Location measuring method and apparatus using access point for wireless local area network service

• US 8,862,154 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Golden Eye Technologies LLC (Harfang IP Investment Corp)
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: JEONG, Seung-Hyuk, JEON, Joo-Seong, HA, Tae-sook
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, MARCOS L
• Application Number:
  US13/230,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 342/463, 342/450, 342/462, 3423572-35725, 342/357.44, 342/357.66
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring a location of a communication terminal using an access point for a wireless local area network service is provided. The method includes storing access point information collected at each location, extracting information of nearby access points collected together at a location, where information of a reference access point is collected, from the access point information, calculating a barycentric coordinate using location coordinates of the extracted nearby access points, and determining the calculated barycentric coordinate as a final location of the communication terminal.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a location of a communication terminal using a plurality of access points, the method comprising:

storing access point information collected at a plurality of locations by a collecting terminal;

extracting information of access points collected together at a location of the plurality of locations, where information of a reference access point transmitted by the communication terminal is collected, from the access point information;

calculating a barycentric coordinate using location coordinates of the access points extracted from the information of the access points; and

determining the calculated barycentric coordinate as a final location of the communication terminal,

wherein the access points comprise at least one wireless local area network device.

2. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the calculating comprises calculating the barycentric coordinate using collection location coordinates of the access points.

3. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the calculating comprises calculating the barycentric coordinate using installation location coordinates of the access points.

4. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the extracting comprises:

extracting collection location coordinates of the reference access point from the access point information;

calculating a barycentric coordinate using the extracted collection location coordinates;

detecting a collection location coordinate located at a predetermined distance or more away from the calculated barycentric coordinate; and

removing information of an access point collected together at the detected collection location coordinate.

5. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the extracting comprises:

(a) extracting collection location coordinates of the reference access point from the access point information;

(b) selecting a predetermined number of collection location coordinates from the extracted collection location coordinates;

(c) calculating a barycentric coordinate using the selected predetermined number of collection location coordinates, and detecting a collection location coordinate located at a predetermined distance or more away from the barycentric coordinate;

(d) repetitively performing the operations (b) and (c) on all the collection location coordinates extracted in the operation (a), in sequence; and

(e) removing information of an access point collected together at the collection location coordinate detected in the operations (c) and (d).

6. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 5,

wherein the operation (d) comprises, in the selecting of the collection location coordinates, selecting a portion of the previously selected collection location coordinates and selecting collection location coordinates other than the previously selected collection location coordinates.

7. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the calculating comprises:

(a) grouping the extracted information of the access points into a first group and calculating barycentric coordinates of the first group;

(b) grouping the calculated barycentric coordinates into a second group and calculating a barycentric coordinate of the second group; and

(c) repeating the operation (b) to obtain a final barycentric coordinate of a triangle having apices of the calculated barycentric coordinates grouped into the second group.

8. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the extracting comprises extracting information of a set of top M access points of the access points based on signal strength information of the access points, and

wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to two.

9. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the extracting comprises extracting information of the set of top M access points of the access points based on signal strength information of the access points, and wherein M is equal to Kⁿ where K is a natural number of 3 or more and n is a natural number of 1 or more.

22. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the access points are wireless local area network devices,

wherein the access point information comprises identity information of an access point, and

wherein the identity information comprises at least one of a media access control address and a service set identifier of the access point.

10. A method for measuring a location of a communication terminal using an access point, the method comprising:

storing access point information collected at a plurality of locations by a collecting terminal;

extracting information of a reference access point transmitted by the communication terminal from the access point information;

classifying collection location coordinates among the extracted information of the reference access point into a plurality of categories based on a received signal strength of the reference access point at the collection location coordinates;

calculating barycentric coordinates using the collection location coordinates of the plurality of categories; and

determining a final barycentric coordinate based on the calculated barycentric coordinates, as a final location of the communication terminal,

wherein the reference access point comprises at least one wireless local area network device.

11. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 10,

wherein the calculating comprises:

selecting one collection location coordinate for each of the plurality of categories to form a plurality of groups, and calculating a barycentric coordinate of each of the plurality of groups;

grouping calculated barycentric coordinates into a plurality of groups, and calculating a barycentric coordinate of each of the plurality of groups; and

repeating the grouping and the calculating to obtain a final barycentric coordinate.

23. The method for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 10,

wherein the access point information comprises identity information of an access point, and

wherein the identity information comprises at least one of a media access control address and a service set identifier of the access point.

12. An apparatus for measuring a location of a communication terminal using access point information, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores access point information collected at a plurality of locations by a collecting terminal;

an extracting unit which extracts information of access points collected together at a location of the plurality of locations, where information of a reference access point transmitted by the communication terminal is collected, from the access point information stored in the storage unit; and

a calculation unit which calculates a barycentric coordinate using location coordinates of the access points extracted by the extracting unit, and determines the calculated barycentric coordinate as a final location of the communication terminal,

wherein the access points comprise at least one wireless local area network device.

13. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the calculation unit calculates the barycentric coordinate using collection location coordinates of the access points.

14. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the calculation unit calculates the barycentric coordinate using installation location coordinates of the access points.

15. The apparatus for measuring a location of the communication terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

a removing unit which extracts collection location coordinates of the reference access point from the access point information, calculates a barycentric coordinate using the extracted collection location coordinates, and removes information of an access point collected together at a collection location coordinate located at a predetermined distance or more away from the barycentric coordinate.

16. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 15,

wherein the removing unit extracts the collection location coordinates of the reference access point based on signal strength information.

17. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

a removing unit which repetitively performs a process on all the collection location coordinates of the reference access point in sequence, the process which selects a predetermined number of collection location coordinates of the reference access point from the access point information, calculates a barycentric coordinate using the selected collection location coordinates, and detects a collection location coordinate located at a predetermined distance or more away from the barycentric coordinate, and removes information of an access point collected together at the detected collection location coordinate.

18. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 17,

wherein the removing unit selects a portion of the previously selected collection location coordinates, and selects collection location coordinates other than the previously selected collection location coordinates, during the repetitive performing of the process.

19. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the calculation unit groups the location coordinates of the access points extracted by the extracting unit and calculates the barycentric coordinates of a first group, and groups the calculated barycentric coordinates into a second group and calculates a barycentric coordinate of the second group in a repetitive manner to obtain a final barycentric coordinate of a triangle having apices of the calculated barycentric coordinates grouped into the second group.

20. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the extracting unit extracts information of a set of top M access points of the access points based on signal strength information of the access points, and

wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to two.

21. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the extracting unit extracts information of the set of top M access points of the access points based on signal strength information of the access points, and

wherein M is equal to Kⁿ where K is a natural number of 3 or more and n is a natural number of 1 or more.

24. The apparatus for measuring the location of the communication terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the access point information comprises identity information of an access point, and

wherein the identity information comprises at least one of a media access control address and a service set identifier of the access point.