Wi-Fi Location System Using GPS Intermediary Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for locating mobile electronic devices using Wi-Fi access points often rely on databases compiled through war-driving, which may not accurately determine device locations without GPS coordinates, and lack efficient methods for maintaining database size and precision.

Innovation Solution

A system that stores Wi-Fi access point scans with associated GPS coordinates, allowing mobile devices to determine their location by analyzing relations between detected Wi-Fi points and previously recorded coordinates, even without direct GPS data, and maintaining database efficiency by storing and retrieving relevant data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If Wi-Fi databases are compiled through war-driving to determine device locations, then location determination can be performed without GPS, but the accuracy and reliability of location determination deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation determination capabilityVSAvoidlocation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses GPS-equipped mobile devices as intermediaries to indirectly determine the locations of Wi-Fi access points. Instead of directly measuring Wi-Fi AP locations through war-driving, the system uses GPS coordinates from mobile devices that detect Wi-Fi APs as intermediary data points, thereby improving location accuracy while maintaining the ability to determine locations without direct GPS on all devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by having GPS-equipped mobile devices detect and report Wi-Fi access point locations and their GPS coordinates in advance. This preliminary data collection builds a relationship database between Wi-Fi BSSIDs and GPS coordinates before actual location determination is needed, improving both accuracy and efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If Wi-Fi access point scan data is stored in the database for location determination, then location precision improves with more data, but database size and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation precisionVSAvoiddatabase size

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and stores only the essential relationship data between Wi-Fi BSSIDs and GPS coordinates, rather than storing complete scan logs or redundant information. By taking out only the critical BSSID-GPS associations needed for location determination, the system maintains high location precision while minimizing database size

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses copies of GPS coordinates associated with Wi-Fi BSSIDs rather than storing multiple redundant scan records. Each unique BSSID-GPS relationship is stored once as a reference copy, allowing multiple location determinations to use the same reference data without duplicating the entire dataset

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS8929916B2System, method and database for determining location by indirectly using GPS coordinates

Publication Date: 2015.01.06 ABSOLUTE SOFTWARE CORPORATION

AI summary

A database stores results of scans for wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi) access points, some of them directly associated with GPS coordinates. Mobile electronic devices detect access points, details of which are sent to the database. Contents of the database are analyzed for relations between the scanned access points and previously stored GPS coordinates. If a relation is found, the GPS coordinates are used for determining or estimating the location of the mobile device.