifier associated with the received peer discovery signal, which one of a plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information to use in interpreting the received codeword; and

determining a location of the second device indicated by the received codeword from the selected one of the user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information from a codeword dictionary distribution node, said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to users on a buddy list.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

communicating first device location information to a codeword dictionary distribution node, said first device location information indicating various locations visited by said first device over a period of time; and

receiving from the codeword dictionary distribution node a user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device, said received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information indicating codewords corresponding to at least some of the various locations visited by the first device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

broadcasting a codeword from the received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device to indicate the location of the first device to other devices.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

communicating a user identifier or device identifier, said user identifier or device identifier matching a user identifier or device identifier corresponding to the user specific set of codeword to location mapping information that corresponds to the user of the first device.

21. A first device comprising:

means for receiving a peer discovery signal from a second device providing a codeword communicating location information;

means for selecting, based on a user identifier or device identifier associated with the received peer discovery signal, which one of a plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information to use in interpreting the received codeword; and

means for determining a location of the second device indicated by the received codeword from the selected one of the user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information.

22. The first device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information from a codeword dictionary distribution node, said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to users on a buddy list.

23. The first device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for communicating first device location information to a codeword dictionary distribution node, said first device location information indicating various locations visited by said first device over a period of time; and

means for receiving from the codeword dictionary distribution node a user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device, said received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information indicating codewords corresponding to at least some of the various locations visited by the first device.

24. The first device of claim 23, further comprising:

means for broadcasting a codeword from the received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device to indicate the location of the first device to other devices.

25. The first device of claim 24, further comprising:

means for communicating a user identifier or device identifier, said user identifier or device identifier matching a user identifier or device identifier corresponding to the user specific set of codeword to location mapping information that corresponds to the user of the first device.

26. A computer program product for use in a first device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a peer discovery signal from a second device providing a codeword communicating location information;

code for causing said at least one computer to select, based on a user identifier or device identifier associated with the received peer discovery signal, which one of a plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information to use in interpreting the received codeword; and

code for causing said at least one computer to determine a location of the second device indicated by the received codeword from the selected one of the user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information.

27. A first device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a peer discovery signal from a second device providing a codeword communicating location information;

select, based on a user identifier or device identifier associated with the received peer discovery signal, which one of a plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information to use in interpreting the received codeword; and

determine a location of the second device indicated by the received codeword from the selected one of the user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

28. The first device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information from a codeword dictionary distribution node, said plurality of user specific sets of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to users on a buddy list.

29. The first device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

communicate first device location information to a codeword dictionary distribution node, said first device location information indicating various locations visited by said first device over a period of time; and

receive from the codeword dictionary distribution node a user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device, said received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information indicating codewords corresponding to at least some of the various locations visited by the first device.

30. The first device of claim 29, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

broadcast a codeword from the received user specific set of codeword to location mapping information corresponding to the first device to indicate the location of the first device to other devices.

31. A method of operating a device to transmit location information, the method comprising:

determining, based on the location of said device, first location information to transmit;

determining, based on the location of said device, second location information to transmit, said second location information indicating a second geographic area which intersects a first geographic area indicated by said first location information;

transmitting the first location information at a first power level and at a first coding rate; and

transmitting the second location information at a second power level and at a second coding rate, at least one of;

the second power level being lower than said first power level and the second coding rate being higher than said first coding rate.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the transmission range of the first location information is greater than the transmission range of the second location information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmission rate of the second location information is higher than the transmission rate of the first location information.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the first location information and the second location information are transmitted during the same peer discovery transmission time interval.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said second location information is transmitted as a superimposed signal on the first location information.

36. A mobile wireless device comprising:

means for determining, based on the location of said device, first location information to transmit;

means for determining, based on the location of said device, second location information to transmit, said second location information indicating a second geographic area which intersects a first geographic area indicated by said first location information;

means for transmitting the first location information at a first power level and at a first coding rate; and

means for transmitting the second location information at a second power level and at a second coding rate, at least one of;

the second power level being lower than said first power level and the second coding rate being higher than said first coding rate.

37. The mobile wireless device of claim 36, wherein the transmission range of the first location information is greater than the transmission range of the second location information.

38. The mobile wireless device of claim 37, wherein the transmission rate of the second location information is higher than the transmission rate of the first location information.

39. The mobile wireless device of claim 36, wherein the first location information and the second location information are transmitted during the same peer discovery transmission time interval.

40. The mobile wireless device of claim 39, wherein said second location information is transmitted as a superimposed signal on the first location information.

41. A computer program product for use in a mobile wireless device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to determine, based on the location of said device, first location information to transmit;

code for causing said at least one computer to determine, based on the location of said device, second location information to transmit, said second location information indicating a second geographic area which intersects a first geographic area indicated by said first location information;

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit the first location information at a first power level and at a first coding rate; and

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit the second location information at a second power level and at a second coding rate, at least one of;

the second power level being lower than said first power level and the second coding rate being higher than said first coding rate.

42. A mobile wireless device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

determine, based on the location of said device, first location information to transmit;

determine, based on the location of said device, second location information to transmit, said second location information indicating a second geographic area which intersects a first geographic area indicated by said first location information;

transmit the first location information at a first power level and at a first coding rate; and

transmit the second location information at a second power level and at a second coding rate, at least one of;

the second power level being lower than said first power level and the second coding rate being higher than said first coding rate; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

43. The mobile wireless device of claim 42, wherein said at least one processor is configured such that the transmission range of the first location information is greater than the transmission range of the second location information.

44. The mobile wireless device of claim 43, wherein said at least one processor is configured such that the transmission rate of the second location information is higher than the transmission rate of the first location information.

45. The mobile wireless device of claim 42, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to transmit said first location information and the second location information during the same peer discovery transmission time interval.