Methods resolving the elevation of a tracked personnel or assets

• US 10,012,502 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Karvounis, John, Napora, Jared, Funk, Benjamin E., Hakim, Dan, Giles, Christopher, Teolis, Carole
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Huan
• Application Number:
  US15/592,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20170241780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/00 Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for determining the elevation of tracked personnel or assets (trackees) that can take input from mounted sensors on each trackee (including barometric, inertial, magnetometer, radio frequency ranging and signal strength, light and GPS sensors), external constraints (including ranging constraints, feature constraints, and user corrections), and terrain elevation data. An example implementation of this method for determining elevation of persons on foot is described. But this method is not limited to computing elevation of personnel or to on foot movements.

Claims

1. A method for generating a building elevation model comprising:

obtaining sensor data, including location data and inertial sensor data, from each tracked computing device among a plurality of tracked computing devices;

using the sensor data to determine an elevation path for each tracked device;

determining one or more elevation offsets for each elevation path;

correcting each elevation path with the one or more elevation offsets;

generating a building elevation model, the building elevation model comprising information about one or more building features; and

updating the building elevation model with the elevation path of each tracked device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an elevation offset comprises:

obtaining a local terrain elevation along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determining a difference between the local terrain elevation and the elevation path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an elevation offset comprises:

obtaining pressure data from each tracked device;

using the inertial sensor data to determine a vertical velocity along the elevation path for each tracked device;

using the vertical velocity to determine whether an elevation change has occurred between one or more segments along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determining a difference between the elevation path and pressure data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining a vertical velocity further comprises:

transforming the inertial sensor data to compensate for tilt;

filtering the inertial sensor data; and

integrating the tilt-compensated and filtered inertial sensor data to create the vertical velocity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more path segments of an elevation path is outdoors; and

filtering the elevation path to remove the one or more outdoor path segments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein building features include:

floor height, floor number, and/or location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the elevation path comprises one or more path segments based on one or more of time, the location data, and the inertial sensor data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining sensor data further comprises calibrating the tracked computing device;

and accounting for inertial sensor offset over time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the building elevation model further comprises applying a particle solver to adjust information about one or more building features, based on one or more elevation constraints.

10. A computing system for generating a building elevation model, the computing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory bearing instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the computing system to at least;

obtain sensor data, including location data and inertial sensor data, from each tracked computing device among a plurality of tracked computing devices;

use the sensor data to determine an elevation path for each tracked device;

determine one or more elevation offsets for each elevation path;

correct each elevation path with the one or more elevation offsets;

generate a building elevation model, the building elevation model comprising information about one or more building features; and

update the building elevation model with the elevation path of each tracked device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions that determine an elevation offset comprises instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the computing system to at least:

obtain a local terrain elevation along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determine a difference between the local terrain elevation and the elevation path.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions that determine an elevation offset comprises instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the computing system to at least:

obtain pressure data from each tracked device;

use the inertial sensor data to determine a vertical velocity along the elevation path for each tracked device;

use the vertical velocity to determine whether an elevation change has occurred between one or more segments along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determine a difference between the elevation path and pressure data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions that determine a vertical velocity comprise instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the computing system to at least:

transform the inertial sensor data to compensate for tilt;

filter the inertial sensor data; and

integrate the tilt-compensated and filtered inertial sensor data to create the vertical velocity.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed on the processor, further cause the computing system to at least:

determine that one or more path segments of an elevation path is outdoors; and

filter the elevation path to remove the one or more outdoor path segments.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a computing system configured to generate a building elevation model, cause the computing system to at least:

obtain sensor data, including location data and inertial sensor data, from each tracked computing device among a plurality of tracked computing devices;

use the sensor data to determine an elevation path for each tracked device;

determine one or more elevation offsets for each elevation path;

correct each elevation path with the one or more elevation offsets;

generate a building elevation model, the building elevation model comprising information about one or more building features; and

update the building elevation model with the elevation path of each tracked device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions that determine an elevation offset further cause the computing system to at least:

obtain a local terrain elevation along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determine a difference between the local terrain elevation and the elevation path.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions that determine an elevation offset further cause the computing system to at least:

obtain pressure data from each tracked device;

use the inertial sensor data to determine a vertical velocity along the elevation path for each tracked device;

use the vertical velocity to determine whether an elevation change has occurred between one or more segments along the elevation path for each tracked device; and

determine a difference between the elevation path and pressure data.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that determine a vertical velocity further cause the computing system to at least:

transform the inertial sensor data to compensate for tilt;

filter the inertial sensor data; and

integrate the tilt-compensated and filtered inertial sensor data to create the vertical velocity.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to at least:

determine that one or more path segments of an elevation path is outdoors; and

filter the elevation path to remove the one or more outdoor path segments.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein building features include:

floor height, floor number, and/or location.