System and Method for Resolving Multiple Location Estimate Conflicts in a WLAN-Positioning System
AssigneeSkyhook Wireless, Inc.
InventorsFarshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Oleksiy Ignatyev
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods of and systems for resolving multiple location estimate conflicts in a WLAN-positioning system are provided. Disclosed are methods to quantify the probability that a particular location estimate of a mobile device made by a Wi-Fi based positioning system is correct to within an arbitrary accuracy. Implementations use observed access point cluster size, age information for access point location determination, and/or cumulative distribution functions that characterize the conditional probability that one or more access points detected by the mobile device have relocated within a specified time interval to make the probability determinations.
Claims23
A method of estimating the likelihood of a Wi-Fi enabled device being located within an estimated geographical area, the method comprising:
- the Wi-Fi enabled device receiving signals transmitted by Wi-Fi access points in range of the Wi-Fi enabled device;
- consulting a reference database to determine for each of a plurality of the Wi-Fi access points for which signals were received a last-known estimated position of the Wi-Fi access point;
- determining that at least a first set of the Wi-Fi access points for which signals were received have moved from their corresponding last-known estimated positions based on the last-known estimated positions for at least a second set of Wi-Fi access points for which signals were received;
- estimating, based on the number of Wi-Fi access points of the first set and the number of Wi-Fi access points of the second set, the likelihood of the Wi-Fi enabled device being located within an estimated geographical area;
- and
- displaying on a display device information based on the estimated likelihood of the Wi-Fi enabled device being located within the estimated geographical area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.