Method, system and apparatus for enabling location determination using multiple simultaneous location databases

• US 9,763,044 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Steiner, Itai
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, KENNETH T
• Application Number:
  US14/487,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Examples are disclosed for techniques for a new method of calculating multiple locations of a wireless communication device based on the same or a subset of the same raw data measurements (such as WiFi Time-Of-Flight/Fine-Time-Measurements or RSSI) and client specific fixed location device locations sources and/or database. Additionally, new APIs and implementation methods to support the new method are disclosed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a radio unit to capture multiple data measurements of multiple wireless communications from multiple fixed location devices; and

a location engine to calculate a first client specific location of the wireless communication apparatus using at least a first portion of the multiple data measurements and first client specific location information of a corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices,

the location engine to calculate a second client specific location of the wireless communication apparatus using at least a second portion of the multiple data measurements and second client specific location information of a corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices;

wherein the first client specific location relates to a first client application associated with the wireless communication device and the second client specific location relates to a second client application associated with the wireless communication apparatus and wherein the first client specific location and the second client specific location are calculated substantially simultaneously.

2. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple data measurements are received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements.

3. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple data measurements are fine timing measurement (FTM) time of flight (TOF) measurements.

4. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multiple fixed location devices is a wireless access point (AP).

5. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multiple wireless communications is a WiFi communication.

6. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location engine performs a single location determination calculation and translates a result into the first client specific location and into the second client specific location.

7. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location engine performs a first location determination calculation using first client specific coordinates of the corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices and a second location determination calculation using second client specific coordinates of the corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices.

8. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory unit to store the first and second client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices.

9. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices corresponds to a local map of the first client.

10. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices corresponds to a local map of the first client and at least one other client.

11. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least first portion of the data measurements and the at least second portion of the data measures are the same data measurements.

12. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least first portion of the data measurements and the at least second portion of the data measures contain some but not all of the same data measurements.

13. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first client specific location information includes first client specific location coordinates and first client specific error estimations.

14. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first client specific location coordinates are to be downloaded from the multiple fixed location devices.

15. A wireless communication device comprising:

a radio unit to capture multiple data measurements of multiple wireless communications from multiple fixed location devices;

a first client to request first client specific location information of the wireless communication device;

a second client to request second client specific location information of the wireless communication device; and

a location engine to calculate the first client specific location using at least a first portion of the multiple data measurements and first client specific location information of a corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices, the location engine to calculate to calculate the second client specific location using at least a second portion of the multiple data measurements and second client specific location information of a corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices;

wherein the first client specific location relates to a first client application associated with the wireless communication device and the second client specific location relates to a second client application associated with the wireless communication apparatus and wherein the first client specific location and the second client specific location are calculated substantially simultaneously.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein at least one of the multiple wireless communications is a WiFi communication.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the location engine performs a single location determination calculation and translates a result into the first client specific location and into the second client specific location.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the location engine performs a first location determination calculation using first client specific coordinates of the corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices and a second location determination calculation using second client specific coordinates of the corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 15, further comprising a memory unit to store the first and second client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the first client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices corresponds to a local map of the first client.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the first client is a mobile web/HTML client and the second client is a native location client with internal map services.

22. A method of wireless communication of a wireless communication device comprising:

measuring multiple radio communications from multiple fixed location devices obtaining multiple data measurements;

receiving a request from a first client for first client specific location information of the wireless communication device;

receiving a request from a second client for second client specific location information of the wireless communication device; and

calculating the first client specific location using at least a first portion of the multiple data measurements and first client specific location information of a corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices and calculating the second client specific location using at least a second portion of the multiple data measurements and second client specific location information of a corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices;

wherein the first client specific location relates to a first client application associated with the wireless communication device and the second client specific location relates to a second client application associated with the wireless communication apparatus and wherein the first client specific location and the second client specific location are calculated substantially simultaneously.

23. The method of wireless communication of claim 22, wherein the calculating comprises performing a single location determination calculation and translating a result into the first client specific location and into the second client specific location.

24. The method of wireless communication of claim 22, wherein the calculating comprises performing a first location determination calculation using first client specific coordinates of the corresponding first portion of the multiple fixed location devices and a second location determination calculation using second client specific coordinates of the corresponding second portion of the multiple fixed location devices.

25. The method of wireless communication of claim 22, further storing the first and second client specific location information of the multiple fixed devices in a memory unit.