Device proximity

• US 9,842,202 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jarvis, Murray Robert, Graube, Nicolas Guy Albert, Heydon, Robin, Jones, Nicholas John, Huntingford, David, Tyson, Hugo Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIDAL CARPIO, MARIELA
• Application Number:
  US14/505,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 : Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling 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 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 : using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of determining the proximity of a first device to a second device, the method comprising, at the second device: receiving a first packet having a first payload and a first lifetime value, the first lifetime value being such so as to cause a device receiving the first packet to not retransmit the first payload; and generating, in dependence on the first packet, a second packet having a second payload and a second lifetime value, the second payload being indicative of the proximity of the first device to the second device and the second lifetime value being such as to cause a device receiving the second packet to retransmit the second payload.

Claims

1. A method of determining a proximity of a first device to a second device, the method comprising:

receiving at the second device from the first device a first packet including a first payload and a first lifetime value, the first lifetime value to prevent the second device from retransmitting the first payload; and

generating, based at least in part on the first packet, a second packet including a second payload and a second lifetime value, wherein;

the second payload including a first signal strength value indicating the proximity of the first device to the second device and a group identifier indicating a region associated with the second device;

the second lifetime value to enable a third device receiving the second packet to retransmit the second payload; and

the second packet is generated in response to a determination that the first signal strength value is less than a predetermined threshold and a determination that the second device has not received a packet from another device indicating a proximity of the first device to the other device within a predetermined duration of time after receiving the first packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second payload includes an identifier for the first device and an identifier for the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the second device, a third packet to enable one or more other devices to perform an action based at least in part on the first signal strength value.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

at a fourth device, receiving the first packet and the third packet; and

disregarding the third packet based at least in part on the first packet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

at the fourth device, transmitting a fourth packet including a message indicating that the third packet has been disregarded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the second device, a third packet including a third payload and a third lifetime value based at least in part on the first packet, the third payload including a second signal strength value indicating a proximity of the first device to a fourth device and the third lifetime value enabling another device receiving the third packet to retransmit the third payload; and

comparing the second signal strength value with the first signal strength value.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a fourth packet based at least in part on the comparison of the first signal strength value to the second signal strength value, the fourth packet comprising a payload enabling another device to perform a first action.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing a second action based at least in part on the comparison of the first signal strength value to the second signal strength value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at a fourth device, the first packet comprising an identifier for the first device; and

generating a third packet in response to a determination that the fourth device receives the second packet, the third packet including a third payload and a third lifetime value based at least in part on the first packet, the third payload including a second signal strength value indicating a proximity of the first device to the fourth device and the third lifetime value to enable a device receiving the third packet to retransmit the third payload.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one of the group consisting of a signal round-trip time, a signal arrival time, a signal quality, and signal error associated with the first packet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices communicate via a mesh network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices operate in accordance with a wireless communications protocol that defines a broadcast packet type.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a first broadcast packet of the broadcast packet type, the first broadcast packet comprising the first packet; and

broadcasting a second broadcast packet of the broadcast packet type, the second broadcast packet comprising the second packet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth low energy protocol.

15. A wireless communication device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive, from a first device, a first packet including a first payload and a first lifetime value, the first lifetime value configured to prevent the wireless communication device from retransmitting the first payload; and

a processor configured to process the first packet and generate, based at least in part on the first packet, a second packet including a second payload and a second lifetime value, the second payload including a signal strength value to indicate a proximity of the first device to the wireless communication device, a group identifier to indicate a region associated with the wireless communication device, and the second lifetime value configured to enable a third device receiving the second packet to retransmit the second payload,

wherein the processor is further configured to generate the second packet in response to a determination that the signal strength value is less than a predetermined threshold and a determination that the wireless communication device has not received a packet from another device indicating a proximity of the first device to the other device within a predetermined duration of time after receiving the first packet.

16. A communications system comprising:

a first device configured to transmit a first packet including a first payload and a first lifetime value, the first lifetime value configured to prevent a second device receiving the first packet from retransmitting the first payload, and

a second device configured to receive the first packet and generate, based at least in part on the first packet, a second packet including a second payload and a second lifetime value, the second payload including a signal strength value to indicate a proximity of the first device to the second device, a group identifier indicating a region associated with the second device, and the second lifetime value configured to enable a third device receiving the second packet to retransmit the second payload,

wherein the second device is further configured to generate the second packet in response to a determination that the signal strength value is less than a predetermined threshold level and a determination that the second device has not received a packet from another device indicating a proximity of the first device to the other device within a predetermined duration of time after receiving the first packet.

17. The communications system of claim 16, comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes within a predetermined area configured to form a mesh network, each wireless node associated with a region within the predetermined area, wherein;

the second device is a first wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes; and

a second wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes is configured to receive the second packet and perform an action based at least in part on the second packet and the region associated with the second wireless node.

18. The communication system of claim 17 comprising:

a management device configured to communicate in the mesh network, the management device configured to generate a third packet including a payload configured to enable devices associated with a particular region to perform a particular action.