Obtaining a geographical position of a mobile device

• US 9,332,384 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Inventors: Bombacino, Vinicio, Lanni, Leonardo, Milanese, Nicola, Pizzutilo, Riccardo, Tortosa, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/503,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20150099535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/41.1, 455/43, 455/404.2, 375/132, 375/134, 375/135, 375/136, 375/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method obtains a geographical position of a mobile device, which comprises a Bluetooth transceiver and a storage unit for storing an offline map. The mobile device establishes Bluetooth capability in order to enable a Bluetooth connection with the mobile device. The mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, requests geographical coordinates using two bits of a Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol. The mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, receives geographical coordinates, and maps the received geographical coordinates to the offline map in order to obtain the geographical position of the mobile device in the offline map.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a geographical position of a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a Bluetooth transceiver and a storage unit for storing an offline map, the method comprising:

establishing in the mobile device, Bluetooth capability to enable a Bluetooth connection with the mobile device;

requesting by the mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, geographical coordinates using two bits of a Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of Bluetooth protocol;

receiving by the mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, geographical coordinates; and

mapping, in the mobile device, the received geographical coordinates to the offline map to obtain the geographical position of the mobile device in the offline map.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said establishing in the mobile device Bluetooth capability to enable the Bluetooth connection comprises:

establishing, in the mobile device, a plurality of Bluetooth connections with the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving, by the mobile device, geographical coordinates comprises:

receiving, by the mobile device, a plurality of geographical coordinates.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

additionally determining, in the mobile device, the geographical position of the mobile device based on the plurality of received geographical coordinates.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said requesting by the mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, geographical coordinates comprises:

waiting, by the mobile device, for a signal for a predetermined time, wherein the signal notifies the mobile device about an availability of requested geographical coordinates using the two bits of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving in the mobile device, via the Bluetooth connection, geographical coordinates comprises:

accepting, by the mobile device, the geographical coordinates only within a predefined amount of time after requesting the geographical coordinates.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two bits of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol are bit 58 and bit 59 out of bits 0 to 143 of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting said requesting for the geographical coordinates of the mobile device by a second mobile device; and

sending geographical coordinates of the second mobile device as a data packet using a Bluetooth transceiver of the second mobile device, wherein two bits of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol are used for signaling an ability of the second mobile device to provide the requested geographical coordinates of the second mobile device.

9. A mobile device comprising:

a Bluetooth transceiver; and

a storage unit for storing an offline map, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver is adapted for establishing a connection involving the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device comprises;

a geographical coordinates requesting unit adapted for requesting geographical coordinates by using two bits of a Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of Bluetooth protocol,

a geographical coordinates receiving unit adapted for receive geographical coordinates, and

a mapping unit adapted for mapping received geographical coordinates to the offline map for obtaining the geographical position of the mobile device in the map.

10. The mobile device according to claim 9, wherein the two bits of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol are bit 58 and bit 59 of bits 0 to 143 of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet.

11. A mobile device comprising:

a Bluetooth transceiver and a global positioning receiver for providing geographical coordinates of the mobile device;

a detection unit adapted for detecting a request for the geographical coordinates of the mobile device; and

a geographical coordinates providing unit adapted for sending the geographical coordinates of the mobile device as a data packet using the Bluetooth transceiver, wherein the detection unit of the mobile device is adapted to use two bits of Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of Bluetooth protocol for signaling the ability of the second mobile device to provide requested geographical coordinates of the mobile device.

12. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the two bits of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet of the Bluetooth protocol are bit 58 and bit 59 of bits 0 to 143 of the Frequency Hopping Synchronization data packet.