Signal handling

• US 9,736,639 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Toivanen, Timo Juhani, Kerai, Kanji, Saari, Jarmo Ilkka
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Jung-Jen
• Application Number:
  US14/762,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/225 Calculation of statistics, e.g. average, variance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A second device (12) comprises: a transmitter configured to transmit a first signal to a first device (11); a receiver configured to receive a second signal that has been transmitted by the first device (11); a demodulator configured to demodulate a second message from the second signal, the second message including an indication of signal strength of the first signal as measured by the first device (11); a signal strength measuring module configured to measure signal strength of the received second signal; and a calculator configured to use the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device (12) to calculate a measure of the distance between the first and second devices (11, 12).

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising a second device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first signal to a first device;

a receiver configured to receive a second signal that has been transmitted by the first device;

a demodulator configured to demodulate a second message from the second signal, the second message including an indication of signal strength of the first signal as measured by the first device;

a signal strength measuring module configured to measure signal strength of the received second signal; and

a calculator configured to use the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate a measure of the distance between the first and second devices,

wherein the second device is configured to;

measure signal strengths of plural received second signals;

demodulate plural second messages from the plural received second signals; and

use plural indications of measured signal strength included in the second messages and the plural signal strengths of the second signals as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices;

and wherein the second device is configured to average the plural signal strengths measured by the second device and the plural indications of measured signal strength received from the first device and use the average to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second signal has been transmitted at a fixed power level by the first device, and wherein the second device is configured to transmit the first signal, and further wherein the second device transmits the first signal at the fixed power level.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to send a control message instructing the first device to enter a signal strength provision mode.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to:

determine whether an address included in the second message relates to a connection between the first device and the second device; and

use the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices only on a positive determination.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first message and the second message include a same access address.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to use the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices by averaging the measured signal strengths and calculating the distance from the averaged signal strength measurements.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to average the plural signal strengths measured by the second device and using the average to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to average the plural indications of measured signal strength received from the first device and using the average to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is a mobile phone, smart phone, tablet computer, or laptop computer.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is a master.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is a Bluetooth Low Energy device.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a second device, a first signal to a first device;

receiving, at the second device, a second signal that has been transmitted by the first device;

demodulating, at the second device, a second message from the second signal, the second message including an indication of signal strength of the first signal as measured by the first device;

measuring, at the second device, signal strength of the received second signal; and

using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate a measure of the distance between the first and second devices,

wherein using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices further comprises averaging the measured signal strengths and calculating the distance from the averaged signal strength measurements.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second signal is transmitted at a fixed power level by the first device, and wherein the first signal is transmitted at a fixed power level by the second device.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising sending, by the second device, a control message instructing the first device to enter a signal strength provision mode.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether an address included in the second message relates to a connection between the first device and the second device; and

using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices only on a positive determination.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

measuring, at the second device, signal strengths of plural received second signals;

demodulating, at the second device, plural second messages from the plural received second signals; and

using plural indications of measured signal strength included in the second messages and the plural signal strengths of the second signals as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable program code stored thereon, which when executed by a processor, causes an apparatus to perform:

transmitting a first signal to a first device;

receiving a second signal that has been transmitted by the first device;

demodulating a second message from the second signal, the second message including an indication of signal strength of the first signal as measured by the first device;

measuring signal strength of the received second signal; and

using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the apparatus to calculate a measure of the distance between the apparatus and the first device,

wherein using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices further comprises averaging the measured signal strengths and calculating the distance from the averaged signal strength measurements.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium has computer executable program code stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform:

sending, by the second device, a control message instructing the first device to enter a signal strength provision mode.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium has computer executable program code stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform:

determining whether an address included in the second message relates to a connection between the first device and the second device; and

using the indication of the measured signal strength included in the second message and the signal strength of the second signal as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices only on a positive determination.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium has computer executable program code stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform:

measuring, at the second device, signal strengths of plural received second signals;

demodulating, at the second device, plural second messages from the plural received second signals; and

using plural indications of measured signal strength included in the second messages and the plural signal strengths of the second signals as measured by the second device to calculate the measure of the distance between the first and second devices.