Unlocking a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10440574-B2
Application number	US-201615272892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2016
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Techniques and systems for unlocking a first device based on signals transmitted between the first device and a second device are disclosed. A disclosed technique includes receiving, by a first device, at least one wireless signal from a second device; transmitting, by the first device, at least one wireless signal to the second device; determining, by the first device, transit times of the at least one received wireless signal and the at least one transmitted wireless signal; determining, by the first device, one or more range measurements between the first device and the second device based at least in part on the transit times; determining, by the first device, an unlock decision based at least in part on the one or more range measurements; and causing, by at least the first device, the first device to unlock if the unlock decision is positive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a data processing apparatus comprising:
receiving, by a first device, at least one wireless signal from a second device;
transmitting, by the first device, at least one wireless signal to the second device, wherein the at least one wireless signal received by the first device is a multipath signal that traverses a non-direct path between the first device and the second device;
determining, by the first device, transit times of the at least one received wireless signal and the at least one transmitted wireless signal;
determining, by the first device, one or more range measurements between the first device and the second device based at least in part on the transit times, wherein the multipath signal introduces range errors in the one or more range measurements;
filtering the one or more range measurements to compensate for the range errors in the one or more range measurements;
determining, by the first device, an unlock decision based at least in part on the compensated one or more range measurements; and
causing, by at least the first device, the first device to unlock if the unlock decision is positive.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising comparing, by the first device, at least one of the one or more range measurements to a range threshold.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the range threshold is a dynamic range threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a value of the dynamic range threshold is based at least in part on a type of the first device, a type of the second device, a count of wireless signals received by the first device, a degree of conformity of the one or more range measurements to a model of range data, and one or more characteristics of an environment in which the first device and the second device are located.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more range measurements comprises determining a plurality of range measurements, wherein the unlock decision is based at least in part on clustering of the plurality of range measurements.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unlock decision is based at least in part on an accuracy of the transit times.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more range measurements are determined by a wireless controller of the first device.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining, by the first device, that the second device is within a threshold range of the first device; and
determining, by the first device, that the unlock decision is positive.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unlock decision is based at least in part on one or more of a type of the first device, a type of the second device, a count of wireless signals received by the first device, a degree of conformity of the one or more range measurements to a model of range data, and one or more characteristics of an environment in which the first device and the second device are located.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more range measurements is filtered by a batch filter.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein one or more characteristics of the batch filter are based on experimental data obtained from one or both of the first device and the second device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the experimental data comprises a distribution of distance measurements between the first device and the second device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the batch filter are modeled such that one or both of false positive unlock decisions and false negative unlock decisions are minimized.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the batch filter are modeled according to a maximum likelihood estimation methodology.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the batch filter are modeled according to a generalized extreme value methodology.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the batch filter are modeled based on an assumption that the one or more range measurements comprise at least a predetermined number of range measurements.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wireless signal received by the first device is filtered by sequential filters.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wireless signal received by the first device is pre-filtered before being filtered.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the pre-filtering removes outlier wireless signals of the at least one wireless signal received by the first device.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wireless signal is received by the first device as a first packet.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first packet is encrypted according to a first encryption scheme.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one wireless signal is transmitted by the first device as a second packet.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the second packet is encrypted according to a second encryption scheme.

24. A computer system comprising:
a computer readable storage device storing computer executable instructions; and
a hardware processor configured to, in response to executing the computer executable instructions, carry out operations comprising:
receiving at least one wireless signal from a device,
transmitting at least one wireless signal to the device, wherein the at least one wireless signal received from the device is a multipath signal that traverses a non-direct path between the hardware processor and the device,
determining transit times of the at least one received wireless signal and the at least one transmitted wireless signal,
determining one or more range measurements between the computer system and the device based at least in part on the transit times, wherein the multipath signal introduces range errors in the one or more range measurements,
filtering the one or more range measurements to compensate for the range errors in the one or more range measurements,
determining an unlock decision based at least in part on the compensated one or more range measurements, and
causing the computer system to unlock if the unlock decision is positive.

25. A computer readable storage device storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a first device, cause a hardware processor of the first device to carry out operations comprising:
receiving, by the first device, at least one wireless signal from a second device;
transmitting, by the first device, at least one wireless signal to the second device, wherein the at least one wireless signal received by the first device is a multipath signal that traverses a non-direct path between the first device and the second device;
determining, by the first device, transit times of the at least one received wireless signal and the at least one transmitted wireless signal;
determining, by the first device, one or more range measurements between the first device and the second device based at least in part on the transit times, wherein the multipath signal introduces range errors in the one or more range measurements;
filtering the one or more range measurements to compensate for the range errors in the one or more range measurements;
determining, by the first device, an unlock decision based at least in part on the compensated one or more range measurements; and
causing, by at least the first device, the first de

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ledvina Brent M
• Millman David Benjamin
• Bergerengen Johan Olav
• Mayor Robert

Classifications

• G06F21/35 Primary

  communicating wirelessly · CPC title

• H04W12/08 Primary

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• G06F21/88

  Detecting or preventing theft or loss · CPC title