Bluetooth location networks

In this paper, we propose a Bluetooth Location Network (BLN) for location-aware or context-driven mobile networks, such as m-commerce networks or e-museums. We assume that, in any of those scenarios, there exist service servers that need to know user location in real-time, to send context-oriented information to user handhelds when necessary. The BLN transmits position information to the service servers, without user participation. It is not subject to line-of-sight constraints and is supported by existing commercial handhelds. BLN users carry either a Bluetooth-enabled handheld or any mobile data terminal and a Bluetooth badge. The BLN is composed by, small, wireless Bluetooth nodes, which establish an spontaneous network topology at system initialization. The BLN can coexist with Bluetooth devices that are not part of the location system, such as printers or headphones.