Patent Grant
11368813
The present invention relates to telecommunications in general and, more particularly, to a method of using radio signals to generate an estimate of the location of a wireless terminal.
Wireless telecommunications (e.g., cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) are a staple for the communication of voice, text, video, and multimedia. The salient advantage of wireless telecommunications over wireline telecommunications is that wireless telecommunications affords mobility to the user. On the other hand, the mobility is a double-edge sword in that it is a disadvantage to any entity that has a legitimate interest in being able to quickly and accurately ascertain the location of the wireless terminal or its user.
Such interested entities can include:
There are a variety of reasons why the user of the wireless terminal might be interested in knowing his or her own location. For example, the user might want to record the latitude and longitude of his or her location for future reference. Or the user might want to tell a friend where he or she is.
And finally, there are a variety of reasons why a remote entity, a remote terminal, or a remote data processing system might be interested in knowing the location of the wireless terminal (and/or its associated user). For example, the police who receive a 9-1-1 emergency call are interested in knowing the location of the wireless terminal so that they can dispatch first responders to the scene.
The hardware and software that generates an estimate of the location of a wireless terminal is known as a “location engine.” The hardware and software composing the location engine can reside:
As a radio signal propagates through space, some traits of the signal are the same at each point in space (e.g., the frequency of the radio signal, etc.). These are the location-independent traits of a radio signal. In contrast, some traits of the radio signal do vary at each point in space (e.g., the signal strength of the radio signal, the delay spread of the radio signal, etc.). These are the location-dependent traits of the signal. Typically, the location-dependent traits of a signal vary, for example, based on:
There are four general techniques in the prior art for estimating the location of a wireless terminal based on the measurement of one or more location-dependent traits of one or more reference radio signals that are transmitted between the wireless terminal and one or more reference radios. The four techniques are:
(i) radio-signal identification,
(ii) radio-signal direction finding,
(iii) radio-signal range finding, and
(iv) radio-signal pattern matching.
Each will be described in turn.
Radio-Signal Identification—As a matter of physics, the locally-averaged signal strength (hereinafter “power”) of a radio signal decreases as the distance from the transmitter increases. When the radio-frequency environment is free of radio-frequency obstacles, the decrease is smooth. In contrast, when the radio-frequency environment comprises radio-frequency obstacles, the power generally—but not always—decreases as the distance from the transmitter increases. In either case, if a radio signal is transmitted at a first power and is received at or above a second power, then it can be logically deduced that the transmitter is within a fixed distance of the receiver. This technique, and variations on it, are sometimes colloquially called “cell ID,” “ECID,” and “enhanced cell ID.”
Radio-signal identification can be used to estimate the location of a cell phone at an unknown location in, for example, the following manner. A downlink radio signal at a first power is transmitted from a cell tower (i.e., a reference radio), which is at a known location. If the cell phone (i.e., the wireless terminal) can receive the downlink signal at or above a second power, then it can be logically deduced that the cell phone is within a fixed distance of the cell tower.
Conversely, if an uplink radio signal at a first power is transmitted by a cell phone at an unknown location and received by a cell tower at a known location at or above a second power, then it can also be logically deduced that the cell phone is within a fixed distance of the cell tower.
Radio-signal identification can also be used to estimate the location of a WiFi-enabled device at an unknown location in, for example, the following manner. A downlink radio signal at a first power is transmitted by a WiFi Access Point (i.e., a reference radio), which is at a known location. If a WiFi-enabled device (i.e., the wireless terminal) can receive the downlink signal at or above a second power, then it can be logically deduced that the WiFi-enabled device is within a fixed distance of the WiFi Access Point. This is one technique that Apple and Google use to locate devices—such as notebook computers and iPads—that do not comprise GPS receivers or cellular radios.
Conversely, if an uplink radio signal is transmitted by a WiFi-enabled device at an unknown location and received by a WiFi Access Point at a known location, then it can be logically deduced that the that the WiFi-enabled device is within a fixed distance of the WiFi Access Point.
There are numerous tricks that can be made to the basic radio-signal identification to improve the accuracy of the estimate for the location, and numerous companies like Ericsson, Qualcomm, Apple, and Google each tout their own flavor. The principal advantage of radio-signal identification is that it is computationally simple. The principal disadvantage of radio-signal identification is that its results are insufficiently accurate for many applications.
Radio-Signal Direction Finding—Radio signals propagate in a vacuum in a straight line in the absence gravitational effects. This observation can be used to estimate the location of a cell phone at an unknown location in, for example, the following manner. If the cell phone (i.e., the wireless terminal) transmits an uplink radio signal and two or more cell towers (i.e., reference radios) can determine the direction from which the uplink signal arrives, then the location of the cell phone can be estimated using triangulation.
Conversely, if the three or more cell towers (i.e., reference radios) at known locations each transmit a downlink radio signal and the cell phone can determine the direction from which each downlink signal arrives, then the location of the cell phone can be estimated using triangulation.
Radio-signal direction finding can also be used in an analogous manner to estimate the location of a WiFi-enabled device at an unknown location, but radio-signal direction finding is not often used to locate WiFi-enabled devices because real-world radio-frequency environments are usually full of radio-frequency obstacles that render the technique insufficiently accurate for many applications.
Radio-Signal Range Finding—The speed with which radio signals propagate is well known in the prior art. This observation can be used to estimate the location of a cell phone at an unknown location in, for example, the following manner. If three or more cell towers (i.e., reference radios) at known locations each transmit a downlink radio signal to the cell phone (i.e., the wireless terminal) and the cell phone can determine how long it took for each downlink signal to reach the cell phone—and thus the distance or range of the cell phone from each cell tower—then the location of the cell phone can be estimated using trilateration.
Conversely, if the cell phone transmits an uplink signal to three or more cell towers and the cell towers can determine how long it took for the uplink signal to reach the towers, then the location of the cell phone can be estimated using trilateration.
Radio-signal range finding can also be used in an analogous manner to estimate the location of a WiFi-enabled device at an unknown location.
Radio-Signal Pattern Matching—Downlink radio signals from many types of transmitters (e.g., television, commercial radio, downlink satellite, cellular telephone, WiFi, etc.) permeate our environment, and each location in space is associated with a unique combination of the location-dependent traits of those signals. This enables a map or database to be created that correlates the location-dependent traits of the downlink signals to location. Common names for this family of techniques include “Wireless Location Signatures,” “RF Pattern Matching,” and “RF Fingerprinting.”
Radio-signal pattern matching can be used, for example, to estimate the location of a cell phone at an unknown location. The cell phone (i.e., the wireless terminal) observes the downlink signals it can receive that are transmitted from the cell towers (i.e., reference radios) at known locations and measures the location-dependent traits of those signals. Then the location of the cell phone can be estimated by pattern matching the measured values of the location-dependent traits of the observed downlink signals against the map. The location on the map whose expected or predicted values of the location-dependent traits that best matches the observed measurements is the estimate of the location of the wireless terminal.
Conversely, if the three or more cell towers can observe and measure the location-dependent traits of a signal transmitted by the cell phone, then the location of the cell phone can be estimated by pattern matching the measured values of the location-dependent traits of the observed uplink signal against a map that correlates the location-dependent traits of the uplink signal to location.
Radio-signal pattern matching can also be used, for example, in an analogous manner to estimate the location of a WiFi-enabled device at an unknown location.
The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a method for estimating the location of a wireless terminal without some of the costs and disadvantages for doing so in the prior art.
The task of estimating the location of a wireless terminal is performed by determining the spatial relationship of the wireless terminal to one or more reference radios. By analyzing the location-dependent traits of the radio signals that are exchanged by the wireless terminal and the reference radio, a location engine can determine the location of the wireless terminal relative to the reference radio(s). The accuracy of the estimate of the location of the wireless terminal is dependent on the accuracy with which the location of the reference radio(s) is known or estimated.
If the wireless terminal cannot transmit a signal to a reference radio and cannot receive a signal from a reference radio, or the location engine does not possess a confirmed or estimated location for the reference radio, then the location engine has no touchstone on which to base the location of the wireless terminal. Therefore, it is advantageous for the location engine to know:
The existence, location, and transmission parameters of almost all broadcast, navigation, and high-power telecommunications radios is a matter of public record and easily provided to a location engine. In contrast, the existence, location, and transmission parameters of most low-power/short-range radios are not. The low-power/short-range radios—such as, for example and without limitation, the WiFi base stations and WiFi-enabled devices in office buildings, stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. are, collectively, ideal as reference radios because of their ubiquity and short-range transmission range.
In the prior art, the process of learning the location and transmission parameters of these radios involves the physical and administrative inspection of each radio. Alternatively, crude estimates of the location of each radio can be obtained by drive testing—such as that performed by Google and Apple—past the buildings where such radios are located, but accurate estimates of the transmission parameters cannot be generated without information about the presence or absence of RF obstacles in the vicinity.
One project in the prior art uses a method that is analogous to tomography. The project attempts to gain information about the presence or absence of RF obstacles by flying a pair of radio-equipped aerial drones in an area of interest (e.g., around a building, for example, etc.). One drone transmits at signal at a known power from a known location and the other drone, also at a known location, measures the power of the received signal. Because the location of both drones is known, the distance between the drones can be calculated. Because the distance between the drones can be calculated, the free-space path loss of the signal from between the two drones can also be calculated. Therefore, any additional path loss can be attributed to one or more RF obstacles along the line between the two drones. By taking lots of such measurements and using the principles of tomography, estimates of the presence and absence of RF obstacles in the region of interest can be generated.
In contrast and in accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a single wireless terminal—hereinafter called a “scouting wireless terminal”—makes power measurements of a signal transmitted by a potential reference radio—whose location is unknown—at a plurality of locations. The illustrative embodiment is able to use those measurements—and knowledge of the location at which they were made—to generate:
Architectural Feature—For the purposes of this specification, an “architectural feature” is defined as aspect of a building that is:
Based on—For the purposes of this specification, the phrase “based on” is defined as “being dependent on” in contrast to “being independent of”. The value of Y is dependent on the value of X when the value of Y is different for two or more values of X. The value of Y is independent of the value of X when the value of Y is the same for all values of X. Being “based on” includes both functions and relations.
Building—For the purposes of this specification, a “building” is defined as a man-made structure, regardless of whether it is intended to be inhabited (e.g., a house, an office building, etc.) or not inhabited (e.g., a radio tower, an oil tank, etc.).
Excess Path Loss—For the purposes of this specification, the “excess path loss” is defined as the attenuation experienced by a hypothetical radio signal—in excess of the free-space path loss—as it propagates through a non-vacuum medium in a straight line from Point A to Point B.
Free-Space Path Loss—For the purposes of this specification, the “free-space path loss” is defined as the attenuation experienced by a hypothetical radio signal as it propagates through a vacuum in a straight line from Point A to Point B.
Generate—For the purposes of this specification, the infinitive “to generate” and its inflected forms (e.g., “generating”, “generation”, etc.) should be given the ordinary and customary meaning that the terms would have to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention.
Identity of a Radio Signal—For the purposes of this specification, the phrase “identity of a radio signal” is defined as one or more indicia that distinguish one radio signal from another radio signal.
Location—For the purposes of this specification, the term “location” is defined as a zero-dimensional point, a finite one-dimensional path segment, a finite two-dimensional surface area, or a finite three-dimensional volume.
Location-Dependent Information—For the purposes of this specification, the term “location-dependent information” is defined as information that varies with location. For example and without limitation, location-dependent information can be:
Location-Dependent Trait of a Radio Signal—For the purposes of this specification, the term “location-dependent trait of a radio signal” is defined as a characteristic of a radio signal that varies with:
Location-Trait Database—For the purposes of this specification, a “Location-Trait Database” is defined as a mapping that associates:
Partition—For the purposes of this specification, a “partition” is defined as a volume of space that is deemed to have a uniform excess path loss per meter for a signal characterized by a wavelength.
Processor—For the purposes of this specification, a “processor” is defined as hardware or hardware and software that performs mathematical and/or logical operations.
Power—For the purposes of this specification, the “power” of a radio signal is defined as the locally-averaged signal strength of the radio signal.
Radio—For the purposes of this specification, a “radio” is defined as hardware or hardware and software that is capable of telecommunications via an unguided (i.e., wireless) radio signal of frequency less than 600 GHz.
Radio-Frequency Environment—For the purposes of this specification the term “radio-frequency environment” is defined as a quantitative characterization of the nature and location of the radio-frequency obstacles in the vicinity of the reference radio, the wireless terminal, and the signal path between the reference radio and the wireless terminal.
Radio-Frequency Obstacle—For the purposes of this specification the term “radio-frequency obstacle” is defined as matter that can refract, diffract, reflect, or absorb a radio signal used in telecommunications.
Reasonable Estimate—For the purposes of this specification, the term “reasonable estimate” and its inflected forms is defined as an estimate that is based on empirical data and logic. A reasonable estimate is not necessarily correct, but it is not a blind guess.
Receive—For the purposes of this specification, the infinitive “to receive” and its inflected forms (e.g., “receiving”, “received”, etc.) should be given the ordinary and customary meaning that the terms would have to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention.
Total Path Loss—For the purposes of this specification, the “total path loss” is defined as the sum of the free-space path loss plus the excess path loss, if any, experienced by a hypothetical radio signal as it propagates in a straight line from Point A to Point B.
Transmit—For the purposes of this specification, the infinitive “to transmit” and its inflected forms (e.g., “transmitting”, “transmitted”, etc.) should be given the ordinary and customary meaning that the terms would have to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention.
Wireless terminal—For the purposes of this specification, the term “wireless terminal” is defined as a device that is capable of telecommunications without a wire or tangible medium. A wireless terminal can be mobile or immobile. A wireless terminal can transmit or receive or transmit and receive.
Reference radio 120-1, reference radio 120-2, reference radio 120-3, building 141, and location engine 151 are immobile. In contrast, scouting wireless terminal 111 and user wireless terminal 112 are mobile.
Before task 201 is performed, location engine 151 comprises:
Before task 201 is performed, location engine 151 does not comprise:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, geographic region 101 is approximately rectangular, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the geographic region has any shape (e.g., irregular, oval, triangular, etc.).
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, building 141 is a one-story structure with a rectangular footprint of 10×20 meters and with its center at coordinates x=100, y=60. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which building 141 has any use (e.g., is a home, is an office building, is a garage, is a warehouse, is a retail store, is a factory, etc.), is a multi-story building, and/or has a footprint of any shape and size.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, geographic region 101 is:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, geographic region 101 spans 200 meters (measured East-West) by 120 meters (measured North-South) and, therefore, comprises 24,000 square meters. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the geographic region of interest has any dimensions and encompasses any area (e.g., 10,000 square meters, 50,000 square meters, 100,000 square meters, 500,000 square meters, 1 square kilometer, 100 square kilometers, 10,000 square kilometers, etc.).
Each location in geographic region 101 is designated by a Cartesian coordinate measured in meters from an origin, which is located at the southwest corner of geographic region 101, as shown in
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, scouting wireless terminal 111 is a standard off-the-shelf commercially-available cellular smartphone (e.g., an Apple iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, etc.) that is capable of:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, user wireless terminal 112 is a standard off-the-shelf commercially-available cellular smartphone (e.g., an Apple iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, etc.) that is capable of:
In this specification, wireless terminal 111 is prefixed with the term “scouting” solely to emphasize the difference in function it performs in contrast to the functions performed by “user” wireless terminal 112. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, there is no hardware or software difference between scouting wireless terminal 111 and user wireless terminal 112. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, that in another situation user wireless terminal 112 can and might perform the functions performed herein by scouting wireless terminal 111 and scouting wireless terminal 111 can and might perform the functions performed by user wireless terminal 112.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-1 transmits a downlink control channel radio signal from an omnidirectional antenna at 40 dBm. The downlink control channel radio signal is characterized by a first wavelength λ1=c/800 MHz=0.375 meters. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-1 is a cellular base station (e.g., 3G, 4G LTE, 5G NR, etc.), but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the reference radio provides any service (e.g., transmit only, transmit and receive, voice, data, video, etc.) and transmits any type of signal as characterized by any wavelength at any transmit power. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the transmission parameters of the downlink control channel radio signal are constant. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use reference radio 120-1.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-2 transmits a downlink control channel radio signal from an omnidirectional antenna at 40 dBm. The downlink control channel radio signal is characterized by the first wavelength λ1=c/800 MHz=0.375 meters. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-2 is a cellular base station (e.g., 3G, 4G LTE, 5G NR, etc.), but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the reference radio provides any service ((e.g., transmit only, transmit and receive, voice, data, video, etc.) and transmits any type of signal as characterized by any wavelength at any transmit power. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the transmission parameters of the downlink control channel radio signal are constant. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use reference radio 120-2.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-3 transmits a downlink control channel radio signal. The downlink control channel radio signal is characterized by a second wavelength λ2=c/2.4 GHz=0.125 meters. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-3 is an 802.11 WiFi access point, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the reference radio provides any service (e.g., transmit only, transmit and receive, voice, data, video, etc.) and transmits any type of signal as characterized by any wavelength at any transmit power. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the transmission parameters of the downlink control channel radio signal are constant. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use reference radio 120-3.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, location engine 151 comprises the hardware and software capable of performing the computational tasks described below and in the accompanying figures. Location engine 151 is connected via the Internet and wireline transmission facilities to reference radio 120-1 and reference radio 120-2. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reference radio 120-3 is behind a secure firewall, and, therefore, location engine 151 does not have direct unrestricted wireline access to reference radio 120-3 or the wireless terminals that have been granted wireless access to reference radio 120-3. Furthermore, location engine 151 is connected via the Internet and wireless (e.g., cellular, etc.) connectivity to scouting wireless terminal 111 and user wireless terminal 112.
Location engine 151 comprises a location-based application (e.g., iOS's “Find My Friends” app, Android's “Waze” app, iOS's Lyft app etc.) that uses the estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112 generated in task 203. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, location engine 151 exists within geographic region 101. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, however, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the location engine exists outside of the geographic region of interest. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the functionality performed by location engine 151 is distributed among various geographically-dispersed hardware devices (e.g., is performed by servers in “the Cloud,” partially on scouting wireless terminal 111, partially on user wireless terminal 112, etc.).
At task 201, location engine 151 and scouting wireless terminal 111 cooperate to discover one or more new reference radios in geographic region 101. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, scouting wireless terminal 111 is carried by a technician whose job it is to systematically patrol geographic region 101 and discover new reference radios. As scouting wireless terminal 111 is carried throughout geographic region 101, it continually scans for 2.4 GHz WiFi downlink control channel radio signals.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, scouting wireless terminal 111 does not comprise a record of all of the reference radios that are known to location engine 151, but it does comprise a record of all of the reference radios that it has previously received and decoded. Therefore, whenever scouting wireless terminal 111 receives and decodes the 2.4 GHz WiFi downlink control channel radio signal of a reference radio that it has not previously received and decoded, it notifies location engine 151 of that fact.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, in task 201, scouting wireless terminal 111 receives and decodes the 2.4 GHz WiFi downlink control channel radio signal of reference radio 120-3. Because scouting wireless terminal 111 has not previously received and decoded the downlink control channel radio signal of reference radio 120-3 before, it notifies location engine 151 that it has received and decoded the signal from reference radio 120-3. In response, location engine 151 confirms that reference radio 120-3 is a newly-discovered reference radio and directs the technician and scouting wireless terminal 111 to gather power measurements of the signal, as performed in task 202.
At task 202, location engine 151 and scouting wireless terminal 111 cooperate to:
At task 203, location engine 151 and user wireless terminal 112 cooperate to generate an estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112, based, at least in part, on:
At task 204, location engine 151 uses the estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112, which was generated in task 203, in a location-based application. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention that perform task 204.
At task 205, location engine 151 transmits the estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112, which was generated in task 203, to user wireless terminal 112 for use by a location-based application (e.g., Facebook, Find My Friends, Weather, etc.) on user wireless terminal 112. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention that perform task 205.
At task 206, location engine 151 transmits the estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112 to a remote data processing system for use by a location-based application (e.g., E-911, etc.) on that system. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention that perform task 206.
At task 301, scouting wireless terminal 111 makes a measurement of the locally-averaged signal strength of the downlink control channel radio signal of reference radio 120-3 at M measurement locations in geographic region 101. The M measurement locations are designated 1, 2, 3, . . . , m, . . . , M, where M and m are positive integers and m is selected from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . , M}.
The value of the mth measurement is MV(m), which is denominated in dBm. The coordinates of the mth measurement location is ML(m), which equals the (x,y,z) coordinates of a location in geographic region 101.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, all of the measurements are made in the plane of geographic region 101, which is 1.5 meters above ground level, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments in which some or all of the measurements are made at above or below ground level.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, M=4, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention with any number of measurements.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the technician decides how many measurements are chosen (i.e., the value of M), but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the technician decides the coordinates of each measurement location ML(m), but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the technician carries scouting wireless terminal 111 to each measurement location ML(m). When scouting wireless terminal 111 is at measurement location ML(m), scouting wireless terminal 111:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the M=4 measurement locations ML(1) through ML(4) and the M=4 measurement values MV(1) through MV(M) are stored in location engine 151. They are also depicted in
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the M measurement locations are spatially diverse. When two measurements are not spatially diverse, they are at least partially redundant and overweight the data from that vicinity.
When the technician has no idea that a reference radio is nearby, the technician can take measurements on a square or hexagonal lattice, while omitting those places where he or she cannot get to because of physical obstacles or legal impediments or logistical efficiency. In contrast, when the technician suspects that he or she knows the location of a newly-discovered reference radio, a good rule of thumb is for the measurement locations to exhibit azimuthal and radial diversity around the suspected location. This can be achieved, for example and without limitation, by circling the suspected location at a few times at different radii.
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the measurements are made at regular intervals.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, there are some assumptions regarding task 301. For example, it is assumed that:
These assumptions might be true or false or partially true, and the degree to which they are true or false will impact the accuracy of the estimates generated by the embodiment of the invention. In any case, it will be clear to those skilled in the art how to perform task 301.
At task 302, location engine 151 partitions building 141 into K partitions. The K partitions are designated 1, 2, 3, . . . , k, . . . , K, where K and k are positive integers and k is selected from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . , K}. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a partition is defined as a volume of space that is deemed to have a uniform excess path loss per meter for a given wavelength.
The coordinates of the centroid of partition k is PL(k), which equals the (x,y,z) coordinates of a location in geographic region 101. The kth partition has a uniform excess path loss per meter of PV(k), which is denominated in dB per meter.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment K=4, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention with any number of partitions.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the location of all K partitions is stored in location engine 151. They are also depicted in
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, each of the K partitions:
The computational complexity of task 602 is reduced when each partition is an identical convex polyhedron that can be tessellated (e.g., a cube, a box, a triangular prism, etc.). In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, each partition is 3 meters high because location engine 151 comprises a record that building 141 is a one-story building. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the vertical scope of a partition conforms to the floors in a multi-story building.
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which:
When the location engine does comprise a record of an RF obstacles or an area that is devoid of RF obstacles, it is usually advantageous to correlate the boundaries of some of the partitions with the boundaries of those obstacles and/or areas. This will complicate the complexity of task 602, but it is likely to improve the various estimates that are generated in tasks 604, 605, and 606.
In general, the size, shape, and location of each partition k should be chosen so that it is crossed by the straight-line path between each candidate location CL(n) and at least one measurement location ML(m). When a partition k is not crossed by the straight-line path between each candidate location CL(n) and at least one measurement location ML(m), and that candidate location CL(n) is estimated to be the location of reference radio 120-3, the candidate path loss e(n,k) for that partition will be meaningless.
Furthermore, the size, shape, and location of each partition k should be chosen so that it is crossed by the straight-line path between each candidate location CL(n) and several measurement locations. In general, this tends to increase the accuracy of the estimate of the candidate path loss e(n,k) for that partition.
At task 303, location engine 151 generates:
At task 601, location engine 151 generates N candidate locations for the location of reference radio 120-3. The N candidate locations are designated 1, 2, 3, . . . , n, . . . , N, where N and n are positive integers and n is selected from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . , N}.
The nth candidate location is at candidate location CL(n), which equals the (x,y,z) coordinate of a location in geographic region 101.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, all of the candidate locations are in the plane of geographic region 101, which is 1.5 meters above ground level, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which some or all of the candidate locations are at any altitude.
In general, better estimates of the location of reference radio 120-3 are generated:
For example, candidate locations on a 2.5 meter (Δx) by 2.5 meter (Δy) by 2.5 meter (Δz) orthogonal lattice are, in general, better than randomly-located candidate locations. Candidate locations on a 1 meter (Δx) by 1 meter (Δy) by 1 meter (Δz) orthogonal lattice are also likely to yield good estimates.
To facilitate the reader's comprehension of the illustrative embodiment, the illustrative embodiment is presented with N=4. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention with any number of measurements.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, candidate location CL(n)=PL(n), for all n. The N candidate locations CL(1) through CL(N) are stored in location engine 151. They are also depicted in
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which:
At task 602, location engine 151 generates a candidate prediction of the total path loss A(n,m) in dB for a hypothetical 2.4 GHz signal that propagates in a straight line from candidate location CL(n) to measurement location ML(m), for all n and m. In total, task 602 generates N·M=16 candidate predictions of total path loss.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, location engine 151 does comprises a record of radio-frequency obstacles in the vicinity of the N candidate locations, the M measurement locations, and the vicinity of the signal paths between the N candidate locations and the M measurement locations. Therefore, the candidate prediction of the total path loss A(n,m) comprises four components:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the candidate predictions of total path loss A(n,m) equal:
A(n,m)=FSPL(n,m)+I(n,m)+W(n,m)+O(n,m) (Eq. 1)
wherein:
Determining FSPL(n,m)—In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the candidate prediction of the free-space path loss in dB for the hypothetical 2.4 GHz radio signal as it propagates in a straight line from candidate location CL(n) to measurement location ML(m) equals:
FSPL(n,m)=20 log10(d(n,m))+20 log10(f)+32.45 (Eq. 2)
wherein:
The 16 values of d(n,m) are computed using the Pythagorean Theorem in well-known fashion and are stored in location engine 151 and listed in Table 4:
The 16 values of FSPL(n,m) are calculated using Equation 2 and are stored in location engine 151 and listed in Table 5.
Determining I(n,m)—In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the excess path loss in dB that the hypothetical signal experiences as it propagates inside of building 141 on the straight-line path from candidate location CL(n) to measurement location ML(m) equals:
I(n,m)=Σ∀ke(n,k)*d(n,m,k) (Eq. 3)
wherein:
The values of e(k) are estimated during optimization in task 603.
The N·M·K=64 values of d(n,m,k) are calculated in well-known fashion using the values in Tables 2 and 3, the location of the exterior walls of building 141, the boundaries of the K partitions, and trigonometry. The 64 values of d(n,m,k) are stored in location engine 151 and are listed in Table 6.
Determining W(n,m)—In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the excess path loss in dB that the hypothetical signal experiences as it propagates through one or more exterior walls of building 141 on the straight-line path from candidate location CL(n) to measurement location ML(m) equals:
wherein:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the value of W is chosen to be 15 dB because, from experience, it is a reasonable value, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that uses a different value for W. For example, an office building with glass walls should have a different value for W than a factory with 30 cm steel-reinforced concrete walls.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, each hypothetical signal passes through only one wall. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, however, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the hypothetical signal passes through two or more walls (at the same angle of incidence or at difference angles of incidence).
The 16 values of ø(n,m) are calculated in well-known fashion using the values in Tables 2 and 3, the location of the exterior walls of building 141, the boundaries of K partitions, and trigonometry and are presented in Table 7.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the 16 values of W(n,m) are calculated using Equation 4, a value of 15 for W, and the angles of incidence in Table 7. The 16 values of W(n,m) are presented in Table 8.
Determining O(n,m)—In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the candidate prediction of the excess path loss in dB that the hypothetical signal experiences as it propagates outside of building 141 on the straight-line path from candidate location CL(n) to measurement location ML(m) equals zero for all n and m:
O(n,m)=0∀n,m (Eq. 5)
because location engine 151 does not comprise a record of any outdoor radio-frequency obstacles (other than building 141) between any of the measurement locations and any of the candidate locations. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the value of O(n,m) is non-zero.
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that use a different model for the candidate predictions of total path loss. For example, the following references describe and disclose the art and science of RF path-loss models:
At task 603, location engine 151 determines which candidate location CL(n) is most consistent with the candidate predictions of total path loss A(n,m) and the measurement values MV(m), for all n and m.
To accomplish this, a metric C(n) is generated that quantitatively evaluates the goodness of fit of each candidate location CL(n) to:
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the minimum value of C(n) and the associated values of P(n) and e(n,k), for all n and k, are stored in location engine 151 and listed in Table 9.
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that use a different objective function than that in Equation 6.
At task 604, location engine 151 generates the estimate of the location of reference radio 120-3 by selecting that candidate location CL(n) associated with the smallest value of C(n). Because the minimum value of C(2) is less than the minimum value of C(1), C(3), and C(4), location engine 151 decides that candidate location CL(2) is more likely—based on the available empirical evidence—to be closer to the actual location of reference radio 120-3 than the other candidate locations, and, therefore, location engine 151 estimates the location of reference radio 120-3 to be at candidate location CL(2), which is at coordinates (102.5, 65, 1.5).
At task 605, location engine 151 generates the estimate of the transmission power of reference radio 120-3 by selecting the value of P(n) associated with the smallest value of C(n). Because the minimum value of C(2) is less than the minimum value of C(1), C(3), and C(4), location engine 151 decides that P(2) is more likely—based on the available empirical evidence—to be the best estimate of the transmission power of reference radio 120-3, and, therefore, location engine 151 estimates the transmission power of reference radio 120-3 to be P(2), which is 21 dBm.
At task 606, location engine 151 generates PV(k), for all k, which are the estimates of the excess path loss per meter in each of the K partitions. Because the minimum value of C(2) is less than the minimum value of C(1), C(3), and C(4), location engine 151 decides that e(2,1), e(2,2), e(2,3), and e(2,4) are more likely—based on the available empirical evidence—to be the best estimates of the excess path loss per meter in each of the K partitions, and, therefore, location engine 151 estimates the excess path loss per meter of:
At task 1001, user wireless terminal 112:
At task 1002, user wireless terminal 112 measures:
At task 1003, user wireless terminal 112 measures:
At task 1004, location engine 151 generates an estimate of the location of user wireless terminal 112 based on:
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the number of candidate locations is treated as infinite. In such cases the index variable n in Equation 2 is recast in terms of the co-ordinates (x,y,z), and task 603 is approached as an optimization problem over a continuous space using a standard (iterative or heuristic) computational optimization technique (e.g., hill climbing with random restart, genetic algorithms, etc.). In these cases, the goal would be to find the values of (x,y,z) and P(x,y,z) that yield the lowest value of C(x,y,z) (within some margin of error ∂) for all m measurement values MV(m) as, for example and without limitation, in:
C(x,y,z)=Σ∀m(MV(m)−P(x,y,z)+A(x,y,z,m))2 (Eq. 7)
In this case, the values of (x,y,z) that yield the lowest value of C(x,y,z) would be the best estimate of the location of the reference radio, and the associated value of P(x,y,z) would be the best estimate of the transmission power of the downlink control channel radio signal by the reference radio.
Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which reference radio 120-3 transmits a plurality of downlink control channel radio signals at different frequencies (e.g., 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz, etc.). In these cases, the measurement values are of both signals, and equation 6 is optimized based on the measurement values of both signals and the candidate predictions of total path losses for both signals.
And still furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which there are two or more newly-discovered reference radios at different locations. In these cases, the measurement values are of both signals, and equation 6 is optimized based on the measurement values of both signals and the candidate predictions of total path losses for both signals.
It is to be understood that the disclosure teaches just one example of the illustrative embodiment and that many variations of the invention can easily be devised by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of: (i) U.S. Patent Application 62/879,527, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Reference Radio in a Geographic Region and Using the Estimated Location of the Reference Radio to Estimate the Location of a Wireless Terminal,” filed on Jul. 28, 2019, which is incorporated by reference; and(ii) U.S. Patent Application 62/885,343, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Reference Radio in a Geographic Region and Using the Estimated Location of the Reference Radio to Estimate the Location of a Wireless Terminal,” filed on Aug. 12, 2019, which is incorporated by reference. This application is related to: (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,039, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Reference Radio and Using the Estimated Location of the Reference Radio to Estimate the Location of a Wireless Terminal”, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, which is incorporated by reference; and(ii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,041, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Footprint of Building and Using the Footprint to Estimate the Location of a Wireless Terminal”, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, which is incorporated by reference; and(iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,042, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Reference Radio Based on the Signals Transmitted by a Multi-Band Radio Transmitter”, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, which is incorporated by reference; and(iv) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,043, entitled “Integrated Estimation of the Location of a Plurality of Reference Radios”, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, which is incorporated by reference; and(v) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,044, entitled “Estimating the Location of a Reference Radio in a Multi-Story Building and Using the Estimated Location of the Reference Radio to Estimate the Location of a Wireless Terminal”, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, which is incorporated by reference. If there is any inconsistency between the language in one or more of these applications and this specification, the language in this specification prevails for the purposes of interpreting this specification.
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