Extending Battery Life During Bluetooth Device Location

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to extending battery life during Bluetooth device positioning. Various embodiments herein disclose improving battery life while determining the location of a Bluetooth device. Corresponding methods include: receiving an identifier of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device to be positioned in an environment including a plurality of access points (APs). The method further includes: identifying a first AP among the plurality of APs that communicates with the BLE device at a first power level. The method further includes: using the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs among the plurality of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device. The method further includes: receiving a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value from each of the threshold number of APs based on the communication from the BLE device. The method further includes: calculating the location of the BLE device in the environment based on the RSSI values.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments presented in this disclosure generally relate to identifying and tracking the location of an electronic device. More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to locating an electronic device that communicates via a Bluetooth communication protocol. Background Art

[0002] Many mobile electronic devices (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices) are battery-powered wireless devices. Such devices can typically be used as beacons for identifying the location of an item. For example, a BLE device can be embedded in or be part of an item (e.g., a crate, a pallet, etc.), or can be used to track the location of an item during transportation between facilities, storage within a facility, etc. To enable these location identification and tracking functions, the BLE device sends periodic advertisements that indicate the location of the BLE device when the advertisements are sent to receiving devices (e.g., other BLE devices, access points (APs), etc.) at a specified period and power level. In some embodiments, to enable triangulation, trilateration, etc. to identify the location of the BLE device when the BLE device sends an advertisement, the advertisement should be received by multiple APs. Sending such periodic advertisements at a power level sufficient for multiple APs to receive the periodic advertisement from the BLE device may consume a large amount of power (relative to the power capabilities of the battery-powered BLE device). For example, sending advertisements at a sufficient power level for multiple APs to receive the advertisement may drain the battery of the BLE device too quickly and create interference in the environment, which is generally undesirable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided, including: receiving an identifier of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device to be located in an environment including a plurality of access points (APs); identifying a first AP among the plurality of APs that communicates with the BLE device at a first power level; using the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs among the plurality of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device; receiving a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value from each of the threshold number of APs based on the communication from the BLE device; and calculating the location of the BLE device in the environment based on the RSSI values.

[0004] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless controller is provided, including one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless controller to perform operations, the operations including: receiving a request to locate a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device in an area; identifying a first access point (AP) that communicates with the BLE device when the BLE device transmits at a first power level; instructing the BLE device via the first AP to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs including the first AP receive communications from the BLE device; and calculating the location of the BLE device in the area based on the communications.

[0005] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device is provided, including one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the BLE device to perform operations, the operations including: communicating with a first access point (AP) at a first transmission power level; receiving an indication from the first AP to increase the transmission power level until a threshold number of APs including the first AP receive communications from the BLE device, wherein the communications are used to identify the location of the BLE device; and increasing the transmission power level until the threshold number of APs including the first AP receive communications from the BLE device and the location of the BLE device is identified. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] In order to understand in detail the manner of the above-described features of the present disclosure, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly outlined above can be obtained by referring to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate typical embodiments and should not be considered restrictive; other equally effective embodiments are also contemplated.

[0007] Figure 1 An example embodiment of a positioning system is depicted, which identifies the location of a BLE device based on one or more advertisements transmitted by the BLE device and received by multiple access points (APs);

[0008] Figure 2 An example embodiment of a positioning system is depicted, in which a BLE device broadcasts an advertisement at a first power level to one or more neighboring APs managed by a controller;

[0009] Figure 3 Depicts Figure 2Another exemplary embodiment of a positioning system, where the BLE device broadcasts advertisements to multiple APs at different power levels (the BLE device sends advertisements at different power levels);

[0010] Figure 4 depicts Figure 2 Another exemplary embodiment of a positioning system, where the BLE device broadcasts advertisements to four APs of the positioning system;

[0011] Figure 5 depicts a communication flow diagram between the positioning system components and the BLE device according to the embodiments described herein that enables the controller to identify the location of the BLE device; Figure 2 of the positioning system;

[0012] Figure 6 depicts a process for incrementally increasing the transmission power level of the BLE device until Figure 2 a threshold number of APs in the positioning system receive periodic advertisements to enable the controller to determine the location of the BLE device;

[0013] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for positioning a BLE device by changing the transmission power level of the BLE device when broadcasting advertisements according to multiple aspects described herein.

[0014] For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals have been used, where possible, to denote identical elements common to the figures. Elements disclosed in one embodiment are expected to be usefully employed in other embodiments without specific recitation. Detailed Description

[0015] Overview

[0016] Various embodiments disclosed herein include apparatuses, systems, devices, and methods for identifying, tracking, and / or monitoring the location of an electronic device (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon device). A method includes: receiving an identifier of a BLE device to be located in an environment including a plurality of access points (APs). The method further includes: identifying a first AP among the plurality of APs that communicates with the BLE device at a first power level. The first AP may communicate with the BLE device to configure the BLE device for communication with the plurality of APs and the like. The method further includes: using the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level at which the BLE device broadcasts one or more advertisements until a threshold number of APs among the plurality of APs receive the one or more advertisements broadcast from the BLE device, where the advertisements are at or have a minimum received signal strength indication (RSSI) value measured at each receiving AP. The threshold number of APs includes the first AP. The method further includes: receiving, from each of the threshold number of APs, the RSSI value measured by each of the threshold number of APs for the advertisement from the BLE device. Based on the received RSSI values, the method includes: calculating the location of the BLE device in the environment based on the RSSI values or similar values.

[0017] According to some embodiments, a wireless controller includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless controller to perform the method of locating a BLE device. According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless controller, cause the wireless controller to perform or cause to be performed any of the methods described herein. According to some embodiments, a wireless controller includes: a communication interface, one or more processors, and a non-transitory memory for performing or causing to be performed any of the methods described herein.

[0018] Example embodiments

[0019] Battery-powered wireless devices such as BLE devices or tags (referred to herein as BLE devices) can be used for various purposes (e.g., sensor telemetry, asset tracking, personnel tracking, etc.). In some embodiments, the BLE devices correspond to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. To achieve these purposes, the BLE devices broadcast periodic or event-driven advertisements that contain, for example, device identification data or data measured by one or more sensors on the BLE device. Since these BLE devices are battery-powered, they can be moved and have more potential use cases compared to their corresponding wired counterparts. However, one factor that affects the battery life of such BLE devices is the transmission power level and frequency of the BLE device. For example, a BLE card-type device that transmits advertisements at -12 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) (or lower) per second and is powered by two button batteries can last for approximately 2 years. On the other hand, the same BLE card-type device that transmits advertisements at 4 dBm (or higher) per second may last for only approximately 9 months. Thus, a relatively small change in the transmission power level of the BLE device can significantly affect the battery life of the BLE device, which may affect the maintenance costs associated with the BLE device.

[0020] In addition, an example wireless communication system including a controller and multiple APs can identify the location of the BLE device based on the respective measurements of the RSSI (or other aspects of the advertisement) of the advertisement received at or by the AP, using trilateration, triangulation, etc. Based on such methodology, the positioning accuracy of the identified location of the BLE device is related to the RSSI (or other aspects) of the advertisement received from the BLE device at the AP, such that the higher the RSSI of the advertisement received at the AP, the higher the positioning accuracy of the BLE device in the environment, etc. In the case where the RSSI is a measure of the signal strength of the respective advertisement, a higher RSSI measured at the AP corresponds to a higher transmission power level at the BLE device. However, the higher the transmission power level at the BLE device, the faster the consumption of the (one or more) batteries of the BLE device. Thus, there is an inverse relationship between BLE positioning accuracy and BLE device battery life. In addition, since the environment where BLE devices may be used is typically dense with many other wireless devices, a high transmission power level may cause interference, increase errors, and degrade the signal quality of other BLE devices in the environment.

[0021] One embodiment presented in the present disclosure (which addresses or at least reduces the deficiencies of the example wireless communication system introduced above) outlines a method for locating the above-introduced BLE device (which communicates with the first AP of the above-introduced wireless communication system). When the BLE device configures itself to communicate with the wireless communication system, the first AP can communicate with the BLE device. As part of this configuration, the first AP can instruct the BLE device to communicate at a specific initial or minimum transmission power level (e.g., for advertisement transmissions). The method for locating the BLE device can include instructing the BLE device via the first AP to increase its transmission power level from the initial transmission power level until a threshold number of APs receive the advertisement transmitted by the BLE device. Once a threshold number of APs receive the advertisement transmitted by the BLE device, these APs can provide the received signal information (e.g., RSSI measurement results, timing measurement results, etc.) to a controller to determine the location of the BLE device.

[0022] More specifically, in such an embodiment, the controller identifies the BLE device to be located and identifies the first AP that communicates with the BLE device to be located. The first AP that communicates with the BLE device can be the AP to which the BLE device is connected for configuration and similar purposes. The controller can identify the initial or first transmission power level of the BLE device based on a report from the first AP (e.g., the reported RSSI value of the advertisement transmission received by the first AP from the BLE device). Once the BLE device starts broadcasting advertisements and similar messages (based on which the location of the BLE device can be determined), the controller also identifies whether other APs are receiving the advertisement transmissions from the BLE device.

[0023] When the controller determines that only the first AP is communicating with the BLE device or receiving the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device, the controller requests the first AP to instruct the BLE device to incrementally increase the transmission power of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs (e.g., a total of 3 or 4 APs) can receive one or more advertisements broadcast by the BLE device. Then, each of the threshold number of APs transmits the corresponding RSSI value (or corresponding measurement result) of one or more advertisements received from the BLE device to the controller. Then, the controller can identify the location of the BLE device (e.g., based on the RSSI values reported by each AP). In some embodiments, other parameters associated with the one or more received advertisements can be used to identify the location of the BLE device. Additionally, the location of the BLE device can be identified with respect to or relative to one or more APs that receive one or more advertisements broadcast by the BLE device. In some embodiments, the threshold number of APs varies based on the location determination method used to identify the location of the BLE device. In some embodiments, in the case where the previous location of the BLE device is known, the previous location and the time between the time when the previous location was determined and the current time can be used to determine the current location of the BLE device.

[0024] In one use case, the BLE device is configured to transmit telemetry data at a selected optimal transmission power such that at least the first AP receives the transmission from the BLE device.

[0025] In another use case, the BLE device provides positioning and tracking information, where an updated optimal transmission power is selected such that a sufficient number of APs measure the RSSI value of the transmission from the BLE device and where the measured RSSI value meets or exceeds a minimum RSSI threshold. Since APs in an environment are typically deployed in a grid pattern, the minimum number of APs that receive the transmission from the BLE device with an acceptable RSSI value or a threshold RSSI value (measured by the APs) to determine the location of the BLE device can be three or four (e.g., in the trilateration or triangulation method of location determination). In the case where the RSSI value measured at the first AP among the minimum number of APs is poor, the BLE device is instructed to increase its transmission power to improve the RSSI value at the first AP. In some embodiments, the minimum transmission signal power of the BLE device is -75 dBm. In some embodiments, the change in the minimum transmission signal power is relatively small such that the standard deviation of the transmission signal power is 7 dBm.

[0026] Although the example embodiments described herein relate to BLE devices, similar methods can be applied to other battery-powered wireless communication devices (regardless of the communication protocol used by the battery-powered wireless communication device). In some embodiments, the (one or more) BLE devices, (one or more) APs, (one or more) IoT devices, and controllers described herein include a processor and a memory, among other things.

[0027] Figure 1 Depicts an example embodiment of a positioning system 100 managed by a controller circuit (controller) 102 that identifies the location of a BLE device 104 based on one or more advertisements sent by the BLE device 104 and received by a plurality of APs 106. The positioning system 100 includes a controller 102 that communicates with the APs 106. In some embodiments, the controller 102 (e.g., a wireless controller such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller) manages the communication of a plurality of APs 106 (e.g., APs 106a - 106i).

[0028] As Figure 1 shown, the BLE device 104 operates at a transmit power level that enables the BLE device 104 to communicate with all devices within the area 108. Thus, when the BLE device 104 sends an advertisement, all APs 106a - 106h receive the advertisement with different signal strength values (e.g., different RSSI values). In some embodiments, as introduced above, in the case where the BLE device 104 operates at a single transmit power level, the advertisement (and other) transmissions of the BLE device 104 may interfere with other BLE and wireless devices in the area 108. Similarly, other BLE and wireless devices in the area 108 may interfere with the BLE device 104 and the APs 106. Additionally, because the transmissions of the BLE device 104 are operated at a transmit power level high enough to broadcast to the area 108, the battery of the BLE device 104 may be depleted faster compared to if the BLE device 104 sent the advertisement at a lower power level (e.g., in the case where the area would be less than Figure 1 that shown).

[0029] In the system 100, the BLE device 104 is shown communicating with the AP 106a at communication 110a to obtain configuration information of the system 100. However, because the BLE device 104 communicates at a single transmit power level, all APs 106b - 106h also receive the communications 110b - h corresponding to the communication 110a. In the case where the APs 106b - 106h do not need to receive the configuration communications 110b - 110h, these communications interfere with the APs 106b - 106h and other wireless devices communicating in the area 108.

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a positioning system 200, in which a BLE device 204 broadcasts a communication or advertisement 110 to one or more neighboring APs 206 managed by a controller 202 at a first power level.

[0031] The AP 206 may correspond to the AP 106, and the controller 202 corresponds to the controller 102. In some embodiments, the BLE device 204 may communicate (e.g., at communication 210a corresponding to communication 110a) with an AP 206a (or any other AP 206 of the positioning system 200) to register or configure the BLE device 204 for location tracking, communication, etc. In some embodiments, the registration of the BLE device 204 may occur at a predetermined transmit power level (e.g., a predetermined transmit power level established during the manufacture of the BLE device 204, a predetermined transmit power level identified in a beacon or other communication received by the BLE device 204 from the AP 206a, etc.). For example, the BLE device 204 identifies the presence of the positioning system 200 via beacons transmitted through one or more APs 206. The BLE device 204 may identify in the transmitted beacon information that enables the BLE device 204 to register with the positioning system 200, including the requested transmit power level to be used by the BLE device 204 during registration at communication 210a, etc.

[0032] In this example, the requested transmit power level of the BLE device 204 is such that only the AP 206a can communicate with the BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the requested transmit power level may be low enough such that the BLE device 204 will only be able to communicate with a single AP 206 (regardless of the position of the BLE device 204 relative to the AP 206). In some embodiments, the requested transmit power level may allow the BLE device 204 to communicate with multiple APs 206 (depending on the position of the BLE device 204 relative to the AP 206). The BLE device 204 may transmit at a transmit power level such that the APs 206 within the region defined by region 208 receive the transmission from the BLE device 204. Thus, as Figure 2As shown, the BLE device 204 transmits at the following transmission power levels, which enable only the AP 206a (as the only AP 206 within the area 208) to receive the transmissions from the BLE device 204. The remaining APs 206b - 206i cannot receive the transmissions from the BLE device 204 transmitted at the transmission power level associated with the area 208. In some embodiments, the BLE device 204 may transmit telemetry data about the BLE device 204 to the AP 206a. The telemetry data may include data about the communication capabilities and components of the BLE device 204. By using this reduced power level, the BLE device 204 can increase its battery life while still maintaining communication with the positioning system 200.

[0033] In some embodiments, each BLE device 204 transmits an advertisement that includes an identifier of the BLE device 204. The identifier of the BLE device 204 may be unique to the BLE device 204 (e.g., wireless ID, name, address, last recognized location, etc.). The AP 206a may report the identifier of the BLE device 204 to the controller 202. In some embodiments, the AP 206a also reports the RSSI value measured for the advertisement received from the BLE device 204 to the controller 202. In this way, the controller 202 can track which BLE devices 204 are within the area or environment where the controller 202 and the AP 206 can identify or determine the corresponding locations.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the controller 202 may receive a request, e.g., from a user, to identify the location of a given product or item. For example, the controller 202 may receive the identifier of the BLE device 204 from the user. The controller 202 may determine that there is not a sufficient number of APs 206 receiving the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204 to determine the location of the BLE device 204, based on the transmission power level at which the BLE device 204 is currently transmitting. For example, based on the RSSI value of the advertisement received from the BLE device 204 reported by the AP 206a to the controller 202, or based on the fact that no other AP 206 reports receiving the corresponding advertisement from the BLE device 204, the controller 202 may know that only the AP 206a has received the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204.

[0035] In the case where the controller 202 determines that there are not enough APs 206 that receive advertisements from the BLE device 204 (for which the controller 202 receives a request for determining the location), the controller 202 may work with the AP 206a that communicates with the BLE device 204 to improve the conditions. For example, the controller 202 may cause the AP 206a to instruct the BLE device 204 to incrementally increase its transmission power level until a sufficient number of APs 206 receive advertisements from the BLE device 204. The sufficient number of APs 206 may correspond to the minimum number of APs 206 required to determine the location of the BLE device 204 using a specific method. In some embodiments, the minimum number of APs 206 for determining the location of the BLE device 204 is 3 (e.g., using triangulation or trilateration). In some embodiments that utilize trilateration, the minimum number of APs 206 is 4.

[0036] In some embodiments, the incremental increase in the transmission power level at which the BLE device 204 sends advertisements includes: increasing the transmission power level by a fixed amount, a variable amount, an exponential amount, etc. As described above, the transmission power level of the BLE device 204 is directly related to the area 208 in which the AP 206 receives the broadcast advertisement. As the transmission power level of the BLE device 204 increases, the area 208 in which the AP 206 can receive the broadcast advertisement also increases. Therefore, as the BLE device 204 incrementally increases its transmission power level, the area 208 in which the BLE device 204 can communicate with the AP 206 also increases, as described in more detail below Figure 3 and described in more detail below.

[0037] Figure 3 depicts Figure 2 Another exemplary embodiment of the positioning system 200, in which the BLE device 204 broadcasts advertisements to multiple APs 206 at different power levels at which the BLE device 204 transmits. The positioning system 200 shows different areas 208a - 208d corresponding to different transmission power levels of the BLE device 204. Therefore, the positioning system 200 shows how different transmission power levels of the BLE device 204 can enable different APs 206 to receive broadcast advertisements from the BLE device 204.

[0038] For simplicity and conciseness of discussion, the positioning system 200 depicts four different areas 208a - 208d corresponding to four different transmission power levels. However, for the positioning system 200, there may be more or fewer different areas 208 and corresponding transmission power levels. Area 208d may be the largest area corresponding to the maximum transmission power of the BLE device 204, where area 208d is the largest area shown (relative to the positioning system 200). Area 208d may correspond to Figure 1Region 108, where the BLE device 204 transmits, for example, at the maximum power level. Region 208a depicts the minimum region corresponding to the minimum transmit power of the BLE device 204. As described above, when the BLE device 204 transmits at the minimum power level (e.g., after registering with AP206a); thus, region 208a may correspond to Figure 2 region 208.

[0039] Between the maximum region 208d and the minimum region 208a, the positioning system 200 shows two additional representative regions 208b and 208c. For region 208b, the BLE device 204 transmits or broadcasts an advertisement with a corresponding transmit power level (or at a corresponding transmit power level). The corresponding transmit power level may be (increasingly) higher than the minimum transmit power level that generates the minimum region 208a. In addition to AP 204a receiving the broadcast advertisement at the minimum transmit power level, two APs 206b and 206d receive the broadcast advertisement at the transmit power level corresponding to region 208b.

[0040] The BLE device 204 may broadcast an advertisement to region 208c at another increasingly increasing transmit power level, which is larger than regions 208a and 208b but smaller than region 208d. In addition to AP 206a that receives the advertisement within regions 208a and 208b, and APs 206b and 206d that receive the advertisement within region 208b, the BLE device 204 may broadcast its advertisement to a fourth AP 206e at the corresponding transmit power level.

[0041] In some embodiments, the difference between the transmit power levels corresponding to regions 208a and 208b may be one transmit power level increment, or an increasing transmit power level increment. For example, when the controller 202 causes AP 206a to instruct the BLE device 204 to increase its transmit power level from the minimum transmit power level corresponding to region 208a, the increasingly increasing transmit power level may correspond to region 208b. Similarly, the difference between the transmit power levels corresponding to regions 208b and 208c may be one transmit power level increment, or an increasing transmit power level increment, and the difference between the transmit power levels corresponding to regions 208c and 208d may be one transmit power level increment, or an increasing transmit power level increment.

[0042] When the BLE device 204 transmits at a transmit power level corresponding to the region 208c, in which four APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e receive the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204, the controller 202 receives reports from each of the APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e that report one or more parameters of the received advertisement (e.g., the respective RSSI value measurements of the APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e, etc.). The controller 202 can use the received reports to determine the location of the BLE device 204 and can then provide that location to a requesting user, the BLE device 204, etc. The following Figure 4 illustrates the details of the broadcast advertisement received by the APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e, which enables the controller 202 to determine the location of the BLE device 204.

[0043] Figure 4 depicts Figure 2 Another example embodiment of the positioning system 200, in which the BLE device 204 broadcasts an advertisement to four APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e of the positioning system 200. The BLE device 204 communicates via, for example, a broadcast advertisement, where the APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e are shown together with communications 410a, 410b, 410c, and 410d, respectively. Specifically, the communication 410a between the BLE device 204 and the AP 206a (which communication 410a can correspond to Figure 1 the communication 110) can further or alternatively include: an advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204; or an indication from the AP 206a to the BLE device 204 to incrementally increase the transmit power level at which the BLE device 204 broadcasts the advertisement. A communication 410b exists between the BLE device 204 and the AP 206b, where the AP 206b receives the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204. A communication 410c exists between the BLE device 204 and the AP 206d, where the AP 206d receives the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204. A communication 410d exists between the BLE device 204 and the AP 206e, where the AP 206e receives the advertisement broadcast by the BLE device 204.

[0044] APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e can transmit or report to the controller 202 the receipt of an advertisement from the BLE device 204; and details of the receipt, such as the RSSI value measured for the received advertisement, or one or more other parameters regarding the received advertisement. In cases where one or more of the parameters include signal strength information, the controller 202 can use trilateration, triangulation, etc. to determine the location of the BLE device 204. In cases where one or more of the parameters include timing information, the controller 202 can use triangulation to determine the location of the BLE device 204.

[0045] In some embodiments, the controller 202 determines the location of the BLE device 204 based on reports from a threshold number of APs 206, or the controller 202 determines that the location of the BLE device 204 is no longer being requested. The controller 202 can then cause the AP 206a (or any other AP 206b, 206d, or 206e that receives an advertisement from the BLE device 204) to instruct the BLE device 204 to gradually or immediately reduce its transmit power level. The BLE device 204 can be instructed to reduce its transmit power level back to the minimum transmit power level (associated with the area 208a) or to another transmit power level at which the BLE device 204 communicates with fewer APs 206 than the threshold number of APs 206. In some embodiments, after the BLE device 204 reduces its transmit power level, the advertisement of the BLE device 204 is received by only a single AP 206. In this way, the BLE device 204 can conserve power and generate less interference for other devices when its location is not being determined or requested.

[0046] The following references Figure 5 to provide further details of the communication between the APs 206 and the BLE device 204 that enables the controller 202 to identify the location of the BLE device 204.

[0047] Figure 5 depicts a communication flowchart 500 between the components of the positioning system 200 and the BLE device 204 according to the embodiments described herein Figure 2 that enables the controller 202 to identify the location of the BLE device 204.

[0048] Flowchart 500 begins with communication 502, where controller 202 receives a request to determine or monitor the location of BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the request is received from a user when BLE device 204 is moving or after BLE device 204 is initially registered and configured with AP 206a. Thus, controller 202 can communicate with the AP 206 that most recently reported receiving an advertisement broadcast from BLE device 204 (the BLE device 204 having an identifier for which the user has requested its location). For the following discussion, since AP 206a communicates with BLE beacon 204, controller 202 communicates with AP 206a.

[0049] At communication 504, controller 202 instructs AP 206a to request BLE device 204 to send an advertisement at a first power level. In some embodiments, the first power level can be the power level used to register and configure BLE device 204 with AP 206a. In some embodiments, the first power level can include an increasing power level relative to the minimum power level (used to register BLE device 204 with AP 206a). In some embodiments, instead of requesting BLE device 204 to send an advertisement at any particular power level, AP 206a requests BLE device 204 to increment its transmit power level by a given amount or to a given power level.

[0050] At communication 506, AP 206a sends an indication to BLE device 204 to send an advertisement at the increasing power level.

[0051] At communication 508, BLE device 204 sends an advertisement at the increased transmit power level (either incrementally or otherwise). Since this transmit power level is increased over the minimum power level (or because BLE device 204 has moved after registering with AP 206a), the advertisement in communication 508 is sent to both AP 206a and AP 206b.

[0052] At communication 510, AP 206a reports to controller 202 one or more parameters of the advertisement received from BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the one or more parameters can be the RSSI value of the advertisement received by the AP, the transmit power level of the advertisement, etc. Similarly, at communication 512, AP 206b reports to controller 202 one or more parameters of the advertisement it received from BLE device 204, where the one or more parameters correspond to the one or more parameters reported by AP 206a. In some embodiments, the RSSI values of the advertisements received by AP 206a and AP 206b are different from each other.

[0053] At process 514, the controller 202 identifies the number of APs 206 that received the advertisement sent at the first power level from the BLE device 204. If the controller 202 determines that the number of APs 206 (here, two) is less than the threshold number of APs 206 (e.g., four), the controller 202 may generate an indication to the AP 206a (or AP 206b) to cause the BLE device 204 to incrementally increase its transmission power level again and then broadcast the advertisement again. At communication 516, the controller 202 sends the generated indication to the AP 206a.

[0054] At communication 518, the AP 206a sends an updated indication to the BLE device 204, requesting the BLE device 204 to increment its transmission power level again and broadcast the advertisement (similar to communication 504 above).

[0055] At communication 520, the BLE device 204 broadcasts the advertisement at an incrementally increased transmission power level. Because this transmission power level is increased relative to the previous power level (which now corresponds to region 208b), or because the BLE device 204 has moved since it broadcast the advertisement at communication 508, the advertisement broadcast at communication 520 is sent to the APs 206a, 206b, 206d, and 206e.

[0056] At communication 522, the AP 206a reports one or more parameters of the advertisement received from the BLE device 204 (as described above regarding communication 510). Similarly, at communications 524, 526, and 528, the APs 206b, 206d, and 206e respectively report one or more parameters of the advertisement they received from the BLE device 204 (similar to communication 512 above).

[0057] At process 530, the controller 202 identifies the number of APs 206 that received the advertisement transmitted at the first power level from the BLE device 204. If the controller 202 determines that the number of APs 206 (here, four) is equal to or greater than the threshold number of APs 206 (e.g., three or four), the controller 202 may perform trilateration (or another or similar process) to determine the location of the BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the controller 202 determines again that the number of APs 206 that received the advertisement does not match the threshold or does not exceed the threshold, or that not all of the threshold number of APs 206 received the advertisement with the minimum RSSI value (or other parameter). Accordingly, the controller 202 may generate another indication to the AP 206a (or another AP 206 that received the most recent advertisement) to cause the BLE device 204 to incrementally increase its transmission power level again, and then broadcast the advertisement again. If the transmission power level is incrementally increased, steps 516 - 530 may be repeated until the number of APs 206 that report receiving the advertisement (and the corresponding RSSI value) from the BLE device 204 is greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0058] At communication 532, the controller 202 may report the location of the BLE device 204 to the requesting user. In some embodiments, the controller 202 also reports the location to the BLE device 204.

[0059] At communication 534, the controller 202 may instruct the AP 206a (or any one of the APs 206 that received the advertisement last broadcast by the BLE device 204) to instruct the BLE device 204 to reduce its transmission power (gradually or directly) to a minimum transmission power level or a predetermined transmission power level. The AP206a may send such an indication to the BLE device 204 at communication 536.

[0060] In some embodiments, the transmission power used by the BLE device 204 is determined based on the density of the APs 206 in the environment. For example, the transmission power used by the BLE device 204 is lower in a situation with a high density of APs 206 than in a situation with a low density of APs 206. Additionally, the transmission power used by the BLE device 204 may be determined based on the location of the BLE device 204 relative to the APs 206 (e.g., in an edge network or as part of an edge network).

[0061] The BLE device 204 can reduce its power consumption (until needed) by adjusting its transmission power level based on circumstances, environmental conditions, etc. For example, since the BLE device 204 broadcasts announcements to provide data to the AP 206, reducing the transmission power of the broadcast enables the BLE device 204 to save power and extend battery life. In some embodiments, the BLE device 204 can also increase the interval between consecutive announcement intervals (e.g., from 100 milliseconds to 1 second), which can also reduce the power consumption of the BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the BLE device 204 receives an indication (e.g., from another BLE device or from the AP 206) to increase or decrease its transmission power level. In response to these indications, the BLE device 204 sends an acknowledgement to the device that requested the increase or decrease.

[0062] As described above, the BLE device 204 can communicate (e.g., at communication 210a) with the AP 206a (or any other AP 206 of the positioning system 200) to register or configure the BLE device 204 for location tracking, communication, etc. In some embodiments, after the BLE device 204 registers with the AP 206a, the BLE device 204 can maintain communication at the same transmission power level as indicated by the region 208b. Similarly, other BLE devices (not shown) can also operate at a lower transmission power level such that only one AP 206 or the minimum number of AP 206s receive the broadcast transmissions from the other BLE devices.

[0063] As shown, the requested transmission power level of the BLE device 204 enables only the AP 206a to communicate with the BLE device 204. In some embodiments, the requested transmission power level can be low enough such that the BLE device 204 will only be able to communicate with a single AP 206 (regardless of the position of the BLE device 204 relative to the AP 206). In some embodiments, the requested transmission power level can allow the BLE device 204 to communicate with multiple AP 206s (depending on the position of the BLE device 204 relative to the AP 206). The BLE device 204 can transmit at a transmission power level such that the AP 206 within the region defined by the region 208 receives the transmission from the BLE device 204. Thus, as Figure 2As shown, the BLE device 204 transmits at the following transmission power levels such that only the AP 206a (as the only AP 206 within the area 208) can receive the transmission from the BLE device 204. The remaining APs 206b - 206i cannot receive the transmission from the BLE device 204 that is transmitted at the transmission power level associated with the area 208. In some embodiments, the BLE device 204 may transmit telemetry data regarding the BLE device 204 to the AP 206a. The telemetry data may include data regarding the communication capabilities and components of the BLE device 204, sensor data (e.g., temperature data, light data, etc.), announcements, advertisement or beacon profiles, or advertisement or beacon protocols, etc.

[0064] Figure 6 depicts a flowchart of a process 600 for incrementally increasing the transmission power level of a BLE device until a threshold number of APs in a positioning system (e.g., Figure 2 positioning system 200) receive a periodic announcement to enable a controller to determine the location of the BLE device. Although the flowchart of process 600 and the corresponding description include references to the Figure 2 components of the positioning system 200, the blocks of process 600 are not limited to this example embodiment and may be applied to various other combinations of components. Additionally, process 600 does not need to execute each of the shown blocks or only the shown blocks, and is not limited to executing the specified blocks in any particular order.

[0065] At block 602, process 600 includes: registering the BLE device with the positioning system via one or more APs of the positioning system. In some embodiments, registering the BLE device with one or more APs includes: receiving a beacon transmitted by an AP of the positioning system and responding to the beacon. The beacon may indicate to the BLE device an expected or requested transmission power level that the BLE device is to set as a default value for communicating with one or more APs of the positioning system. The requested transmission power level may be set to a value such that when the BLE device is located at any position in the environment served by the positioning system, only one AP or the minimum number of APs of the positioning system can receive the broadcast from the BLE device.

[0066] At block 604, process 600 includes: One of the multiple APs of the positioning system receives a broadcast advertisement or beacon from the BLE device. In some embodiments, as described herein, in response to a request from an AP for the BLE device to broadcast an advertisement so that the positioning system can identify the location of the BLE device, the advertisement is broadcast. In cases where the request for the BLE device to broadcast an advertisement includes a request or an increase in the transmit power level, or includes an indication to increase the transmit power level of the BLE device, the BLE device can increase its transmit power level, or broadcast the advertisement at the indicated transmit power level. As described above, the broadcast advertisement will be received by any AP within the area corresponding to the transmit power level of the BLE device.

[0067] At block 606, process 600 includes: Determining whether the number of APs that received the broadcast advertisement from the BLE device at block 604 meets or exceeds a threshold number of APs. In some embodiments, the threshold number of APs is set based on the number of APs required to mathematically determine the location of the BLE device by receiving the broadcast advertisement (e.g., using trilateration or triangulation methods to identify the location of the BLE device requires three or four APs). In certain embodiments, the threshold number of APs can be dynamically set or predetermined for all use cases. In some embodiments, determining whether a threshold number of APs have received the broadcast advertisement also includes: Determining whether the RSSI of the broadcast advertisement received by each AP meets or exceeds a threshold RSSI. Thus, not only will a threshold number of APs receive the broadcast advertisement to determine the location of the BLE device, but a threshold number of APs will receive the broadcast advertisement with at least the threshold RSSI. In some embodiments, the controller of the positioning system performs an inspection on the number of receiving APs based on the reports of the advertisement received from each AP of the positioning system.

[0068] At block 608, in cases where the number of APs that received the advertisement (or the number of APs that received the advertisement with the threshold RSSI) does not meet or exceed the corresponding threshold, process 600 instructs the BLE device to increase its transmit power level. As introduced above, such an increase can be: increasing to a predetermined higher transmit power level, increasing by a predetermined amount, increasing by a dynamically calculated amount, or increasing to a dynamically calculated amount, etc. In some embodiments, the controller can generate an indication and send the indication to one or more APs that communicate with the BLE device (e.g., receive the broadcast advertisement of the BLE device) to instruct the BLE device to increase its transmit power level. Then, one or more APs can send a corresponding indication to the BLE device so that the BLE device increases its transmit power level and re-broadcasts the advertisement at the increased transmit power level.

[0069] In some embodiments, although not shown, process 600 (as part of block 606 or separately) determines whether multiple APs that receive a broadcast announcement receive the broadcast announcement with a threshold parameter (e.g., the threshold RSSI introduced herein). In the case where a threshold number of APs do not receive the broadcast announcement with the threshold parameter, proceed to block 608 (as introduced).

[0070] At block 610, when the number of APs that receive the announcement (or the number of APs that receive the announcement with the threshold RSSI) does meet or exceed the corresponding threshold, process 600 uses reports from multiple APs (the multiple APs that receive the broadcast announcement from the BLE device) to determine the location of the BLE device. For example, the reports from the APs to the controller include RSSI or timing data related to the received announcement, and the controller can use trilateration or triangulation or similar corresponding methods to determine the location of the BLE device relative to the APs, etc.

[0071] At block 612, process 600 includes: instructing the BLE device to reduce or reset its transmit power level to a configured or preset transmit power level (e.g., by gradually reducing the transmit power level or immediately reducing the transmit power level to the configured level). In some embodiments, in the case where a large change in the transmit power level has a negative impact on interference and other aspects (or other devices) in the positioning system, the AP and the controller instruct the BLE device to gradually reduce the transmit power level. In some embodiments, the controller can provide the location of the BLE device to the BLE device so that the BLE device can broadcast its location (or the last calculated location) in its announcement, e.g., together with the time when the location was last calculated. In this way, the BLE device can provide its location to devices that cannot perform the corresponding calculations, or provide its location without the need to increase the power transmit level. In some embodiments, the controller provides the location of the BLE device to a requesting entity (e.g., a user, etc.). In some embodiments, blocks 604 - 608 of process 600 are repeated until the number of APs that receive the broadcast announcement from the BLE device exceeds the threshold number (and the corresponding threshold RSSI). Thus, the controller, the AP, and the BLE device work together to enable the BLE device to incrementally increase its transmit power level from a low, energy-saving transmit power level to a higher transmit power level at which the location of the BLE device can be determined, thereby increasing the battery life of the BLE device. By only increasing and decreasing the transmit power level of the BLE device, BLE can reduce the transmit power until a high transmit power level is requested, which will extend the battery life of the BLE device because a high transmit power level results in a shorter battery life.

[0072] Figure 7 is for via a positioning system (e.g., in accordance with multiple aspects described herein)Figure 2 The flowchart of a positioning system 200 and a method 700 for positioning a BLE device by changing the transmission power level of the BLE device during broadcast announcements. Although the flowchart of method 700 and the corresponding description include references to the Figure 2 components of the positioning system 200, the blocks of method 700 are not limited to this exemplary embodiment and can be applied to various other combinations of components. In addition, method 700 does not require performing each block or only the blocks shown, and is not limited to executing the specified blocks in any particular order.

[0073] At block 702, method 700 includes: receiving an identifier of a BLE beacon to be positioned in an environment including a plurality of access points. In some embodiments, the controller receives the identifier from a requesting user or entity. In response to receiving the identifier, the controller determines whether the identified BLE device is communicating with the positioning system (e.g., by searching a database of BLE devices communicating with the positioning system for the received identifier). In some embodiments, each device communicating with one or more APs of the positioning system has a corresponding identifier and communication AP identifier stored in the database. The database can be updated based on the determined location of the BLE device and the (one or more) APs that receive the most recent broadcast announcements from the BLE device, etc.

[0074] At block 704, method 700 includes: identifying or detecting an AP communicating with the BLE device at a first transmission power level or a default transmission power level, where the first transmission power level causes a single AP or a minimum number of APs to receive announcements from the BLE device.

[0075] At block 706, method 700 includes: the controller (via the AP communicating with the BLE device) generating an indication to the BLE device to incrementally increase the transmission power level of the BLE device and rebroadcast the announcement until a threshold number of APs receive the announcement broadcast by the BLE device. In some embodiments, the controller instructs the BLE device to incrementally increase the transmission power level until the RSSI of each received announcement meets a threshold RSSI. In some embodiments, the BLE device undergoes one or more iterations of increasing transmission power levels.

[0076] At block 708, method 700 includes: the controller sending an indication to the (one or more) APs communicating with the BLE device, and the (one or more) APs sending the corresponding indication to the BLE device. In some embodiments, blocks 706 and 708 are repeated until a threshold number of APs are satisfied, or a threshold RSSI for a threshold number of APs is satisfied.

[0077] At block 710, method 700 includes: Once a threshold number of APs, or a threshold number of APs and a threshold RSSI, are satisfied, the controller receives RSSI values (or corresponding timing values) from each of the threshold number of APs to determine the location of the BLE device.

[0078] At block 712, method 700 includes: Calculating the location of the BLE device by one or more of the controller, the AP, etc. The controller then reports the calculated location to the requesting user, the BLE device, the AP, etc.

[0079] In this disclosure, various embodiments are referenced. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the specifically described embodiments. Instead, any combination of the described features and elements, whether or not related to different embodiments, is expected to implement and practice the expected embodiments. Additionally, when elements of an embodiment are described in the form of "at least one of A and B", it is understood that embodiments including element A alone, element B alone, and both element A and B are expected. Moreover, although some embodiments disclosed herein may achieve advantages over other possible solutions or the prior art, whether a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment does not limit the scope of this disclosure. Thus, the aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages disclosed herein are illustrative only and are not to be considered elements or limitations of the appended claims, unless expressly recited in one or more of the claims. Similarly, references to "the invention" should not be construed as generalizing any inventive subject matter disclosed herein and should not be considered an element or limitation of the appended claims, unless expressly recited in one or more of the claims.

[0080] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied as a system, a method, or a computer program product. Accordingly, embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuitry", "module", or "system". Additionally, embodiments may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied thereon.

[0081] The program code embodied on the computer-readable media may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0082] The computer program code for operating the embodiments of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages (such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, etc.) and traditional procedural programming languages (such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages). The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network connection, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., using an Internet service provider via the Internet).

[0083] Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments presented in the present disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions / actions specified in (one or more) blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0084] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture, including instructions for implementing the functions / actions specified in (one or more) blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0085] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices, so that a series of operation steps are performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices provide a process for implementing the functions / actions specified in (one or more) blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0086] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of the possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart illustration or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by a special-purpose hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0087] In view of the foregoing, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed at a wireless controller, comprising: Receive an identifier of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device to be located in an environment including a plurality of access points (APs); Identify a first AP among the plurality of APs that communicates with the BLE device at a first power level; Use the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs among the plurality of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device; Based on the communication from the BLE device, receive Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values from each of the threshold number of APs; And Calculate the location of the BLE device in the environment based on the RSSI values.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Instructing the BLE device to increase the transmission power level includes: using the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until: A threshold number of APs among the plurality of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device at a threshold RSSI value; or The transmission power level of the BLE device is equal to the maximum power level of the BLE device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Instructing the BLE device includes: Generating an indication to the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device by an incremental amount; Detecting the number of APs among the plurality of APs that report reception, where the reception is of communication from the BLE device at an increasing transmission power level; and Comparing the increasing transmission power level of the BLE device with the maximum power level of the BLE device until: The number of APs that report reception is equal to or exceeds the threshold number of APs; and The increasing transmission power level is equal to the maximum power level of the BLE device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The threshold number of APs is four APs.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The RSSI value received from each of the threshold number of APs is measured based on communication transmitted by the BLE device at the transmission power level and received by each of the threshold number of APs.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each RSSI value among the RSSI values is greater than or equal to a threshold RSSI value.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Identify the maximum power level of the BLE device based on the registration information of the BLE device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Generating an indication to the BLE device includes: Generating an indication to the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device to a predetermined transmission power level; and Detecting the number of APs among the plurality of APs that report reception, where the reception is of communication from the BLE device at the predetermined transmission power level.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: After calculating the location of the BLE device, generate an additional indication to the BLE device to reset the transmission power level to the first power level.

10. A wireless controller, comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless controller to perform operations, the operations comprising: Receive a request to locate a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device in a region; Identify a first access point (AP) that communicates with the BLE device when the BLE device transmits at a first power level; Instruct the BLE device via the first AP to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until a threshold number of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device; And Calculate the location of the BLE device in the area based on the communication.

11. The wireless controller according to claim 10, wherein,Instructing the BLE device to increase the transmission power level includes: using the first AP to instruct the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device until: A threshold number of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device at a threshold RSSI value; or The transmission power level of the BLE device is equal to the maximum power level of the BLE device.

12. The wireless controller according to claim 11, wherein, Instructing the BLE device includes: Generating an instruction to the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device by an incremental amount; Detecting the number of APs that report receiving, where the reception is of communication from the BLE device at an increasing transmission power level; and Comparing the increasing transmission power level of the BLE device with the maximum power level of the BLE device until: The number of APs that report receiving is equal to or exceeds the threshold number of APs; and The increasing transmission power level is equal to the maximum power level of the BLE device.

13. The wireless controller according to claim 10, wherein, The threshold number of APs is four APs.

14. The wireless controller according to claim 10, wherein, The RSSI value received from each of the threshold number of APs is measured based on the communication transmitted by the BLE device at the transmission power level and received by each of the threshold number of APs.

15. The wireless controller according to claim 14, wherein, Each of the RSSI values is greater than or equal to the threshold RSSI value.

16. The wireless controller according to claim 10, further comprising: Identify the maximum power level of the BLE device based on the registration information of the BLE device.

17. The wireless controller according to claim 10, wherein, Generating an instruction to the BLE device includes: Generating an instruction to the BLE device to increase the transmission power level of the BLE device to a predetermined transmission power level; and Detecting the number of APs that report receiving, where the reception is of communication from the BLE device at the predetermined transmission power level.

18. The wireless controller according to claim 10, further comprising: After calculating the location of the BLE device, generate an additional instruction to the BLE device to reset the transmission power level to the first power level.

19. A communication system, comprising: The wireless controller according to any one of claims 10 - 18; And A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device, including one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, the instructions when executed by the one or more processors cause the BLE device to perform operations, the operations including: Communicating with a first Access Point (AP) at a first transmission power level; Using the first AP to receive an instruction from the wireless controller to increase the transmission power level until a threshold number of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device, where the communication is used to identify the location of the BLE device; and Increase the transmit power level until the threshold number of APs, including the first AP, receive communication from the BLE device and the location of the BLE device is identified.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein, The operation further includes: Receiving an indication from one of the threshold number of APs to gradually reduce the transmit power level to the first transmit power level; and After calculating the location of the BLE device, gradually reducing the transmit power level to the first transmit power level.

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