IP Library Granted Patent US 11,595,785
Granted Patent B2
US 11,595,785 · App. 17/107,577 · Granted Feb 28, 2023

Method and apparatus for wireless signal based location endpoint triangulation using 5G MMWAVE, LTE, and WI-FI

Inventors: Jace W. Files (Round Rock, TX); Liam B. Quinn (Austin, TX); Abu S. Sanaullah (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products, LP
H04W4/029G01S5/0268G01S5/04G01S5/14H04M1/724H04M1/72403H04W8/245H04W88/02
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 11,595,785
App. No.
17/107,577
Granted
Feb 28, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information handling system operating a diverse wireless location determination system, comprising receiving an instruction to determine a location of an endpoint information handling system having a plurality of network interface device modules supporting a plurality of wireless network protocols, a processor executing instructions to aggregate data including detected time of flight (TOF) signal distance and signal quality values relating to signals exchanged between the endpoint information handling system and a plurality of diverse wireless protocol access points, the processor to determine at least three diverse wireless protocol access point signals meet a signal quality threshold, where at least two of the diverse wireless protocol access points operate under different wireless protocols, and the processor conducting weighted multiangulation or multilateration utilizing the detected TOF signal distances of the exchanged signals based on the detected signal quality category and type of wireless protocol for the exchanged signal.

Claims (46)

1. A computer implemented method of executing a diverse wireless location determination system to locate an endpoint information handling system, comprising:

receiving an instruction to determine a location of an endpoint information handling system having one or more network interface device modules supporting a plurality of wireless network protocols;

determining, via a processor executing code instructions of a central management system, that exchanged signals with at least three diverse wireless protocol access points with a known location meet a signal quality threshold, where at least two of the diverse wireless protocol access points operate under different wireless network protocols;

aggregating data including detected time of flight (TOF) signal distance and signal quality values relating to signals exchanged between the endpoint information handling system and the at least three diverse wireless protocol access points;

weighting coordinate location distance values based on received signal quality values for each of the exchanged signals with the at least three diverse wireless protocol access points, wherein weighting values applied to the coordinate location distance values depends on a type of wireless protocol of the exchanged signal; and

determining location of the endpoint information handling system relative to the at least three diverse wireless protocol access points via multiangulation or multilateration with the weighted aggregated data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least two diverse wireless protocol access points operate under the different wireless protocols including at least one Wi-Fi wireless protocol and at least one 3GPP or 3GPP2 wireless protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an angle between at least one diverse wireless protocol access point via wireless protocol implementing an antenna array at either the endpoint information handling system or the at least one diverse wireless access point for angle of attack or angle of departure angle determination; and

accessing data relating to the angle to conduct multiangulation or multilateration.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the determined location of the endpoint information handling system to authorized applications to utilize the location for tracking the endpoint information handling system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the least three diverse wireless protocol access points include a 5G NR access point and a Wi-Fi access point.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the at least three diverse wireless protocol access points whose TOF signal distance data is used for multiangulation or multilateration of the location of the endpoint information handling system have a highest signal quality of exchanged signals from a plurality of available diverse wireless protocol access points within range of the endpoint information handling system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein higher rated signal quality category received for exchanged signals have a greater weighting factor value applied to the coordinate location distance values for that exchanged signal data for TOF signal distance than a lower weighting factor applied for lower rated signal quality categories received for exchanged signals.

8. An information handling system operating a diverse wireless location determination system central manager, comprising:

a network interface receiving an instruction to determine a location of an endpoint information handling system having a plurality of network interface device modules supporting a plurality of wireless network protocols;

a processor executing instructions of a diverse wireless signal aggregation system to aggregate data relating to signals exchanged between the endpoint information handling system and a plurality of diverse wireless protocol access points at identified locations, where at least two of the diverse wireless protocol access points operate under different wireless network protocols;

a processor executing instructions of the diverse wireless location determination system central manager to receive a detected time of flight (TOF) signal distance between the endpoint information handling system and each of the plurality of diverse wireless protocol access points including one or more received signal quality values for the exchanged signals with weighted TOF signal distances weighted based on detected signal quality category and type of wireless protocol for the exchanged signal;

the processor determining that exchanged signals with at least three diverse wireless protocol access points meet a signal quality threshold; and

the processor conducting multiangulation or multilateration utilizing the detected TOF signal distances of the exchanged signals with the plural diverse wireless protocol access points having identified locations to determine the location of the endpoint information handling system.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

a first network interface device supporting a Wi-Fi wireless network protocol; and

a second network interface device supporting a 3GPP or 3GPP2 wireless network protocol.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

at least one network interface device module communicates via an array of antennas for at least one wireless protocol; and

the diverse wireless location determination system central manager to receive an angle determination for the wireless protocol involving the array of antennas, where the angle determination is used in the multiangulation or multilateration for determining to determine the location of the endpoint information handling system.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the one or more received signal quality factors include a received signal strength indication (RSSI) for each of the exchanged signals with the plurality of diverse protocol access points.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

diverse wireless location determination system central manager to transmit the determined location of the endpoint information handling system to authorized applications to utilize the location for tracking the endpoint information handling system.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

the data of exchanged signals is received from network interface device modules including a 5G NR wireless network interface device module and a Wi-Fi wireless network interface device module available at the endpoint information handling system being wirelessly located.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

the diverse wireless location determination system central manager determines that at least three exchanged signals from the plural diverse wireless protocol access points meet the signal quality threshold and selects TOF distance measurements from those exchanged signals to conduct multiangulation or multilateration.

15. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein exchanged signals with the plural diverse wireless protocol access points meeting the signal quality threshold include at least one Wi-Fi access point and one gNodeB access point.

16. An information handling system operating a diverse wireless location determination system, comprising:

a network interface receiving an instruction to determine a location of an endpoint information handling system having a plurality of network interface device modules supporting a plurality of wireless network protocols;

a processor executing instructions of a diverse wireless signal aggregation system to aggregate data including detected time of flight (TOF) signal distance and signal quality values relating to signals exchanged between the endpoint information handling system and a plurality of diverse wireless protocol access points, where at least two of the diverse wireless protocol access points operate under different wireless protocols; and

the processor conducting weighted multiangulation or multilateration utilizing the detected TOF signal distance values of the exchanged signals with the plurality of diverse wireless protocol access points to determine the location of the endpoint information handling system, wherein a weighting factor applied to the detected TOF signals depends on the detected signal quality values and a type of wireless protocol for the exchanged signals.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 wherein the diverse wireless protocol access points operate under the different wireless protocols including at least one Wi-Fi wireless protocol and at least one 3GPP or 3GPP2 wireless protocol.

18. The information handling system of claim 16 further comprising: at least one network interface device module communicates via an array of antennas for at least one wireless protocol;

the processor receives an angle determination for the wireless protocol involving the array of antennas; and

the processor conducts the weighted multiangulation or multilateration utilizing the detected TOF signal distance values further with the angle determination.

19. The information handling system of claim 16 further comprising: the exchanged signal data including detected TOF signal distance and signal quality values is aggregated from network interface device modules including a 5G NR wireless network interface device module, a Wi-Fi wireless network interface device module, and an LTE wireless network interface module available at the endpoint information handling system being wirelessly located.

20. The information handling system of claim 16 further comprising: the diverse wireless location determination system determines that at least three exchanged signals from the same wireless protocol type meet the signal quality threshold and selects TOF distance measurements from those exchanged signals to conduct multiangulation or multilateration.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (055479/0342) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0460 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (055479/0051) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0663 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (056136/0752) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0771 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 055408 FRAME 0697 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0553 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2021
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 056136/0752 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2021
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055479/0051 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2021
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055479/0342 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 25, 2021
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 055408/0697 →