Additional data usable in apparatus positioning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494673-B2
Application number	US-201213347174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2012
Priority date	Jan 11, 2011
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A system for providing positioning information within a wireless communication signal. An apparatus may determine whether to provide information usable for positioning in a packet. If it is determined that positioning information will be provided in the packet, header information in the packet may be configured to indicate that the packet includes positioning information. The positioning information may then be included in the packet, which may then be transmitted. When the packet is an advertising packet, the packet may be transmitted on an advertising channel. A scanning apparatus may then receive the packet and may determine, based on the header information in the packet, whether the packet includes positioning information. If it is determined that the packet includes positioning information, positioning in the scanning apparatus may be configured based on the header information, and positioning may be performed in the scanning apparatus based on the positioning information in the packet.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method, comprising:
determining in an apparatus, whether information useable for positioning may be distributed in an unrestricted manner by the apparatus;
determining in the apparatus, for a standard packet which does not include any information usable for positioning, whether information usable for positioning should be included in the packet, based on the determination that information useable for positioning may be distributed in an unrestricted manner by the apparatus;
if it is determined that the information usable for positioning should be included in the packet, configuring header information in the packet to indicate that the packet includes the information usable for positioning and to indicate a type of the information usable for positioning that is included in the packet;
including the information usable for positioning in the packet; and
transmitting the packet from the apparatus via wireless communication.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the header information comprises setting an indicator in the header information to indicate that the packet elsewhere other than in the header includes angle-of-departure information, angle-of-arrival information, or a combination of angle-of-departure and angle-of-arrival information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein including the information usable for positioning in the packet comprises appending a bit sequence to the end of the packet after the checksum.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein configuring the header information comprises including at least one of bit sequence length and structure information in the header information.

5. A method, comprising:
scanning from an apparatus for wireless signals, the wireless signals comprising at least one packet which, if it is received as a standard packet, does not include any information usable for positioning;
if a wireless signal is scanned, determining whether header information in the at least one packet indicates that the packet includes information usable for positioning; and
if it is determined that the at least one packet includes information usable for positioning, configuring positioning in the apparatus based on the header information and performing positioning in the apparatus based on the positioning information.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein if it is determined that the wireless signal received in the apparatus does not include information usable for positioning, transmitting a response to the source of the received wireless signal requesting positioning information.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the header information indicates that a bit sequence has been appended to the at least one packet and at least a length for the bit sequence.

8. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising code configured to cause an apparatus to perform the method of claim 1 .

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein code configured to cause the apparatus to configure the header information further comprises code configured to cause the apparatus to set an indicator in the header information to indicate that the packet elsewhere other than in the header includes angle-of-departure information, angle-of-arrival information, or a combination of angle-of-departure and angle-of-arrival information.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein code configured to cause the apparatus to include the information usable for positioning in the packet further comprises code configured to cause the apparatus to append a bit sequence to the end of the packet after the checksum.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein code configured to cause the apparatus to configuring the header information further comprises code configured to cause the apparatus to include at least one of bit sequence length and structure information in the header information.

12. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising code configured to cause an apparatus to perform the method of claim 5 .

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising code configured to cause the apparatus to, if it is determined that the wireless signal received in the apparatus does not include information usable for positioning, transmit a response to the source of the received wireless signal requesting positioning information.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the header information indicates that a bit sequence has been appended to the at least one packet and at least a length for the bit sequence.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including executable instructions, the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
determine whether information useable for positioning may be distributed in an unrestricted manner by the apparatus;
determine, for a standard packet which does not include any information usable for positioning, whether information usable for positioning should be included in the packet, based on the determination that information useable for positioning may be distributed in an unrestricted manner by the apparatus;
if it is determined that the information usable for positioning should be included in the packet, configure header information in the packet to indicate that the packet includes the information usable for positioning and to indicate a type of the information usable for positioning that is included in the packet;
include the information usable for positioning in the packet; and
transmit the packet via wireless communication.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to configure the header information further comprises the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to set an indicator in the header information to indicate that the packet elsewhere other than in the header includes angle-of-departure information, angle-of-arrival information, or a combination of angle-of-departure and angle-of-arrival information.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to include the information usable for positioning in the packet further comprises the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to append a bit sequence to the end of the packet after the checksum.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to configure the header information further comprises the at least one memory and the executable instructions being configured to, in cooperation with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to include at least one of bit sequence length and structure information in the header information.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

Assignees

• Kainulainen Antti Paavo Tapani
• Jantunen Joni Jorma Marius
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Kainulainen Antti Paavo Tapani
• Jantunen Joni Jorma Marius

Classifications

• G01S5/0009 Primary

  Transmission of position information to remote stations (involving assistance data G01S5/0236) · CPC title

• G01S5/08

  Position of single direction-finder fixed by determining direction of a plurality of spaced sources of known location · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title