Mobile device positioning in dynamic groupings of communication devices
First Claim
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1. A wifi based mobile device positioning system, the system comprising:
- an access point device for receiving receive messages transmitted from a plurality of other communication devices, each receive message including a transmit count stamp corresponding to a remote counter value at a transmission of the receive message from a corresponding other communication device, wherein the access point is further operable to generate a receive count stamp for each receive message corresponding to a local counter value at receipt of a receive message from the other communication devices and for messages received from a mobile communication device;
a node in communication with the access point, the node including a processor programmed to dynamically associate and disassociate the mobile communication device with a plurality of sub-groups of the plurality of other communication devices, based at least in part on receiving receive messages from a predetermined number of other communication devices for each sub-group; and
a programmed processor executing to generate range estimates between the mobile communication device and other communication devices in the sub-group currently associated with the mobile communication device, the range estimates based on a combination of the transmit count stamps and the receive count stamps; and
wherein at least one of the range estimates is a mobile device range estimate between the mobile device and a second communication device that the mobile communication device is newly associated with in one of the sub-groups, and the mobile device range estimate is computed as a function of count stamps previously communicated between the mobile device and other communication devices in the plurality of sub-groups.
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Abstract
A wi-fi based mobile positioning system determines mobile device positioning by count stamped packets communicated between the mobile device and access points according to a standard wifi protocol. Ad-hoc groups of wifi network nodes are formed and then broken with a mobile device as that mobile devices moves relative to fixed nodes, such as access points. Within an ad-hoc group, the nodes count stamp packets by latching a local counter within each node. Count-stamps are collected and used to generate ranges for a mobile device relative to nodes in an ad hoc group. A positioning services determines the position of the mobile device from the ranges.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A wifi based mobile device positioning system, the system comprising:
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an access point device for receiving receive messages transmitted from a plurality of other communication devices, each receive message including a transmit count stamp corresponding to a remote counter value at a transmission of the receive message from a corresponding other communication device, wherein the access point is further operable to generate a receive count stamp for each receive message corresponding to a local counter value at receipt of a receive message from the other communication devices and for messages received from a mobile communication device; a node in communication with the access point, the node including a processor programmed to dynamically associate and disassociate the mobile communication device with a plurality of sub-groups of the plurality of other communication devices, based at least in part on receiving receive messages from a predetermined number of other communication devices for each sub-group; and a programmed processor executing to generate range estimates between the mobile communication device and other communication devices in the sub-group currently associated with the mobile communication device, the range estimates based on a combination of the transmit count stamps and the receive count stamps; and
wherein at least one of the range estimates is a mobile device range estimate between the mobile device and a second communication device that the mobile communication device is newly associated with in one of the sub-groups, and the mobile device range estimate is computed as a function of count stamps previously communicated between the mobile device and other communication devices in the plurality of sub-groups. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A wifi based mobile device positioning system, the system comprising:
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an access point device for receiving receive messages transmitted from a plurality of other communication devices, each receive message including a transmit identification datum which identifies a remote device creating the transmission of the receive message, wherein the access point is further operable to generate a receive count stamp for each receive message corresponding to a local counter value at receipt of a receive message from the other communication devices, at least one of which is a mobile communication device; a node in communication with the access point, the node including a processor programmed to dynamically associate and disassociate the mobile communication device with a plurality of sub-groups of the plurality of other communication devices, based at least in part on receiving receive messages from a predetermined number of other communication devices for each sub-group; and a programmed processor executing to generate range estimates between the mobile communication device and other communication devices in the sub-group currently associated with the mobile communication device, the range estimates based on a combination of the transmit identification datum and the receive count stamps; and
wherein at least one of the range estimates is a mobile device range estimate between the mobile device and a second communication device that the mobile communication device is newly associated with in one of the sub-groups, and the mobile device range estimate is computed as a function of count stamps previously communicated between the mobile device and other communication devices in the plurality of sub-groups. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification