Rivada Networks gets patent for peer-to-peer location method created for fireground use

The realities of the fireground are unique and can impact the performance of certain sensors, but the patented method still should provide helpful information, Smith said.

“On a fire scene, one of the things that happens is that the pressure changes occur, so you can’t rely on the altitude sensor at that point. That’s where the pinging comes in,” he said. “I knew where I was before, and I know where I’m at now, so it’s able to do an estimate on the vector.

“So, if a firefighter falls from one floor to the next, you’re going to know—based on the accelerometer—that you had a quick change in direction, and you’ll know that something bad has happened at that point. That’s just one of the many things to think about, in terms of how I’m trying to address this.”

For the peer-to-peer communication, Smith said a variety of protocols could be used, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. In addition, the use of peer-to-peer technologies allows one device that is not connected to the network relay its information through another nearby device that does have a network connection, thereby expanding the effective reach of the network.

“So, if you can reach the network, you can send that information,” Smith said. “If you can’t reach the network, then Mobile A sends its position location to Mobile B. Mobile B may have access to the network, and it sends information about Mobile A—as well as its own information—back to the network itself.”

While Smith said the patented method was designed to address a fireground problem, such technology could have a significant impact in a number of key communications sectors, from location-aware social and commercial services to search-and-rescue and home-automation uses, including machine-to-machine communications, according to a Rivada Networks press release.

“This peer-to-peer capability frees network resources and will speed the development of an ecosystem of a locally independent 'Internet of things,'" Rivada CEO Declan Ganley said in a prepared statement. "Having individual devices efficiently communicate directly with each other to establish awareness of each device's position relative to others—and doing so while being radio-resource efficient—is another game changing innovation from Rivada Networks.”

Smith echoed this sentiment, noting the potential for using the patented method to help prevent vehicle accidents and to enhance location information regarding containers at a port—for both security and efficiency purposes.

Within the public-safety realm, the peer-to-peer links also could be used to deliver voice and data communications—the type of off-network capabilities that public-safety representatives have said are necessary to fully utilize LTE devices at an emergency scene.