Tracking large numbers of wireless terminals

• US 9,398,402 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Bansal, Ankit, Bhattacharya, Tarun Kumar, Feuerstein, Martin, Gordon, Scot Douglas, Martin, Robert Lewis, Spain, David Stevenson Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Justin
• Application Number:
  US13/236,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20130072230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 4555611-5613, 455/562
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for tracking a large number of wireless terminals and for estimating the location of the terminals at each instant. Some embodiments of the present invention use a wide variety of factors to determine the order and frequency with which each wireless terminal is located. These factors include, but are not limited to, the history of the location of the wireless terminal, the time of day, and the weather.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a scheduler that is configured to;

(a) update a priority queue that comprises a priority for each of a plurality of wireless terminals, wherein the scheduler is configured to update the priority queue based on a plurality of factors comprising;

(i) the time of day,

(ii) the weather,

(iii) whether the first wireless terminal is stationary, and

(iv) whether the first wireless terminal is moving slowly; and

(b) determine, based on the priority of a first wireless terminal in the priority queue, a timing of a request to be transmitted for evidence of a location of the first wireless terminal; and

a processor that is configured to;

(a) transmit, based on the timing determined by the scheduler, the request for evidence of the location of the first wireless terminal, to a wireless switching center that orchestrates the provisioning of telecommunications service to the first wireless terminal, such that the first wireless terminal responds by providing signal-strength measurements, and

(b) receive, from a location engine, the location of the first wireless terminal as determined based on the signal-strength measurements;

wherein at every instant the system comprises an estimated location of each wireless terminal in the plurality, including the location of the first wireless terminal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of requests for evidence of location of the first wireless terminal with a frequency that is based at least in part on one or more of:

(i) a history of locations for the first wireless terminal,

(ii) the time of day, and

(iii) the weather;

and further wherein the frequency is based on the timing determined by the scheduler.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of factors further comprises:

(v) a history of locations for the first wireless terminal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of requests for evidence of location of the first wireless terminal with a frequency that is reduced when the first wireless terminal is one of (i) stationary, and (ii) moving slowly.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is a mass tracking system in a wireless telecommunications system.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to estimate, with the degree of confidence that is acceptable, the respective locations of a plurality of wireless terminals, wherein the priority queue comprises a priority for each wireless terminal in the plurality.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the request for evidence of the location of the first wireless terminal is a location services (LCS) paging request.

8. A system comprising:

a scheduler that is configured to;

(i) determine, based on a priority queue, at least one of an order of and a timing of a request to be transmitted for evidence of location of a first wireless terminal, wherein the priority queue comprises a priority for each of a plurality of wireless terminals comprising the first wireless terminal, and

(ii) update the priority queue based on a plurality of factors comprising;

(a) the time of day,

(b) the weather,

(c) whether the first wireless terminal is stationary, and

(d) whether the first wireless terminal is moving slowly; and

a processor that is configured to;

(i) receive a first datum that is evidence of a first location of the first wireless terminal, and

(ii) calculate, after the first datum is received, whether the system can estimate, based on the first datum, a second location of the first wireless terminal with a degree of confidence that is acceptable, and

(iii) based on the priority queue, when the degree of confidence is not acceptable, transmit the request for evidence of the second location of the first wireless terminal as determined by the scheduler, to a wireless switching center that orchestrates the provisioning of telecommunications service to the first wireless terminal, such that the first wireless terminal responds by providing signal-strength measurements, and

(iv) based on the priority queue, when the degree of confidence is acceptable, refrain from transmitting the request.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the system is a mass tracking system in a wireless telecommunications system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to estimate, with the degree of confidence that is acceptable, the respective locations of a plurality of wireless terminals.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of factors further comprises:

(e) a history of locations for the first wireless terminal.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of requests for evidence of location of the first wireless terminal with a frequency that is reduced when the first wireless terminal is one of (i) stationary, and (ii) moving slowly.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the request for evidence of the location of the first wireless terminal is a location services (LCS) paging request.