Systems and methods for effective identification of geo-location in mobile HetNet environments

• US 9,344,846 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wipro Limited
• Original Assignee: Wipro Limited
• Inventors: Mondal, Subhas Chandra, Arupathunazhiyil Venugopal, Amal Ghosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bassett, Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US13/975,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20150011175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to location services, and more particularly to systems and methods for effective identification of geo-location in mobile HetNet environments. In one embodiment, a device geo-location method is disclosed, comprising: receiving one or more wireless signal strengths associated with connectivity of a user device to one or more wireless access points; calculating, via a processor, one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using the one or more wireless signal strengths; triangulating a user device location coordinate using: a pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and the calculated one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and storing the user device location coordinate.

Claims

1. A wireless access point geo-location method, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless access point, a trigger of determining a wireless access point location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;

acquiring, by the wireless access point, one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices, after receiving the trigger;

receiving, by the wireless access point, at least three;

user device location coordinates associated with the one or more user devices, and wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications;

calculating, via a processor of the wireless access point, user device distances using the at least three wireless signal strengths, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the wireless access point, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of;

a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;

calculating, via the processor, a wireless access point location coordinate using the at least three user device location coordinates and the calculated user device distances; and

storing, at the wireless access point, the wireless access point location coordinate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more user devices includes a cellular phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications is associated with a Wi-Fi network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications are associated with a single wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more user devices is connected simultaneously to a cellular network and a wireless access point associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the at least one of the user device distances is performed before receiving at least one of:

one of the user device location coordinates; and

one of the wireless signal strengths.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the wireless access point location coordinate is performed substantially in real-time after receiving the user device location coordinates and the wireless signal strengths.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more updated user device location coordinates and one or more updated wireless signal strengths;

calculating, via the processor, one or more updated user device distances using the one or more updated wireless signal strengths;

calculating, via the processor, an updated wireless access point location coordinate using the one or more updated user device location coordinates and the one or more updated user device distances; and

storing the updated wireless access point location coordinate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more updated user device location coordinates and the one or more updated wireless signal strengths are associated with one of the one or more user devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a wireless access point performs the calculation of the user device distances, as well as the calculation of the wireless access point location coordinate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the user device location coordinates is either of:

determined using a cellular network; and

a GPS coordinate.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger further includes at least one of:

a new wireless connectivity between a user device and the wireless access point associated with the wireless access point location coordinate, generation of a new wireless connectivity notification, a lapse of time beyond a pre-determined threshold after the prior calculation or update of the wireless access point location coordinate, and receiving a geo-location request.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

After receiving the first wireless access point connectivity notification, searching, by the wireless access point, the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications.

12. A wireless access point geo-location system, comprising a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point comprises:

a processor; and

a memory device disposed in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising instructions for;

receiving a trigger of determining a wireless access point location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;

after receiving the trigger, acquiring one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices;

receiving at least three;

user device location coordinates associated with the one or more user devices, and wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications;

calculating, via the processor, user device distances using the at least three wireless signal strengths, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the wireless access point, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of;

a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;

calculating, via the processor, a wireless access point location coordinate using the at least three user device location coordinates and the calculated user device distances; and

storing the wireless access point location coordinate at the wireless access point.

13. A device geo-location method, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless access point, a trigger of determining a user device location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;

acquiring, by the wireless access point, one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices, after receiving the trigger;

calculating, via a processor of the wireless access point, one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using one or more wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the one or more wireless access points, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of;

a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;

calculating, by the processor, a user device location coordinate using;

a pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and

the calculated one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and

storing, at the wireless access point, the user device location coordinate.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a geo-location request for the user device; and

providing the user device location coordinate after receiving the geo-location request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the geo-location request is received after the user device provides a service request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the service request is a voice-over-IP emergency call.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the user device is one of:

a cellular phone;

a smartphone;

a tablet computer; and

a laptop computer.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the connectivity of the user device to at least one of the one or more wireless access points is via a Wi-Fi network.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the user device is connected simultaneously to the one or more wireless access points.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the calculation of at least one of the one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points is performed before receiving at least one of the one or more wireless signal strengths.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein:

a number of wireless access points is three; and

calculating the user device location coordinate is performed substantially in real-time after receipt of three wireless signal strengths associated with connectivity of the user device to the three wireless access points.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

on a periodic basis,

receiving one or more updated wireless signal strengths associated with connectivity of the user device to the one or more wireless access points;

calculating, via the processor, one or more updated distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using the one or more updated wireless signal strengths;

calculating, by the processor, an updated user device location coordinate, using;

the pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with the at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and

the calculated one or more updated distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and

storing the updated user device location coordinate.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with the at least one of the one or more wireless access points is calculated based on one or more prior user device location coordinates and one or more prior wireless signal strengths.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the trigger includes at least one of:

a new wireless connectivity between a wireless access point and a user device associated with the user device location coordinate, generation of a new wireless connectivity notification, a lapse of time beyond a pre-determined threshold after the prior calculation or update of the user device location coordinate, and receiving the geo-location request.

24. A device geo-location system, comprising a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point comprises:

a processor; and

a memory device disposed in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising instructions for;

receiving a trigger of determining a user device location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;

after receiving the trigger, acquiring one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices;

calculating, via the processor, one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using one or more wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the wireless access point, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of;

a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;

calculating a user device location coordinate using;

a pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and

the calculated one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and

storing the user device location coordinate at the wireless access point.