RF Fingerprinting for Mobile Location Inference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face challenges in providing customized content based on location due to the time and resource-intensive process of determining their location, which can be wasteful when the device is stationary.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that use radio frequency fingerprinting to infer the location of a mobile device by comparing current cell tower and sector data with previous fingerprints, only executing a location fix technology when a match is not found, thereby conserving resources and reducing unnecessary location determinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If location fix technology is executed frequently to ensure accurate location determination, then location accuracy is improved, but battery consumption and network resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing radio frequency fingerprints (cell tower data and cell sector data) in advance and storing them in a database. When location determination is needed, the system compares current RF fingerprints against stored ones to infer location without executing full location fix technology, thereby reducing battery consumption while maintaining location accuracy for stationary devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of location information by storing RF fingerprints and their associated location data in a database. Instead of repeatedly executing location fix technology, the system uses these stored copies to quickly determine location by comparing current RF fingerprints against the database, significantly reducing energy usage while maintaining accuracy.
2Productivity
If location fix technology is executed frequently to provide timely customized content, then content delivery timeliness is improved, but network resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-capturing and storing RF fingerprints and their associated location information in a database before content delivery is needed. When a content request arrives, the system quickly compares the device's current RF fingerprint against stored fingerprints to infer location, enabling rapid customized content delivery without consuming excessive network resources through repeated location fix executions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of location data by storing RF fingerprints and their corresponding location information in a database. This allows the system to quickly retrieve location information through fingerprint matching rather than executing resource-intensive location fix technology, thereby improving content delivery timeliness while reducing network resource consumption.
3Productivity
If the mobile device determines its own location in advance to meet content delivery deadlines, then content delivery timeliness is improved, but device processing time and resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates copies of location information by storing RF fingerprints and their associated location data in a database. When location determination is needed, the device quickly compares its current RF fingerprint against stored fingerprints to infer location, avoiding the need to execute time-consuming location fix technology while still meeting content delivery deadlines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical location fix process (which involves complex calculations and multiple network communications) with a simpler fingerprint matching process. By substituting the resource-intensive location fix mechanism with a lightweight comparison operation against stored fingerprints, the system reduces device processing time while maintaining location accuracy for content delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for inferring location of a mobile device is provided. A radio frequency fingerprint is taken for a mobile device, wherein the radio frequency fingerprint includes cell tower data and cell sector data that includes a cell sector through which the mobile device is not communicating. Whether the radio frequency fingerprint matches a previous radio frequency fingerprint associated with a location fix is determined. A location fix technology is executed for the mobile device in response to a determination that the radio frequency fingerprint does not match the previous radio frequency fingerprint.