Proximity detection

• US 9,300,419 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited (Imagination Technologies Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited (Imagination Technologies Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Knowles, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US14/607,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/522, 455 69- 70, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 4/06 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 40/16 based on interference
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method of estimating the proximity of a first device to a second device in a network causes the first device to perform a first measurement in a first period during which a control message broadcasted over the network instructs devices in the network to not transmit during the first period, wherein the second device disregards the control message and transmits a first signal during the first period which is measured by the first device during the first period, and forms a measure of the proximity of the first device to the second device in dependence on a strength of the first signal.

Claims

1. A method of estimating the proximity of a first device to a second device in a network of devices comprising at least the first and second devices, each device in the network being configured to communicate according to a predetermined wireless communications protocol, the method comprising:

analysing at the first device a first control message which according to the communications protocol instructs the first device to perform a first channel quality measurement during a first period of time;

broadcasting a second control message over the network which according to the communications protocol instructs devices connected to the network to not transmit during the first period of time to enable the first channel quality measurement to be performed;

at the second device, disregarding the second control message and transmitting a first signal during at least a portion of the first period of time;

at the first device, performing the first channel quality measurement in response to the first control message during the first period of time; and

forming a measure of the proximity of the first device to the second device in dependence on a strength of the first signal received at the first device during said first channel quality measurement.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

at the second device, sending the first control message, and wherein the second device broadcasts the second control message.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network of devices further comprises a third device, and the method further comprising the step of:

at the third device, sending the first control message.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the step of:

at the third device, sending the second device a transmit-time message, the transmit-time message configured to cause the second device to perform said transmitting step.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission power of the first signal is modulated in a predefined pattern.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said forming step comprises analysing a first report message so as to detect a representation of the predefined pattern, said first report message comprising a histogram indicating received power at the first device.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

at a third device in said network of devices, transmitting a second signal during at least a portion of a second period of time.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second signals are transmitted at substantially the same power.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said forming step comprises comparing the strength of the first signal to the strength of the second signal so as to determine which of the second and third devices is nearest to the first device.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

at the first device, selecting media for playback;

selecting said determined second or third device; and

playing back said selected media at said selected second or third device.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a third control message which according to the communications protocol instructs devices to not transmit during a third period of time; and

at the first device, performing a second channel quality measurement during the third period of time,

wherein said forming step is additionally dependent on the second channel quality measurement.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined wireless communications protocol is a IEEE 802.11 protocol and the first control message comprises a measurement request element as defined by the IEEE 802.11 protocol.

13. A wireless device for estimating the proximity of a first device to a second device in a network of devices comprising at least the first and second devices, each device in the network being configured to communicate according to a predetermined wireless communications protocol, the wireless device comprising:

a controller configured to generate a first control message which according to the communications protocol instructs the second device to perform a first channel quality measurement during a first period of time;

a transceiver configured to broadcast a second control message over the network which according to the communications protocol instructs devices connected to the network to not transmit during the first period of time to enable the first channel quality measurement to be performed,

the controller being further configured to cause the first device to disregard said instruction and transmit a first signal during at least a portion of the first period of time; and

a proximity estimator configured to form a measure of the proximity of the first device to the second device in dependence on a strength of the first signal received at the second device.

14. A wireless device as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the controller is configured to generate a transmit-time message; and

the transceiver is configured to send the transmit-time message to the first device so as to cause the first device to disregard said instruction and transmit the first signal.

15. A method of estimating the proximity of a first device to a second device in a network of devices comprising at least the first and second devices, each device in the network being configured to communicate according to a predetermined wireless communications protocol, the method comprising:

selecting a first channel for performing a first channel quality measurement, the first channel being a channel that is not in use by the network of devices;

receiving at the first device a first control message which according to the communications protocol instructs the first device to perform the first channel quality measurement on the first channel during a first period of time;

at the second device, transmitting a first signal on the first channel during at least a portion of the first period of time;

at the first device, performing the first channel quality measurement in response to the first control message during the first period of time; and

forming a measure of the proximity of the first device to the second device in dependence on a strength of the first signal received at the first device.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of maintaining a connection between the first and second device on a second channel during at least a portion of the first time period.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the network of devices comprises a third device, and the method further comprising the steps of:

at the third device, sending the first control message;

at the third device, sending the second device a transmit-time message, the transmit-time message configured to cause the second device to perform said transmitting step.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of:

at the second device, prior to said transmitting step, disabling a connection between the second device and the first device, said connection being over a second channel.

19. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the network of devices comprises a fourth device, the method further comprising the step of maintaining a connection between the third and fourth device on a second channel during at least a portion of the first time period.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed cause at least one processor to:

instruct a first device in a network of devices to perform a first channel quality measurement during a first period of time;

broadcast a control message over the network which according to a communications protocol instructs devices connected to the network to not transmit during the first period of time to enable the first channel quality measurement to be performed;

cause a second device to disregard the second control message and to transmit a first signal during at least a portion of the first period of time;

cause said first device to perform the first channel quality measurement during the first period of time; and

form a measure of the proximity of the first device to the second device in dependence on a strength of the first signal received at the first device during said first channel quality measurement.