Determining a location of a mobile device using a location database

• US 8,700,060 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US13/493,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20130165142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455436-439, 370/331, 370/332
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for determining a location of a mobile device using a location database are described. The mobile device can host the location database, which can store locations associated with access points. The locations can be distributed in a group of cells of a geographic grid. When the mobile device moves and connects to an access point associated with a location that is outside the group of cells, the mobile device can request an update of the location database. The mobile device can calculate a current location of the mobile device using current access points that are within a communication range of the mobile device by performing a lookup in the location database using identifiers of the current access points. The mobile device can calculate the current location using the locations corresponding to the current access points in the location database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a server and from a mobile device, a request for updating a remote location database stored on the mobile device, the request including an identifier of a first wireless access point;

identifying, from a server location database, a center cell, the server location database storing a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to a geographic grid and one or more access point locations, each access point location being associated with a wireless access point that is estimated to be located inside the corresponding geographic grid, the center cell being one of the cells that includes an access point location associated with the identifier of the first wireless access point;

determining, from the plurality of cells, one or more neighbor cells, each neighbor cell neighboring the center cell, a group of the center cell and the one or more neighbor cells covering a predetermined geographic area;

determining a set of one or more second wireless access points, each second wireless point being associated with an access point location that is estimated to be located in the center cell or the one or more neighbor cells; and

providing, by the server and to the mobile device as a response to the request, an identifier of each second wireless access point and a corresponding access point location of the second wireless access point for updating the remote location database, wherein the server comprises one or more computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each geographic grid is a rectangular area each side of which is less than fifty (50) meters; and

the pre-determined geographic area is an area between one square kilometers to two square kilometers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each geographic grid is a three-dimensional space having a length, a width, and a height.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each access point location is determined using location coordinates received from a plurality of mobile device located within communication range of the corresponding wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each wireless access point is associated with different access point locations at different hours of a day, the different access point locations corresponding to different usage patterns of the wireless access point, wherein the different access point locations represent different probabilities of where a wireless device that detects the corresponding wireless access point is located in the different hours of the day.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the identifier and the access point location occurs after the mobile device has moved out of a previously identified center cell and previously identified neighbor cells.

7. A system, comprising:

a server comprising one or more computers;

a non-transitory storage device storing instructions operable to cause the server to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device, a request for updating a remote location database stored on the mobile device, the request including an identifier of a first wireless access point;

identifying, from a server location database, a center cell, the server location database storing a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to a geographic grid and one or more access point locations, each access point location being associated with a wireless access point that is estimated to be located inside the corresponding geographic grid, the center cell being one of the cells that includes an access point location associated with the identifier of the first wireless access point;

determining, from the plurality of cells, one or more neighbor cells, each neighbor cell neighboring the center cell, a group of the center cell and the one or more neighbor cells covering a predetermined geographic area;

determining a set of one or more second wireless access points, each second wireless point being associated with an access point location that is estimated to be located in the center cell or the one or more neighbor cells; and

providing, to the mobile device as a response to the request, an identifier of each second wireless access point and a corresponding access point location of the second wireless access point for updating the remote location database.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

each geographic grid is a rectangular area each side of which is less than fifty (50) meters; and

the pre-determined geographic area is an area between one square kilometers to two square kilometers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each geographic grid is a three-dimensional space having a length, a width, and a height.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each access point location is determined using location coordinates received from a plurality of mobile device located within communication range of the corresponding wireless access point.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each wireless access point is associated with different access point locations at different hours of a day, the different access point locations corresponding to different usage patterns of the wireless access point, wherein the different access point locations represent different probabilities of where a wireless device that detects the corresponding wireless access point is located in the different hours of the day.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein providing the identifier and the access point location occurs after the mobile device has moved out of a previously identified center cell and previously identified neighbor cells.

13. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions operable to cause a server to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, a request for updating a remote location database stored on the mobile device, the request including an identifier of a first wireless access point;

identifying, from a server location database, a center cell, the server location database storing a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to a geographic grid and one or more access point locations, each access point location being associated with a wireless access point that is estimated to be located inside the corresponding geographic grid, the center cell being one of the cells that includes an access point location associated with the identifier of the first wireless access point;

determining, from the plurality of cells, one or more neighbor cells, each neighbor cell neighboring the center cell, a group of the center cell and the one or more neighbor cells covering a predetermined geographic area;

determining a set of one or more second wireless access points, each second wireless point being associated with an access point location that is estimated to be located in the center cell or the one or more neighbor cells; and

providing, to the mobile device as a response to the request, an identifier of each second wireless access point and a corresponding access point location of the second wireless access point for updating the remote location database.

14. The non-transitory storage device of claim 13, wherein:

each geographic grid is a rectangular area each side of which is less than fifty (50) meters; and

the pre-determined geographic area is an area between one square kilometers to two square kilometers.

15. The non-transitory storage device of claim 13, wherein each geographic grid is a three-dimensional space having a length, a width, and a height.

16. The non-transitory storage device of claim 13, wherein each access point location is determined using location coordinates received from a plurality of mobile device located within communication range of the corresponding wireless access point.

17. The non-transitory storage device of claim 13, wherein each wireless access point is associated with different access point locations at different hours of a day, the different access point locations corresponding to different usage patterns of the wireless access point, wherein the different access point locations represent different probabilities of where a wireless device that detects the corresponding wireless access point is located in the different hours of the day.

18. The non-transitory storage device of claim 13, wherein providing the identifier and the access point location occurs after the mobile device has moved out of a previously identified center cell and previously identified neighbor cells.