Use of RF signatures to detect moved wireless transmitters

• US 9,439,168 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rowitch, Douglas Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US14/284,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04B 17/0082 using service channels; using auxiliary channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Location-independent approaches are provided for determining, using a mobile device, whether a wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location. An example method includes obtaining at least a portion of a reference radio frequency (RF) signature database; measuring signals from a plurality of wireless transmitters proximate to the mobile device; identifying a candidate wireless transmitter; deriving an observed radio frequency (RF) signature for the candidate wireless transmitter from signals from at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter; determining whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to a reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter; and generating an indicator that the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved responsive to the candidate wireless transmitter having been moved.

Claims

1. A method for identifying, using a mobile device, that a wireless transmitter has been moved, the method comprising:

measuring, at the mobile device, signals from a plurality of wireless transmitters proximate to the mobile device;

identifying, at the mobile device, a candidate wireless transmitter from the plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein identifying the candidate wireless transmitter comprises determining whether a wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters is a mobile wireless access point by determining whether the wireless transmitter has moved more than a predetermined number of times over a predetermined period of time, and identifying the wireless transmitter as the candidate wireless transmitter responsive to the wireless transmitter not being a mobile wireless access point;

obtaining, at the mobile device, a reference radio frequency (RF) signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter, the reference RF signature comprising location-independent information associated with the candidate wireless transmitter;

deriving, at the mobile device, an observed radio frequency (RF) signature for the candidate wireless transmitter from the measured signals of at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter;

determining, at the mobile device, whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter; and

generating, at the mobile device, an indicator indicative of whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the reference RF signature further comprises:

receiving, at the mobile device, the reference RF signature from a location server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the reference RF signature further comprises:

accessing the reference RF signature in a memory of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the indicator to a location server responsive to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprises:

comparing at least one identifier associated with at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter with at least one identifier of at least one wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference RF signature and the observed RF signature are derived based on at least one of a received signal strength or measured path loss associated with the at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprises:

comparing a first distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature at which the reference RF signature was generated with a second distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the observed RF signature at which the observed RF signature was generated.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a weight associated with the candidate wireless transmitter in response to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved, the weight indicative of a reliability of a location associated with the candidate wireless transmitter.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a new position of the candidate wireless transmitter at the mobile device responsive to the indicator that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

10. An apparatus for identifying, using a mobile device, that a wireless transmitter has been moved, the apparatus comprising a memory and a processor, the apparatus further comprising:

means for measuring signals, at the mobile device, from a plurality of wireless transmitters proximate to the mobile device;

means for identifying, at the mobile device, a candidate wireless transmitter from the plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein the means for identifying the candidate wireless transmitter comprises means for determining whether a wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters is a mobile wireless access point by determining whether the wireless transmitter has moved more than a predetermined number of times over a predetermined period of time and means for identifying the wireless transmitter as the candidate wireless transmitter responsive to the wireless transmitter not being a mobile wireless access point;

means for obtaining, at the mobile device, a reference radio frequency (RF) signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter, the reference RF signature comprising location-independent information associated with the candidate wireless transmitter;

means for deriving, at the mobile device, an observed radio frequency (RF) signature for the candidate wireless transmitter from the measured signals of at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter;

means for determining, at the mobile device, whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter; and

means for generating, at the mobile device, an indicator indicative of whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the mobile device, the reference RF signature from a location server.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for obtaining the reference RF signature further comprises:

means for accessing the reference RF signature in a memory of the mobile device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for sending the indicator to a location server responsive to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for determining whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprises:

means for comparing at least one identifier associated with at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter with at least one identifier of at least one wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for determining whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprises:

means for comparing a first distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature at which the reference RF signature was generated with a second distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the observed RF signature at which the observed RF signature was generated.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for adjusting a weight associated with the candidate wireless transmitter in response to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved, the weight indicative of a reliability of a location associated with the candidate wireless transmitter.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for determining a new position of the candidate wireless transmitter at the mobile device responsive to the indicator that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

18. A mobile device for identifying that a wireless transmitter has been moved, the mobile device comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory;

a plurality of modules comprising processor executable code stored in the memory;

a processor connected to the memory and configured to access the plurality of modules stored in the memory; and

a radio frequency (RF) signature module configured to

measure signals from a plurality of wireless transmitters proximate to the mobile device;

identify a candidate wireless transmitter from the plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein the RF signature module is configured to determine whether a wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters is a mobile wireless access point by determining whether the wireless transmitter has moved more than a predetermined number of times over a predetermined period of time, and identify the wireless transmitter as the candidate wireless transmitter responsive to the wireless transmitter not being a mobile wireless access point;

obtain a reference radio frequency (RF) signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter, the reference RF signature comprising location-independent information associated with the candidate wireless transmitter;

derive an observed radio frequency (RF) signature for the candidate wireless transmitter from the measured signals of at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter;

determine whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter; and

generate an indicator indicative of whether the candidate wireless transmitter.

19. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the RF signature module is configured to receive the reference RF signature from a location server.

20. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the RF signature module is configured to access the reference RF signature in a memory of the mobile device.

21. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the RF signature module is further configured to:

send the indicator to a location server responsive to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

22. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the RF signature module being configured to determine whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location is further configured to:

compare at least one identifier associated with at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter with at least one identifier of at least one wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature.

23. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the reference RF signature and the observed RF signature are derived based on at least one of a received signal strength or measured path loss associated with the at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters.

24. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the RF signature module being configured to determine whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter is further configured to:

compare a first distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature at which the reference RF signature was generated with a second distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the observed RF signature at which the observed RF signature was generated.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon computer-readable instructions for identifying, using a mobile device, that a wireless transmitter has been moved, comprising instructions configured to cause at least one processor to:

measure, at the mobile device, signals from a plurality of wireless transmitters proximate to the mobile device;

identify, at the mobile device, a candidate wireless transmitter from the plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein the instructions configured to cause the computer to identify the candidate wireless transmitter comprise instructions configured to cause the computer to determine whether a wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters is a mobile wireless access point by determining whether the wireless transmitter has moved more than a predetermined number of times over a predetermined period of time, and to identify the wireless transmitter as the candidate wireless transmitter responsive to the wireless transmitter not being a mobile wireless access point;

obtain, at the mobile device, a reference radio frequency (RF) signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter, the reference RF signature comprising location-independent information associated with the candidate wireless transmitter;

derive, at the mobile device, an observed radio frequency (RF) signature for the candidate wireless transmitter from the measured signals of at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter;

determine, at the mobile device, whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to a new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter; and

generate, at the mobile device, an indicator indicative of whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to obtain the reference RF signature further comprise instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to:

receive the reference RF signature from a location server.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to obtain the reference RF signature further comprise instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to:

access the reference RF signature in a memory of the mobile device.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to:

send the indicator to a location server responsive to the indicator indicating that the candidate wireless transmitter has moved.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein the instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to determine whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprise instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to:

compare at least one identifier associated with at least one wireless transmitter of the plurality of wireless transmitters other than the candidate wireless transmitter with at least one identifier of at least one wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein the instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to determine whether the candidate wireless transmitter has been moved to the new location by comparing the observed RF signature for the candidate wireless transmitter to the reference RF signature associated with the candidate wireless transmitter further comprise instructions configured to cause the at least one processor to:

compare a first distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the reference RF signature at which the reference RF signature was generated with a second distance from the candidate wireless transmitter associated with the observed RF signature at which the observed RF signature was generated.