IP Library Granted Patent US 11,115,782
Granted Patent B2
US 11,115,782 · App. 16/720,573 · Granted Sep 7, 2021

Configuring a wireless mesh network for locationing

Inventors: Edward W. Geiger (San Martin, CA); Janakiraman Gopalan (Cupertino, CA)
Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
H04W4/029H04W84/18
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,115,782
App. No.
16/720,573
Granted
Sep 7, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A locationing platform may receive, via a mesh network, a locationing communication associated with a waypoint beacon. The locationing platform may identify an entry node of the locationing communication. The locationing platform may determine a waypoint location associated with the waypoint beacon based on locationing information in the locationing communication. The locationing platform may determine a node location of the entry node based on the waypoint location. The locationing platform may configure, based on the node location, a relay node of the mesh network to forward or drop subsequently received locationing communications that are associated with the waypoint beacon.

Claims (27)

1. A relay node of a mesh network, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, configured to:

receive, via the mesh network, a locationing communication associated with a waypoint beacon;

determine, using a node mapping, a distance between a waypoint location associated with the waypoint beacon and a relay node location of the relay node, wherein:

the distance corresponds to a quantity of hops of the mesh network between the relay node and an entry node of the mesh network that provided the locationing communication, and

the waypoint location corresponds to an entry node location of the entry node within the mesh network;

identify, from the locationing communication, a waypoint identifier of the waypoint beacon;

identify, based on the waypoint identifier and the node mapping, the entry node to determine the entry node location within a topology of the mesh network;

identify, from the node mapping, the relay node location within the topology of the mesh network;

determine, from topology information of the mesh network in the node mapping, the topology of the mesh network; and

determine, based on the topology of the mesh network, the quantity of hops between the entry node location and the relay node location to determine the distance; and

forward, when the distance satisfies a threshold distance, the locationing communication through the mesh network to enable locationing in association with the waypoint location, or

drop, when the distance does not satisfy the threshold distance, the locationing communication, wherein the threshold distance corresponds to a threshold quantity of hops.

2. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the node mapping includes at least one of:

mappings of a plurality of waypoint beacons, associated with the mesh network, with corresponding nearest nodes of the mesh network,

mappings of node locations of a plurality of nodes of the mesh network,

wherein the relay node is one of the plurality of nodes of the mesh network, or

mappings of topology information of the plurality of nodes of the mesh network.

3. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:

identify, from the locationing communication, a waypoint identifier of the waypoint beacon;

determine the waypoint location based on the waypoint identifier and a first entry of the node mapping; and

determine the relay node location based on a node identifier of the relay node and a second entry of the node mapping.

4. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the relay node is a BLUETOOTH® low energy device and the mesh network is a BLUETOOTH® low energy mesh network.

5. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the relay node is a smart light bulb.

6. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the relay node is a smart switch.

7. The relay node of claim 1 , wherein the relay node is a smart fan.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST - 364 - DAY Recorded Mar 5, 2021
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; LASER BAND, LLC; TEMPTIME CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056036/0590 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2020
From: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; LASER BAND, LLC; TEMPTIME CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053841/0212 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 2, 2020
From: GEIGER, EDWARD W.; GOPALAN, JANAKIRAMAN
To: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 051980/0881 →