Method and device for determining distance between devices

• US 9,749,799 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Ho-sik, Ji, Jianxun, Chen, Zili, Park, Hyun-cheol, Lee, Won-suck
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US15/002,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A method of determining a distance between devices, including receiving, by a device, a first signal from a target device, the first signal being associated with a first intensity; receiving, from a reference device located at a predetermined distance from the target device, intensity information corresponding to a second intensity associated with a second signal received by the reference device from the target device; and determining a distance between the device and the target device based on the first intensity and the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity.

Claims

1. A method of determining a distance between a device and a target device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the device, a first signal from the target device, the first signal being associated with a first intensity;

receiving, from a reference device located at a predetermined distance from the target device, intensity information corresponding to a second intensity associated with a second signal received by the reference device from the target device; and

determining the distance between the device and the target device based on the first intensity, the predetermined distance, and the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the distance comprises comparing the second intensity, which corresponds to the predetermined distance between the target device and the reference device, with the first intensity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is broadcasted from the target device at an output intensity, and the second signal is broadcasted from the target device at the output intensity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the intensity information is comprised within a packet including a power value indicating the second intensity from the reference device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

decoding the received packet; and

acquiring the power value from the decoded packet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring, from the target device, reference intensity information indicating an intensity of a received signal per a unit distance, which has been predetermined by the target device; and

determining channel state between the device and the target device by comparing the reference intensity information with the intensity information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity is generated by the reference device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal is transmitted by the target device located at the predetermined distance from the reference device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the intensity information comprises information about the second intensity and the predetermined distance.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a computer-readable program for executing the method of claim 1.

11. A device for determining a distance between the device and a target device, the device comprising:

a communicator configured to receive a first signal from the target device, the first signal being associated with a first intensity, and to receive, from a reference device located at a predetermined distance from the target device, intensity information corresponding to a second intensity of a second signal received by the reference device from the target device; and

a controller configured to determine the distance between the device and the target device based on the first intensity, the predetermined distance, and the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the distance between the device and the target device by comparing the second intensity, which corresponds to the predetermined distance between the target device and the reference device, and the first intensity.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the first signal is broadcasted from the target device at an output intensity, and the second signal is broadcasted from the target device at the output intensity.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the communicator is further configured to receive a packet including a power value indicating the second intensity from the reference device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to decode the received packet and acquire the power value from the decoded packet.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the communicator is further configured to acquire, from the target device, reference intensity information indicating an intensity of a received signal per a unit distance, which has been predetermined by the target device, and

the controller is further configured to determine a channel state between the device and the target device by comparing the reference intensity information with the intensity information.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity is generated by the reference device.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the second signal is transmitted by the target device located at the predetermined distance from the reference device.

19. The reference device of claim 18, wherein the intensity information comprises information about the second intensity and the predetermined distance.

20. The reference device of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the distance between the device and the target device based on the predetermined distance, the first intensity and the intensity information corresponding to the second intensity.