Mobile Terminal Positioning via Reference Device Identity Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positioning technologies for mobile terminals face privacy concerns as they may reveal information about neighboring devices, and approaches like whitelisting can lead to robustness and scalability issues due to insufficient information collection and incorrect device naming.
Innovation Solution
A method where mobile terminals discover and filter identities of reference devices based on signal patterns, reporting only those that match a defined filter pattern to protect privacy and ensure robust and scalable positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mobile terminals report all discovered reference device identities for positioning, then positioning accuracy is improved, but privacy of neighboring devices is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary subset of reference device identities that match the filter pattern, rather than reporting all discovered identities. The location server extracts the minimal required information (filtered identities) from the complete set of discovered devices, achieving positioning functionality while protecting privacy by leaving out unnecessary identity information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the data set. Reference devices are categorized into those that match the filter pattern (reported) and those that don't match (not reported). This local differentiation allows the system to report only specific subsets of devices with appropriate characteristics, balancing positioning needs with privacy protection.
2Measurement precision
If mobile terminals use whitelist approaches for device selection, then device identification accuracy is improved, but robustness and scalability deteriorate due to insufficient information collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary filtering of reference devices based on the filter pattern before the positioning calculation. By pre-filtering the set of reference devices to include only those matching the pattern, the system ensures that sufficient diverse devices are available for robust positioning while maintaining accurate device identification, avoiding the limitations of rigid whitelist approaches.
3Reliability
If mobile terminals collect information from all neighboring devices, then positioning robustness is improved, but scalability deteriorates due to mass-surveillance concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary subset of reference device identities that match the filter pattern, rather than reporting all discovered identities. The location server extracts the minimal required information (filtered identities) from the complete set of discovered devices, achieving positioning functionality while protecting privacy by leaving out unnecessary identity information.
Data Source
AI summary
A method performed by a mobile terminal is provided for supporting positioning of the mobile terminal. The method includes receiving a defined filter pattern from a network node in a communications network or another node of the communications network, discovering identities of a plurality of reference devices based on signals received from the plurality of reference devices, filtering the identities of the plurality of reference devices to obtain a subset of identities of the plurality of reference devices that each satisfy the defined filter pattern, and reporting information on the subset of the identities of the plurality of reference devices to the network node.