Access Point Location Tracking via Baseline Signal Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Access points deployed in locations with poor or no GPS signal availability face challenges in determining accurate location information, which affects spectrum usage, equipment security, and E911 services, and require time-consuming and inaccurate manual verification for location updates.
Innovation Solution
The access point uses baseline measurements such as signal strength and network traffic levels to detect changes in its location, triggering alerts and updates, and employs triangulation or GPS when available to determine and confirm its new location, providing a confidence metric for location accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual verification is used to update access point location information, then location accuracy can be maintained, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The access point performs self-location verification by automatically detecting changes in baseline measurements (signal strength, network traffic levels) and determining its own location using triangulation or GPS, eliminating the need for manual verification by maintenance personnel
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors baseline measurements and compares them against stored reference values, triggering automatic location updates when changes exceed a threshold, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that maintains location accuracy without manual intervention
2Reliability
If maintenance personnel are deployed to verify access point location, then location information can be updated, but scheduling difficulties and operational complexity arise
Solution Approach 1:
The access point autonomously monitors its own location by detecting changes in baseline measurements and automatically determining new location using available positioning methods, eliminating the need for maintenance personnel deployment
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes baseline measurements during normal operation and continuously compares current measurements against these baselines, enabling proactive detection of location changes before they affect network performance
3Measurement precision
If GPS signal is used for location determination, then location accuracy is high, but GPS signal is unavailable in urban or indoor locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a multi-functional location determination approach that can operate using different methods (triangulation based on signal strength, GPS when available) depending on the environmental context, making it universally applicable across urban, indoor, and outdoor locations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces baseline measurements (signal strength, network traffic levels) as intermediary indicators that can be measured in all environments, which then serve as the basis for inferring location changes even when direct GPS positioning is unavailable
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables efficient and accurate location tracking and updates for access points, reducing manual verification needs and ensuring reliable spectrum usage and security, while providing enhanced E911 services even in GPS-signal-poor environments.
Implementation Method 1
employs triangulation or GPS when available to determine and confirm its new location
Data Source
AI summary
A device may determine a first baseline measurement. The device may determine a first location associated with the device. The device may store information identifying the first baseline measurement and the first location associated with the device. The device may determine a second baseline measurement. The device may determine that the second baseline measurement differs from the first baseline measurement by a threshold quantity. The device may determine a second location associated with the device based on determining that the second baseline measurement differs from the first baseline measurement by the threshold quantity. The second location may be different from the first location. The device may provide information associated with the second baseline measurement and/or the second location.