Location determining scheme

• US 9,661,465 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyoung-Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US14/758,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method performed under control of a mobile device may include receiving at least one probe response from at least one Wi-Fi access point; determining whether a number of the at least one Wi-Fi access point satisfies a predetermined condition; adjusting a signal transmission power of a probe request, when the determining indicates that the number of the at least one Wi-Fi access point does not satisfy the predetermined condition; and transmitting the probe request with the adjusted signal transmission power.

Claims

1. A method performed under control of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving at least one probe response from at least one Wi-Fi access point;

counting a number of the Wi-Fi access points that transmit the at least one probe response;

determining whether the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within a predetermined range;

responsive to a determination that the counted number is not within the predetermined range;

adjusting a signal transmission power of a probe request, and

transmitting the probe request with the adjusted signal transmission power; and

responsive to a determination that the counted number is within the predetermined range, determining location information of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the probe request or the at least one probe response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the receiving of the at least one probe response, transmitting the probe request with a default signal transmission power.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining location information of the mobile device comprises:

transmitting, to a location estimating server, at least one of signal information regarding the signal transmission power of the probe request or access point information regarding the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining location information of the mobile device further comprises:

receiving, from the location estimating server, the location information of the mobile device that is estimated based at least, in part, on the at least one of the signal information or the access point information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining location information of the mobile device further comprises:

receiving, from the location estimation server, location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point; and

calculating the location information of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the received location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving information regarding the predetermined range from the location estimating server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining location information of the mobile device further comprises:

calculating the location information of the mobile device based at least, in part, on location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point,

wherein the received at least one probe response includes the location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting includes at least one of:

increasing the signal transmission power, when the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is determined to be smaller than the predetermined range; and

decreasing the signal transmission power, when the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is determined to be larger than the predetermined range.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within the predetermined range includes determining whether the counted number is same as a predetermined value, and

wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the signal transmission power of the probe request, when the determination indicates that the counted number is different from the predetermined value.

10. A mobile device, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive at least one probe response from at least one Wi-Fi access point;

a determining unit configured to;

count a number of the Wi-Fi access points that transmit the at least one probe response, and

determine whether the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within a predetermined range;

a signal power adjusting unit configured to, responsive to a determination by the determining unit that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is not within the predetermined range, adjust a signal transmission power of a probe request;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the probe request with the adjusted signal transmission power; and

a location calculating unit configured to, responsive to a determination by the determining unit that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within the predetermined range, determine a location of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the probe request or the at least one probe response.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the probe request with a default signal transmission power before the receiving unit receives the at least one probe response.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising:

an interface unit configured to, responsive to a determination by the determining unit that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within the predetermined range, transmit, to a location estimating server, at least one of signal information regarding the signal transmission power or access point information regarding the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the interface unit is further configured to receive, from the location estimating server, location information of the mobile device that is estimated based at least, in part, on the at least one of the signal information or the access point information, and wherein the location calculating unit is configured to calculate the location of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the received location information of the mobile device.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the interface unit is further configured to receive, from the location estimation server, location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point, and

wherein the location calculating unit is configured to calculate the location of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the received location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

15. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the interface unit is further configured to receive information regarding the predetermined range from the location estimation server.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the location calculating unit is further configured to calculate the location of the mobile device based at least, in part, on location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point, and

wherein the received at least one probe response includes the location information of the at least one Wi-Fi access point.

17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the signal power adjusting unit is further configured to:

increase the signal transmission power, when the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is determined to be smaller than the predetermined range; and

decrease the signal transmission power, when the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is determined to be larger than the predetermined range.

18. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine whether the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is same as a predetermined value, and

wherein the signal power adjusting unit is further configured to adjust the signal transmission power of the probe request, when the determining unit determines that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is different from the predetermined value.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a mobile device to perform operations, comprising:

receiving at least one probe response from at least one Wi-Fi access point;

counting a number of the Wi-Fi access points that transmit the at least one probe response;

determining whether the counted number of the one Wi-Fi access points is within a predetermined range;

responsive to a determination that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is not within the predetermined range;

adjusting a signal transmission power of a probe request; and

transmitting the probe request with the adjusted signal transmission power; and

responsive to a determination that the counted number of the Wi-Fi access points is within the predetermined range, determining location information of the mobile device based at least, in part, on the probe request or the at least one probe response.