Electromagnetic reflection profiles

• US 9,188,668 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Robert Raymond, Li, Kevin A., Meuninck, Troy C., Pratt, James H., Schroeter, Horst J., Shahraray, Behzad
• Primary Examiner(s): Fotakis, Aristocratis
• Application Number:
  US13/685,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20140145873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/462 using multipath signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products determine electromagnetic reflective characteristics of ambient environments. A wireless communications device sends a cellular impulse and receives reflections of the cellular impulse. The cellular impulse and the reflections of the cellular impulse may be compared to determine the electromagnetic reflective characteristics of an ambient environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a cellular communications device, an impulse signal;

receiving, at multiple antennas of the cellular communications device, multiple reflections of the impulse signal;

storing, in a memory of the cellular communications device, a database of reflection profiles that associates different electromagnetic reflection characteristics to global positioning system coordinates of different locations;

determining, by the cellular communications device, a null entry in the database of reflection profiles for the global positioning system coordinates representing a current location;

determining, by the cellular communications device, a reflection profile from the multiple reflections of the impulse signal;

replacing, by the cellular communications device, the null entry in the database of reflection profiles with the reflection profile determined from the multiple reflections of the impulse signal; and

associating, by the cellular communications device, the reflection profile to the global positioning system coordinates representing the current location of the cellular communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an instruction sent from a wireless access point, the instruction instructing the cellular communications device to transmit the impulse signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a distance based on the multiple reflections of the impulse signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a composite vector associated with the multiple reflections of the impulse signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a signal-to-noise ratio.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a signal-to-noise ratio using the impulse signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a distortion to a network access point of a communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying for a reflection profile associated with the current location.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

storing a database of reflection profiles that associates different electromagnetic reflection characteristics to global positioning system coordinates of different locations;

determining a null entry in the database of reflection profiles for one of the different locations;

retrieving an address of a wireless access point associated with the one of the different locations in the database of reflection profiles;

determining the address of a communications device that wirelessly communicates with the wireless access point;

sending an impulse instruction to the address of the communications device, the impulse instruction instructing the communications device to transmit a cellular impulse and to receive a reflection of the cellular impulse;

determining a reflection profile from the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse; and

associating the reflection profile to the global positioning system coordinates of the one of the different locations in the database of reflection profiles to replace the null entry.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a distortion between the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse;

receiving a query from a different communications device specifying the one of the different locations; and

instructing the different communications device to apply the distortion to a future transmission at the one of the different locations.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a query from a different communications device requesting the reflection profile associated with a current location;

retrieving the reflection profile associated with the current location; and

instructing the different communications device to apply the reflection profile to transmissions at the current location.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining a composite signal vector associated with multiple reflections of the cellular impulse.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining a signal-to-noise ratio.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining a signal-to-noise ratio using the cellular impulse and the distortion.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise routing a polling message to the wireless access point.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise associating the reflection profile to a location of the wireless access point.

17. A memory storing instructions which when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

storing a database of reflection profiles that associates different electromagnetic reflection characteristics to global positioning system coordinates of different locations;

determining a null entry in the database of reflection profiles for one of the different locations;

retrieving an address of a wireless access point associated with the one of the different locations;

polling the wireless access point for addresses of communications devices that wirelessly communicate with the wireless access point;

selecting one of the addresses;

sending an impulse command to the one of the addresses instructing a corresponding communications device to transmit a cellular impulse and to receive a reflection of the cellular impulse;

determining a reflection profile from the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse; and

associating the global positioning system coordinates of the one of the different locations with the reflection profile in the database of reflection profiles to replace the null entry.

18. The memory of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a query sent from a network address of a different communications device, the query requesting the reflection profile for transmissions associated with the one of the different locations; and

sending the reflection profile to the network address in response to the query.

19. The memory of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise determining a distortion between the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse.

20. The memory of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise determining a signal-to-noise ratio.