Peripheral apparatus, server apparatus and method for determining location of portable apparatus

• US 9,699,602 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Sung Jae, Chang, Yu Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly A
• Application Number:
  US14/751,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 455457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A peripheral device for determining a location of at least one portable device is provided. The peripheral device includes a communication module configured to communicate with at least one portable device and a server device, and a control module configured to obtain a broadcast signal broadcast from the at least one portable device and provide location-related information to the server device configured to determine a location of the portable device, the location-related information including a time at which the broadcast signal is obtained and location information of the peripheral device.

Claims

1. A peripheral device comprising:

a communication module configured to communicate with at least one portable device and at least one server device; and

a controller configured to;

obtain a broadcast signal broadcast from the at least one portable device, and

provide location-related information to the at least one server device configured to determine a location of the at least one portable device, the location-related information comprising a time at which the broadcast signal is obtained and location information of the peripheral device,

wherein the controller selectively receives the broadcast signal as a specific event signal if a protocol header value of the broadcast signal changes after a specific event occurs.

2. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the broadcast signal upon receiving, from the at least one server device, a location determination message for determining the location of the at least one portable device.

3. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the broadcast signal in a case where a header value of the broadcast signal is based on the specific event.

4. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the location-related information comprises unique information of the at least one portable device, an identification information of the peripheral device, the location information of the peripheral device, the time at which the broadcast signal is obtained, and an intensity of the broadcast signal.

5. A method for determining a location of a portable device, the method comprising:

obtaining a broadcast signal broadcast from at least one portable device;

determining time information and location information at a time of the obtaining of the broadcast signal;

generating location-related information comprising the time information and the location information; and

providing the location-related information to at least one server device configured to determine the location of the at least one portable device,

wherein the broadcast signal is received as a specific event signal if a protocol header value of the broadcast signal changes after a specific event occurs.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising obtaining the broadcast signal when a location determination message for determining the location of the at least one portable device is received from the at least one server device, before determining an intensity of the broadcast signal.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising obtaining the broadcast signal when a header value of the broadcast signal is based on the specific event, before determining an intensity of the broadcast signal.

8. A server device comprising:

a communication module configured to communicate with at least one peripheral device; and

a controller configured to;

obtain a broadcast signal broadcast from at least one portable device, and

determine a first location of the at least one portable device according to location-related information generated by the at least one peripheral device on a basis of a broadcast signal broadcast from the at least one portable device,

wherein the broadcast signal is received as a specific event signal if a protocol header value of the broadcast signal changes after a specific event occurs.

9. The server device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit, upon receiving a location determination message for the determining of the first location of the at least one portable device from at least one electronic device, the location determination message to the at least one peripheral device.

10. The server device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a second location of the at least one portable device on a basis of location-related information received from the at least one peripheral device or at least one other peripheral device, and to connect the first and second locations to generate a moving route of the at least one portable device.

11. The server device of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to extract map data including at least one of the first location and the second location to provide the map data to the at least one electronic device that has transmitted the location determination message.

12. The server device of claim 11, wherein a second controller is configured to:

determine the number of pieces of the received location-related information when determining the first location and the second location,

set one location determined from a plurality of pieces of the location-related information as the first location,

set another location as the second location, and

compensate the second location so that the second location has a shortest distance to the first location.

13. The server device of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the moving route of the at least one portable device to the at least one electronic device.

14. A method for determining a location of a portable device, the method comprising:

receiving location-related information generated from at least one peripheral device on a basis of a broadcast signal broadcast from at least one portable device; and

determining a first location of the at least one portable device using the location-related information,

wherein the broadcast signal is received as a specific event signal if a protocol header value of the broadcast signal changes after a specific event occurs.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a location determination message for determining the first location of the at least one portable device from at least one electronic device; and

transmitting the location determination message of the at least one portable device to the at least one peripheral device located within a certain range from the at least one electronic device, before the receiving of the location-related information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a second location of the at least one portable device using the location-related information received from the at least one peripheral device or at least one other peripheral device, after the determining the first location of the at least one portable device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising extracting map data comprising at least one of the first location and the second location to provide the map data to the at least one electronic device, after the determining of the second location.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a number of pieces of the received location-related information when determining the first location and the second location;

setting one location determined from a plurality of pieces of the location-related information as the first location and setting another location as the second location; and

refining the second location so that the second location has a shortest distance to the first location, after the determining of the second location.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

connecting the first location and the second location to generate a moving route of the at least one portable device; and

displaying the generated moving route on map data, after the refining of the second location.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting the moving route of the at least one portable device to the at least one electronic device.