1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of communication, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for determining a location or classifying the environment of a wireless device.
2. Background
Wireless communication technologies have seen explosive growth over the past several years. This growth has been primarily fueled by wireless services providing freedom of movement to the communicating public as opposed to being “tethered” to a hard-wired communication system. It has further been fueled by the increasing quality and speed of voice and data communications over the wireless medium, among other factors. As a result of these enhancements in the communications field, wireless communications has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on a growing number of the communicating public.
Because a wireless communication device (e.g., a wireless telephone) is mobile, it may be desirable to determine its location within a given environment for various reasons. A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a well-known technology for providing location information to a mobile device (e.g., a GPS receiver). GPS provides coded signals that are transmitted from a satellite system to the GPS receiver, which translates these coded signals to provide a location of the receiver.
Although GPS receivers may provide location information, they suffer from several drawbacks. GPS receivers can be relatively costly, and the incorporation of such a receiver within a wireless phone, for example, can significantly increase its cost. Additionally, the circuitry of a GPS receiver incorporated in a wireless phone may undesirably increase the dimensions of the phone, thereby making the phone less compact, heavier, and more cumbersome to carry by individuals. More significantly, however, GPS satellite signals cannot typically be received within enclosed spaces, such as within an office building, for example. As a result, location determination of the wireless phone within these enclosed spaces is significantly impacted if not determinable at all.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more problems indicated above.