Distribution and utilization of antenna information for location determination operations

• US 9,781,698 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Sai Pradeep, Marri Sridhar, Subash, Das, Saumitra Mohan, Aldana, Carlos Horacio
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US14/836,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, devices, systems, apparatus, servers, computer-/processor-readable media, and other implementations, including a method, performed at a processor-based device, that includes obtaining antenna information for one or more wireless nodes, and generating based, at least in part, on the antenna information for the one or more wireless nodes, a heatmap representative of values measurable at a plurality of locations from signals transmitted by the one or more wireless nodes.

Claims

1. A method comprising, at a processor-based device:

receiving at a mobile wireless device at least one wireless message including antenna information for one or more wireless access points, wherein the at least one wireless message transmitted from at least one of the one or more wireless access points, and wherein the antenna information comprises antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points; and

generating, at the mobile wireless device, based, at least in part, on the antenna information for the one or more wireless access points included in the at least one wireless message transmitted from the at least one of the one or more wireless access points, a heatmap representative of values measurable, by the mobile wireless device, at a plurality of locations from signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, wherein generating the heatmap comprises;

measuring at multiple locations signal characteristic values for the signals transmitted by the one or more access points; and

determining, based on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points received in the at least one wireless message from the at least one of the one or more wireless access point, and based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations from the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, interpolated signal characteristic values at locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the values measureable at the plurality of locations comprise one or more of:

signal strength values, round trip signal propagation time (RTT) values, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless message includes one of:

a beacon frame message, a fine timing measurement (FTM) protocol-based message, an assistance data message, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the heatmap further comprises:

determining a propagation model for a respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points based, at least in part, on antenna orientation and antenna type obtained for the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points, the propagation model being representative of expected measurable values at multiple locations for corresponding signals transmitted from the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the interpolated signal characteristic values comprises:

deriving antenna orientation for the one or more wireless access points based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, and on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more access points; and

performing interpolation operations, constrained by one or more of the antenna gain pattern information or the derived antenna orientation, on the measured signal characteristic values to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values at the locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring, by the mobile wireless device, one or more wireless signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points; and

determining, based on the measured one or more wireless signals and the heatmap generated at the mobile wireless device, a location of the mobile wireless device.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the mobile wireless device, from a remote central data repository device that stores antenna data relating to a plurality of access points, additional antenna information for the one or more wireless access points, the additional antenna information, selected from the antenna data based, at least in part, on the antenna information included in the received at least one wireless message.

6. A mobile wireless device comprising:

at least one transceiver to communicate with one or more remote devices;

memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver;

the mobile wireless device configured to;

receive at least one wireless message including antenna information for one or more wireless access points, wherein the at least one wireless message transmitted from at least one of the one or more wireless access points, and wherein the antenna information comprises antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points; and

generate based, at least in part, on the antenna information for the one or more wireless access points included in the at least one wireless message transmitted from the at least one of the one or more wireless access points, a heatmap representative of values measurable, by the mobile wireless device, at a plurality of locations from signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, wherein the mobile wireless device configured to generate the heatmap is configured to;

measure at multiple locations signal characteristic values for the signals transmitted by the one or more access points; and

determine, based on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points received in the at least one wireless message from the at least one of the one or more wireless access point, and based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations from the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, interpolated signal characteristic values at locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the values measureable at the plurality of locations comprise one or more of:

signal strength values, round trip signal propagation time (RTT) values, or any combination thereof.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one wireless message includes one of:

a beacon frame message, a fine timing measurement (FTM) protocol-based message, an assistance data message, or any combination thereof.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the device configured to generate the heatmap is further configured to:

determine a propagation model for a respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points based, at least in part, on antenna orientation and antenna type obtained for the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points, the propagation model being representative of expected measurable values at multiple locations for corresponding signals transmitted from the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the device configured to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values is configured to:

derive antenna orientation for the one or more wireless access points based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, and on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more access points; and

perform interpolation operations, constrained by one or more of the antenna gain pattern information or the derived antenna orientation, on the measured signal characteristic values to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values at the locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

11. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a mobile wireless device, at least one wireless message including antenna information for one or more wireless access points, wherein the at least one wireless message transmitted from at least one of the one or more wireless access points, and wherein the antenna information comprises antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points; and

means for generating, at the mobile wireless device, based, at least in part, on the antenna information for the one or more wireless access points included in the at least one wireless message transmitted from the at least one of the one or more wireless access points, a heatmap representative of values measurable, by the mobile wireless device, at a plurality of locations from signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, wherein the means for generating the heatmap comprises;

means for measuring at multiple locations signal characteristic values for the signals transmitted by the one or more access points; and

means for determining, based on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points received in the at least one wireless message from the at least one of the one or more wireless access point, and based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations from the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, interpolated signal characteristic values at locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the values measureable at the plurality of locations comprise one or more of:

signal strength values, round trip signal propagation time (RTT) values, or any combination thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one wireless message includes one of:

a beacon frame message, a fine timing measurement (FTM) protocol-based message, or an assistance data message, or any combination thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the heatmap further comprises:

means for determining a propagation model for a respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points based, at least in part, on antenna orientation and antenna type obtained for the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points, the propagation model being representative of expected measurable values at multiple locations for corresponding signals transmitted from the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the interpolated signal characteristic values comprises:

means for deriving antenna orientation for the one or more wireless access points based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, and on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more access points; and

means for performing interpolation operations, constrained by one or more of the antenna gain pattern information or the derived antenna orientation, on the measured signal characteristic values to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values at the locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

16. A non-transitory computer readable media programmed with a set of instructions, executable on a processor, to:

receive at a mobile wireless device at least one wireless message including antenna information for one or more wireless access points, wherein the at least one wireless message transmitted from at least one of the one or more wireless access points, and wherein the antenna information comprises antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points; and

generate, at the mobile wireless device, based, at least in part, on the antenna information for the one or more wireless access points included in the at least one wireless message transmitted from the at least one of the one or more wireless access points, a heatmap representative of values measurable, by the mobile wireless device, at a plurality of locations from signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, wherein the set of instructions to generate the heatmap comprises computer instructions to;

measure at multiple locations signal characteristic values for the signals transmitted by the one or more access points; and

determine, based on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more wireless access points received in the at least one wireless message from the at least one of the one or more wireless access point, and based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations from the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, interpolated signal characteristic values at locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.

17. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein the values measureable at the plurality of locations comprise one or more of:

signal strength values, round trip signal propagation time (RTT) values, or any combination thereof.

18. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein the at least one wireless message including includes one of:

a beacon frame message, a fine timing measurement (FTM) protocol-based message, an assistance data message, or any combination thereof.

19. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions to generate the heatmap comprises further computer instructions to:

determine a propagation model for a respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points based, at least in part, on antenna orientation and antenna type obtained for the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points, the propagation model being representative of expected measurable values at multiple locations for corresponding signals transmitted from the respective at least one wireless access point from the one or more wireless access points.

20. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein the computer instructions to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values comprise instructions to:

derive antenna orientation for the one or more wireless access points based on the signal characteristic values measured at the multiple locations for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points, and on the antenna gain pattern information for the one or more access points; and

perform interpolation operations, constrained by one or more of the antenna gain pattern information or the derived antenna orientation, on the measured signal characteristic values to determine the interpolated signal characteristic values at the locations different from the multiple locations at which the signal characteristics values for the signals transmitted by the one or more wireless access points were measured.