Wireless Network Location Determination Without GPS
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital telephony devices, especially those without integrated GPS systems like laptops and desktops, face challenges in determining their location, which becomes critical during emergency calls where precise location information is often required.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves obtaining location indications for originating stations from other devices within a wireless network, using access points' known locations and signal strength information to estimate the position of devices without positioning equipment, and prompting users for input when accuracy thresholds are not met, ensuring location information is forwarded for emergency calls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS positioning systems are integrated into digital telephony devices, then location determination accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses access points as intermediary devices to determine the location of telephony devices. Instead of requiring GPS in every device, the system employs access points with known locations as mediators that can calculate the position of calling devices through signal strength measurements, thereby resolving the contradiction between location accuracy and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual GPS capability for devices without physical GPS receivers by copying the location determination function to access points. The access points perform the location calculation that would otherwise require dedicated GPS hardware in the telephony device, eliminating the need for physical GPS components in end-user devices
2Measurement precision
If location information is obtained from multiple access points using signal strength, then location accuracy is improved, but processing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-stores location information for access points and maintains visibility lists of access points that can detect each other. This preliminary setup allows the system to quickly determine device location by simply checking which pre-identified access points detect the calling device, avoiding complex real-time calculations and reducing processing complexity while maintaining accuracy
3Adaptability or versatility
If location information is obtained through network-based methods, then devices without GPS can determine location, but measurement precision compared to GPS decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical GPS satellite-based positioning system with a wireless network-based electromagnetic signal system. By substituting GPS radio signals with Wi-Fi or cellular network signals from access points, the system enables location determination on devices without GPS hardware, trading some precision for universal compatibility across all digital telephony platforms
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, a location of a mobile terminal is determined by obtaining a location of a first access point (AP), receiving a visibility indication indicating that a second AP received a signal from the first AP or the first AP received a signal from the second AP, determining a location of the second AP based on the received visibility indication and the location of the first AP, determining a location of the mobile terminal in communication with the second AP based on the determined location of the second AP, and transmitting a message indicating the location of the mobile terminal on a digital communication network.