System and method for establishing real-time positioning

Abstract

A system and method for real-time establishment of positioning information and real-time determination of a location of a portable device are disclosed. The system has a master device (110). The master device (110) can direct one or more monitor devices (120) to monitor communications occurring over a primary communication link (140). The monitor devices (120) can sense characteristic information about signals from the portable device (10) and transmit the characteristic information to the master device (110) via a secondary communication link (130). The communication system can determine a location of the portable device (10), authenticate the portable device (10), determine whether the portable device (10) is authorized to allow or initiate an action, and command or enable an action with respect to equipment. The communication protocol of the primary communication link (140) is Bluetooth Low Energy.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application filed on April 14, 2017, with international application number PCT / US2017 / 027686, entitled "System and Method for Establishing Real-Time Positioning", and application number 201780023482.4 which entered the Chinese national phase. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to systems and methods for establishing real-time location information about portable devices, and more particularly, to systems and methods for establishing location information about portable devices by monitoring radio frequency communications. Background Technology

[0003] Real-time location or position determination of objects is becoming increasingly beneficial in a wide range of applications. Real-time location systems (RTLS) are used and relied upon to track objects, such as portable devices, in many sectors including, for example, automotive, storage, retail, secure access for authentication, and secure access for authorization.

[0004] A traditional RTLS system in the automotive field includes a transceiver or main controller located within the vehicle and capable of utilizing a portable device via radio frequency communication. The main controller monitors the signal strength of the communication between itself and the portable device and uses this monitored information as the basis for determining the portable device's location relative to the vehicle. However, this type of RTLS system is often inaccurate, primarily because factors other than distance, such as interference, can affect signal strength. For example, if the signal strength decreases due to interference rather than an actual increase in distance, the transceiver may incorrectly determine that the portable device is located further away than it actually is, or even further away in the absence of interference.

[0005] Many technologies focus on using the signal strength of communication between the transmitter and receiver to determine location information. However, these technologies often fail to provide accurate location information in a wide variety of situations. For example, in addition to the interference problems mentioned above, resource allocation in portable devices can adversely affect the ability to use signal strength as a basis for determining location information. For instance, in a Bluetooth communication system environment, portable devices are typically limited by their resources to a selected number of concurrent Bluetooth operations. If the portable device is a telephone attempting to establish a hands-free protocol (HFP) voice connection while simultaneously trying to determine the phone's location relative to a vehicle, the portable device may prioritize the HFP connection over the connection that facilitates determining the phone's location. This prioritization can be a direct result of resource allocation within the portable device and may adversely affect the ability to determine location information about the portable device relative to the vehicle. Measurement errors are also often a significant source of error—signal strength, timing, and angles measured at different times can vary due to limitations of the instruments on the measuring device or because they are used at different times. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure relates to a communication system having a master device configured to determine location information about a portable device in real time. The master device can direct one or more monitoring devices to monitor communications occurring on a main communication link. One or more monitoring devices can sense characteristic information about signals from the portable device and transmit at least one of the monitored communications and sensed characteristic information to the master device via an auxiliary communication link. In one embodiment, one or more monitoring devices can combine the sensed characteristic information to monitor at least one message from the portable device to the master device. One or more monitoring devices can transmit information related to the sensed characteristic information and the at least one message.

[0007] In one implementation, a primary communication link can be established between the host device and the portable device. Furthermore, an auxiliary communication link can be separate from the primary communication link, so that the portable device is essentially unaware of messages being transmitted via the auxiliary communication link between the host device and one or more monitoring devices. Using the auxiliary communication link of the monitoring devices can save resources on the portable device, including, for example, processor cycles, power, memory, and wireless communication controller operation.

[0008] In one embodiment, the communication system may include a plurality of fixed-location devices (e.g., a master device and one or more monitoring devices), each fixed-location device being configured to communicate with at least one other fixed-location device among the plurality of fixed-location devices via an auxiliary communication link. Fixed-location information about each of the fixed-location devices may be stored in memory that may be volatile or persistent. Aspects of the fixed-location information may be stored in volatile memory, while other aspects may be stored in persistent memory or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, all, some, or uncertain fixed-location information in the fixed-location information may be determined at runtime. A portable device may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a first fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices via a master communication link, wherein a second fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices is configured to monitor communication on the master communication link between the first fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices and the portable device. The second fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices may receive message content and may sense one or more signal features that can be used as a basis for determining positioning, including micro-positioning. One or more signal features may belong to the monitored communication. Signal feature information related to one or more signal features may be transmitted to at least one other fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices via an auxiliary communication link. The signal characteristics of signals transmitted via auxiliary communication links can be transmitted together with the signal characteristics of the monitored communication (e.g., the signal characteristics of signals transmitted from one fixed-location device to another fixed-location device via an auxiliary communication link can also be monitored, measured, transmitted, or subjected to any combination of these actions). Location information about a portable device can be determined based on the signal characteristic information transmitted over the auxiliary communication link. The authenticity of the signal characteristic information (i.e., whether the information is related to communication from the portable device) can be determined based on the message content of the transmitted signal characteristic information.

[0009] In another embodiment, the primary communication link may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication link, and the secondary communication link may be a wired communication bus. The master device may include a first communication interface operable to receive wireless communication transmissions from a portable device, wherein the first communication interface is configured to obtain signal characteristic information relating to the wireless communication transmissions received by the master device from the portable device. As an example, the first communication interface may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication interface.

[0010] The main device may further include a second communication interface configured to communicate with at least one fixed-location device separate from the main device. This communication includes signal characteristic information regarding wireless communication transmissions received by the fixed-location device from the portable device. For example, the second communication interface may be a wired communication bus. The main device may also include a controller operatively coupled to the first and second communication interfaces, wherein the controller may be configured to determine location information regarding the portable device based on signal characteristic information received from the at least one fixed-location device.

[0011] In another embodiment, the method includes determining location information about a portable device. The method may include: receiving wireless communication from the portable device via a wireless communication link in a master device, and guiding at least one fixed-location device to monitor wireless communication from the portable device to the master device. The method may further include receiving signal characteristic information via an auxiliary communication link separate from the wireless communication link, based on the wireless communication monitored by the fixed-location device. Location information related to the location of the fixed-location device can be obtained, and the location of the portable device can be determined based on the transmitted signal characteristic information and the location information.

[0012] On one hand, a communication system according to one or more embodiments described herein can help determine location information about a portable device relative to an object such as a vehicle, building, table, or any other object / space. Components of the communication system, such as a main device and one or more monitoring devices, can be fixed relative to the object (fixed to the object, embedded within the object, placed near the object, carried by the object, or any combination thereof) and transmit information to each other to determine the location information of the portable device relative to the object. This communication, or a substantial part thereof, can be substantially unknown to the portable device, thereby potentially avoiding the allocation of resources within the portable device to handle such communication.

[0013] On the other hand, methods according to one or more embodiments described herein can be able to obtain significantly more information from a single connection than conventional methods, potentially without requiring additional power consumption or utilizing additional resources on portable devices. This can help overcome the shortcomings of conventional methods, such as measurement errors.

[0014] These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated through the description of the present embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Before explaining the embodiments of the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details of operation or construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or shown in the drawings. The present invention can be implemented in various other embodiments and can be practiced or performed in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Furthermore, it should be understood that the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. The use of “comprising” and “including” and variations thereof is intended to cover items listed thereafter and their equivalents, as well as other items and their equivalents. Additionally, enumeration may be used in the description of the various embodiments. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any particular order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that may be combined with or incorporated into the enumerated steps or components. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 A representative diagram of a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 It shows the integration into the vehicle. Figure 1 A representative diagram of a communication system;

[0018] Figure 3 It shows an arrangement on or near a building. Figure 1 A representative diagram of a communication system;

[0019] Figure 4 A representative diagram of the master device of a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0020] Figure 5 A representative diagram of a monitoring device for a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0021] Figure 6 A method for establishing a main communication link in a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0022] Figure 7 The illustration shows a method for achieving substantial synchronization between a master device and a monitor device, an authentication method, an authorization method, and a method for commanding or authorizing operation of the device according to one embodiment; and

[0023] Figure 8 A method for determining location information about a portable device according to one embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] A system and method according to one embodiment includes a communication system having a master device configured to determine location information about a portable device in real time. The master device may direct one or more monitoring devices to monitor communications occurring on the master communication link from the portable device to the master device. The monitoring devices may then determine signal characteristic information about the communications from the portable device and transmit this signal characteristic information to the master device via an auxiliary communication link. Based on the signal characteristic information, the master device may determine location information about the portable device (e.g., using algorithms that may include distance measurement, trilateration, triangulation, multipoint positioning, fingerprinting, differential positioning, time of flight, time of arrival, time difference of arrival, angle of arrival, angle of departure, geometrical methods, etc., or any combination thereof). Specifically, the master device may determine the possible location of the portable device relative to the master device and one or more monitoring devices.

[0025] A communication system according to one embodiment is in Figure 1 The system is shown in the figure and generally labeled 100. As shown, the communication system 100 includes a main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120. The communication system 100 may also include one or more portable devices 10 and an equipment controller 160. The main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120 may be fixedly mounted to or positioned at a static location relative to an object or equipment such as furniture, a vehicle, or a building, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As depicted in the illustrated embodiment, the main device 110 can be configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device 10. In one embodiment, the main device 110 may include a wireless transceiver capable of exchanging communications with the portable device 10, such as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) supported transceiver, also known as a Bluetooth LE-enabled or Bluetooth Smart-enabled transceiver. It should be understood that wireless communication with the portable device 10 can be achieved using any type of communication technology or framework, and the Bluetooth LE-enabled transceiver technology is described herein primarily for disclosure purposes.

[0026] The master device 110 can communicate with the equipment controller 160 via the equipment communication link 150 to provide commands for performing state changes, such as moving vehicles, opening doors, or permitting actions. These commands can be any type of communication that results in an action, or a response to an action, including: a) instructions or requests to perform, enable, or disable an action; b) requests to send data; c) updates to periodic or non-periodic data; and d) responses to requests from the equipment controller 160, or any combination thereof.

[0027] Equipment communication link 150 can be any type of communication link, including any type of communication link described herein, including wired or wireless. In one embodiment, the equipment communication link can be established via a wired network including a CAN bus on multiple devices, such as a vehicle. It should also be understood that equipment communication link 150 can be established in the same manner and optionally share the same medium, as other communication links described herein, including main communication link 140 and auxiliary communication link 130. For example, both auxiliary communication link 130 and equipment communication link 150 can be established via a CAN bus, and optionally, via the same CAN bus. Equipment controller 160 can enable or command actions or services associated with objects such as vehicles. As described herein, equipment controller 160 can enable services based on a determination that portable device 10 is in a specified location. Although equipment controller 160 is depicted as separate from fixed-location devices, it should be understood that equipment controller 160 can be incorporated into fixed-location devices such as main device 110. As an example, equipment controller 160 can take the form of a software module or hardware interface incorporated into main device 110.

[0028] In operation, according to one implementation, communication can be established between the portable device 10 and the main device 110 when the portable device 10 moves within the communication range of the main device 110. The communication range may or may not be predetermined. As an example, when the communication range is not predetermined, it can vary in different applications and environments, such as different arrangements or configurations of physical objects near the main device 110, the presence or absence of other communication signals, or any combination thereof. As another example, the main device 110 or the portable device 10, or both, can be determined to establish communication within a range that varies based on satisfying one or more criteria. Alternatively, the determination of establishing communication can be predetermined, for example, at the boundaries of observable communication or based on satisfying one or more criteria.

[0029] Portable device 10 or master device 110, or both, can periodically transmit messages (e.g., broadcast messages) on a known channel via one or more master wireless communication links 140. Reciprocal devices, portable device 10, or master device 110 can periodically listen for messages from other devices on a known channel in response to the detection of other devices. The devices can then negotiate connection parameters and connection scheduling, and then communicate during connection events based on parameters and scheduling that define the communication time and the channel used. In the realm of Bluetooth LE, the transmitting (announcing) device can assume a peripheral role, and the listening device can assume a central role. In other words, wireless communication links can be established via Bluetooth LE or any type of wireless communication protocol that includes a protocol for scheduling connection events to communicate using master device 110 and portable device 10. Scheduled connection events can be established through negotiated time windows and communication channel sequences. In one embodiment, information related to scheduled connection events can be transmitted via auxiliary communication link 130 to one or more monitor devices 120, which can use this information to enable monitoring of the master communication link 140. In this way, one or more monitoring devices 120 can actively monitor the main communication link 140 without actively participating in or communicating on the main communication link 140. In one embodiment, the role of the master device 110 can switch between fixed devices based on various factors such as vehicle status, signal quality, portable device location, or system operating mode. For example, using a fixed device located outside the vehicle and another fixed device located inside the vehicle, the role of the master device can switch between the two devices depending on whether the portable device is inside or outside the vehicle. In yet another embodiment, the role of the master device 110 can be performed simultaneously by two or more fixed devices, wherein one or more monitoring devices 120 or a subset thereof are shared among two or more master devices 110. In yet another embodiment, the role of the master device 110 can be separated among two or more fixed devices, or among two or more radios / processors on the same fixed device, wherein each fixed device, radio / processor, or any combination thereof can perform a subset of the responsibilities of the master device 110. As an example, the responsibility of establishing a connection with portable device 10 via main communication link 140 can be performed by one or more fixed-location devices A, and the responsibility of communicating with monitoring device 120 via auxiliary communication link 130 can be performed by one or more different fixed-location devices B, wherein fixed-location devices A and B communicate with each other using any available wired or wireless communication links. This communication enables fixed-location devices A and B to share connection information, security information, measured and / or calculated signal characteristics, positioning results, etc.

[0030] In the realm of Bluetooth LE communication links, a connection can define the actual communication established across one or more channels, and a channel can define one or more radio frequency bands (e.g., bandwidth) used for communication. A connection on the main communication link 140 can be established as a negotiated series of connection events determined by connection parameters and connection scheduling. A connection event can be considered a rendezvous between the master device 110 and the portable device 10, which in the Bluetooth LE environment can be respectively considered as a peripheral device and a central device. The peripheral device can request a series of connection parameters for the scheduling of connection events. The central device can establish the connection parameters and the scheduling of connection events. In the scheduled connection events, the central device sends first to initiate the event. If a peripheral device sends, the central device and the peripheral device can alternate sending until the central device completes its transmission. Both devices can ignore any wireless activity in a power-saving sleep state until exactly before a connection event, and can again ignore wireless activity exactly after a connection event. Because portable devices are more easily associated with individuals, having the portable device begin as a listening center before establishing a communication link makes it more difficult for an adversary to track the individual, which is considered beneficial for personal security and privacy. Similarly, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to portable devices starting with a central role and main devices starting with a peripheral role.

[0031] It should also be understood that this disclosure is not limited to Bluetooth LE. Other wireless communication links can be utilized, including those involving a device searching for another device within range, at least one device announcing its presence by broadcasting on a known channel, and at least one other device listening for the announcing device. In Bluetooth LE, these activities are referred to as announcements and scans, respectively. In ANT, a master device can establish a channel by sending a channel ID on a fixed channel at fixed time intervals, and a device subject to the master device can listen for the channel ID message. Typically, in 802.11 Wi-Fi, announcements are “probe requests” and scans are “active scans.” In 802.11 Wi-Fi frequency-hopping networks, access points can establish similar connection parameters with beacon frames. Furthermore, in ZigBee beacon-enabled networks, network coordinators can establish these types of connection parameters in beacon frames, while end nodes can search for the coordinator by passive scanning. Other examples of wireless communication links include Z-Wave, proprietary ultra-high frequency (UHF), microwave communication protocols, near field communication (NFC), 6LOWPAN, and Thread. ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, and Thread are based on IEEE 802.15.4. According to one embodiment of this disclosure, any other type of communication protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4 can be implemented in the communication system 100.

[0032] Based on location information of the portable device 10 relative to the main device 110 or one or more monitoring devices 120, or a combination thereof, the communication system 100 can facilitate services and events based on real-time location, such as automated actions in response to the detection of the portable device 10 in its location relative to other devices or objects. In addition to basing automated actions on location information, or as an alternative, automated actions can be based on verification of: the identity of the portable device (authentication), authentication of messages from the portable device, permission (authorization) of the portable device, or authorization of the user account associated with the portable device, or a combination thereof. The main device 110 can command or permit actions on the equipment controller 160 via command interface 118 based on location and / or authentication and / or authorization. For example, if the system 100 is integrated into a vehicle and determines that the portable device 10 is located in the driver's seat, the system 100 can transmit this location information to the vehicle control system to enable vehicle movement. The communication system 100 can facilitate a variety of other automated activities or actions, including activities related to: enhanced security, enhanced physical security, identification of physical ownership of items or equipment, and determination of the specific location of a person moving a particular device relative to the system or an object known to the system. Further examples include a Passive Entry-Passive Start (PEPS) system for automobiles, where a low-power system can benefit from conserving battery power in both the vehicle and the portable device 10. Other examples of automated activities include adjusting one or more vehicle parameters to user preferences, such as seat position, speed controller or speed limiter, mirror position, temperature preference, vehicle performance mode, and radio presets.

[0033] As described herein, location information can be used as the basis for triggering or enabling one or more operations. Additional factors can be included in the location determination, such as GPS information and accelerometer readings obtained from the GPS module of a smartphone. One factor that can be used is whether the portable device 10 is moving or accelerating. Motion information indicating that a person is stationary can facilitate the determination to initiate unlocking. This is primarily because if system 100 knows that a) a person or portable device has moved close to the door and b) the movement has decreased to little or no movement, it is likely that the person is standing near the door and wants to enter the vehicle. Motion information generally indicating movement, or the angle of approach toward the vehicle (e.g., the direction of movement of the portable device 10 relative to the vehicle), can facilitate the determination of one or more possible future vehicle functions, such as the approaching person expecting an unlocking function.

[0034] In one implementation, one or more monitoring devices 120 can sense the angle of arrival (AOA) relative to the portable device and can transmit information associated with this type of sensing feature, instead of transmitting other information associated with one or more sensing features such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or sensed signal strength, or together with one or more sensing features such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or sensed signal strength. The time of arrival (TOA) and time difference of arrival (TDOA) relative to the antenna array are further examples of sensing features that can form the basis for signal information transmitted to the master device. As described herein, angle of arrival information can be used as the basis for triangulation of the portable device's location.

[0035] In one implementation, the communication system 100 may determine location information based on one or more preset criteria (e.g., fingerprint recognition) of signal characteristic information (e.g., angle of arrival / departure, signal strength or RSSI, time of flight, etc.) sensed from one or more monitoring devices 120.

[0036] One or more monitoring devices 120 can transmit signal feature information indicating what each corresponding monitoring device 120 has determined for one or more sensed features—including calculated features (e.g., angle, time of flight, distance, etc. between the portable device 10 and the corresponding monitoring device 120). Any of this information can be sent to the master device 110. Diagnostic information, health information, current time, and one or more connection parameters can also be transmitted from one or more monitoring devices 120 to the master device 110. By collecting and analyzing such information from multiple devices, the master device 110 can be configured to provide a level of fault tolerance regarding location determination, even if one or more monitoring devices 120 have failed.

[0037] As another example, system 100 can be integrated into a building or set of buildings, such as a university campus, comprising multiple master devices 110 operating alongside other fixed-location devices, such as one or more monitoring devices 120. Communication system 100 distributed in this manner can enable real-time location tracking of multiple portable devices 10 and facilitate selective entry through the doors 4 of one or more buildings 3. Real-time location tracking in this context can enable entry into dormitories when the mobile phone (and user) is inside or outside the building 3, or near or far from the door 4. In yet another example, system 100 can be integrated into a sensor or sensor system that passively determines the location information of one or more portable devices 10, as the portable devices 10 move toward or away from the sensor or sensor system, or move in the vicinity of the sensor. The sensor or sensor system can store this location information, or transmit it to another device, or perform some analysis and take actions that are not directly perceptible to the user associated with the portable device. In this sense, the sensor or sensor system can be considered to perform equipment operation.

[0038] In embodiments where portable device 10 is a mobile device (such as a telephone or tablet), communication system 100 can facilitate a variety of activities. These types of devices are virtually ubiquitous in daily life and are frequently connected to the Internet and can access personal information. These devices can also allow for the verification of user credentials and authorization. Because users often keep these devices in their personal possessions and do not frequently share them with other users, utilizing mobile devices in communication system 100 according to one embodiment can serve as a proxy for the location of a person. In other words, the presence of a mobile device is a powerful indicator of the location of a person primarily associated with the device.

[0039] A communication system according to one embodiment of this disclosure can provide real-time location services for a portable device 10 relative to one or more fixed devices. As described above, the portable device 10 can maintain a primary communication link 140 with one of the fixed devices (e.g., master device 110). In this way, the portable device 10 can avoid establishing communication links with other fixed devices (e.g., one or more monitoring devices 120), and thus save or reduce resources such as processing cycles, memory, and power consumption that would otherwise be associated with such communication links. Another example of resource savings by implementing the communication system 100 may include less use of RF communication bandwidth. In the realm of Bluetooth LE, the communication system 100 can achieve more accurate micro-location for Bluetooth devices while using fewer Bluetooth resources within the device compared to conventional systems, and at the same time avoids significant power consumption and significant radio bandwidth. Furthermore, as described herein, the communication system 100 can achieve enhanced accuracy in the location of the portable device 10 regardless of at least one of the physical changes in the noise environment in the 2.4 GHz range and the way the Bluetooth LE 2.4 GHz signal path is altered by the zoning.

[0040] More specifically, in a Bluetooth LE environment, the communication system 100 can use multiple fixed-location devices to achieve real-time positioning of the portable device 10, while potentially avoiding multiple communication links between the portable device 10 and fixed-location devices such as the master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120. The communication system 100 can utilize one or more primary communication links 140 between the portable device 10 and the master device 110, as well as auxiliary communication links separate from the primary communication links 140 and established between the master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120. In this way, the portable device 10 on the primary communication link 140 can utilize a typically higher connection event rate (e.g., 20 Hz or 40 Hz) instead of allocating resources and connection events for communication links with multiple monitor devices. It should be understood that the portable device 10 can establish more than one primary communication link 140 with more than one fixed-location device.

[0041] The auxiliary communication link 130 can provide a dedicated communication path for the master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120, potentially avoiding the use of the portable device 10's resources to provide information to one or more monitor devices 120.

[0042] Although the communication system 100 is described primarily in conjunction with a Bluetooth LE communication system, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited thereto, and one or more embodiments herein may provide similar functionality in systems using other wireless protocols, including those involving multiple channels, channel hopping, bad channel mapping, connection events, or encrypted communication, or combinations thereof.

[0043] I. Main equipment and monitoring equipment

[0044] The main device 110 can be integrated into other components of the object to which it is fixed, including, for example, an integrated control circuitry system configured to operate as the main device 110 and control additional components that are generally considered conventional objects. For example, in the vehicle field, the main device 110 can be integrated into an integrated Bluetooth interface to enable the vehicle operator to initiate hands-free calls and can communicate with the vehicle engine control module used as the equipment controller 160 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0045] exist Figure 4 The main device 110 according to one embodiment is described in more detail below. The main device 110 in the illustrated embodiment includes a controller 112, a wireless transceiver interface 114, and an auxiliary communication interface 116. Although the components of the main device 110 are described separately, it should be understood that one or more aspects of each of these components may be combined into a single component. The controller 112 may be an integrated-chip controller having a processor, one or more timers, general-purpose I / O, and memory. The memory may be persistent (e.g., ROM) or volatile (e.g., RAM) or a combination thereof. The wireless transceiver interface 114 may include one or more antennas and transmit and receive radio waves. The controller 112 may be programmed to communicate wirelessly with the portable device 10 via the wireless transceiver interface 114. As discussed above, the wireless transceiver interface 114 may be any type of wireless communication interface, such as Bluetooth LE.

[0046] exist Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the main device 110 includes an auxiliary communication interface 116 configured to communicate with at least one monitoring device 120 via a communication link 130 separate from the main communication link 140 used by the wireless communication interface 114 for communication with the portable device 10. For example, the auxiliary communication interface 116 may include a wired interface such as a CAN bus or other differential twisted-pair interface, a single-wire interface (e.g., LIN bus), a coaxial-based interface, or an optical interface to facilitate communication with one or more monitoring devices 120. The wired interface may utilize pre-existing wiring on the object to which the main device 110 is located, or it may be separate from other communication aspects of the object. In this way, the auxiliary communication interface 116 can provide an auxiliary communication link 130 separate from the main communication link 140 used for communication between the main device 110 and the portable device 10. In one embodiment, the wired interface may include direct point-to-point wiring, such as coaxial cable, between the main device 110 and each of the one or more monitoring devices 120.

[0047] As another example, the auxiliary communication interface 116 can be a wireless interface, such as Bluetooth LE or ANT, which utilizes an auxiliary communication link 130 separate from the main communication link 140. In other words, the auxiliary communication link 130 can utilize the same or different communication technology as the main communication link 140, but can utilize a separate communication path, connection(s) or channel. For example, the two interfaces can be implemented by the same integrated circuit system and can share at least one antenna. In the context of Bluetooth LE, at least 40 available radio communication channels can exist, each radio communication channel spaced 2 MHz apart. Many more synchronized Bluetooth LE connections can be implemented because, in addition to the RF communication channels, each connection is typically a series of short connection events with a start time, channel sequence, connection interval, and bad channel mapping. One or more of these connections can be dedicated to the main communication link 140, and one or more other connections can be dedicated to the auxiliary communication link 130.

[0048] The auxiliary communication link 130 allows the portable device 10 to essentially ignore or disregard communication occurring on the auxiliary communication link 130, thereby saving resources such as processing cycles and memory for use with the main communication link 140, which communicates with the host device 110. In one embodiment, the auxiliary communication link 130 can be considered a separate, private communication link to the portable device 10, independent of the main communication link 140. Although the auxiliary communication link 130 and the main communication link 140 can be considered separate, the controller 112 can have communication scheduling for the link in memory and can control the scheduling to substantially minimize timing or resource conflicts in the host device 110 or the monitor device 120.

[0049] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, a monitor device 120 according to one embodiment is depicted having a controller 122, a wireless communication interface 124, and an auxiliary communication interface 126. These are respectively similar to the controller 112, wireless communication interface 114, and auxiliary communication interface 116 of the main device 110, with a few exceptions. For example, the monitor device 120 may include one or more processors (controller 122) and one or more antennas, and transmit and receive radio waves. The wireless communication interface 124 of the monitor device 120 may monitor communication from the portable device 10 to the main device 110, rather than establishing a communication connection with the portable device 10. In this way, the wireless communication interface 124 of the monitor device 120 may "monitor," "spy," or "sniff" communication from the portable device 10. The terms "monitor," "spy," or "sniff" in this disclosure mean detecting one or more signal characteristics of the communication, such as receiving the message content of the communication and / or sensing one or more signal characteristics that are useful for determining location, preferably for determining micro-location. One or more signal characteristics may include power in one or more channels during transmission of the monitored device, power in one or more channels before transmission of the monitored device, power in one or more channels after transmission of the monitored device, time of arrival, time difference of arrival, one or more angles of arrival, etc., or combinations thereof. Compared to alternative methods without sniffing—including alternative methods where the portable device 10 can maintain one or more connections with each fixed-location device (or only use announcements from the fixed-location devices)—sniffing can allow the master device 110 to obtain time-related, frequency-related, and spatially related data, or combinations thereof; furthermore, data can be obtained at a higher rate. It should be understood that communications sent from the master device 110 or other monitoring devices 120 can also be sniffed. The monitoring device 120 can send the received sniffed communication with the portable device 10 and / or characteristic information based on the message content to the master device 110 to facilitate authentication of the communication and signal characteristics. The authentication process can verify that the communication originates from a specific portable device, or from a specific application running on the portable device, or from an application that has already authenticated access to a specific user account, or a combination thereof. The authentication process facilitates the authorization process. For the purposes of this disclosure, the authentication process verifies identity, and the authorization process verifies privileges. The monitoring device 120 can send signal characteristic information about the sniffed communications with the portable device 10 to the master device 110, which helps determine the location of the portable device 10.

[0050] In one embodiment, the portable device 10 may also measure one or more signal characteristics based on messages received from the host device 110 (e.g., RSSI of a message), or other events or actions performed on the portable device 10 (e.g., changes in state such as screen on / off, average noise floor, motion rate, call, no light, proximity sensor indicating approaching object, motion detection, speed, etc.). The portable device 10 may transmit the sensed information to the host device 110 to determine the location of the portable device 10. Alternatively, the portable device 10 may collect sensor data from one or more sensors and provide that sensor data to the host device 110. Example sensors include accelerometers, magnetometers, and GPS.

[0051] In one example, portable device 10 can determine the RSSI of a request packet received from master device 110 and include that measurement in a subsequent response packet sent to master device 110. Master device 110 can calculate the difference between the two RSSIs as a way to calculate an offset (dynamic calibration parameter) to be applied to metrics obtained between portable device 10 and master device 110 around that point in time (to compensate for persistent or dynamic differences in transmit power, transmitter / receiver polarization / orientation / radiation pattern, obstacles, distance, etc.).

[0052] Additionally or alternatively, portable device 10 may modify the content of messages sent to master device 110 based on the content of messages received from master device 110 in order to determine a more accurate location of portable device 10. For example, portable device 10 may deliver requested information, change its behavior, or adjust future messages based on the content of messages received from master device 110. In one embodiment, master device 110 may provide portable device 10 with relevant information (e.g., channel / frequency, frame / sequence number, or other relevant information that it will transmit on it during the next connection interval), wherein portable device 10 may then modify the content of messages sent to master device 110 to support, improve, correlate, or any combination of these actions on signal characteristic measurements performed by master device 110, monitoring device 120, or both. If portable device 10 is not authenticated and / or authorized, master device 110 may not use such transmission information.

[0053] The controller 112 of the master device 110 can determine that it has verified the authenticity of the communication with the portable device 10, the authenticity of the portable device, the authenticity of the sniffed communication with the portable device, the authorization (permission) of the portable device, or the location of the portable device, or a combination thereof. Based on the verification of this information regarding the location, authenticity, authenticity of the communication with the portable device, and authorization of the portable device, the master device 110 can use the command interface 118 to command, receive, or permit actions performed by the equipment controller 160. In one embodiment, the command interface 118 can facilitate the establishment of an equipment communication link 150.

[0054] The controller 122 of the monitor device 120 can direct the wireless communication interface 124 to monitor communications from the portable device 10 in response to commands received from the master device 110 via the auxiliary communication interface 116. In one embodiment, the controller 122 can receive scheduling information or connection information, or both, from the master device 110 regarding the main communication link 140. The monitor device 120 can use this information to sniff communications from the portable device on the main communication link 140 and determine one or more signal characteristics of the communications sent from the portable device, including, for example, signal strength, angle of arrival, angle of departure, time of arrival, time difference of arrival, time of flight, message content, message hash, etc.

[0055] One or more signal features transmitted from portable device 10, detected by monitoring device 120, can indicate the communication quality / strength, distance, orientation (angle), area, obstacles, or any combination thereof between portable device 10 and monitoring device 120. Monitoring device 120 can transmit information related to the detected one or more signal features to master device 110, which can then use the signal feature information as a basis for determining the location of portable device in real time.

[0056] As an example, localization can be performed using trilateration based on distances determined from signal feature information. In another example, localization can be performed using triangulation based on angles determined from signal feature information. In yet another example, localization can be performed using a combination of algorithms to generate one or more highly probable localizations and their corresponding confidence levels: multiple localization and differential methods, signal feature information from one or more primary communication links 140 and / or one or more secondary communication links 130, machine learning, artificial intelligence, area configuration, environmental configuration (including obstacle or reflector recognition), or any combination thereof. Heuristics may or may not be probabilistic. For example, in one implementation, location determination can be performed using a probabilistic heuristic based on one or more signal features (e.g., RSSI, angle of arrival, etc.) or one or more location methods (e.g., trilateration, triangulation, differentiation, etc.) or any combination thereof within an N-level neural network, using one or more fingerprint recognition models to determine the location (e.g., where N=3, where layer 1 consists of one or more probabilistic fingerprint recognition heuristics that output one or more weighted possible location score sets from signal feature inputs from one or more fixed location devices, where layer 2 uses the output of layer 1 as input to one or more probabilistic heuristics to produce a filtered set of weighted possible location score sets, and finally, where layer 3 [output layer] uses the output of layer 2 as input to determine the most probable location [i.e., distance, region, confidence, etc.]). In such an approach, machine learning techniques (e.g., backpropagation, gradient descent, linear regression, logistic regression, etc.) can be used offline (i.e., in advance) or online (i.e., dynamically in real time) to determine the optimal values ​​of the parameter weights used for (training) the artificial intelligence structure, including probabilistic heuristics, models, neural network nodes, scores, filters and filter rates, and other parts of the algorithm (e.g., the probability of a particular region transition given past performance and the current determined state, the probability of a particular state, sensor offset / adjustment, etc.).

[0057] According to one implementation, a fingerprinting algorithm maps a dataset to an identification structure—its “fingerprint.” A fingerprint may or may not be unique—it can be used to identify something (e.g., a human fingerprint uniquely identifies a person) or it can be used to classify something. The classification can be singular (e.g., a photo containing a dog, the animal is a snake, or the file is a virus ABC) or a set of candidate classifications (e.g., these animals have four legs and fur, these are camera types conforming to a standard XYZ pattern). Secure hashing is a fingerprinting algorithm that maps arbitrarily large datasets to relatively small, fixed-size, and nearly unique identifiers. Computer programs such as virus scanners and search agents use fingerprinting algorithms to find computer files with similar characteristics.

[0058] In the context of micro-positioning systems, fingerprinting algorithms can map a set of inputs (e.g., signal features, portable device status, system status, user activity, previous outputs [such as previous location determination], previous state, etc.) to location, distance, velocity, activity, obstacle set, subsequent algorithm selection, or any other potential output or any combination thereof that can be derived from the input set. The dataset used as input, the set of potential outputs, the relationships created and utilized between said inputs, the mapping of said inputs and relationships to outputs, and the set of operations that can be performed as part of the processing used to generate one or more outputs from the input set can be referred to as a fingerprinting model.

[0059] Fingerprint analysis can be algorithmic or heuristic. A fingerprinting algorithm can be partially or entirely heuristic. A fingerprinting heuristic can be partially or entirely algorithmic. For the purposes of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the terms "fingerprint analysis," "fingerprinting algorithm," and "fingerprinting heuristic" are used interchangeably and all refer to fingerprinting methods of any potential implementation / strategy. A fingerprinting algorithm executes a fingerprinting model, and therefore the fingerprinting model is considered part of the fingerprinting algorithm. A fingerprinting model can be purely algorithmic, purely heuristic, or a combination (hybrid) of both. A fingerprinting algorithm can include one or more models. An example of a purely algorithmic fingerprinting model can be an example where all possible inputs and values ​​are directly mapped to one or more outputs (e.g., given N signal features with M possible values ​​for X fixed-location devices, where each fixed-location device has Y possible locations, there are N * M * X * Y mappings). Examples of purely heuristic fingerprinting models can be those where there is no direct mapping from input to output, and where mapping is performed by leveraging real-world relationships between inputs (e.g., if X is greater than Y, my output is A, and if X is less than Y, my output is B, and if X equals Y, my output is unknown). Examples of hybrid (combined) fingerprinting models can be those where heuristics are used to determine which set of mappings to use (given heuristic results, this could be a partial mapping of related inputs and outputs) or vice versa (including models where the algorithmic model and other algorithms are used as inputs to various heuristics).

[0060] Probabilistic fingerprinting heuristics can be, for example, fingerprinting algorithms that use probabilistic methods to select the most likely output given a set of outputs from a fingerprinting heuristic that uses a fingerprinting model to produce an output set, each output having an associated probability. The probability of a particular output can be calculated by any means. In one implementation of a probabilistic fingerprinting heuristic, one or more probabilities can be calculated for each possible location by weighting and combining the relationships between signal features of devices at different fixed locations in a way that produces a score representing the probability of a given portable device at a given location. The corresponding probabilities of one or more outputs can then be altered by other algorithmic or heuristic processes (from the same or additional inputs). The higher the probability of a particular output, the higher the confidence level in that output can be. Additionally or alternatively (e.g., in cases where the fingerprinting algorithm is not probabilistic [i.e., where probabilities do not provide for outputs]), higher confidence levels for a particular output can be obtained by using additional algorithmic or heuristic processes (from the same or additional inputs). Multiple fingerprinting algorithms can also be executed sequentially or in parallel on the same or different inputs, and their outputs can be combined to further increase or decrease the confidence level of a particular output or set of outputs. For example, multiple fingerprinting heuristics can be performed with the same data, and if they all produce the same output, a higher confidence level can be assigned to that output. Furthermore, for example, multiple probabilistic fingerprinting heuristics can be performed with the same data, and the output sets and their corresponding probabilities can be combined such that the resulting output sets with combined probabilities increase or decrease the confidence of one or more outputs (e.g., maximum, multiplication, summation, A*, artificial neural networks, Bayes' theorem, regression, etc.). If the confidence of a particular output is significantly higher than other outputs or reaches a threshold, or meets certain other decision criteria, or any combination thereof, the algorithm can decide (or select or return) that output (e.g., select that location). If an output set with such high confidence exists, the fingerprinting algorithm can return said output set (with or without its corresponding probability). Alternatively, the fingerprinting algorithm can return all outputs (with or without their corresponding probability) and allow another algorithm or process to decide what action to take (if any). Additionally or alternatively, for example, if the confidence level is low (i.e., it is unclear which output is correct, or because all probabilities are low or multiple are high, or some other combination thereof), the fingerprinting algorithm or system may utilize one or more additional or alternative fingerprinting models, one or more additional or alternative algorithms or heuristics to modify its behavior or its input or output set or any combination thereof.It should be noted that although the above description relates to fingerprint recognition algorithms and heuristics, it can also be applied to any other algorithm (e.g., triangulation, trilateration, multipoint localization, differential, etc.), used in conjunction with it, or used as part of it. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques and methods can be used in, incorporated into, or selected from the outputs of the algorithms (e.g., for training weights, combining probabilities / likelihoods, determining and combining outputs, etc.).

[0061] In operation, the monitor device 120 according to the illustrated embodiment can transition from a powerless or low-power inactive state to an operational state in response to a command from the master device 110. The monitor device 120 can be woken up from the powerless or inactive state in various ways. As an example, if the monitor device 120 is not powered, the auxiliary communication link 130 can be a wired interface that allows the master device 110 to send power or control the power supply to the monitor device 120 to facilitate the transition from the inactive state to the operational state. As another example, if the monitor device 120 is kept substantially continuously powered, the monitor device 120 can periodically wait to receive a command from the master device 110 via a wired or wireless communication link. The monitor device 120 can transition to a low-power state during a time period between the waiting times, thereby using a timer in the controller 122 to determine when to transition back to the waiting state. If no portable device 10 is present in the vicinity of the master device 110, the master device 110 can instruct one or more monitor devices to transition to a non-operational or low-power state.

[0062] The master device 110 can remain in an operational state to detect the presence or communication from the portable device 10, and command one or more monitoring devices 122 to switch to an operational state in response to such detection. The master device 110 can remain in an operational state such that it continuously or intermittently monitors communication from the portable device 10. Additionally or alternatively, the master device 110 can remain in an operational state such that it continuously or intermittently broadcasts requests for communication from the portable device 10.

[0063] This document uses various terms, including fixed-position device and fixed device, to describe the main device 110 and the monitoring device 120. Furthermore, the main device 110 may be referred to as the main device fixed device, and the monitoring device 120 may be referred to as the monitoring device fixed device.

[0064] exist Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 5In the illustrated embodiment, the communication system 100 includes a master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120, all of which are sometimes described as fixed-location devices. The monitor devices 120 and the master device 110 may share several components and functions, including wireless communication interfaces 114, 124 capable of receiving communication from the portable device 10, and auxiliary communication interfaces 116, 126 enabling communication with each other. Therefore, in one embodiment, the role of the master device can change within the fixed-location devices during operation. In another embodiment, each of the fixed-location devices may be substantially identical in structure and may be configured to operate as either a master device or a monitor device. Furthermore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to a single master device. Multiple master devices may exist in the communication system 100.

[0065] Both the main device 110 and the monitoring device 120 may include one or more antennas for wirelessly transmitting or receiving communications, or both. Implementations using multiple antennas may be configured such that each antenna utilizes a separate reference plane or ground plane. The antennas of both the main device 110 and the monitoring device 120 may use any polarization; however, circularly polarized antennas can offer advantages over linearly polarized antennas because they can reduce the influence of the portable device 10's rotation / orientation / radiation pattern on the measured signal characteristics.

[0066] In one embodiment, attenuating or reflecting components, such as metal or metal plates, may be disposed on or near one or more fixed-position devices to affect the communication signals received from the portable device 10. The attenuating components can affect the signal strength of the communication received by the fixed-position device, potentially completely or substantially attenuating the communication signal so that the communication is substantially undetectable by the fixed-position device. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor or monitoring device 120 may be disposed inside a vehicle door, and the housing of the door and window may influence the antenna pattern of the monitoring device 120's antenna, enabling the monitoring device 120 to be configured to substantially sense signals inside the vehicle's interior rather than outside the vehicle. If the door panel is not metal or made of an electromagnetically permeable material, attenuating components may be disposed near the monitoring device 120 to achieve an antenna pattern similar to a configuration where the door panel is metal. In one embodiment, one fixed-position device may be disposed outside the vehicle, and another fixed-position device may be disposed inside the vehicle and close to the attenuating component (e.g., inside the door cavity), and the difference between the two signals can be used as a basis for determining whether the portable device 10 is inside the vehicle.

[0067] According to one embodiment, one or more antennas of the master device 110 or the monitor device 120, or both, can be any type of antenna, including directional antennas, omnidirectional antennas, or combinations thereof. Directional antennas can be used in the monitor device 120 or the master device 110, or both, to facilitate the determination of location information regarding the portable device 10. In embodiments utilizing directional antennas, one or more signal characteristics of communication detected by the directional antenna can vary significantly depending on the location of the portable device 10. For example, if the directional antenna is configured with a narrow radio beamwidth, the detected signal strength may be low for communication originating from a portable device 10 located close to the antenna but offset to the side or behind the beam. On the other hand, a narrower radio beamwidth allows the directional antenna to detect communication originating from a portable device 10 located within the beam and far from the antenna. It should be understood that not all fixed-location devices in a communication system can use the same type of antenna—for example, in one embodiment, the master device 110 and one monitor device 120 may utilize omnidirectional antennas, while another monitor device 120 may utilize a directional antenna. In this context, the detected signal strength information received from the monitoring device 120 can be a function of the antenna beam or antenna configuration. The location determination of the portable device 10 based on the detected signal strength information can compensate for such antenna parameters. Other factors, such as surrounding structural features, can also be taken into account.

[0068] In one implementation, the antennas(s) of the fixed-location device may, depending on the environment, include switching antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., phased arrays, directional arrays, end-fire arrays, etc.) or orthogonal antennas (with high directivity or omnidirectionality) to improve performance. Antenna switching may be performed as part of a localization strategy for collecting characteristics from one or more sensors and may vary depending on the mode. For example, the system may change between or both antenna modes or types depending on operating conditions or states. For instance, if the portable device is considered to be moving away from the system, the system may prioritize or configure antennas to make a coarser localization estimate with respect to the portable device. As the portable device moves closer to the system, the system may prioritize a more accurate localization determination of the portable device, and therefore the antenna configuration can be configured for a more accurate determination. Alternatively, the fixed-location device may switch or reconfigure antennas as part of a data collection algorithm or communication protocol, such as by rotating the antennas to determine signal characteristics for the same signal (or time-correlated signal), to determine the angle of arrival, to set the departure angle, to focus on a specific area, etc. Alternatively, the fixed-location device may (i.e., without switching between them) receive input from multiple antennas simultaneously.

[0069] II. Portable devices

[0070] Portable device 10 can be any type of device not physically attached to or associated with the main device 110. Examples of such portable device 10 are smartphones or mobile phones capable of running one or more smartphone applications and carried by a user. Additional examples of portable device 10 include key cards, key tags, wallet cards, smartwatches, wearable electronic devices, or combinations thereof. Portable device 10 may include a control unit and one or more transceivers capable of wireless communication, including, for example, Bluetooth LE transceivers, Wi-Fi transceivers, and cellular transceivers. Portable device may include a positioning system. The positioning system may include an angular rate sensor, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, a GPS receiver, or any combination thereof. Sensors in a portable device may be able to determine the orientation and / or location of the portable device relative to the Earth. Components associated with the primary operation of portable device 10 (and not with system 100) are generally considered conventional and will therefore not be described in detail. For example, in the context of a smartphone, no effort is made to describe electronic components such as the user interface and display associated with the smartphone itself. It should be understood that the portable device 10 is not limited to smartphones; rather, it refers to one or more embodiments described herein in connection with smartphones for the purposes of this disclosure.

[0071] It should be understood that more than one portable device 10 can be used in conjunction with the communication system 100. Furthermore, in one embodiment, one or more portable devices 10 may be positioned on or near an object or equipment and may communicate with the communication system 100. As an example, a tire pressure sensor (e.g., TPMS) may operate with the communication system 100, and in response to a signal of low pressure in the tire, the communication system 100 may determine the location of the tire pressure sensor indicating the low pressure signal. Other examples include BLE safety sensors or sensors that detect any of the impact, motion, and temperature aspects of an object.

[0072] III. Establish and monitor the main communication link

[0073] A communication method according to one embodiment Figure 6The method is shown in the diagram and is generally designated as 1000. This method can be implemented in a communication system similar to the communication system 100 described herein, which includes one or more master devices 110, one or more monitor devices 120, and one or more portable devices 10. For the purposes of this disclosure, Bluetooth LE is used as the communication framework to describe the communication method. However, it should be understood that the method can be implemented in any type of communication framework. Method 1000 generally includes establishing an initial connection on a main communication link 140 between the portable device 10 and the master device 110, wherein the portable device 10 provides connection parameters. After establishing the initial connection, the master device 110 can negotiate a primary connection on the main communication link 140 where the master device 110 provides the connection parameters. After establishing the primary connection, the master device 110 and the portable device 10 can discard the initial connection. It should be understood that in one or more embodiments, the initial connection can be used as the primary connection.

[0074] In the illustrated embodiment, the master device 110 may announce, and the portable device 10 may scan the announcement to initiate negotiation and establishment of an initial connection. Steps 1002 and 1004, in this context, the announcement may include a broadcast packet on a well-known communication channel. The broadcast packet may include various information about the master device 110. For example, the master device 110 may announce that it is a component of a class of equipment, or the master device 110 may announce that it is a specific piece of equipment. The portable device 10 may scan for equipment within a specific category or for a specific piece of equipment and determine whether to respond to the announced packet based on this information. In Bluetooth LE, this type of information may be limited to services in the announcement packet from the master device 110. Various Bluetooth LE connection types may be used in an initial connection or a primary connection, or both, including, for example, "operable" and "via key input".

[0075] Method 1000 is not limited to the implementation where the main device 110 advertises and the portable device 10 scans to establish an initial connection. The reverse arrangement can be used to establish a connection where the portable device 10 advertises and the main device 110 scans. The wireless network arrangement where the portable device 10 scans and the main device 110 advertises can be a more likely arrangement than the reverse arrangement due to several potential advantages. For example, if the portable device 10 is associated with a person, it can silently scan for advertisers and avoid sending messages. In this way, the portable device 10 can enhance security against adversaries who can pinpoint a person's location. As another example, the portable device 10 can save energy when scanning various different advertising devices because advertising uses less power and tends to be less limited by available battery power compared to scanning. Furthermore, by scanning instead of advertising, the portable device 10 can simultaneously scan for advertisers from both relevant and unrelated systems, compared to advertising, which can tend to exert a more aggressive and focused effort to establish communication. In yet another example, where portable device 10 includes a user interface or an Internet connection to a device or computer providing the user interface, the user interface can be used to configure the equipment or specific equipment categories that the user is interested in scanning. This topology, where portable device 10 includes a user interface, can be more useful than a topology where the roles are reversed—that is, where the main device 110 or the objects (or equipment) associated with the main device 110 include the reverse of the path to the user interface, which enables the main device 110 to be configured to scan the selected portable device 10 or the category of portable device 10.

[0076] Note that the Bluetooth LE, notification device, or master device 110 in the illustrated embodiment may include information related to the transmitted RF power (signal strength) in the notification. Using this RF transmission power information, the scanning device can determine information about its distance relative to the notification device. For example, by comparing the RF transmission power information with the sensed power level of the RF transmission, the scanning device can estimate its distance to the notification device. Figure 6In the illustrated implementation, regardless of which device scans or advertises, when the scanning device detects an appropriate advertising device, it can measure the received power in the signal received from the advertising device. Using knowledge of the transmitted RF power of the advertising device's signal, the scanning device (such as portable device 10) can calculate or estimate the distance to the advertising device (such as master device 110). Using this calculated distance information, the scanning device can determine whether the distance is sufficient for the two devices to be close enough to continue establishing a connection on the main communication link 140. Alternatively or additionally, the scanning device, such as portable device 10, can attempt to establish a connection whenever it detects master device 110 advertising, regardless of the determined distance information. Alternatively or additionally, the departure angle (or other angular information, such as the angle of arrival of previously received packets) can be included in the advertisement.

[0077] Alternatively or additionally, one or more fixed-location devices may vary the transmitted signal strength. For example, at least one of the main device 110, the portable device 10, and one or more monitoring devices 120 may vary the signal strength to facilitate location determination or to help reduce or eliminate interference, or both.

[0078] After the scanning device or portable device 10 responds to an announcement from the master device 110, the two devices can be considered connected. In step 1006, in the illustrated embodiment, referring to Bluetooth LE terminology, the portable device 10 can be the scanning device, and the master device 110 can be the announcement device. This arrangement can be established before connection during a configuration phase, which can be performed during installation or at manufacturing. When the portable device 10 and master device 110 are connected according to these roles, the portable device 10 is the Bluetooth LE central device, and the master device 110 is the Bluetooth LE peripheral device. In this case, the Bluetooth LE central device of the portable device 10 can control the connection parameters that define the connection scheduling for the initial Bluetooth LE connection between the portable device 10 and the master device 110. These connection parameters can be stored or determined by the portable device 10 before, during, or after responding to an announcement from the master device 110.

[0079] In this phase, the two devices can negotiate with each other to authenticate and authorize the initial connection. Step 1008, this negotiation may include transmitting data from portable device 10 related to connection parameters that define the connection scheduling for the initial Bluetooth LE connection. In the illustrated embodiment, the negotiation may include mutually authenticating that the devices are self-claimed devices and mutually verifying that the devices are authorized to connect. Master device 110 may be authenticated and authorized for use with portable device 10. Portable device 10 may be authenticated and authorized for use with vehicle or master device 110. For example, portable device 10 may be authenticated and authorized remotely via a key server authorized by master device 110, locally via credentials (e.g., encrypted plaintext / binary [e.g., proprietary, PGP, PKE, symmetric, etc.], certificates, etc.) or any combination thereof (e.g., centralized or distributed trust models). Furthermore, authorization may be revoked to stop authorized use of portable device 10 connected to communication system 100.

[0080] In one implementation, both the master device 110 and the portable device 10, or an application running on the portable device 10, can be configured with data, keys, encryption methods, and decryption methods stored in memory. This memory allows it to be used for: proving its authenticity (identity); verifying the authenticity of other devices; proving its authorization (authority) encrypted by a trusted source; verifying the authorization (authority) of other devices; establishing a shared session key; encrypting information proving authenticity; and decrypting messages verifying authenticity. Each of these operations can be performed in a conventional manner using symmetric or asymmetric encryption when appropriate data, keys, and methods are configured in both devices. After wireless connection is established and during initial connection negotiation, in step 1008, the portable device 10 and the master device 110 can mutually authenticate each other, mutually verify authorization, establish a shared session key for the connection, encrypt subsequent messages proving authenticity, and decrypt subsequent messages verifying authenticity via the main communication link 140.

[0081] In the illustrated embodiment, after the master device 110 and the portable device 10 have successfully established an initial connection, the master device 110 and the portable device 10 can switch roles to establish a master connection on the master communication link 140. Step 1010, as described herein, and related steps may not exist in one or more embodiments, such that the initial connection is used as the master connection.

[0082] Switching roles can involve the master device 110 acting as a central device and the portable device 10 acting as a peripheral device. In this way, the controller 112 in the master device 110 can manage and control connection scheduling so that connection operations are efficient for system performance and optionally optimized. The master device 110 can notify the portable device 10 of the connection scheduling. In the Bluetooth LE framework, the portable device 10 can begin advertising, and the master device 110 can begin scanning. The device can optionally terminate the initial connection before initiating a primary connection on the main communication link 140.

[0083] As described above, using an initial connection avoids the portable device 10 continuously announcing or broadcasting. Instead, after the portable device 10 identifies the master device 110 and negotiates an initial connection with the master device 110, the portable device 10 can then begin responding to announcements. In step 1014, the master device 110 can, conversely, scan for announcements from the portable device 10. In step 1012, the master device 110 and the portable device 10 can thus establish a primary connection on the main communication link 140. In steps 1016 and 1018, the initial connection may include exchanging authentication or verification information that enables a substantially secure transition to the primary connection.

[0084] In one implementation, passing authentication or authorization information from a first or initial connection to a second or main connection can facilitate additional security layers or accelerate the authentication process. Authentication and authorization information may include the generation of a shared secret key established during the initial connection and verified during the establishment of the main connection. For example, portable device 10 and main device 110 may authenticate based on hash messages. Various alternative authentication schemes can be utilized to protect or authenticate the secure handoff from the initial connection to the main connection, including, for example, asymmetric key-based systems and shared keys or secrets, or both. An additional security layer can also be implemented by enabling negotiation of the main connection only when the initial communication connection is active or for a set period of time after the initial communication connection has been established or terminated. In one implementation, the initial connection may remain active to facilitate repeated attempts to establish the main connection in the event of a first failed attempt.

[0085] Note that the authentication and authorization techniques described herein primarily focus on information exchange within RF communication technologies such as Bluetooth LE, and protecting that information to authenticate portable device 10 and host device 110. Protocols used for such RF communication technologies may utilize one or more additional security layers, such as encrypted point-to-point communication. Example protocols may include Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS). Additionally or alternatively, communication may be encrypted via additional security layers that are not standard for RF communication technologies.

[0086] In one embodiment of this disclosure, relay attacks or attempts to compromise security can be prevented by modifying the parameters of the main communication link 140. For example, suppose that the communication system uses n connection events per second to produce accurate results for trilateration. The system can also establish m auxiliary connections as part of the main communication link 140. In other words, the main communication link 140 can utilize m communication connections for exchanging information between the portable device 10 and the main device 110. Each of the m auxiliary connections can transmit n / m connection events per second, distributing the connection events across multiple communication channels, obscuring the channel used by the connection event at any given time, thereby enhancing security against man-in-the-middle attacks. Relay attacks can also be prevented by frequently changing the connection parameters of the main communication link 140. Another method for preventing relay attacks may include starting and stopping connections, making it problematic to follow a set of connections as a relay. Timestamp data can also be used in conjunction with other information, such as location information, to enhance protection against relay and replay attacks. For example, the system can establish an effective time window within a known range to check for relay, man-in-the-middle, or replay attacks.

[0087] In the case of establishing a primary connection, the master device 110 may store connection parameters and connection schedule in memory. Step 1020, in other words, indicates that the master device 110 may already have complete knowledge of the connection parameters and connection schedule. The connection parameters and connection schedule may involve communication via one or more primary communication channels or communication radio bands used for transmitting or receiving data, or both. The master device 110 may control the connection parameters and connection schedule, or the master device 110 may learn or obtain the connection parameters and connection schedule from the portable device 10. Alternatively or additionally, the portable device 10 and the master device 110 may jointly negotiate the connection parameters and connection schedule.

[0088] The main communication link 140 between the master device 110 and the portable device 10 can be established in various ways and based on various parameters. For the purposes of this disclosure, the main communication link 140 and its associated parameters are described in conjunction with a Bluetooth LE communication link. However, it should be understood that one or more embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the main communication link 140 can use different types of communication technologies. And, as another example, the main communication link 140 can use more parameters, fewer parameters, or variations thereof from the parameters described herein. Aspects of the main communication link 140, including one or more associated parameters, can be transmitted to one or more monitoring devices 120. In this way, one or more monitoring devices can be pre-configured with connection parameters and scheduling information for the main communication link 140 to facilitate communication monitoring.

[0089] Examples of parameters for communication links used in the Bluetooth LE domain, such as connection parameters and scheduling parameters, may include one or more of the parameters outlined in Table 1 below.

[0090] • Connection Status - Connected or Timeout

[0091] • Connection interval

[0092] • Connects to sleep clock accuracy

[0093] • The central or master device allows the longest connection event window for each connection event.

[0094] • Connection frequency hopping interval

[0095] • Connect adaptive frequency hopping channel mapping

[0096] • Connection slave delay

[0097] • Connection monitoring timeout period

[0098] • Connect CRC initialization value

[0099] • Central and peripheral access addresses or primary and portable device access addresses

[0100] • Connect temporary key

[0101] • Connect long-term key

[0102] • Connection parameters, which are used to transfer connection information from one device to another, such as from master device 110 to monitor device 120.

[0103] Table 1: Example parameters used for communication links

[0104] By sharing parameters of the main communication link 140 with one or more monitoring devices 120, the communication system 100 can monitor messages and their contents on the main communication link 140. Knowing this content and verifying that the message actually originates from the portable device 10, the monitoring device 120 can be configured to associate specific measurements of signal characteristics with the portable device 10. This association can facilitate providing signal characteristic information to the main device 110, or it can facilitate using the signal characteristic information as a basis for determining location information about the portable device 10.

[0105] IV. Monitoring communication, determining location, and communicating with equipment controllers.

[0106] Go to Figure 7The illustrated embodiment demonstrates a method for monitoring the communications of a portable device 10, and is generally designated 1100. The master device 110 can initiate real-time location determination by commanding one or more monitor devices 120 to enter an operational state to monitor communications on the main communication link 140. The master device 110 can transmit commands to the monitor devices 120 via an auxiliary communication link 130, and can continuously or intermittently update one or more monitor devices 120 using connection parameters in a connection schedule specific to the main communication link 140. Sharing this information facilitates sniffing or reconnaissance of communications on the main communication link 140.

[0107] More specifically, in one embodiment, one or more monitor devices 120 may use the same scheduling for communication via the main communication link 140 between the master device 110 (potentially acting as a Bluetooth LE central device) and the portable device 10. In other words, the master device 110 and the portable device 10 may synchronize their communication operations via the main communication link 140. Depending on the application, synchronization may be implemented in various ways. In the illustrated embodiment, synchronization may involve the master device 110 outputting its time base to one or more monitor devices 120. Precise time knowledge can be obtained from the timer 1108 and the scheduling layer of the master device 110. The timer 1108 may generate interrupts to the software radio or software stack 1110 to facilitate proper timing of communication to and from the radio. In the illustrated embodiment, the master device 110 may obtain timing information related to various timing parameters, including, for example, the time from the timer 1108, the scheduling from the scheduling portion of the software stack 1110, and wherein the time is related to the scheduling. This timing information may be provided to one or more monitor devices 120. Step 1102: In the illustrated embodiment, the timing information can be easily synchronized to a resolution of approximately 10 microseconds.

[0108] One or more monitor devices 120 may also implement a scheduling layer that involves obtaining timing information from the master device 110 and loading that information into a timer of the monitor device 120. Step 1104, loading the timing information, enables the monitor device 120 to synchronize with the master device 110. Because a delay, typically a fixed delay, can exist when transmitting timing information via the auxiliary communication link 130, the monitor device 120 can be configured to compensate for or eliminate this delay. The monitor device 120 can use the timing information received via the auxiliary communication link 130 to monitor the main communication link 140 without actively transmitting on the main communication link 140.

[0109] In the illustrated embodiment, the monitor device 120 can receive timing information indicating a communication window or time window for a specific communication channel. During the communication window, the monitor device 120 can view, monitor, or sniff communications on the identified communication channel. As discussed herein, the main communication link 140 may involve communications through more than one communication channel. The timing information can identify to the monitor device 120 the communication channel to be monitored for a given time period or window.

[0110] The master device 110 or portable device 10, or a combination thereof, can determine the channel and time distribution used for communication. Note that the greater the error in time synchronization, the longer and earlier each monitor device 120 can keep its wireless communication interface 124 focused on the communication channel. In other words, there may be a trade-off between the accuracy of the time distribution and the size of the time window through which the monitor device 120 can monitor a given channel. If the time distribution is coarse, the monitor device 120 can utilize a larger time window for monitoring messages. If there are multiple portable devices 10, and therefore more communication windows associated with the wireless interface 114 of the master device 110, the larger window used for communication can constrain the number of channels that the monitor device 120 can monitor with a single radio.

[0111] In one implementation, the master device 110 can communicate with more than one portable device 10. Timing information can also identify which portable device 10 is associated with each communication window, allowing the monitor device 120 to track or monitor multiple portable devices 10 using a single radio or communication interface 124. It should be understood that the monitor device 120 is not limited to a configuration with a single radio, and the communication interface 124 may include one or more radio interfaces.

[0112] Using timing information received from the master device 110 and updating the time base of the monitor device 120 accordingly, the monitor device 120 can monitor the main communication link 140 between the master device 110 and the portable device 10. In step 1106, the monitor device 120 can sense one or more signal characteristics associated with the communication transmission from the portable device 10. In step 1132, as an example, the portable device 10 can indicate the transmission power associated with its transmission (or it can be assumed to be a specific value), and by comparing this transmission power with the sensed signal strength, distance information about the portable device 10 relative to the monitor device 120 can be determined. This distance information can be determined by the monitor device 120, the master device 110, or a combination thereof.

[0113] Accuracy can be enhanced by supplementing the timing information or time base of the monitor device 120 with monitoring messages from the master device on the main communication link 140. For example, as described herein, there is a possibility that communication delays in transmitting the time base or timing information of the master device 110 to the monitor device 120 may affect the synchronization between the master device 110 and the monitor device 120. The monitor device 120 can compare the timing of the received messages (using timing information and scheduling information) with its own time base to correct for synchronization discrepancies. In one embodiment, the time base of the monitor device 120 may be determined entirely using the timing of messages received from the master device 110, the main communication link 140, or any combination thereof.

[0114] Through basic synchronization of the communication time base and sharing of connection scheduling, the master device 110 or the monitoring device 120, or both, can determine the location and whether to command or permit equipment action. Figure 7 The document further describes and designates steps for determining commands or permitting equipment actions based on location, authentication, and authorization as 1190. At step 1128, the master device 110 receives a message from the portable device 10 via the master communication link 140. At steps 1128 and 1130, the master device 110 may monitor one or more signal characteristics (e.g., signal strength of the message) of the message from the portable device 10. As another example, one or more signal characteristics of the message may be the angle of arrival of the message from the portable device 10.

[0115] At step 1132, similar to master device 110, monitor device 120 can obtain one or more signal features based on messages from portable device 10 to master device 110. Monitor device 120 can also obtain the message content of the message. At step 1134, monitor device 120 can determine authentication information based on the message content, including, for example, the message itself, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), checksum, message integrity check field, or secure hash. Authentication information, one or more obtained signal features, or one or more monitored and calculated signal features, or any combination thereof, can form signal feature information that monitor device 120 sends to master device 110 via auxiliary communication link 130. At step 1134, using the authentication information sent with one or more obtained signal features in the signal feature information, master device 110 can authenticate the message used as the basis for measuring one or more obtained signal features. This facilitates matching of measurement results reported from multiple sources, including another monitor device 120 and master device 110.

[0116] Master device 110 can authenticate messages received from portable device 10 via master communication link 140. In step 1136, as described herein, the message content may include information considered specific to or possibly unique to portable device 10, enabling the message to be authenticated as originating from portable device 10 and not from a device masquerading as portable device 10. For example, the message may be encrypted or include identification information associated with portable device 10. By authenticating the message at step 1136, master device 110 can continue to ensure that the message originates from portable device 10 and, optionally, should follow any instructions contained in the message. Message authentication may be based on the message content received from software stack 1110. Additionally or alternatively, as shown by the dashed line, authentication may be based on message authentication content calculated based on the message content at step 1138.

[0117] More specifically, in step 1138, the master device 110 may determine authentication information based on the message content received from the software stack 1110. To match the authentication information from the master device 110 with the authentication information received from the monitor device 120, both the master device 110 and the monitor device 120 may use the same algorithm used to determine the authentication information, including, for example, the message itself, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a checksum, a message integrity check field, or a secure hash. After the master device 110 calculates the authentication information, it may authenticate that the message authentication content from step 1138 is valid for the signal feature information received from the portable device 10 from step 1134. In step 1140, such authentication may include determining that the authentication information calculated in the master device 110 matches the corresponding authentication information sent from the monitor device 120, and associating one or more measured or transmitted signal features from the monitor device 120 with the message authenticated in step 1136. The master device 110 may discard measured or transmitted signal features associated with unauthenticated messages. In one implementation, as previously described, in addition to the authentication and verification messages themselves, the messages transmitted between the monitor device 120 and the master device 110 using the auxiliary communication link 130 may also be encrypted, verified, authenticated, and authorized (or a combination thereof) by the receiver.

[0118] Based on one or more signal features received from the monitoring device 120, and depending on such signal features belonging to the authentication message, the master device 110 can estimate the location of the portable device 10. Step 1142, the location, preferably micro-location, can be determined based on various types of signal features, including, for example, signal strength or time of flight for trilateration-based or multipoint positioning determination, departure angle or angle of arrival for triangulation-based positioning determination, and any other signal features or any combination thereof described herein. In one embodiment, the master device 110 can adjust the estimate of the portable device 10's location based on one or more prior estimates and a computational model, said one or more prior estimates including at least one of: distance, location, signal strength, time of flight, time of arrival, time difference of arrival, departure angle, angle of arrival, obstacle location, environment, said computational model using: trilateration, multipoint positioning, triangulation, Kalman filtering, particle filtering, fingerprinting, machine learning, artificial intelligence, geometry, etc.

[0119] At step 1132, master device 110 may examine authorization information that can be stored in memory and sent from portable device 10. The authorization information may be included in message content provided from software stack 1110. As an example, the authorization information may include an identifier specific to portable device 10. Based on information including at least one of the authorization information determined at step 1132, location information determined at step 1142, and authentication information determined at step 1136, master device 110 may determine whether such information is sufficient to permit or command action on the equipment. At step 1144, master device 110 may transmit to equipment controller 160 the location of portable device 10 (or a set of possible locations with confidence or its absence), authentication, and authorization, or any combination thereof, that permits action on the equipment. At step 1146, all or some of the steps described in process 1190 (including, for example, step 1144) may be performed in a device other than master device 110, such as equipment controller 160.

[0120] In one implementation, the communication system 100 can be configured such that the primary communication link 140 or the secondary communication link 130, or both, utilize a wide channel bandwidth. This configuration enables more accurate capture of the arrival time of monitored messages from the master device 110 on the primary communication link 140, enhances the accuracy of time base updates, and allows the time base to be used for time of arrival measurements.

[0121] In one implementation, the communication system 100 may include a plurality of master devices 110. Synchronization of one or more monitor devices 120, one or more portable devices 10, and the plurality of master devices 110 can be achieved in various ways. For example, in... Figure 1 In the illustrated system with multiple master devices 110 or multiple monitor devices 120, or both, one or more of these devices can assume the role of master device 110 on the auxiliary communication link 130. The role of master device 110 can be passed from device to device as the portable device 10 moves around the system. When the portable device 10 moves within the range of the main communication link 140, the portable device 10 in the central role can connect to the master device 110 with the strongest signal, and the portable device 10 and master device 110 can switch roles, with the master device 110 assuming the central role. The master device 110 can transmit connection parameters and connection scheduling to a group of monitor devices 120 via the auxiliary communication link 130, thereby commanding the monitor devices 120 to monitor the portable device 10. The master device 110 and monitor devices 120 can determine the location of the portable device 10.

[0122] The primary device 110 may have a dataset stored in memory that identifies the locations of other potential primary devices 110 in the vicinity of the primary device 110. When the primary device 110 determines that the portable device 10 is located closer to another primary device 110 (optionally with hysteresis), the primary device 110 may send connection parameters and connection scheduling to the other primary device 110 via an auxiliary communication link 130. The other primary device 110 may monitor connection events between the primary primary device 110 and the portable device 10 via the primary communication link 140. The other primary device 110 may update its time base for scheduling using the arrival times of messages from the primary primary device 110 to the portable device 10 via the primary communication link 140. The other primary device 110 may send a message to the primary primary device 110 via the auxiliary communication link 130 indicating that it is receiving messages in connection events. The primary primary device 110 may command its group of monitor devices 120 to stop sniffing the portable device 10. At this stage, the primary primary device 110 may cease acting as the central sender in connection events. The initial master device 110 can command another master device 110 to become the master device 110 for the portable device 10. The other master device 110 can use its time base, connection parameters and scheduling to send and receive in a central role with the portable device 10 during connection events via the main communication link 140.

[0123] Repeating this sequence, another master device 110 can transmit connection parameters and connection scheduling to a group of monitor devices 120 via auxiliary communication link 130, instructing the monitor devices 120 to monitor the portable device 10. Similarly, the other master devices 110 and monitor devices 120 can determine the location of the portable device 10. This sequence can be repeated as the portable device 10 moves around the system of devices.

[0124] As another example, an active master can exist within the group of master devices 110, and this active master can instruct timing for all devices in the communication system 100. Synchronization in this example can be similar to combining... Figure 7 The synchronization method described in the illustrated implementation may optionally include switching the role of the active host in the event of a failure of the currently active host.

[0125] V. Positioning Determination

[0126] Similar to main device 110, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As depicted in the illustrated embodiments, the monitoring device 120 may be fixedly mounted on or near an object such as a building, furniture, or vehicle. The monitoring device 120, or the main device 110, or both, may store location information in memory relating to the monitoring device 120 relative to one or more landmarks or areas of interest. Exemplary landmarks include the location of the main device 110, a door of a building or vehicle, or a specific area within a building or vehicle.

[0127] More specifically, in the vehicle domain, the master device 110 or another device communicating with the master device 110 may store in memory landmark information relating to the location of the master device 110, one or more monitoring devices 120, and vehicle landmarks (e.g., exterior of doors, interior of the vehicle, driver's seat, passenger seats, and rear seats) and one or more areas around the vehicle. Example areas around the vehicle may include a first space defined within 3 feet of the driver's door, a second space defined within 5 feet of the vehicle, and a third space defined within 20 feet of the vehicle.

[0128] The communication system 100 can determine the location of the portable device 10 relative to one or more vehicle landmarks, and enable or disable one or more vehicle-related functions based on the determined location. For example, if the master device 110 determines that the portable device 10 is in a first area, the equipment controller 160 can command a component of the vehicle to unlock the vehicle door. As another example, if the master device 110 determines that the portable device 10 is near the driver's seat of the vehicle, the equipment controller 160 can command the vehicle to activate transfer. On the other hand, if the master device 110 determines that the portable device 10 is located or has moved to the rear seat of the vehicle, the equipment controller 160 can restrict the activation of transfer or command the vehicle to disable transfer. In some cases, the equipment controller 160 determines how to process information provided to it by the master device 110 via the equipment command interface 118. This may include: executing a command, responding with requested information, or updating information, and further determining whether to authorize a command / request for a specific portable device 10 based on its identity and / or additional information (e.g., vendor-specific account identifiers, access tokens, etc.) transmitted in the command / request. In other words, the master device 110 may use the equipment command interface 118 to provide the equipment controller 160 with authenticated commands / requests from one or more authorized portable devices 10, along with location and other relevant information about said one or more authorized portable devices 10, enabling the equipment controller 160 to determine what action to take. In one embodiment, the equipment controller 160 or a subset thereof may be logically or physically integrated into the master device 110; in another embodiment, the master device 110 or a subset thereof may be logically or physically integrated into the equipment controller 160. In applications outside the vehicle domain, the communication system 100 may be used in a similar manner to determine location information relative to one or more landmarks.

[0129] As discussed herein, communication system 100 may include a master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120. The master device 110 and one or more monitor devices 120 may be positioned in a fixed location, and information relating to the fixed location of these devices may be stored in memory, which may be volatile or persistent. In one embodiment, the device may determine or obtain all or some of the fixed location information during runtime. The device may obtain the fixed location information from another device (e.g., another monitor device 120, master device 110) or via an input / output interface (e.g., GPIO) of an external device. The fixed location information obtained or determined during runtime may be stored in RAM or volatile memory. Additionally or alternatively, only a portion of the fixed location information may be stored in volatile memory at any point in time, such that the entire fixed location information is not stored in volatile memory simultaneously. In this way, the fixed location information can be processed in flight or during operation without storing the entire fixed location information in memory.

[0130] In one implementation, one or more fixed-position devices may transmit location information to one or more other fixed-position devices such that the transmitted location information can be stored in a memory. As an example, the master device 110 may periodically, or during power-on, or at any other operating time, or any combination thereof, transmit location information about itself and / or other fixed-position devices to the monitoring device 120.

[0131] The master device 110 may store location information about itself and each of one or more monitoring devices 120 in its memory. As another example, the master device 110 may store location information about itself in its memory, and each of the corresponding one or more monitoring devices 120 may store its location information in its memory and share that information with the master device 110 via the auxiliary communication interface 116. Based on this location information and detected signal characteristics of communications from the portable device 10, the communication system 100 may determine location information about the portable device 10. The location information about the portable device 10 may include the location of the portable device 10 relative to one or more zones / areas of an object, or its distance from one or more landmarks (e.g., a specific point of an object or a fixed-location device).

[0132] In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may include at least three devices, including a master device 110 and at least two monitoring devices 120, positioned at a known location. Using three devices, the master device 110 can resolve the location of the portable device 10 into two possible locations using trilateration. Using four or more devices, the master device 110 can resolve the location of the portable device into a single possible location using trilateration. In this way, the master device 110 can determine the location of the portable device 10 in real time with improved accuracy than conventional positioning detection systems that only use point-to-point signal strength as a distance indicator. In one embodiment, the communication system may include at least seven fixed-position devices, including at least one master device 110 and at least one monitoring device 120.

[0133] It should be understood that trilateration is not the only method for determining the location of portable device 10 based on signal feature information. Other location methods used to determine location information based on this information include methods utilizing angle of arrival, angle of departure, time of flight, time of arrival, time difference of arrival, transmit power (other than receive power), differences, etc., such as triangulation, multi-point positioning, differential positioning, fingerprinting, Kalman filtering, particle filtering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc., and any combination thereof. Furthermore, it should be understood that it is not necessary to use three or more fixed-position devices to determine the location information of portable device 10, and more or fewer fixed-position devices can be used to determine the location information with varying degrees of accuracy.

[0134] In the illustrated embodiment, the main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120 are arranged asymmetrically around an object, such as a vehicle. For example, the main device 110 may be positioned near the center of the vehicle, and one or more monitoring devices 120 may be positioned such that the monitoring devices 120 are located inside the driver's door rather than the passenger's door. This asymmetrical arrangement allows for targeting of specific regions of interest and can help overcome potential interference caused by the vehicle or its inherent characteristics or combinations thereof. Alternatively, the main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120 may be positioned symmetrically on the object. A symmetrical arrangement can reduce the computational complexity of determining the position of the portable device 10 relative to the object, primarily because calibration of fixed-position device positioning, signal strength, distance, angle, or any combination thereof may be more uniform in a symmetrical arrangement.

[0135] Several embodiments described herein utilize stored information about the location of each of the fixed-location devices, including master device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120. This information can be obtained in various ways, including, for example, a configuration or calibration process that determines the location of each fixed location and stores it in memory. The configuration process may involve storing in each device an identifier indicating its fixed location relative to a landmark or object whose location is known during the configuration process. In some cases, the location of one or more fixed-location devices or all fixed-location devices may be unknown. In this case, the location of one or more fixed-location devices can be determined during the configuration process. For example, in a configuration process, the identification of unknown locations can be facilitated by temporarily introducing one or more additional fixed devices whose actual locations are known and can be used as the basis for determining unknown locations. Based on the location of one or more fixed devices relative to each other, system 100 can be calibrated to adjust one or more parameters, such as transmitted signal strength, antenna pattern, antenna type, positioning algorithm including algorithm parameters, or combinations thereof. Example variations of the positioning algorithm may include adjusting performance factors or metrics. Adjustments may be made in real time or during initial calibration.

[0136] Examples of real-time calibration include acquiring knowledge about behavior / known usage patterns, such as the location of portable device 10 when a user opens a car door or that the user almost always places their portable device 10 in the same location (e.g., placing their wallet on the passenger seat once in the car). Such knowledge can be used as a basis for calibration system 100 to more accurately determine location information by adjusting positioning algorithms in use (e.g., curve fitting or compensation).

[0137] As another example, the location of each fixed-location device can be determined using knowledge of the location of one fixed-location device and by instructing each of the other fixed-location devices to send and listen to communications. When not sending communications, the fixed-location devices can detect signal characteristic information transmitted by the fixed-location devices. As a result, each fixed-location device can collect signal characteristic information for each of the other fixed-location devices. The collection of signal characteristic information for all fixed-location devices can be combined with a known location to determine the location information for all known fixed-location devices. This location information can be stored in memory.

[0138] In one embodiment, the portable device 10 may include one or more sensors for determining motion information and / or location and / or orientation information, or any combination thereof. These sensors may include at least one or more of the following: an angular rate sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The main device 110 or the monitoring device 120 may also include a set of sensors for determining motion information or location information, or both.

[0139] Sensors incorporated into one or more of the main device 110 or monitor device 120 may include at least one or more of the following: angular rate sensor, magnetometer, accelerometer, ultrasonic speaker / microphone, GPS receiver, speedometer, and odometer. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of these or similar sensors may be external to the main device 110 or monitor device 120, but communicatively coupled to it, allowing the main device 110 or monitor device 120 to receive sensor information from the external sensors. As an example, equipment controller 160 may include the one or more sensors, and the main device 110 may receive sensor information from the sensors via command interface 118 using equipment controller 160.

[0140] Alternatively or additionally, the master device 110 may know or determine the motion and / or position and / or orientation information, or any combination thereof, of the equipment to which the master device 110 is attached, based on the operational status of the equipment received by the master device 110 via the equipment command interface 118. For example, the equipment may be a vehicle, and the vehicle may be parked or turned off. The master device 110 may obtain status information indicating a parked or turned-off state from the equipment controller 160 via the equipment command interface 118. As another example, the master device may know or determine motion and / or position and / or orientation information based on the operational characteristics of the equipment. In the context that the equipment is a building at a known location, the portable device 10 may transmit its motion and position information to the master device 110 via the main communication link 140. The main device 110 may use any combination of Kalman filtering, particle filtering, fingerprinting, trilateration, triangulation, multipoint positioning, differential positioning, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other techniques to integrate or determine a) motion and / or position and / or orientation information from the portable device, b) motion and / or position information of the equipment, c) the relative position of the portable device 10 to the main device 110, such as by distance trilateration and / or multipoint positioning, or d) the relative position of the portable device 10 to the main device 110, such as by angle triangulation, or any combination thereof. The system may compensate for variations in the antenna characteristics of the portable device 10, the main device 110, and the monitoring device 120 based on the estimates of their relative position and / or orientation. More accurate estimates of the relative position of the portable device 10 to the main device 110 may be provided based on the integrated information determined according to one or more of these techniques. Based on the calculated position of the portable device 10 over time, the historical motion vector of the portable device 10 can be determined and the future motion vector can be estimated. The positioning estimate of the portable device 10 can be checked (verified, confidence increased or decreased, or invalidated) based on the aforementioned motion vector, and the motion can be analyzed and / or predicted.

[0141] The master device 110 can also use Kalman filtering, particle filtering, fingerprinting, or machine learning techniques, artificial intelligence, or any combination thereof on integrated motion, position, trilateration, triangulation, multipoint positioning, differential, time-of-flight, and / or other information. Such filtering techniques can provide protection against relay attacks. For example, Kalman filtering or particle filtering, or both, can be used to detect inconsistencies between motion and / or position information transmitted by the portable device 10 and trilateration, multipoint positioning, differential, or triangulation information, and in response to such detection, the master device 110 can determine that the information is inconsistent and the positioning is invalid (or has very low confidence). This can occur when the portable device 10 is stationary and a relay attacker is approaching the device by movement. Furthermore, motion information can be input to the control of the Kalman filter.

[0142] In one implementation, the master device 110 may be configured to account for fading effects, including, for example, a) adjusting one or more parameters (e.g., switching to a different channel, applying offsets, or dynamically configured parameters, etc.) to substantially avoid or mitigate fading effects and / or b) using fading effects as a fingerprint or indication of the location of the portable device 10. In narrowband systems such as Bluetooth LE, multipath reflections can cause fading effects or other effects in one or more signal characteristics that can affect the accuracy of location determination.

[0143] To mitigate such effects, in one example, the master device 110 can combine measurements across multiple channels (e.g., more than 20 channels). Additional methods for mitigating fading effects include scheduling connection events at 20Hz or 40Hz, measuring the portable device signal strength at each connection event (on a specific channel), optionally performing multiple measurements (e.g., two or more packets per connection event), and combining the measurements with maximizing, averaging, clustering, or median discovery filters, or any combination thereof. The next connection event can occur on a different channel (according to the BLE specification). Other possible methods that can be used alone or in combination with this additional method or another method include: a) maximizing, averaging, or medianing the discovery of connection events—for example, using an average time window filter that collects connection events from different channels for the first 0.5 to 2 seconds and averaging the output of the filter; b) averaging the connection events using an exponential moving average with a time constant of 0.5 to 1 second and collecting connection events from different channels into the average; c) collecting a group of 3 to 5 connection events, discarding the lower 1 to 3 signal strengths that may fade, and then using the averaging method of method a) or b) or both; d) running a particle filter on the raw data; e) running a Kalman filter on the raw data; or f) any combination thereof.

[0144] In one implementation, the location of the portable device 10 can be determined via an algorithmic process based on an operating mode. The determination of the algorithmic process may include selecting at least one of the following: trilateration, multipoint positioning, triangulation, differential calculus, fingerprinting, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or any other algorithm. The operating mode used as the basis for selection may be based on at least one of the following: a) whether the portable device 10 is determined to be outside or inside a first distance range of an object; b) whether the portable device 10 is determined to be outside or inside a compartment of a vehicle (or building, room, area, etc.); c) the object state; d) the location of the candidate portable device 10; and e) the (probably) certainty of the location determination. In one or more implementations, any number of one or more algorithmic processes may be executed simultaneously to combine and / or select the algorithm (or a particular algorithm, or a combination of particular algorithms, in the absence of confidence) that results in the highest confidence level to determine the location of the portable device 10.

[0145] Go to Figure 8 The illustrated embodiment demonstrates a method for determining location information regarding portable device 10 and is generally designated 1200. Method 1200 may be based on communications monitored by one or more monitoring devices 120 on a main communication link 140. Such communications may be monitored according to one or more embodiments described herein, including according to… Figure 7 Monitoring of communication or messages in the illustrated embodiment. Parameters and timing of communication associated with the main communication link 140 can be provided from the main device 110 to one or more monitoring devices 120 via the auxiliary communication link 130, in order to facilitate monitoring of the main communication link 140.

[0146] exist Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, one or more monitoring devices 120 may enable and tune their respective wireless communication interfaces 124 to monitor the main communication link 140 based on timing information or scheduling information, or both, received from the master device 110. Step 1202: Tuning for monitoring may be performed before a predetermined time for communication or before a connection event on the main communication link 140. In this way, the monitoring device 120 may be configured to monitor communication on the main communication link 140 before one or more scheduling events, such as scheduling messages or connection events. A connection event may involve several corresponding transmissions from the master device 110 and the portable device 10. Step 1206: By tuning to monitor such communication before a connection event, the monitoring device 120 may capture the complete exchange, or a large portion of the exchange, between the master device 110 and the portable device 10.

[0147] One or more monitoring devices 120 may perform one or more measurements to determine signal characteristic information related to the main communication link 140 and transmissions from the portable device 10. In steps 1204, 1205, 1207, 1208, 1209, and 1210, more specifically, before a connection event, during a main device transmission, after a main device transmission, during a portable device transmission, after a portable device transmission, or after a connection event, or a combination thereof, one or more monitoring devices 120 may measure the power in the channel used by the main indication link 140 within a scheduled time frame. Alternatively or additionally, the main device 110 may perform one or more similar measurements of the power in the channel at different times.

[0148] By combining one or more measurements, the monitoring device 120 can analyze communications received via the main communication link 140 to verify that the monitored message and one or more measurements correspond to the communication between the main device 110 and the portable device 10. In step 1212 or step 1114, the monitoring device 120 can confirm that it has correctly monitored the power in the main communication link 140 or the messages exchanged with the portable device 10. For example, the monitoring device 120 can perform one or more of the following steps for confirmation: verification of the Bluetooth LE access address, verification of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), verification of the secure hash of the message, valid decryption, and message timing. The monitoring device can send confirmation information or a summary of confirmation information to the main device 110. In step 1226 or step 1134, if the information should be used to facilitate a positive determination that the portable device 10 is located, the main device 110 can determine whether the confirmation information from the monitoring device 120 is valid. The master device 110 can do this by decrypting messages received from the portable device 10, step 1218 or 1138, verifying the authenticity of the messages, and then, step 1226 or 1140, verifying that the acknowledgment information matches the messages. These steps can enhance protection against adversaries that attempt to deceive the location of the portable device 10. In step 1216 or 1144, the master device 110 can use the acknowledgment information and the characteristics of the signals received from the monitoring device 120 to determine whether there is sufficient information to determine that the portable device 10 is at a location. In step 1220 or 1144, the master device 110 can determine whether the portable device 10 is properly located and / or properly authenticated, and / or properly authorized to allow or command actions on the equipment. For example, the portable device 10 may be authenticated by the master device 110 or known but not authorized to perform actions via the master device 110. In this case, the master device 110 can ignore commands from unauthorized portable devices. At step 1224 or 1146, based on step 1220 or 1144, the master device 110 can transmit the current location and related information of the portable device 10 to the equipment controller 160 via the command interface 118, as well as any commands / requests initiated by the equipment from which it can select to perform specific actions by the portable device 10 or the master device 110.

[0149] One or more monitoring devices 120 can transmit various information related to the main communication link 140 to the main device 110. Such communication can be sent via an auxiliary communication link 130 or a private communication link between one or more monitoring devices 120 and the main device 110. Figure 7In step 1134 of the illustrated embodiment, for example, one or more monitoring devices 120 may transmit signal characteristic information based on one or more measurements corresponding to a communication event. In step 1214 or step 1134, additionally or alternatively, one or more monitoring devices 120 may transmit one or more of the following types of information to the master device 110: information related to the monitored communication or message, status information, and a method identifier (e.g., hash) of the message for which a measurement has been captured to enhance security and prove association with the correct message. The hash may be a CRC, or any other identifier, checksum, or security feature used by the communication protocol to authenticate the message (e.g., a message authentication code or digital signature). For example, using Bluetooth LE, the message identifier may be a 32-bit message integrity check field. Alternatively, the method identifier may be calculated using a method not standard for the communication protocol, including, for example, a separate hash of the message salted with some additional entropy, such as a shared (symmetric) or public / private (asymmetric) key. In one embodiment, the signal characteristic information may include power values ​​measured by one or more of the main communication link 140. Alternatively or additionally, the monitoring device 120 may calculate the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) based on one or more measurements and include the RSSI in the signal information sent to the master device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the monitoring device 120 may calculate the angle of arrival based on one or more measurements and include the angle of arrival in the signal information sent to the master device 110. The monitoring device 120 may also transmit message-related information, such as the time of arrival associated with the monitored message. It should be understood that the transmitted information is not limited to the message information and signal characteristics described above; additional or alternative information may be transmitted based on any combination of calculations described herein.

[0150] It should be understood that, in addition to or as an alternative to communication of signal characteristic information from one or more monitoring devices 120, portable device 10 may transmit signal characteristic information. For example, portable device 10 may transmit RSSI to master device 110.

[0151] In one implementation, one or more monitor devices 120 and master device 110 can communicate with each other via auxiliary communication link 130 in a manner that substantially enhances the security of communications. For example, a transmission from monitor device 120 can be verified by master device 110 as originating from a known monitor device 120. Master device 110 and monitor device 120 can employ a challenge / response protocol to achieve such verification.

[0152] As discussed herein, the master device 110 can determine location information about the portable device 10 based on signal characteristic information received from one or more monitoring devices 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the master device 110 can utilize any of the aforementioned techniques to determine the location information. Step 1216 or step 1142.

[0153] For example, the controller 112 in the master device 110 can apply an averaging filter (e.g., window filter, exponential moving average filter, maximization filter, median discovery filter, or other averaging filter, etc.) to each stream of signal characteristic information (e.g., including signal strength information) received from the monitor device 120. The controller 112 can use the average received power (P) at each monitor device 120. r ) and the following Friis formula: To estimate the range (R) between the monitoring device 120 and the portable device 10. Where P... t This refers to the transmission power of portable device 10 retrieved from memory; G t The antenna gain of portable device 10 retrieved from memory; G r λ is the antenna gain of the monitor device 120 retrieved from memory; and λ is the frequency of the main communication link 140 retrieved from memory. The controller 112 can use an estimate of the range (R) between the monitor device 120 and the portable device 10, and the location of the monitor device 120 retrieved from memory, to estimate the location of the portable device 10 using a nonlinear least squares trilateration algorithm, a multipoint positioning algorithm, or other algorithms. This process can optionally be repeated after the master device 110 has determined its location information, starting with tuning for communication. Step 1202.

[0154] Various positioning technologies can be used to determine positioning information. These technologies include those that can utilize or not utilize compensation information to adapt to various factors such as different antenna configurations and potential obstacles (e.g., car rearview mirrors, doors, or metal barriers). In one embodiment, the main device 110 can determine positioning information about the portable device 10 relative to the main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120 based on a) the transmit power of the portable device 10, b) the received power measured by each of the monitoring devices 120 and the main device 110, and c) the relative positioning of the monitoring devices 120 and the main device 110. Based on this information, the positioning information can be an estimate of the position of the portable device 10 relative to the main device 110.

[0155] In one implementation, the location information may be based at least in part on the determination of a Link Quality Indicator (LQI). By measuring the power in the communication channel before, during, and after a connection event (e.g., transmission), the master device 110 can calculate the signal-to-noise ratio, which is considered a form of LQI. Using this LQI information, the master device 110 can enhance its estimation of the range between the portable device 10 and fixed monitoring devices 120 (e.g., the master device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120).

[0156] More specifically, by measuring power before, during, and after the portable device 10 sends a message, the communication system 100 can identify when a spoofing transmitter is active in each channel, taking into account the additional power in the transmission from the portable device 10 due to the spoofing. By compensating for spoofing transmissions, the master device 110 can achieve enhanced positioning accuracy with respect to the portable device 10. Measurements can be made with respect to one or more transmissions from the portable device 10 via the master communication link 140, or with respect to one or more transmissions from the master device 110 via the master communication link 140, or a combination thereof.

[0157] It should be understood that the signal characteristic information provided by the monitoring device 120 is not limited to measuring the power in the main communication link 140 only during a specific time period associated with a connection event. Additional or alternative measurements may be performed by a fixed-location device, including, for example, the rate of transmission collisions between the noise floor and other transmitters associated with the main communication link 140.

[0158] In one implementation, various information sensed from a fixed-location device (e.g., main device 110 and one or more monitoring devices 120) can be used as a basis for determining changes in the position of objects affecting RF transmission on or around an object or equipment (e.g., a vehicle or building) associated with the fixed device. For example, the opening and closing of a vehicle door, or the proximity of other large objects to the equipment, can affect RF transmission. Monitoring one or more signal characteristics associated with such changes allows for the profiling of the resulting effects and thus enables the main device 110 to compensate accordingly, thereby maintaining a considerable degree of accuracy in determining the positioning information for the portable device 10.

[0159] In some cases, environmental effects caused by the presence or movement of objects affecting RF transmission can be common to a particular configuration. As an example, a communication system 100 integrated into a vehicle may frequently encounter movement of the doors between fully open and fully closed positions. Calibration and compensation for the various door positions, taking into account their different effects on RF transmission, can facilitate a more accurate determination of the location information of the portable device 10. In other words, information relating to the impact of external objects on RF transmission can be used to fine-tune the location estimation of the portable device 10.

[0160] While compensation information can be used to determine the location of portable device 10 based on detected signal characteristics, it should be noted that in some cases, the influence of external objects on the determination can be substantially negated by the communication system 100 itself. For example, because fixed-location devices can monitor substantially the same communications substantially simultaneously, system noise can affect measurements in substantially the same way, making, for example, trilateration or multipoint positioning based on detected signal characteristics produce substantially accurate results.

[0161] In one implementation, the master device 110 can direct one or more monitoring devices 120 to perform communication measurements during the first short-term connection. Figure 6 Step 1006 in the illustrated embodiment is used to quickly determine the location of the portable device 10, and the location information can be used as a gate to determine whether the portable device 10 is authorized based on its location. Alternatively or additionally, the host device 110 may provide guidance for communication measurements during long-term connections. Figure 6 Step 1016 in the illustrated embodiment. Similarly, the master device 110 can use location information as a gate (e.g., acceptance criteria) to determine whether the portable device 10 is authorized based on its location.

[0162] It should be noted that, for the purposes of this disclosure, one or more monitoring devices 120 are described as capable of monitoring or sensing power in the communication channel of the main communication link 140, and that the sensed information can be used as a basis for determining location information regarding the portable device 10. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the monitoring device 120 can scan for RF transmissions occurring during a connection event without knowing the connection parameters and transmit sensed information, such as encrypted messages, signal strength, or delay information, that can be used as a basis for location determination. As another example, the monitoring device 120 may include a communication interface 124 configured to monitor signals without decoding the underlying information. The communication interface 124 configured in this way may not include a Bluetooth LE chipset or an RF communication chipset and may be configured to monitor one or more RF characteristics.

[0163] It should be further noted that although avoiding multiple communication links between the portable device 10 and multiple fixed-location devices can save resources in the portable device 10, this disclosure is not limited to the portable device 10 establishing a single communication link. That is, the portable device 10 according to one embodiment can establish multiple corresponding communication links with multiple fixed-location devices. In one embodiment, a master device 110 is located outside the vehicle, and a second master device 110 is located inside the vehicle, and one or more monitoring devices 120 are located on or in the vehicle, wherein the portable device 10 establishes a main communication link 140 with two master devices 110, and one or more monitoring devices 120 sniff the two main communication links. Based on these communication links, including one or more signal characteristics of the communication links, the system 100 can determine positioning information about the portable device 10 relative to the fixed-location devices.

[0164] This disclosure also includes the following configurations:

[0165] 1. A system for establishing location information in real time, the system comprising:

[0166] A plurality of fixed-position devices, each of which is configured to communicate with at least one other fixed-position device via an auxiliary communication link, wherein fixed-position information about each of the fixed-position devices is stored in a memory;

[0167] A portable device configured to wirelessly communicate with a first fixed-location device in the fixed-location devices via a main communication link, wherein a second fixed-location device in the fixed-location devices is configured to monitor communication between the first fixed-location device and the portable device on the main communication link, wherein the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location devices identifies one or more signal features belonging to the monitored communication, and transmits signal information related to the one or more signal features to at least another fixed-location device in the fixed-location devices via the auxiliary communication link; and

[0168] The location information of the portable device is determined based on signal information related to one or more signal characteristics transmitted on the auxiliary communication link.

[0169] 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the fixed-position devices includes an auxiliary communication circuit system for communicating via the auxiliary communication link, and wherein the first fixed-position device includes a main communication circuit system for communicating via the main communication link, wherein the auxiliary communication circuit system and the main communication circuit system are substantially identical, such that the main communication link and the auxiliary communication link use the same type of hardware protocol, and wherein the communication on the auxiliary communication link is separate from the communication on the main communication link, such that the operation of the portable device is substantially unaffected by the communication on the auxiliary communication link.

[0170] 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fixed location devices is configured to authenticate the identity of the portable device, and wherein if the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the determined location information is considered invalid.

[0171] 4. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein at least one of the fixed location devices is configured to authenticate that the monitored communication on the main communication link has been sent by the portable device, and wherein if the monitored communication is not authenticated as having been sent by the portable device, the signal information associated with the one or more signal features is considered invalid and is not used to determine the location information.

[0172] 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the positioning information is transmitted to an equipment controller, wherein the equipment controller is adapted to: a) monitor the positioning of the portable device; and b) command or enable equipment operation based on the positioning information.

[0173] 6. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the equipment operation is based on the positioning information to disable, enable, command, request, update, and respond to at least one of these actions.

[0174] 7. The system according to Scheme 6, wherein the activation or command of equipment operation is determined based on the authentication of the portable device.

[0175] 8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the enabled or commanded equipment operation is determined based on the authorization configured for the portable device.

[0176] 9. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein:

[0177] The first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is the main device;

[0178] The master device stores one or more signal features in its memory, which are used as the basis for determining the location of the portable device, wherein the one or more signal features are determined based on communication between the master device and the portable device on the master communication link;

[0179] The second and third fixed-position devices in the fixed-position device are monitoring devices, configured to sniff the communication between the main device and the portable device to determine one or more signal characteristics; and

[0180] The master device is configured to determine the location information of the portable device relative to the master device and the monitor device based on: a) one or more signal characteristics of the portable device stored therein, and b) the one or more signal characteristics determined by the monitor device from the sniffed communications.

[0181] 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to transfer as the master device to the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device, such that the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is the master device and the first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is a monitoring device.

[0182] 11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is a first master device, and the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to switch from a monitor device to a second master device.

[0183] 12. The system according to Scheme 9, wherein the master device transmits at least one of scheduling information and connection parameters on the auxiliary communication link to the monitor device, so as to be able to sniff communication on the master communication link.

[0184] 13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the master device is configured to further determine the positioning information based on the fixed position information of each of the plurality of fixed position devices.

[0185] 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the one or more signal features include signal strength information, and wherein the location information is determined by heuristic analysis of signal strength information from a bag in the portable device, the signal strength information stored in the main device, and the fixed location information.

[0186] 15. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the position information of one or more of the fixed position devices is stored in the memory of one fixed position device, and the position information of one or more of the other fixed position devices is stored in the memory of another fixed position device.

[0187] 16. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the auxiliary communication link is established via wireless communication between the first fixed-position device and the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device.

[0188] 17. The system according to Scheme 16, wherein the auxiliary communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0189] 18. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the communication protocol of the main communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0190] 19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna configuration of at least one of the fixed-position devices is variable.

[0191] 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the antenna configuration is changeable between a high-directional mode and an omnidirectional mode.

[0192] 21. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the antenna configuration is circularly polarized.

[0193] 22. The system according to Scheme 1, wherein the transmission strength used in the main communication link is variable to aid in location determination.

[0194] 23. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is configured to measure one or more device-side signal features of communications transmitted or received by the portable device, the portable device transmitting the one or more device-side signal features to a first fixed-position device among the fixed-position devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of fixed-position devices is configured to perform dynamic calibration based on the one or more device-side signal features.

[0195] 24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the dynamic calibration includes at least one of the following: a) adjusting one or more defined signal features, and b) adjusting the algorithm used to determine the positioning.

[0196] 25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the one or more device-side signal characteristics belong to at least one of the following: a) communication on the main communication link, b) a change in the state of the portable device, and c) sensor data from one or more device sensors.

[0197] 26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to authenticate the portable device.

[0198] 27. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is configured to change its behavior or the communication content on the main communication link, wherein the portable device is configured to change its behavior or the content based on information provided by the first fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices.

[0199] 28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the information forming the basis for changing the content includes at least one of the following: a) the next channel to be communicated, b) association information, and c) a command.

[0200] 29. An apparatus for establishing real-time location information about a portable device, the apparatus comprising:

[0201] A first communication interface is operatively configured to receive wireless communication transmissions from the portable device, the first communication interface being configured to obtain one or more device signal characteristics relating to the wireless communication transmissions received by the device from the portable device;

[0202] A second communication interface is configured to communicate with at least one fixed-location device separate from the portable device, the communication including one or more transmitted signal features of wireless communication transmission received by the at least one fixed-location device from the portable device; and

[0203] The controller is operatively coupled to the first communication interface and the second communication interface.

[0204] 30. The device according to claim 29, wherein the one or more transmitted signal characteristics are calculated based on wireless communication transmissions from the portable device.

[0205] 31. The device according to claim 30, wherein the one or more transmitted signal characteristics are calculated by the at least one fixed-position device.

[0206] 32. The device according to claim 29, wherein the controller is configured to determine one or more auxiliary signal characteristics relating to communication provided via the second communication interface.

[0207] 33. The device according to claim 32, wherein the device is configured to measure the one or more auxiliary signal features based on communication provided via the second communication interface, wherein the device is configured to transmit the one or more auxiliary signal features to another device via the second communication interface, and wherein the one or more transmitted signal features are at least partially based on the one or more auxiliary signal features.

[0208] 34. The device according to claim 33, wherein the one or more auxiliary signal features are one or more received signal features of communication provided via the second communication interface, and wherein the one or more received signal features include RSSI of communication received via the second communication interface.

[0209] 35. The device according to claim 29, wherein the at least one fixed-position device is configured to determine one or more received signal characteristics relating to communications received from the portable device.

[0210] 36. The device according to claim 29, wherein the controller is configured to determine location information about the portable device based on the transmitted signal strength information from the at least one fixed-location device.

[0211] 37. The device according to claim 29, wherein the second communication interface includes an auxiliary communication circuit system, and wherein the first communication interface includes a main communication circuit system, wherein the auxiliary communication circuit system and the main communication circuit system are substantially the same, such that the first communication interface and the second communication interface use the same type of hardware protocol, and wherein the communication via the first communication interface is separated from the communication via the second communication interface, such that the operation of the portable device is substantially unaffected by the communication via the second communication interface.

[0212] 38. The device according to claim 29, wherein the controller is configured to determine location information about the portable device based on the transmitted signal characteristics from the at least one fixed-location device.

[0213] 39. The device according to claim 38, wherein the identity of the portable device is authenticated, and wherein if the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the determined location information is considered invalid.

[0214] 40. The device according to claim 39, wherein authentication is performed on the one or more transmitted signal features that have been sent by the portable device, and wherein, when the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the one or more transmitted signal features are considered invalid, wherein the one or more transmitted signal features considered invalid are not used for location determination.

[0215] 41. The device according to claim 38 includes an equipment operation interface configured to communicate with an equipment controller that controls the operation of the equipment, wherein the device is fixedly positioned relative to the equipment, and wherein the equipment operation is based on at least one of activation or command based on the positioning information.

[0216] 42. The device according to claim 41, wherein the activation or command of equipment operation is determined based on the authentication of the portable device.

[0217] 43. The device according to claim 41, wherein the enabled or commanded equipment operation is determined based on the authorization configured for the portable device.

[0218] 44. The device according to claim 41, wherein the activation or command of equipment operation is determined based on authentication of one or more transmitted signal characteristics.

[0219] 45. The device according to claim 38, wherein:

[0220] The device is the main device; and

[0221] The controller establishes a connection with the portable device via the first communication interface.

[0222] 46. ​​The device according to claim 45, wherein the device communicates with the portable device via Bluetooth Low Energy through the first communication interface.

[0223] 47. The device according to claim 45, wherein the controller transmits at least one of scheduling information and connection parameters regarding the connection with the portable device to the fixed-location device via the second communication interface, so as to be able to sniff the wireless communication transmissions from the portable device.

[0224] 48. The device according to claim 38, wherein the controller determines the positioning information of the portable device relative to the device based on the one or more device signal characteristics obtained from the first communication interface, the one or more transmitted signal characteristics, and position information regarding the main device and the fixed-position device, wherein the position information is stored in the memory of the main device.

[0225] 49. The device according to claim 38, wherein the device is configured to receive communication from a plurality of fixed-location devices via the second communication interface, wherein the communication includes one or more transmitted signal features based on wireless communication transmissions received by the plurality of fixed-location devices from a portable device; and

[0226] The controller determines the positioning information of the portable device relative to the device based on the signal characteristics of one or more transmitted communications monitored by the plurality of fixed-location devices.

[0227] 50. The device according to claim 38, wherein the one or more transmitted signal features include a received signal strength indication, wherein the positioning information regarding the portable device is determined by at least one of heuristic analysis, fingerprint analysis, and trilateration.

[0228] 51. The device according to claim 38, wherein the one or more transmitted signal features include the angle of arrival of the received signal, wherein the positioning information of the portable device is determined by at least one of heuristic analysis, fingerprint analysis, and angle of arrival analysis.

[0229] 52. The device according to claim 29, wherein:

[0230] The at least one fixed-location device, separate from the device, includes a main device configured to communicate with the portable device via the first communication interface;

[0231] The device is a monitoring device that sniffs the communication between the portable device and the main device, wherein the communication is sniffed via the first communication interface;

[0232] The one or more device signal characteristics are based on communications sniffed from the first communication interface; and

[0233] The controller transmits the one or more transmitted signal features based on the one or more device signal features via the second communication interface.

[0234] 53. The device according to claim 29, wherein:

[0235] The device is a monitoring device that obtains the one or more signal features from another fixed-location device via the second communication interface.

[0236] 54. The device according to claim 52, wherein the device uses Bluetooth Low Energy to sniff communication with the portable device via the first communication interface.

[0237] 55. The device according to claim 52, wherein the one or more device signal characteristics include at least one of the following: received signal strength, received arrival time, received time difference of arrival, and received angle of arrival.

[0238] 56. A method for determining the location of a portable device in real time, the method comprising:

[0239] The main device receives wireless communication from the portable device via a wireless communication link;

[0240] Guide at least one fixed-location device to monitor wireless communication from the portable device to the main device;

[0241] Receive one or more signal features based on the wireless communication monitored by the fixed-location device via an auxiliary communication link separate from the wireless communication;

[0242] Obtain location information related to the position of the fixed-position device; and

[0243] The location of the portable device is determined based on one or more signal features and the location information.

[0244] 57. The method according to scheme 56, comprising:

[0245] Authenticating the identity of the portable device; and

[0246] Since the portable device's identity has not been authenticated, one or more signal features are considered invalid.

[0247] 58. The method according to scheme 57, comprising:

[0248] Verify that one or more of the signal features have been transmitted by the portable device;

[0249] Based on the fact that the identity of the monitored wireless communication has not been authenticated, one or more signal features are considered invalid; and

[0250] In response to treating one or more signal features as invalid, one or more signal features used for location determination are ignored.

[0251] 59. The method according to scheme 56 includes enabling or commanding equipment operation based on the determined location.

[0252] 60. The method according to claim 59, wherein enabling or commanding equipment operation includes enabling or commanding equipment operation based on authentication of the portable device.

[0253] 61. The method according to claim 59, wherein enabling or commanding equipment operation includes enabling or commanding the equipment operation based on authorization regarding the portable device.

[0254] 62. The method according to claim 59, wherein enabling or commanding equipment operation includes enabling or commanding equipment operation based on authentication of monitored communications sent by the portable device, wherein the one or more signal features are based on the wireless communications monitored by the fixed-location device.

[0255] 63. The method according to claim 56, wherein the guidance includes providing communication information that enables the fixed-location device to sniff communications from the portable device to the master device.

[0256] 64. The method according to claim 56, comprising: determining one or more signal characteristics in the master device regarding wireless communication between the portable device and the master device.

[0257] 65. The method according to scheme 56, wherein:

[0258] The one or more signal characteristics include at least one of the following: received signal strength, received time of arrival, received time difference of arrival, and received angle of arrival; and

[0259] Determining the location includes determining the location based on one or more of the following: a) heuristic analysis of the one or more signal features and the location information, and b) fingerprint analysis of the one or more signal features and the location information.

[0260] 66. The method according to claim 56, wherein the location of the portable device is determined relative to a vehicle, and wherein determining the location includes an algorithm processing based on an operating mode, wherein determining the algorithm processing includes selecting at least one of a trilateration algorithm, a triangulation algorithm, a heuristic analysis, and a fingerprint analysis, and wherein the operating mode is determined based on at least one of: a) whether it is determined that the portable device is outside or inside a first area relative to the vehicle, and b) whether it is determined that the portable device is outside or inside the vehicle compartment.

[0261] 67. The method according to Scheme 66, wherein the heuristic analysis includes probabilistic fingerprinting heuristic analysis.

[0262] 68. The method according to scheme 56, wherein:

[0263] The one or more signal features include multiple types of features and at least one of the following: a) a received signal strength indicator, b) a received time of arrival, c) a received time difference of arrival, and d) an angle of arrival; and

[0264] The determination includes performing multiple operations based on multiple types of features to determine the location, wherein the multiple operations include at least one of trilateration and triangulation operations, heuristic operations, and fingerprint recognition operations.

[0265] 69. The method according to claim 68, wherein the plurality of operations are performed or estimated in combination, wholly or partially using Kalman filtering, particle filtering or fingerprinting techniques.

[0266] 70. The method according to claim 56, comprising determining at least one of motion information and position information of the portable device based on first sensor outputs from one or more first sensors.

[0267] 71. The method according to claim 70, wherein the one or more first sensors comprise at least one of: an angular rate sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and

[0268] include:

[0269] At least one of motion information and position information of the master device and / or one or more monitoring devices is determined based on the output of a second sensor from one or more second sensors, wherein the one or more second sensors include at least one of the following: an angular rate sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, a GPS receiver, a speedometer, an odometer, and an operation status sensor, the operation status sensor providing an output indicating the operation status and / or characteristics of the master device and the objects to which the one or more monitoring devices are attached; and

[0270] The following are combined: at least one of the motion information and location information of the portable device, at least one of the motion information and location information of the main device and / or the one or more monitoring devices, and the location of the portable device determined by at least one of Kalman filtering, particle filtering, heuristic analysis and fingerprint recognition techniques.

[0271] 72. A method for calibrating a system for establishing location information about a portable device in real time, the method comprising:

[0272] Set up a first and a second device with known positions relative to each other;

[0273] Multiple uncalibrated devices are configured in a fixed position relative to each other and to the first and second devices;

[0274] Obtain positioning information about the first device and the second device relative to each other;

[0275] A communication connection is established via a main communication link between the first device and the second device and at least one of a plurality of uncalibrated devices;

[0276] Monitoring the communication connection to determine one or more signal features that indicate location information regarding the first device, the second device, and each of the plurality of uncalibrated devices;

[0277] Information belonging to one or more signal characteristics is transmitted via an auxiliary communication link separate from the main link; and

[0278] Calibration information about the plurality of uncalibrated devices is determined to generate a plurality of calibrated devices, wherein the calibration information helps to determine the position of the plurality of calibrated devices relative to at least one of the first device and the second device.

[0279] 73. The method according to claim 72, wherein the first device is temporarily fixed in place relative to the second device; and includes removing the first device from the vicinity of the second device and the plurality of calibration devices.

[0280] 74. The method according to Scheme 72, wherein the calibration information includes adjustment parameters for at least one of transmitted signal strength, antenna mode, antenna type, and positioning algorithm.

[0281] 75. The method according to scheme 72, comprising:

[0282] Obtain information about known usage patterns of the portable device in relation to the positioning of the plurality of calibration devices;

[0283] A communication connection is established with the portable device via the main communication link;

[0284] Monitoring communications transmitted from the portable device in the communication connection in one or more calibration devices to determine the characteristics of the one or more signals;

[0285] Transmit signal information belonging to one or more signal characteristics via the auxiliary communication link; and

[0286] The calibration information is further formed based on: a) signal information belonging to one or more signal characteristics of communications transmitted from the portable device, and b) the known usage patterns of the portable device.

[0287] The use of directional terms such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inward,” “outer,” and “outward” helps to describe the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be construed as limiting the invention to any one or more particular orientations.

[0288] The above description is a description of the present embodiments of the invention. Various changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which will be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalence. This disclosure is given for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or as limiting the scope of the claims to the specific elements shown or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, but not limitingly, any one or more individual elements of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide suitable operation. This includes, for example, alternative elements currently known, such as those that a person skilled in the art may currently know, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that a person skilled in the art might consider an alternative at the time of development. Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments include multiple features consistently described and that can collaboratively provide a range of benefits. The invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of these features or provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent expressly set forth in the disclosed claims. Any reference to a claim element in the singular form, such as the use of the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “the,” should not be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Any reference to a claim element “at least one of X, Y, and Z” means to include any one of X, Y, or Z, and any combination of X, Y, and Z, such as X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; and Y, Z.

Claims

1. A system for establishing location information in real time, the system comprising: Multiple fixed-position devices are installed in the vehicle, each of which is configured to communicate with at least one other fixed-position device via an auxiliary communication link, wherein... The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection scheduling of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, thereby enabling sniffing of the main communication link. The second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to monitor the main communication link between the first fixed-position device and the portable device. The second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device determines one or more signal characteristics related to the monitored communication and transmits signal information related to the one or more signal characteristics to at least one other fixed-position device in the fixed-position device via the auxiliary communication link. The positioning information of the portable device relative to the vehicle is determined based on signal information related to one or more signal characteristics transmitted on the auxiliary communication link, and The communication protocol of the main communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the fixed-position devices includes an auxiliary communication circuit system for communication via the auxiliary communication link, wherein the first fixed-position device includes a main communication circuit system for communication via the main communication link, wherein the auxiliary communication circuit system is identical to the main communication circuit system, such that the main communication link and the auxiliary communication link use the same type of hardware protocol, wherein communication on the auxiliary communication link is separate from communication on the main communication link, such that the operation of the portable device is not affected by communication on the auxiliary communication link.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the fixed-location devices is configured to authenticate the identity of the portable device, wherein if the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the determined location information is considered invalid.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the fixed-location devices is configured to authenticate monitored communications on the main communication link as having been sent by the portable device, wherein if the monitored communications are not authenticated as having been sent by the portable device, the signal information associated with the one or more signal features is considered invalid and is not used to determine the location information.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The location information is transmitted to an equipment controller, wherein the equipment controller is adapted to: a) monitor the location of the portable device; and b) command or enable equipment operation based on the location information.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, The equipment operation is based on the location information to disable, enable, command, request, update, and respond to at least one of these actions.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The activated or commanded equipment operation is determined based on the authentication of the portable device.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The enabled or commanded equipment operations are determined based on the authorization configured for the portable device.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is a master device; the master device stores one or more signal features in a memory as the basis for determining the positioning of the portable device, wherein the one or more signal features are determined based on communication between the master device and the portable device on the main communication link; The second and third fixed-position devices in the fixed-position equipment are monitoring devices, configured to sniff the communication between the main device and the portable device to determine one or more signal characteristics; and The master device is configured to determine location information of the portable device relative to the master device and the monitor device based on: a) one or more signal features of the portable device stored therein, and b) one or more signal features determined by the monitor device from sniffed communications.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to transfer its role as the master device to the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device, such that the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is the master device, and the first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is a monitoring device.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is a first master device, and the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to switch from a monitor device to a second master device.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The master device transmits at least one of the scheduling information and connection parameters on the auxiliary communication link to the monitor device, so as to enable sniffing of communication on the master communication link.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The master device is configured to further determine the positioning information based on fixed position information about each of the plurality of fixed-position devices.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more signal features include signal strength information, wherein the location information is determined through heuristic analysis of signal strength information from a bag in the portable device, signal strength information stored in the main device, and the fixed location information.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The location information of one or more fixed-position devices is stored in the memory of one fixed-position device, and the location information of one or more other fixed-position devices is stored in the memory of another fixed-position device.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The auxiliary communication link is established via wireless communication between the first fixed-position device and the second fixed-position device in the fixed-position device.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein, The auxiliary communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein, Fixed position information for each of the fixed position devices is stored in a memory.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The antenna configuration of at least one of the fixed-position devices is variable.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein, The antenna configuration can be changed between high-directional mode and omnidirectional mode.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein, The antenna is configured to be circularly polarized.

22. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein, The transmission strength used in the main communication link can be varied to aid in location determination.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The portable device is configured to measure one or more device-side signal characteristics of communications sent or received by the portable device, the portable device transmitting the one or more device-side signal characteristics to the first fixed-position device among the fixed-position devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of fixed-position devices is configured to perform dynamic calibration based on the one or more device-side signal characteristics.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein, Dynamic calibration includes at least one of the following: a) adjusting one or more determined signal features, and b) adjusting the algorithm used to determine the location.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein, The one or more device-side signal characteristics are related to at least one of the following: a) communication on the main communication link, b) changes in the state of the portable device, and c) sensor data from one or more device sensors.

26. The system according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein, The first fixed-position device in the fixed-position device is configured to authenticate the portable device.

27. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The portable device is configured to change its behavior or the communication content on the main communication link, wherein the portable device is configured to change its behavior or the content based on information provided by the first fixed-location device among the fixed-location devices.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein, The information that forms the basis for changing the content includes at least one of the following: a) the next channel to be communicated, b) associated information, and c) commands.

29. An apparatus for establishing real-time location information about a portable device, the apparatus comprising: A first communication interface is configured to receive wireless communication transmissions from the portable device. A second communication interface is configured to communicate with at least one fixed-position device located separately from the device in the vehicle, the communication including one or more transmitted signal features of wireless communication transmission received by the at least one fixed-position device from the portable device; as well as The controller is operatively coupled to the first communication interface and the second communication interface, wherein, The device communicates with the portable device via Bluetooth Low Energy through the first communication interface. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection schedule of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, so as to enable sniffing of the main communication link.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The signal characteristics of one or more transmitted signals are calculated based on wireless communication transmissions from the portable device.

31. The device according to claim 30, wherein, The one or more transmitted signal characteristics are calculated by the at least one fixed-position device.

32. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The controller is configured to determine one or more auxiliary signal characteristics relating to communication provided via the second communication interface.

33. The device according to claim 32, wherein, The device is configured to measure the one or more auxiliary signal features based on communication provided via the second communication interface, wherein the device is configured to transmit the one or more auxiliary signal features to another device via the second communication interface, wherein the one or more transmitted signal features are at least partially based on the one or more auxiliary signal features.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein, The one or more auxiliary signal features are one or more received signal features of the communication provided via the second communication interface, wherein the one or more received signal features include the RSSI of the communication received via the second communication interface.

35. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The at least one fixed-location device is configured to determine one or more received signal characteristics relating to communications received from the portable device.

36. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The controller is configured to determine location information about the portable device based on signal strength information transmitted from the at least one fixed-location device.

37. The device according to any one of claims 29 to 36, wherein, The second communication interface includes an auxiliary communication circuit system, wherein the first communication interface includes a main communication circuit system, wherein the auxiliary communication circuit system and the main communication circuit system are identical, such that the first communication interface and the second communication interface use the same type of hardware protocol, wherein communication via the first communication interface is separated from communication via the second communication interface, such that the operation of the portable device is not affected by communication via the second communication interface.

38. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The controller is configured to determine location information about the portable device based on the transmitted signal characteristics from at least one fixed-location device.

39. The device according to claim 38, wherein, The identity of the portable device is authenticated, wherein if the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the determined location information is considered invalid.

40. The device according to claim 39, wherein, The one or more transmitted signal features are authenticated as having been sent by the portable device, wherein when the identity of the portable device is not authenticated, the one or more transmitted signal features are considered invalid, and the one or more transmitted signal features considered invalid are not used for location determination.

41. The device of claim 38, further comprising an equipment operation interface configured to communicate with an equipment controller controlling the operation of the equipment, wherein, The device is fixedly positioned relative to the equipment, wherein equipment operation is based on at least one of activation or command based on the positioning information.

42. The device according to claim 41, wherein, The activated or commanded equipment operation is determined based on the authentication of the portable device.

43. The device according to claim 41, wherein, The enabled or commanded equipment operations are determined based on the authorization configured for the portable device.

44. The device according to claim 41, wherein, The activated or commanded equipment operation is determined based on the authentication of one or more transmitted signal characteristics.

45. The device according to claim 38, wherein: The device is the main device; and The controller establishes a connection with the portable device via the first communication interface.

46. ​​The device according to claim 29, wherein, The first communication interface is configured to acquire one or more device signal characteristics in relation to the wireless communication transmission received by the device from the portable device.

47. The device according to claim 29, wherein, The controller transmits at least one of scheduling information and connection parameters regarding the connection with the portable device to the fixed-location device via the second communication interface, thereby enabling it to sniff the wireless communication transmissions from the portable device.

48. The device according to claim 38, wherein, The controller determines positioning information about the portable device relative to the device based on one or more device signal characteristics obtained from the first communication interface, one or more transmitted signal characteristics, and position information about the main device and the fixed-position device, wherein the position information is stored in the memory of the main device.

49. The device according to claim 38, wherein, The device is configured to receive communication from a plurality of fixed-location devices via the second communication interface, wherein the communication includes one or more transmitted signal features based on wireless communication transmissions received by the plurality of fixed-location devices from the portable device; and The controller determines positioning information about the portable device relative to the device based on signal characteristics of one or more transmitted communications monitored by the plurality of fixed-location devices.

50. The device according to any one of claims 38 to 49, wherein, The one or more transmitted signal features include a received signal strength indication, wherein the location information of the portable device is determined by at least one of heuristic analysis, fingerprint analysis, and trilateration.

51. The device according to any one of claims 38 to 49, wherein, The one or more transmitted signal features include the received angle of arrival, wherein the location information of the portable device is determined by at least one of heuristic analysis, fingerprint analysis, and angle of arrival analysis.

52. The device according to claim 29, wherein: The at least one fixed-location device, separate from the device, includes a main device configured to communicate with the portable device via the first communication interface; The device is a monitoring device that sniffs the communication between the portable device and the main device, wherein the communication is sniffed via the first communication interface; The one or more device signal characteristics are based on communications sniffed from the first communication interface; and The controller transmits the one or more transmitted signal features based on the one or more device signal features via the second communication interface.

53. The device according to claim 29, wherein: The device is a monitoring device that obtains the one or more signal characteristics from another fixed-location device via the second communication interface.

54. The device according to claim 52, wherein, The device uses Bluetooth Low Energy via the first communication interface to sniff out communication with the portable device.

55. The device according to any one of claims 52 to 54, wherein, The one or more device signal characteristics include at least one of the following: received signal strength, received time of arrival, received time difference of arrival, and received angle of arrival.

56. A method for determining the location of a portable device in real time, the method comprising: The main device receives wireless communication from the portable device via a wireless communication link. The system guides the monitoring of wireless communication from a portable device to a master device by setting up at least one fixed location in the vehicle. Receive one or more signal features based on the wireless communication monitored by the fixed-location device via an auxiliary communication link separate from the wireless communication; as well as The location of the portable device is determined based on one or more signal features, wherein... The communication protocol of the wireless communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection schedule of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, so as to enable sniffing of the main communication link.

57. The method of claim 56, comprising: Authenticate the identity of the portable device; as well as Based on the fact that the portable device's identity has not been authenticated, one or more of the signal features are considered invalid.

58. The method of claim 57, comprising: The one or more signal features are authenticated as having been transmitted by the portable device; Based on the fact that the identity of the monitored wireless communication has not been authenticated, one or more signal features are considered invalid; as well as In response to treating one or more signal features as invalid, one or more signal features are ignored for location determination.

59. The method of claim 56, comprising: Activate or command equipment operation based on the determined location.

60. The method according to claim 59, wherein, The activation or command of equipment operation includes: activating or commanding equipment operation based on the authentication of the portable device.

61. The method according to claim 59, wherein, The activation or command of equipment operation includes: activating or commanding the equipment operation based on authorization regarding the portable device.

62. The method according to claim 59, wherein, The activation or command of equipment operation includes: activating or commanding equipment operation based on the authentication of monitored communications as having been sent by the portable device, wherein the one or more signal characteristics are based on wireless communications monitored by the fixed-location device.

63. The method according to claim 56, wherein, The guidance includes providing communication information that enables the fixed-location device to sniff communications from the portable device to the main device.

64. The method of claim 56, comprising: In the master device, one or more signal characteristics relating to wireless communication between the portable device and the master device are determined.

65. The method according to any one of claims 56 to 64, wherein: The one or more signal characteristics include at least one of the following: received signal strength, received time of arrival, received time difference of arrival, and received angle of arrival; and Determining the location includes: determining the location based on one or more of the following: a) heuristic analysis of the one or more signal features and location information, and b) fingerprint analysis of the one or more signal features and location information.

66. The method according to claim 56, wherein, The location of the portable device is determined relative to the vehicle, wherein determining the location includes: determining an algorithm based on an operating mode, wherein the algorithm determination includes: selecting at least one of a trilateration algorithm, a triangulation algorithm, a heuristic analysis, and a fingerprint analysis, wherein the operating mode is determined based on at least one of: a) determining whether the portable device is outside or inside a first area relative to the vehicle, and b) determining whether the portable device is outside or inside the vehicle compartment.

67. The method according to claim 66, wherein, The heuristic analysis includes probabilistic fingerprinting heuristic analysis.

68. The method according to claim 56, wherein: The one or more signal features include multiple types of features and at least one of the following: a) a received signal strength indicator, b) a received time of arrival, c) a received time difference of arrival, and d) an angle of arrival; and Determining the location includes performing multiple operations based on multiple types of features to determine the location, wherein the multiple operations include at least one of trilateration operation and triangulation operation, heuristic operation and fingerprint recognition operation.

69. The method according to claim 68, wherein, The multiple operations are performed or estimated in combination, entirely or partially using Kalman filtering, particle filtering or fingerprinting techniques.

70. The method of claim 56, comprising: At least one of motion information and position information of the portable device is determined based on the output of a first sensor from one or more first sensors.

71. The method according to claim 70, wherein, The one or more first sensors include at least one of the following: an angular rate sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, and a GPS receiver. The method includes: At least one of motion information and position information of the master device and / or the one or more monitoring devices is determined based on the output of second sensors from one or more second sensors, wherein the one or more second sensors include at least one of the following: an angular rate sensor, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, an ultrasonic speaker / microphone, a GPS receiver, a speedometer, an odometer, and an operation status sensor, the operation status sensor providing an output indicating the operation status and / or characteristics of the objects to which the master device and the one or more monitoring devices are attached; and The following are combined: at least one of the motion information and location information of the portable device, at least one of the motion information and location information of the main device and / or the one or more monitoring devices, and the location of the portable device determined by at least one of Kalman filtering, particle filtering, heuristic analysis and fingerprinting techniques.

72. The method of claim 56, further comprising: Obtain position information related to the position of the fixed-position device; as well as The location of the portable device is determined based on one or more signal features and the location information.

73. A method for calibrating a system for establishing location information about a portable device in real time, the method comprising: Set up a first and a second device with known positions relative to each other; Multiple uncalibrated devices are configured in a fixed position relative to each other and to the first and second devices; Obtain positioning information about the first device and the second device relative to each other; A communication connection is established via a main communication link between the first device and the second device and at least one of a plurality of uncalibrated devices; Monitor the communication connection to determine one or more signal features that indicate location information regarding the first device, the second device, and each of the plurality of uncalibrated devices; Information relating to the one or more signal characteristics is transmitted via an auxiliary communication link separate from the main communication link; as well as Calibration information regarding the plurality of uncalibrated devices is determined to generate a plurality of calibrated devices, wherein the calibration information helps determine the position of the plurality of calibrated devices relative to at least one of the first device and the second device, wherein... The communication protocol of the main communication link is Bluetooth Low Energy.

74. The method according to claim 73, wherein, The first device is temporarily fixed in position relative to the second device; and the method includes removing the first device from the vicinity of the second device and the plurality of calibration devices.

75. The method according to claim 73, wherein, The calibration information includes adjustment parameters for at least one of the following: transmitted signal strength, antenna mode, antenna type, and positioning algorithm.

76. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 75, comprising: Obtain information about known usage patterns of the portable device in relation to the positioning of the plurality of calibration devices; A communication connection is established with the portable device via the main communication link; Monitoring communications transmitted from the portable device in the communication connection in one or more calibration devices to determine the characteristics of the one or more signals; Transmit signal information related to the one or more signal characteristics via the auxiliary communication link; as well as The calibration information is further formed based on the following: a) signal information relating to one or more signal characteristics of communications transmitted from the portable device, and b) known usage patterns of the portable device.

77. A method performed by a device for establishing real-time location information about a portable device, the method comprising: Receive wireless communication transmissions from the portable device using the first communication interface; The device communicates with at least one fixed-position device located separately from the portable device via a second communication interface, the communication including one or more transmitted signal features of wireless communication transmission received by the at least one fixed-position device from the portable device; Location information about the portable device is determined based on signal information related to the one or more transmitted signal characteristics. as well as The portable device is communicated via Bluetooth Low Energy through the first communication interface. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection schedule of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, so as to enable sniffing of the main communication link.

78. A communication device, comprising: A first communication interface, which operates to monitor wireless communication transmissions between a device located at at least one fixed position in the vehicle and a portable device, which are separate from the device, is configured to obtain one or more device signal characteristics in relation to the wireless communication transmissions received by the device from the portable device. as well as A second communication interface is configured to communicate with the at least one fixed-location device, the communication including one or more transmitted signal features from wireless communication transmissions from the portable device, wherein... The wireless communication transmission monitored by the first communication interface is Bluetooth Low Energy. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection schedule of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, so as to enable sniffing of the main communication link.

79. A method performed by a communication device, comprising: The wireless communication transmission between a device located at least one fixed position in the vehicle and a portable device, which is separate from the device, is monitored using a first communication interface. Using the first communication interface, one or more device signal characteristics related to the wireless communication transmission received by the device from the portable device are obtained; Communicating with the at least one fixed-location device using a second communication interface, the communication including one or more transmitted signal features from wireless communication transmissions from the portable device; and Location information about the portable device is determined based on signal information related to the one or more transmitted signal characteristics, wherein... The wireless communication transmission monitored by the first communication interface is Bluetooth Low Energy. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable device via a main communication link. The first fixed-location device in the fixed-location device is also configured to send at least one of the connection parameters and connection schedule of the main communication link or the auxiliary communication link to the second fixed-location device in the fixed-location device, so as to enable sniffing of the main communication link.

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