Locating a Mobile Device

• US 20170219680A1
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Un, Edward Ding-Bong, Mu, Hailong, Xu, Zeyong, Zhao, Jun, Wang, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 9,869,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Identifying a location of a mobile device is disclosed (e.g., presuming user consent to the same). One or more received signal strengths (RSSs), comprising a first RSS, may be received by a first access point (AP) from the mobile device. The RSSs may be used to identify a grid area, comprising a first grid space. A signal distance between the first grid space and the first AP may be identified using the first RSS, and combined with a first grid space distance, comprising a known distance between the first grid space and the first AP, to determine a first grid space likelihood score for the first grid space. A second grid space likelihood score may be determined for a second grid space (e.g., and a third, etc.), and the grid space comprising a desired grid space likelihood score (e.g., highest) may be selected as the mobile device location.

Claims

1. A computer based method for identifying a location of a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a query from an application associated with the mobile device to identify the location of the mobile device;

accessing a data store comprising a plurality of mobile device signal reports from a plurality of access points (AP);

retrieving data from the data store based on the query;

identifying a candidate area comprising the location of the mobile device using the retrieved data;

creating grid data for a plurality of grid spaces in the identified candidate area;

determining a grid space likelihood score for each of the plurality of grid spaces based on the grid data and the query; and

identifying the location of the mobile device based on the determined grid space likelihood scores, at least a portion of the method implemented at least in part via a processing unit.

2. A computer-readable medium bearing processor-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing device comprising at least a processor, carry out a method for identifying a location of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a query from an application associated with the mobile device to identify the location of the mobile device;

accessing a data store comprising a plurality of mobile device signal reports from a plurality of access points (AP);

retrieving data from the data store based on the query;

identifying a candidate area comprising the location of the mobile device using the retrieved data;

creating grid data for a plurality of grid spaces in the identified candidate area;

determining a grid space likelihood score for each of the plurality of grid spaces based on the grid data and the query; and

identifying the location of the mobile device based on the determined grid space likelihood scores, at least a portion of the method implemented at least in part via a processing unit.