Techniques for reducing scans for indoor position determination

• US 9,549,386 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Sai Pradeep, Marri Sridhar, Subash, Rowitch, Douglas Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, TANMAY K
• Application Number:
  US14/630,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20160249315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Techniques for determining the position of a mobile device using almanac data are provided as are techniques for providing almanac data to the mobile device from a location server. The almanac data can be provided to the mobile device based on coarse location information provided by the mobile device. The almanac data can include information Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of one or more wireless access points and most recently used channel identification. The almanac data can also be binned by location by the location server and a subset of the almanac data can be selected to be provided to the mobile device based on the coarse location of the mobile device and on positioning effectiveness criteria associated with the wireless access points included in the almanac data.

Claims

1. A method for determining a position of a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining a coarse location information for the mobile device;

sending the coarse location information for the mobile device to a location server;

receiving, from the location server, almanac data responsive to the coarse location information, the almanac data comprising Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of one or more wireless access points and a recently used channel identification;

selecting a set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data;

measuring signals received from the set of selected wireless access points;

determining the position of the mobile device based at least in part on the signals measured;

identifying a subset of wireless access points from the set of wireless access points from which the mobile device was able to measure the signals;

identifying active channels associated with the subset of wireless access points on which the subset of wireless access points were transmitting at a time that the signals were measured; and

sending identifiers associated with the subset of wireless access points and active channels to the location server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recently used channel identification comprises a channel number, a channel frequency, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the almanac data further comprises MAC addresses and associated channel identification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the almanac data further comprises transceiver reliability metrics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transceiver reliability metrics comprise RSSI reliability metrics.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the transceiver reliability metrics comprise RTT reliability metrics.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data comprises selecting wireless access points operating on a same channel.

8. A method for determining a position of a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining a coarse location information for the mobile device;

sending the coarse location information for the mobile device to a location server;

receiving, from the location server, almanac data responsive to the coarse location information, the almanac data comprising Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of one or more wireless access points and a recently used channel identification;

selecting a set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data;

determining a power status of the mobile device indicating whether power consumption of the mobile device is currently constrained;

performing the following responsive to the power status of the mobile device currently being unconstrained;

performing a scan for wireless access points proximate to the mobile device;

measuring signals received from the wireless access points detected during the scan; and

determining the position of the mobile device based at least in part on the signals measured from the wireless access points detected during the scan.

9. A mobile device for determining a position of the mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory;

a processor connected to the tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory and configured to;

determine a coarse location information for the mobile device; and

a transceiver configured to send the coarse location information for the mobile device to a location server and to receive, from the location server, almanac data responsive to the coarse location information, the almanac data comprising Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of one or more wireless access points and a recently used channel identification,

the processor being further configured to select a set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data,

the transceiver being further configured to measure signals received from the set of selected wireless access points,

the processor being further configured to;

determine the position of the mobile device based at least in part on the signals measured,

identify a subset of wireless access points from the set of wireless access points from which the mobile device was able to measure the signals,

identify active channels associated with the subset of wireless access points on which the subset of wireless access points were transmitting at a time that the signals received from the set of selected wireless access points were measured, and

send identifiers associated with the subset of wireless access points and active channels to the location server.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the recently used channel identification comprises a channel number, a channel frequency, or a combination thereof.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the almanac data further comprises MAC addresses and associated channel identification.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the almanac data further comprises transceiver reliability metrics.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the transceiver reliability metrics comprise RSSI reliability metrics.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the transceiver reliability metrics comprise RTT reliability metrics.

15. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the processor being configured to select the set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data is further configured to select wireless access points operating on a same channel.

16. A mobile device for determining a position of the mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory;

a processor connected to the tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory and configured to;

determine a coarse location information for the mobile device; and

a transceiver configured to send the coarse location information for the mobile device to a location server and to receive, from the location server, almanac data responsive to the coarse location information, the almanac data comprising Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of one or more wireless access points and a recently used channel identification,

the processor being further configured to select a set of wireless access points proximate to the mobile device from the almanac data,

determine a power status of the mobile device and perform the following responsive to the power status of the mobile device exceeding a predetermined threshold;

perform a scan for wireless access points proximate to the mobile device;

measure signals received from the wireless access points detected during the scan; and

determine the position of the mobile device based at least in part on the signals measured from the wireless access points detected during the scan.