Method, apparatus, and computer program product for location determination using WiFi

• US 9,629,117 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bajko, Gabor
• Primary Examiner(s): Manoharan, Muthuswamy
• Application Number:
  US14/574,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 370252, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for wireless position determination. According to an example embodiment, location determination of a mobile device may be performed by network elements using RSSI and/or RCPI of a mobile device measured beacon from each of a plurality of access point devices. Location determination of a mobile device may be performed by network elements using WiFi Timing Measurement Action Frames to enable receiving the location of the mobile device, derived from flight times of respective signals over a plurality of the signal paths for a plurality of access point devices connected in a common network. Location determination may be performed by a mobile device using WiFi Timing Measurement Request Frames to enable receiving the location of the mobile device, derived from flight times of signal paths for a plurality of access point devices that are not connected in a common network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

while a connection exists between a mobile device and an access point;

receiving, by the access point, a request from the mobile device, to identify the location of the mobile device;

transmitting, by the access point, a response message requesting the mobile device to repeat the request after a comeback delay that is specified in the response message;

transmitting, by the access point, a beacon measurement request to the mobile device, requesting the mobile device to perform a scan and report a beacon measurement back to the access point, the beacon measurement request indicating a measurement time shorter than the comeback delay;

receiving, by the access point, a beacon measurement report message from the mobile device, including at least a first measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or a received channel power indication of beacons received by the mobile device from the access point and at least a second measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or a received channel power indication of beacons received by the mobile device from at least one other access point within range of the mobile device;

estimating, by the access point, before expiration of the comeback delay, the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message and based on known approximate footprints of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message,

receiving, by the access point, at a time corresponding to expiration of the comeback delay, a subsequent request from the mobile device, to identify the location of the mobile device, the subsequent request; and

transmitting, by the access point, a location estimation message to the mobile device, including an estimation of the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message and based on known approximate footprints of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point and the at least one other access point comprise hotspots that are not operated by the same operator and do not share a common location data base.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimation of the location further based at least on the first and second measurements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimation of the location is performed by the access point or a server connected to the access point.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive a request from a mobile device, to identify a location of the mobile device;

transmit a response message requesting the mobile device to repeat the request after a comeback delay that is specified in the response message;

transmit a beacon measurement request to the mobile device, requesting the mobile device to perform a scan and report a beacon measurement back to the apparatus, the beacon measurement request indicating a measurement time shorter than the comeback delay;

receive a beacon measurement report message from the mobile device, including at least a first measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or a received channel power indication of beacons received by the mobile device from the apparatus and at least one second measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or received channel power indication of beacons received from at least one other access point within range of the mobile device;

estimate before expiration of the comeback delay, the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the apparatus and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message and based on known approximate footprints of the apparatus and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message;

receive, at a time corresponding to expiration of the comeback delay, a subsequent request from the mobile device, to identify the location of the mobile device; and

transmit a location estimation message to the mobile device, including an estimation of the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the apparatus and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement message and based on known approximate footprints of the apparatus and the other access points reported in the beacon measurement message.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the estimation of the location further based at least on the first and second measurements.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the estimation of the location is performed by the apparatus or a server connected to the apparatus.

8. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for receiving, by an access point, a request from a mobile device, to identify a location of the mobile device;

code for transmitting, by the access point, a response message requesting the mobile device to repeat the request after a comeback delay that is specified in the response message;

code for transmitting, by the access point, a beacon measurement request to the mobile device, requesting the mobile device to perform a scan and report back a beacon measurement to the access point, the measurement request indicating a measurement time shorter than the comeback delay;

code for receiving, by the access point, a beacon measurement report message from the mobile device, including at least a first measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or a received channel power indication of beacons received by the mobile device from the access point and at least one second measurement of at least one of a received signal strength indication or a received channel power indication of beacons received from other access points within range of the mobile device;

code for estimating by the access point, before expiration of the comeback delay, the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message and based on known approximate footprints of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message;

code for receiving, at a time corresponding to expiration of the comeback delay, by the access point, a subsequent request from the mobile device, to identify the location of the mobile device; and

code for transmitting, by the access point, a location estimation message to the mobile device, including an estimation of the location of the mobile device, based on known locations of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message and based on known approximate footprints of the access point and the at least one other access point reported in the beacon measurement report message.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the code is executed only while a connection exists between the mobile device and the access point.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the estimation of the location further based at least on the first and second measurements.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

code for estimating the location of the mobile device by the access point or code for receiving the estimation of the location of the mobile device from a server connected to the access point.