Geolocation

• US 9,112,667 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William Woodcock
• Original Assignee: William Woodcock
• Inventors: Woodcock, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US12/873,272
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/238, 342/357, 342/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Current or past physical location of a target device in a communication network, including: (included and excluded) points, surfaces, regions, point- and integrated-probabilities, nearest-(physical)-neighbors, whether the device is properly integrated, and otherwise, and combinations or conjunctions thereof. Countermeasures exist for those targets which are uncooperative with geolocation. Multiple measurements provide a statistical basis for establishing a probability density function, which may be augmented or refined using domain information, intermediate routing pathways, or overlap of multiple such probability density function. Alternatively, a geolocation may be provided by a formula or a table reference, in response to a measured flight-time, a probability, and possibly other network routing parameters, such as hop count.

Claims

1. A method, including steps of

sending a signal from a 1^st device in a network to a target;

measuring a flight time delay in the network in response to the signal;

determining, based on the flight time delay, 1^st information comprising a maximum possible distance of said target relative to said 1^st device, a most likely distance of said target relative to said 1^st device, and a probabilistic distribution of most likely distances of said target relative to said 1^st device, with the probabilistic distribution having a value of substantially zero probability at locations beyond the maximum possible distance;

combining said 1^st information with 2^nd information wherein the 2^nd information comprises a probabilistic component based on location within a geographic region wherein the probabilistic component is responsive to at least one of the group consisting of physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth; and

establishing a measure of confidence of the target being in one or more identified geographic regions of elevated confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of elevated confidence and establishing a measure of confidence of the target not being in one or more identified geographic regions of reduced confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of reduced confidence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal is responsive to a protocol used in said network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring includes receiving a 2^nd signal responsive to an action by said 1^st device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring includes receiving a 2^nd signal from said target.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring is responsive to a time duration between sending the signal from the 1^st device and receiving a signal from the target.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said time duration is responsive to a distance to said target.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said time duration is responsive to a communication with said target.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said time duration is responsive to a processing time by one or more devices in said network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said one or more devices include said target.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said one or more devices include one or more devices other than said target.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the 2^nd information is interpretable by a computing device to identify a geographic region of reduced confidence where said target substantially cannot be found based on one or more of physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying an attribute of the target comprising specifying one or more of a measure of bandwidth, a measure of network connectivity, a probability of a designated use, or a probability of authentication, associated with said target.

14. The method of claim 1 or 13, wherein at least one of said 1^st information or said 2^nd information is responsive to a substantially continuous probability density function.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said function decreases from a location having a maximum value to locations indicating a closer distance to said target.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said function decreases from a location having a maximum value to locations indicating a farther distance to said target.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said function decreases from a location having a maximum value to locations indicating a closer distance to a medial device said medial device being disposed on a communication path including said target.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said function decreases from a location having a maximum value to locations indicating a farther distance to a medial device said medial device being disposed on a communication path including said target.

19. The method of claim 1 or 13, wherein the population density is responsive to a density function, said density function having one or more regions interpretable by a computing device as substantially zero density.

20. The method of claim 1 or 13, wherein the 2^nd information is interpretable by a computing device to identify an area of a surface or a region in a space.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said area of a surface or region in a space includes one or more of a defined surface of possible locations, a defined volume of possible locations, a terrain surface, an at least partially built-up area, an underground environment, or an underwater environment.

22. The method of claim 1 or 13, wherein said 2^nd information is responsive to domain knowledge about said target originating from one or more devices other than said target.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said 2^nd information is responsive to one or more of, a measure of density of cellular base stations, a measure of distance from a cellular base station, a measure of economic development, a measure of night luminescence, or a measure of population or population density.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said 2^nd information is responsive to one or more of census data, or land-use data.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said 2^nd information is responsive to one or more bodies of water or topographic boundaries.

26. The method of claim 1 or 13, wherein the 2^nd information comprises a product of multiplying a first probabilistic component by a second probabilistic component.

13. A method for providing information regarding a physical location of a target, the method including steps of

sending a signal from a 1^st device in a network to the target;

measuring a flight time delay in the network in response to the signal;

determining, based on the flight time delay, 1^st information associated with the physical location of said target;

identifying a medial node based on the 1^st information associated with the physical location of the target;

detecting a medial node processing delay in said network in response to a signal between the medial node and the target;

determining, in response to the medial node processing delay, information associated with the physical location of the target more precise than the 1^st information associated with the physical location of the target by subtracting the medial node processing delay from the flight time delay; and

combining the 1^st information with 2^nd information wherein the 2^nd information comprises a probabilistic component based on location within a geographic region wherein the probabilistic component is responsive to at least one of the group consisting of physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth and establishing a measure of confidence of the target being in one or more identified geographic regions of elevated confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of elevated confidence and establishing a measure of confidence of the target not being in one or more identified geographic regions of reduced confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of reduced confidence.

27. The method of claim 13, wherein said steps of identifying include steps of specifying one or more of, a probabilistic distribution of locations, a probabilistic distribution of nearest-neighbors, a set of locations where said target substantially cannot be found, a set of physically nearest-neighbors in said network or in a 2^nd network, a set of topologically nearest-neighbors in said network or in a 2^nd network, or an integral of at least a portion of a probabilistic distribution, associated with said target.

28. A method for determining a most likely location s of a target in relation to a probe, the method comprising the following steps:

sending a signal from a probe in a network to the target along a path;

measuring a flight time delay dt_flight in the network in response to the signal;

determining a probabilistic conclusion regarding the likely location s of the target based on the formula S_prob {•

} having parameters comprising the measured flight time delay dt_flight, a routing parameter comprising a hop-count, processing delays of known medial nodes within the path, and a probabilistic component responsive to at least one component from the group consisting of physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth;

establishing a measure of confidence of the target being in one or more identified geographic regions of elevated confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of elevated confidence and establishing a measure of confidence of the target not being in one or more identified geographic regions of reduced confidence based on the 1^st information in combination with the 2^nd information regarding the one or more geographic regions of reduced confidence; and

providing in response to the formula S_prob{•

} a most likely location s of the target.