Using wired endpoints to determine position information for wireless endpoints in a network

• US 8,805,409 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Akiyama, Kazuhito, Hamada, Shinkichi, Kogoh, Makoto, Nishimura, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US13/629,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 709/225, 709/238, 370/352, 370/400, 340/9.14, 375/224
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided are a computer readable recording media, system, and method for using wired endpoints to determine position information for wireless endpoints in a network. Identification information from a detected wired endpoint connected to the network is received and a command is issued to the detected wired endpoint to cause the detected wired endpoint to transmit signals identifying the wired endpoint. Information is received from a communicating wireless endpoint, comprising one of the wireless endpoints, using wireless communication, including wireless endpoint identification information and information identifying at least one of the wired endpoints transmitting signals received at the wireless endpoint. Position information is determined for the wired endpoint indicated in the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint. Information on the communicating wireless endpoint is updated to associate with the determined position information.

Claims

1. A computer readable recording medium including code executed by a processor to communicate with wired endpoints and wireless endpoints over a network and perform operations, the operations comprising:

maintaining information on the wired endpoints transmitting signals identifying the wired endpoints and including position information for the wired endpoints;

receiving identifying information from a detected wired endpoint connected to the network;

issuing a command to the detected wired endpoint to cause the detected wired endpoint to transmit signals identifying the wired endpoint;

receiving information from a communicating wireless endpoint, comprising one of the wireless endpoints, using wireless communication, including wireless endpoint identification information and information identifying at least one of the wired endpoints transmitting signals received at the wireless endpoint;

determining position information for the wired endpoint indicated in the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint; and

updating information on the communicating wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information.

2. The computer readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the wired endpoints are connected to connection ports on the network, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the connection port to which the detected wired endpoint is connected position information of the connection port; and

updating the information on the detected wired endpoint for which the identifying information is received to associate with the determined position information for the connection port.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining a position information database associating the connection ports with position information, wherein the position information database is accessed to determine the position information of the connection port;

maintaining a wired endpoint database associating the wired endpoints with the position information for the wired endpoints, wherein the wired endpoint database is accessed to determine the position information for the wired endpoint indicated in the information from the wireless endpoint; and

maintaining an endpoint database associating wireless endpoints and the determined position information for the wireless endpoints.

4. The computer readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the detected wired endpoint comprises one of the wireless endpoints for which position information is maintained.

5. The computer readable recording medium of claim 1, wherein the communicating wireless endpoint comprises a first wireless endpoint, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving identification from a second wireless endpoint, comprising one of the wireless endpoints, that does not identify at least one of the wired endpoints for which information is maintained;

determining position information for positions outside of a range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are receivable; and

updating information on the second wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are not receivable.

6. The computer readable recording medium of claim 5, wherein the wireless endpoints including the first and second wireless endpoints communicate within an access point range defined by an access point device, and wherein the wired endpoints are configured to operate as pseudo access points (PAPs), wherein the PAPs transmitted signals are receivable within PAP ranges within the range defined by the access point device, and wherein the position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the PAPs are not receivable are within the access point range and outside of the PAP transmission ranges.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending a notification to be rendered at the second wireless endpoint prompting a user to indicate actual position information of the second wireless endpoint;

receiving, in response to the notification, user entered actual position information; and

updating the information for the second wireless endpoint to associate with the received user entered actual position information.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint includes measurement results from measuring a field intensity of received transmitted signals from the wired endpoints, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the measurement results one of the wired endpoints transmitting at a strongest intensity, wherein the determined position information of the wired endpoint associated with the communicating wireless endpoint comprises the position information from the wired endpoint transmitting at the strongest intensity.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

using information on the wireless endpoints to determine locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints; and

using information on the determined locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints to adjust electricity supplied to the determined locations to conserve electricity.

10. A system in communication with wired endpoints and wireless endpoints over a network comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable recording medium including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

maintaining information on the wired endpoints transmitting signals identifying the wired endpoints and including position information for the wired endpoints;

receiving identifying information from a detected wired endpoint connected to the network;

issuing a command to the detected wired endpoint to cause the detected wired endpoint to transmit signals identifying the wired endpoint;

receiving information from a communicating wireless endpoint, comprising one of the wireless endpoints, using wireless communication, including wireless endpoint identification information and information identifying at least one of the wired endpoints transmitting signals received at the wireless endpoint;

determining position information for the wired endpoint indicated in the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint; and

updating information on the communicating wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wired endpoints are connected to connection ports on the network, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the connection port to which the detected wired endpoint is connected position information of the connection port; and

updating the information on the detected wired endpoint for which the identifying information is received to associate with the determined position information for the connection port.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the communicating wireless endpoint comprises a first wireless endpoint, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving identification from a second wireless endpoint that does not identify at least one of the wired endpoints for which information is maintained;

determining position information for positions outside of a range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are receivable; and

updating information on the second wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are not receivable.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the wireless endpoints including the first and second wireless endpoints communicate within an access point range defined by an access point device, and wherein the wired endpoints are configured to operate as pseudo access points (PAPs), wherein the PAPs transmitted signals are receivable within PAP ranges within the range defined by the access point device, and wherein the position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the PAPs are not receivable are within the access point range and outside of the PAP transmission ranges.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending a notification to be rendered at the second wireless endpoint prompting a user to indicate actual position information of the second wireless endpoint;

receiving, in response to the notification, user entered actual position information; and

updating the information for the second wireless endpoint to associate with the received user entered actual position information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint includes measurement results from measuring a field intensity of received transmitted signals from the wired endpoints, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the measurement results one of the wired endpoints transmitting at a strongest intensity, wherein the determined position information of the wired endpoint associated with the communicating wireless endpoint comprises the position information from the wired endpoint transmitting at the strongest intensity.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

using the information on the wireless endpoints to determine locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints; and

using information on the determined locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints to adjust electricity supplied to the determined locations to conserve electricity.

17. A computer implemented method for communicating with wireless endpoints and wired endpoints in a network, comprising:

maintaining, by a processor, information on the wired endpoints transmitting signals identifying the wired endpoints and including position information for the wired endpoints;

receiving, by the processor, identifying information from a detected wired endpoint connected to the network;

issuing a command, by the processor, to the detected wired endpoint to cause the detected wired endpoint to transmit signals identifying the wired endpoint;

receiving, by the processor, information from a communicating wireless endpoint, comprising one of the wireless endpoints, using wireless communication, including wireless endpoint identification information and information identifying at least one of the wired endpoints transmitting signals received at the wireless endpoint;

determining, by the processor, position information for the wired endpoint indicated in the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint; and

updating, by the processor, information on the communicating wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wired endpoints are connected to connection ports on the network, further comprising:

determining from the connection port to which the detected wired endpoint is connected position information of the connection port; and

updating the information on the detected wired endpoint for which the identifying information is received to associate with the determined position information for the connection port.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the communicating wireless endpoint comprises a first wireless endpoint, further comprising:

receiving identification from a second wireless endpoint that does not identify at least one of the wired endpoints for which information is maintained;

determining position information for positions outside of a range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are receivable; and

updating information on the second wireless endpoint to associate with the determined position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the wired endpoints are not receivable.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless endpoints including the first and second wireless endpoints communicate within an access point range defined by an access point device, and wherein the wired endpoints are configured to operate as pseudo access points (PAPs), wherein the PAPs transmitted signals are receivable within PAP ranges within the range defined by the access point device, and wherein the position information outside of the range in which the transmitted signals from the PAPs are not receivable are within the access point range and outside of the PAP transmission ranges.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending a notification to be rendered at the second wireless endpoint prompting a user to indicate actual position information of the second wireless endpoint;

receiving, in response to the notification, user entered actual position information; and

updating the information for the second wireless endpoint to associate with the received user entered actual position information.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the information received from the communicating wireless endpoint includes measurement results from measuring a field intensity of received transmitted signals from the wired endpoints, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the measurement results one of the wired endpoints transmitting at a strongest intensity, wherein the determined position information of the wired endpoint associated with the communicating wireless endpoint comprises the position information from the wired endpoint transmitting at the strongest intensity.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

using the information on the wireless endpoints to determine locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints; and

using information on the determined locations where wireless endpoints are congregating and where there are no wireless endpoints to adjust electricity supplied to the determined locations to conserve electricity.