Systems and methods for effective identification of geo-location in mobile HetNet environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9344846-B2
Application number	US-201313975203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Jul 5, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to location services, and more particularly to systems and methods for effective identification of geo-location in mobile HetNet environments. In one embodiment, a device geo-location method is disclosed, comprising: receiving one or more wireless signal strengths associated with connectivity of a user device to one or more wireless access points; calculating, via a processor, one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using the one or more wireless signal strengths; triangulating a user device location coordinate using: a pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and the calculated one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and storing the user device location coordinate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless access point geo-location method, comprising:
receiving, by a wireless access point, a trigger of determining a wireless access point location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;
acquiring, by the wireless access point, one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices, after receiving the trigger;
receiving, by the wireless access point, at least three: user device location coordinates associated with the one or more user devices, and wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications;
calculating, via a processor of the wireless access point, user device distances using the at least three wireless signal strengths, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the wireless access point, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of: a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;
calculating, via the processor, a wireless access point location coordinate using the at least three user device location coordinates and the calculated user device distances; and
storing, at the wireless access point, the wireless access point location coordinate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more user devices includes a cellular phone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications is associated with a Wi-Fi network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein all of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications are associated with a single wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more user devices is connected simultaneously to a cellular network and a wireless access point associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access point connectivity notifications.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calculation of the at least one of the user device distances is performed before receiving at least one of: one of the user device location coordinates; and one of the wireless signal strengths.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the wireless access point location coordinate is performed substantially in real-time after receiving the user device location coordinates and the wireless signal strengths.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving one or more updated user device location coordinates and one or more updated wireless signal strengths;
calculating, via the processor, one or more updated user device distances using the one or more updated wireless signal strengths;
calculating, via the processor, an updated wireless access point location coordinate using the one or more updated user device location coordinates and the one or more updated user device distances; and
storing the updated wireless access point location coordinate.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more updated user device location coordinates and the one or more updated wireless signal strengths are associated with one of the one or more user devices.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a wireless access point performs the calculation of the user device distances, as well as the calculation of the wireless access point location coordinate.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the user device location coordinates is either of: determined using a cellular network; and a GPS coordinate.

12. A wireless access point geo-location system, comprising a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point comprises:
a processor; and
a memory device disposed in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising instructions for:
receiving a trigger of determining a wireless access point location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;
after receiving the trigger, acquiring one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices;
receiving at least three: user device location coordinates associated with the one or more user devices, and wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications;
calculating, via the processor, user device distances using the at least three wireless signal strengths, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the wireless access point, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of: a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;
calculating, via the processor, a wireless access point location coordinate using the at least three user device location coordinates and the calculated user device distances; and
storing the wireless access point location coordinate at the wireless access point.

13. A device geo-location method, comprising:
receiving, by a wireless access point, a trigger of determining a user device location coordinate, wherein the trigger includes receiving a first wireless access point connectivity notification;
acquiring, by the wireless access point, one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications associated with one or more user devices, after receiving the trigger;
calculating, via a processor of the wireless access point, one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points using one or more wireless signal strengths associated with the first wireless access point connectivity notification and with the one or more second wireless access point connectivity notifications, a first antenna gain associated with a transmitting antenna of the one or more wireless access points, one or more second antenna gains associated with the one or more user devices, one or more wireless signal wavelengths, and an effect on wireless signal strength by at least one of: a yaw angle, a tilt angle, a roll angle, and a pitch angle of the wireless access point and/or the one or more user devices with respect to the horizontal earth;
calculating, by the processor, a user device location coordinate using: a pre-determined wireless access point location coordinate associated with at least one of the one or more wireless access points; and the calculated one or more distances of the user device from the one or more wireless access points; and
storing, at the wireless access point, the user device location coordinate.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a geo-location request for the user device; and
providing the user device location coordinate after receiving the geo-location request.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the geo-location request is received after the user device provides a service request.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the service request is a voice-over-IP emergency call.

17. The

Assignees

• Mondal Subhas Chandra
• Arupathunazhiyil Venugopal Amal Ghosh
• Wipro Ltd

Inventors

• Mondal Subhas Chandra
• Arupathunazhiyil Venugopal Amal Ghosh

Classifications

• H04W4/025

  using location based information parameters · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

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

• G01S5/14

  Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title