Geolocation

• US 20160029340A1
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William E. Woodcock IV
• Original Assignee: William E. Woodcock IV
• Inventors: Woodcock, William E. IV
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A method for determining information regarding a location of a target. A signal is sent from a first device to the target, and a total flight time delay is measured. Based on the total flight time delay, a distance of the target from the first device is determined thereby establishing a total possible area for the target location. A medial node with a known location is identified, and a flight time delay from the first device to the medial node is determined thereby permitting a determination of the distance of the target from the medial node and a reduced possible target area. Further reduced areas can be established with iterations of the medial node identification. Refinement can be achieved by automatically applying a probabilistic distribution with geographic regions of reduced confidence and geographic regions of elevated confidence as may be based on physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method for determining information regarding a physical location of a target, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a signal from a first device in a network to the target;

measuring a total flight time delay in the network in response to the signal;

determining, based on the total flight time delay, first information associated with the physical location of the target comprising a maximum distance of the physical location of the target from the first device based at least in part on the total flight time delay multiplied by an actual or presumed flight speed of the signal whereby a total possible area for the physical location of the target is established;

identifying a medial node through which the signal propagated from the first device to the target wherein the medial node has a known location;

determining a flight time delay from the first device to the medial node based at least in part on the known location of the medial node and the actual or presumed flight speed;

determining, based on the known location of the medial node and the total flight time delay, a maximum distance of the target from the medial node based at least in part on the total flight time delay less the flight time delay from the first device to the medial node to establish a medial node flight time delay whereby a reduced possible area for the physical location of the target is established.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying a second medial node through which the signal propagated from the first medial node to the target wherein the second medial node has a known location and further comprising determining, based on the known location of the second medial node, the total flight time delay, and the medial node flight time delay, a maximum distance of the target from the second medial node based on the total flight time delay less the flight time delay from the first device to the medial node and the medial node flight time delay to establish a second medial node flight time delay and a further reduced possible area for the physical location of the target.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring a total flight time delay is responsive to an action by a probe.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of measuring a total flight time delay includes receiving a signal responsive to an action by a probe.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring a total flight time delay includes receiving a second signal from the target.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of measuring a total flight time delay is responsive to a time duration between sending the signal from the first device and receiving a signal from the target.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the time duration is responsive to a distance to the target.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the time duration is responsive to a communication with the target.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the time duration is responsive to a processing time by one or more devices in the network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more devices include the target.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more devices include one or more devices other than the target.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a probabilistic distribution comprising a measure of confidence that the target is less likely to be in one or more identified geographic regions of reduced confidence and a measure of confidence that the target is more likely to be in one or more other geographic regions of elevated confidence.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the probabilistic distribution is interpretable by a computing device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the probabilistic distribution is automatically determined by the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the probabilistic distribution is automatically determined based on one or more of physical terrain, population density, and communication bandwidth.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying an attribute of the target comprising specifying one or more of a measure of bandwidth, a measure of network connectivity, a probability of a designated use, or a probability of authentication, associated with said target.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of sending multiple signals from the first device in the network to the target, measuring flight time delays in the network in response to the signals, determining, based on the flight time delays, the maximum distance of the target from the first device, a most likely distance of the target from the first device, and a probabilistic distribution of most likely distances of the target from the first device, wherein the probabilistic distribution has a value of substantially zero probability at locations beyond the maximum possible distance.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a probabilistic distribution comprising a measure of confidence that the target is less likely to be in one or more identified geographic regions of reduced confidence and a measure of confidence that the target is more likely to be in one or more other geographic regions of elevated confidence and wherein the probabilistic distribution is interpretable by a computing device to identify an area of a surface or a region in a space.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the area of a surface or region in a space includes one or more of a defined surface of possible locations, a defined volume of possible locations, a terrain surface, an at least partially built-up area, an underground environment, or an underwater environment.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the probabilistic distribution is responsive to one or more of a measure of a density of cellular base stations, a measure of distance from a cellular base station, a measure of economic development, a measure of night luminescence, or a measure of population or population density.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the probabilistic distribution is responsive to one or more of census data, land-use data, one or more bodies of water, or topographic boundaries.