Hybrid Location Determination Using Modified Bluetooth Receiver
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication devices face challenges in determining location for providing location-based services, especially for Bluetooth-enabled devices without embedded WiFi capabilities, as they rely heavily on GPS, which is not always available, and integrating multiple wireless standards on a single chip is complex.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid location determination method using Bluetooth and WiFi technologies, where a modified Bluetooth radio receiver processes WLAN/WiFi beacons to extract MAC addresses and signal strength information, allowing devices to estimate their location and identify available location-based services, even without embedded WiFi transmitters, by leveraging existing Bluetooth receiver components with minimal modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS is used for location determination, then location accuracy is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines Bluetooth and WiFi location determination methods into a hybrid system. The Bluetooth receiver processes WLAN beacons to extract MAC addresses and signal strength, merging two different wireless technologies to achieve accurate location without requiring full WiFi capability or GPS, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining location accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The modified Bluetooth receiver is designed to perform multiple functions: its original Bluetooth communication function plus the additional function of processing WLAN beacons for location determination. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate GPS hardware, reducing device complexity while maintaining location determination capability.
2Measurement precision
If full WiFi capabilities are integrated, then location determination capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential functionality needed for location determination from WiFi technology - specifically the ability to receive and process beacon frames. By taking out just this critical function and implementing it in the Bluetooth receiver, the system achieves location capability without the complexity of integrating full WiFi transceiver hardware, thus easing manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of implementing a full WiFi receiver, the patent creates a simplified copy of the beacon reception functionality within the Bluetooth receiver. This copied function processes WLAN beacons to extract location information, achieving the same location determination purpose with significantly reduced hardware complexity and manufacturing cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wireless standards are integrated on a single chip, then device functionality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The Bluetooth receiver is designed with universal functionality to handle both Bluetooth communications and WLAN beacon processing. This multi-functional design consolidates multiple wireless standard functionalities into a single receiver component, improving device versatility while avoiding the complexity of integrating separate hardware for each wireless standard.
4Productivity
If Bluetooth receiver is modified to process WLAN beacons, then location determination speed is improved, but hardware complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a simplified copy of WLAN beacon processing functionality within the existing Bluetooth receiver architecture. Rather than adding complex new hardware, it creates a streamlined version of beacon processing that leverages the Bluetooth receiver's existing signal processing capabilities, achieving fast location determination with minimal hardware modification.
Data Source
AI summary
Hybrid location determination for wireless communication device. Various services that may be used by a wireless communication device within a particular location may be referred to as location based services (LBS). As such, means by which the location of a wireless communication device that may use such available services, within such a locale, is made by using more than one type of location determination approach. For example, a wireless communication device includes communication capability (e.g., RX and TX) in accordance with a first communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) and also includes a communication capability (e.g., RX only) in accordance with a second communication protocol (e.g., WiFi/WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)). The RX capability is operative to assist in location determination for the wireless communication device based on knowledge of at least one wireless communication device that communicates with the wireless communication device.