Multi-Hop Location Confirmation for Lost Electronic Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location identification services for lost electronic devices, such as earphones or headsets, are inefficient as they overload servers with unnecessary data collection and waste resources, especially in dense environments like large buildings, and are limited by the devices' inability to perform direct communication with servers.
Innovation Solution
Electronic devices equipped with location measurement and wireless communication circuits determine resource usage based on multi-hop counts, selectively transmitting location information to servers, thereby minimizing resource waste and optimizing data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all adjacent terminals transmit location information to the server when a lost device broadcasts identification information, then the server can provide location information to the user, but the server becomes overloaded and radio resources are unnecessarily wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a multi-hop transmission mechanism where intermediate terminals act as relays to forward advertising packets from the lost device to the server. Instead of all terminals directly communicating with the server, only selected intermediate terminals transmit data, reducing overall network traffic and server load while maintaining service availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a selective transmission approach where only a subset of adjacent terminals (those that receive and forward advertising packets) transmit location information to the server, rather than requiring all adjacent terminals to participate. This partial action reduces resource consumption while still achieving the location identification goal.
2Loss of information
If all adjacent terminals report signals to the server, then complete location data is collected, but terminals waste resources using GPS and communication modules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses intermediate terminals that receive advertising packets as mediators to collect and forward location information. These intermediate terminals use their existing location capabilities (GPS, communication modules) to obtain and transmit location data to the server, eliminating the need for all adjacent terminals to activate their resource-intensive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the location measurement and transmission function from all adjacent terminals and concentrates it in selected intermediate terminals that receive advertising packets. This extraction allows the system to maintain complete location data collection while minimizing the number of terminals that consume energy-intensive resources.
3Measurement precision
If the server collects location information from all transmitting terminals, then comprehensive location data is obtained, but the server becomes overloaded with unnecessary data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces advertising packets as intermediaries that carry identification information from the lost device through multiple hops to the server. The server uses these packets to selectively identify and process only relevant location information from intermediate terminals, rather than receiving and processing data from all adjacent terminals, thus maintaining measurement precision while improving processing efficiency.
4Adaptability or versatility
If devices use short-range communication for pairing, then the lost device can be identified by adjacent devices, but the devices cannot communicate directly with the server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication architecture into two distinct layers: a short-range communication layer for device pairing and advertising packet transmission between adjacent devices and the lost device, and a long-range communication layer for server communication. This segmentation allows devices to maintain simple pairing capabilities while the system as a whole achieves complex server interaction through intermediate terminals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to the communication architecture by introducing multi-hop transmission through intermediate terminals. Instead of requiring direct one-to-one communication between each device and the server, the system uses a multi-dimensional communication path where advertising packets can be forwarded through multiple intermediate nodes, solving the direct communication limitation.
Data Source
AI summary
An example electronic device may include a location measurement circuit; a first wireless communication circuit; a second wireless communication circuit; and at least one processor. The at least one processor may: receive a first advertising packet including identification information of a first external device and a multi-hop count; obtain location information of the electronic device when the multi-hop count is a first value; transmit a signal including the identification information and the location information to a server; and broadcast a second advertising packet including the identification information of the first external device and a multi-hop count having a second value increased from the first value.