System and method for accurately sensing user location in an IoT system

• US 10,045,150 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Inventors: Zakaria, Omar
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Madani, Farideh
• Application Number:
  US14/673,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method are described for accurately detecting a location of a wireless device. For example, one embodiment of a method comprises: collecting signal strength data indicating signal strength between a wireless device and a plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs in a user'"'"'s home; associating the signal strength data with locations in the user'"'"'s home and storing the association in a location database; and determining a current location of the wireless device by comparing the signal strength data in the database with current signal strength data indicating current signal strength between the wireless device and the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a system calibration module to collect signal strength data indicating signal strength between a wireless device and a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and/or IoT hubs within a user'"'"'s home or business, the system calibration module to associate the signal strength data with locations in the user'"'"'s home or business and store the association in a location database;

a signal strength analysis module to determine a current location of the wireless device by comparing the signal strength data in the location database with current signal strength data indicating current signal strength between the wireless device and one or more of the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs; and

a calibration app installed on the wireless device, the calibration app to communicate with the system calibration module when collecting the signal strength data, the calibration app to instruct the user

     1) to move to different rooms and/or different positions within each room in the user'"'"'s home or business and

     2) to provide an indication to the calibration app when the user has arrived at each of the different rooms and/or different positions within each rooms.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the calibration app is to transmit current signal strength data between the wireless device and each of the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs upon providing the indication.

3. The system as in claim 1 further comprising:

an IoT hub on which the system calibration module and signal strength analysis module are executed.

4. The system as in claim 1 wherein the location database comprises an identity of each location and a plurality of signal strength values associated with each location.

5. The system as in claim 4 wherein the plurality of signal strength values comprise received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values measured between the wireless device and the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs at each location.

6. The system as in claim 5 wherein the signal strength analysis module is to receive a current set of signal strength values and compare those values with the signal strength data in the location database to determine the current location of the wireless device.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein the signal strength analysis module is to determine that the wireless device is in a particular location if the current signal strength values are within a specified range of the signal strength values specified in the location database.

8. The system as in claim 7 wherein the signal strength analysis module is to transmit one or more IoT device commands to control IoT devices responsive to the determination that the wireless device is in the particular location.

9. The system as in claim 8 wherein upon determining that the wireless device is in a particular room, the signal strength analysis module is to responsively turn on audio speakers in the room and/or turn on lights in the room.

10. The system as in claim 9 wherein upon determining that the wireless device is in the particular room, the signal strength analysis module is to responsively turn off audio speakers in another room and/or turn off lights in the another room.

11. The system as in claim 1 wherein the signal strength analysis module is to perform triangulation techniques to determine the current location of the wireless device.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein the triangulation techniques comprise measuring signal strength values between the wireless device and an IoT hub, the wireless device and an IoT device, and signal strength between the IoT device and the IoT hub.

13. The system as in claim 1 wherein the signal strength data are collected by the wireless device and transmitted to a first IoT hub.

14. The system as in claim 13 wherein the signal strength data are collected for wireless communication channels using a short distance wireless communication standard and wherein the signal strength data are transmitted from the wireless device to the first IoT hub using a different wireless communication standard.

15. The system as in claim 14 wherein the short distance wireless communication standard comprises Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) and the different wireless communication standard comprises a Wifi standard.

16. A method comprising:

collecting signal strength data indicating signal strength between a wireless device and a plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs within a user'"'"'s home or business, wherein collecting signal strength data further comprises a calibration app on the wireless device communicating with the IoT hub, the calibration app to instruct the user

     1) to move to different rooms and/or different positions within each room in the user'"'"'s home or business and

     2) to provide an indication to the calibration app when the user has arrived at each of the different rooms and/or different positions within each rooms;

associating the signal strength data with locations in the user'"'"'s home or business and storing the association in a location database; and

determining a current location of the wireless device within the home or business by comparing the signal strength data in the location database with current signal strength data indicating current signal strength between the wireless device and the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein the calibration app is to transmit current signal strength data between the wireless device and each of the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs upon providing the indication.

18. The method as in claim 16 wherein the location database comprises an identity of each location and a plurality of signal strength values associated with each location.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein the plurality of signal strength values comprise received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values measured between the wireless device and the plurality of IoT devices and/or IoT hubs at each location.

20. The method as in claim 19 wherein determining a current location further comprises receiving a current set of signal strength values and comparing those values with the signal strength data in the location database to determine the current location of the wireless device.

21. The method as in claim 20 wherein determining the current location further comprises determining that the wireless device is in a particular location if the current signal strength values are within a specified range of the signal strength values specified in the location database.

22. The method as in claim 21 further comprising transmitting one or more IoT device commands to control IoT devices responsive to the determination that the wireless device is in the particular location.

23. The method as in claim 22 wherein upon determining that the wireless device is in a particular room, responsively turning on audio speakers in the room and/or turning on lights in the room.

24. The method as in claim 23 wherein upon determining that the wireless device is in the particular room, responsively turning off audio speakers in another room and/or turning off lights in the another room.