Causing a transition between positioning modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10401178-B2
Application number	US-201515760893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

This specification describes a method comprising causing a trackable device to transition between a first positioning mode and a second positioning mode, wherein, in the first positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission of one or more data packets each including a data portion for enabling determination of a bearing between the trackable device and a locator device and, in the second positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission of one or more data packets which do not include the data portion for enabling determination of the bearing between the trackable device and the locator device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
causing a trackable device to transition between a first indoor positioning mode and a second indoor positioning mode in response to at least one of wireless receipt by the trackable device of a mode-transition control packet or a determination, based on data from a movement sensor included in the trackable device, that a condition with respect to movement of the trackable device is satisfied, wherein, in the first positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol of one or more data packets each including a data portion for enabling determination of a position of the trackable device via a plurality of antennas of a phased array of antennas of a locator device that are sequentially switched between a single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a first resolution and, in the second positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission via the BTLE protocol of one or more data packets which do not include the data portion for enabling determination of the position of the trackable device, wherein the second positioning mode enables determination of the position of the trackable device via only one antenna of the plurality of the phased array of antennas and the single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a second, lower resolution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein data packets are transmitted by the trackable device with a higher frequency when in the first positioning mode than when in the second positioning mode.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
modifying an interval between transmissions of radio frequency packets in response to receipt of the mode-transition control packet or in response to wireless receipt at the trackable device of a transmission-frequency control packet,
wherein the mode-transition control packet or the transmission-frequency control packet indicates the interval to which the interval between transmissions should be modified.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising, prior to causing the transition between the first and second positioning modes, responding to receipt of a reception-frequency control packet by modifying an interval between reception time slots during which the trackable device listens for incoming control packets.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising responding to wireless receipt of a device-initiated-transition control packet by disabling an ability of the trackable device to transition between the first and second positioning modes in response to a determination based on data that is locally available to the trackable device.

6. A method comprising:
causing wireless transmission from a locator device to a trackable device of a mode-transition control packet for causing the trackable device to transition between a first indoor positioning mode and a second indoor positioning mode, wherein, in the first positioning mode, the trackable device wirelessly transmits via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol one or more data packets including a data portion for enabling determination of a position of the trackable device via a plurality of antennas of a phased array of antennas of the locator device that are sequentially switched between a single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a first resolution and, in the second positioning mode, the trackable device wirelessly transmits via the BTLE protocol one or more data packets which do not include the data portion for enabling determination of the position of the trackable device, wherein the second positioning mode enables determination of the position of the trackable device via only one antenna of the plurality of the phased array of antennas and the single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a second, lower resolution.

7. Apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus:
to cause a trackable device to transition between a first indoor positioning mode and a second indoor positioning mode in response to at least one of wireless receipt by the trackable device of a mode-transition control packet or a determination, based on data from a movement sensor included in the trackable device, that a condition with respect to movement of the trackable device is satisfied, wherein, in the first positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol of one or more data packets each including a data portion for enabling determination of a position of the trackable device via a plurality of antennas of a phased array of antennas of a locator device that are sequentially switched between a single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a first resolution and, in the second positioning mode, the trackable device causes wireless transmission via the BTLE protocol of one or more data packets which do not include the data portion for enabling determination of the position of the trackable device, wherein the second positioning mode enables determination of the position of the trackable device via only one antenna of the plurality of the phased array of antennas and the single BTLE receiver of the locator device, with a second, lower resolution.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein data packets are transmitted by the trackable device with a higher frequency when in the first positioning mode than when in the second positioning mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to modify an interval between transmissions of packets by the trackable device in response to receipt of the mode-transition control packet or in response to wireless receipt at the trackable device of a transmission-frequency control packet,
wherein the mode-transition control packet or the transmission-frequency control packet indicates the interval to which the interval between transmissions transmission interval should be modified.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus, prior to causing the transition between the first and second positioning modes, to respond to receipt of a reception-frequency control packet by modifying an interval between reception time slots during which the trackable device listens for incoming control packets.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to respond to wireless receipt of a device-initiated-transition control packet by disabling an ability of the trackable device to transition between the first and second positioning modes in response to a determination based on data that is locally available to the trackable device.

12. Apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus:
to cause wireless transmission to a trackable device of a mode-transition control packet for causing the trackable device to transition between a first indoor positioning mode and a second indoor positioning mode, wherein, in the first positioning mode, the trackable device wirelessly transmits via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol one or more data packets including a data portion for enabling determination of a position of the trackable device via a plurality of antennas of a phased array of antennas of a locator device that are sequentially switched between a single BTLE receiver of the locator device with a

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Jantunen Joni
• Kolmonen Veli-Matti
• Koskimies Oskari
• Teikari Ilari

Classifications

• G01S13/86

  Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder · CPC title

• G01S3/02

  using radio waves · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G01C21/20 Primary

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title