Indoor Device Location via Access Point Transition Clustering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to accurately determine the location of mobile devices within indoor environments without GPS, particularly when devices are connected to unknown or misidentified wireless access points, leading to inefficiencies in managing device inventory and security.
Innovation Solution
A system that builds a graph model of access point connections using a client on each device, transmitting data to a cloud server, and analyzes transitions between access points to identify clusters belonging to the same location, enabling accurate location determination and alerts when devices stray from their home location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS is used to determine device location, then location accuracy is improved, but GPS may be turned off or unavailable at indoor locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses wireless access points as intermediary objects to determine device location. Instead of relying directly on GPS, the system mediates location determination through access point connections, where the access point serves as an intermediate reference point that indicates the device's location in indoor environments where GPS is unavailable.
2Measurement precision
If operators manually record access point locations, then location determination capability is improved, but the system complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically discovers and records access point locations through monitoring device connections and movements. Instead of requiring manual recording, the system self-services by observing which devices connect to which access points and inferring locations from connection patterns and device home location data, eliminating the need for manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes a database of access point locations by monitoring connections before actual location determination is needed. By continuously building and updating the access point location database in advance through observed connections, the system prepares location information proactively rather than reactively.
3Measurement precision
If the system monitors all device connections to determine location, then location tracking accuracy is improved, but the loss of time for data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors device connections selectively rather than continuously analyzing all possible data. It focuses on key events such as when devices connect to access points and uses this partial monitoring approach to determine location, avoiding the need to process excessive connection data while maintaining sufficient tracking accuracy.
4Reliability
If access point location data is continuously updated, then system freshness and accuracy are improved, but the loss of time for maintaining the database increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system updates access point location data periodically based on observed connections rather than continuously. By using periodic updates triggered by connection events and implementing time-based expiration of stale data, the system maintains database freshness without requiring constant maintenance, balancing reliability with reduced update overhead.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for determining the location of mobile devices, comprising providing at least one mobile device and at least two access points distributed over two or more locations; noting the identity of access points the device is connected to over time; noting transitions between access points a device is connected to and identifying two or more access points as belonging to the same location if the mobile device transitions between connecting to said access points within a certain time period; allocating a first location to a group of access points to which a device transitions within said certain period of time and a second or further location to access points to which a device does not transition to from the first set of access points within said certain period of time; thereby associating groups of one or more access points with one or more locations, and determining the location of the device when it is subsequently connected to one of the located access points.