Determining node location using a variable power characteristic of a node in a wireless node network

• US 9,234,757 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fedex Corporate Services Incorporated (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fedex Corporate Services Incorporated (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Skaaksrud, Ole-Petter, Hollahan, Terence, Benton, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US14/446,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00256 Delivery operations
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 25/02 Packaging agricultural or horticultural products
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/02 Internal fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/102 Straps, bands, strings or other elongate elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 : Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 : specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 : Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 : using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 : using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 : using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 : Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 : System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 : System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 : stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 : ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 : for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 : Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 : using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 : characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 : characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 : Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 : Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 : TPC
• 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 64/003 : locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and systems for enhanced node location determination by varying a power characteristic of nodes in a wireless node network are described. At least one of the nodes is instructed by a managing element in the network to incrementally change the power characteristic (e.g., change output power level and/or node receiver sensitivity). As the power characteristic incrementally changes, nodes are identified that initially received a signal broadcast from a first of the nodes but no longer receive the broadcast signal. As the power characteristic continues to incrementally change, a node is identified as a last of the nodes that receives the broadcast signal before none of the other nodes can receive the broadcast signal. As such, the identified last of the other nodes is a closest node to the first node. Then, a location of the first node is determined based upon the closest node to the first node.

Claims

1. A method for enhanced node location determination by varying a power characteristic of nodes in a wireless node network managed by a server, the method comprising:

(a) instructing, by the server, a first of the nodes in the wireless node network to vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the first node, wherein the first node is not operative to directly communicate with the server but is operative to directly communicate with an intermediary one of the nodes, wherein the intermediary one of the nodes being at a hierarchically higher level within the wireless node network compared to the first node, and wherein the server is operative to indirectly communicate with and instruct the first node through the intermediary one of the nodes;

(b) identifying, by the server, a first group of other nodes in the wireless node network that are near the first node based upon those of the other nodes that received at least one of the one or more signals broadcast by the first node as the first node varies the power characteristic;

(c) identifying, by the server, a closest one or more of the other nodes as a smallest group of the other nodes that received at least one of the one or more signals broadcast by the first node as the first node varies the power characteristic; and

(d) determining, by the server, a location of the first node based upon the closest one or more of the other nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing step further comprises instructing the first node to vary the power characteristic by instructing, by the server through the intermediary one of the nodes, the first node to incrementally decrease the power characteristic from a first value to a second value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing step further comprises instructing the first node to vary the power characteristic by instructing, by the server through the intermediary one of the nodes, the first node to incrementally increase the power characteristic from a second value to a first value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the power characteristic is an output power level of the one or more broadcast signals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the variations in the output power level of the one or more broadcast signals in steps (a)-(c) are set according to context data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step (b) further comprises incrementally identifying, by the server, which of the first group of other nodes are receiving at least one of the broadcast signals as the first node incrementally varies the output power level of the one or more signals broadcast, the incrementally identified nodes being a set of increasingly close nodes to the first node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step (d) further comprises determining, by the server, the location of the first node based upon the closest one or more of the other nodes and the set of increasingly close nodes to the first node.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating steps (a)-(d) where a second of the nodes is instructed, by the server through the intermediary one of the nodes, to vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the second node; and

refining, by the server, the location of the first node based upon a location of the second node.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

repeating steps (a)-(d) where a second of the nodes is instructed, by the server through the intermediary one of the nodes, to vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the second node; and

refining, by the server, the location of the first node based upon a location of the second node and a set of increasingly close nodes to the second node.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the server, context data related to the first node, and refining, by the managing element, the location of the first node based upon the context data.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the server, context data related to a closest node to the first node, and refining, by the server, the location of the first node based upon the context data.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining, by the server, context data related to the incrementally identified nodes in the set of increasingly close nodes to the first node, and refining, by the server, the location of the first node based upon the context data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is part of a node-enabled package;

and

wherein the step of determining the location of the first node further comprises determining, by the server, the location of the first node while the first node is within the node-enabled package and while the node-enabled package is within a vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

generating, by the server, a location message regarding where the node-enabled package is located within the vehicle based upon the determined location of the first node; and

transmitting, by the server, the location message to another network device in the wireless node network for display on a user interface of the another network device.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

accessing, by the server, shipping information related to the node-enabled package;

generating, by the server, a relocation message regarding where the node-enabled package is to be relocated within the vehicle based upon the determined location of the first node and the accessed shipping information; and

transmitting, by the server , the location message to another network device in the wireless node network for display on a user interface of the another network device.

16. An apparatus for enhanced node location determination by varying a power characteristic of nodes in a wireless node network, comprising:

a server operative to indirectly communicate with a first of the nodes via direct communications with an intermediary one of the nodes, wherein the intermediary one of the nodes being at a hierarchically higher level within the network compared to the first node,

wherein the server further comprises,

a server processing unit,

a server volatile memory coupled to the server processing unit,

a server memory storage coupled to the server processing unit, the server memory storage maintaining at least a program code section and location data related to a location of one or more of the nodes, and

a communication interface coupled to the server processing unit and that provides a communication path operatively coupling the server with the intermediary one of the nodes; and

wherein the server processing unit, when executing at least the program code section resident in the server volatile memory, is operative to;

(a) send an instruction over the communication interface to a first of the nodes via the intermediary one of the nodes, wherein the instruction causes the intermediary one of the nodes to respond by communicating directly with the first node in order make the first node vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the first node,

(b) identify a first group of other nodes in the wireless node network that are near the first node based upon those of the other nodes that received at least one of the one or more signals broadcast by the first node as the first node varies the power characteristic,

(c) identify a closest one or more of the other nodes as a smallest group of the other nodes that received at least one of the one or more signals broadcast by the first node as the first node varies the power characteristic,

(d) determine a location of the first node based upon the closest one or more of the other nodes, and

(e) store the location of the first node as part of the location data maintained on the server memory storage.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to make the first node vary the power characteristic by incrementally decreasing the power characteristic from a first value to a second value.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to make the first node vary the power characteristic by incrementally increasing the power characteristic from a second value to a first value.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the power characteristic is an output power level of the one or more broadcast signals.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the variations in the output power level of the one or more broadcast signals in steps (a)-(c) are set according to context data.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to perform (b) by being operative to incrementally identify which of the first group of other nodes are receiving at least one of the broadcast signals as the first node incrementally varies the output power level of the one or more signals broadcast, the incrementally identified nodes being a set of increasingly close nodes to the first node.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to perform (d) by being operative to determine the location of the first node based upon the closest one or more of the other nodes and the set of increasingly close nodes to the first node.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to:

repeat operations (a)-(d) where a second of the nodes is instructed to vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the second node; and

refine the location of the first node based upon a location of the second node.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to:

repeating operations (a)-(d) where a second of the nodes is instructed to vary the power characteristic for one or more signals broadcast by the second node; and

refine the location of the first node based upon a location of the second node and a set of increasingly close nodes to the second node.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to determine context data related to the first node, and refining the location of the first node based upon the context data.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to determine context data related to a closest node to the first node, and refining the location of the first node based upon the context data.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to determine context data related to the incrementally identified nodes in the set of increasingly close nodes to the first node, and refining the location of the first node based upon the context data.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first node is part of a node-enabled package;

and

wherein the server processing unit is further operative to determine the location of the first node while the first node is within the node-enabled package and while the node-enabled package is within a vehicle.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to:

generate a location message regarding where the node-enabled package is located within the vehicle based upon the determined location of the first node; and

transmit the location message via the communication interface to another network device in the wireless node network for display on a user interface of the another network device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the server processing unit is further operative to:

access shipping information stored on the server memory storage, the shipping information being related to the node-enabled package;

generate a relocation message regarding where the node-enabled package is to be relocated within the vehicle based upon the determined location of the first node and the accessed shipping information; and

transmit the location message via the communication interface to another network device in the wireless node network.