Method and system of crowd- sourced pedestrian localization

• US 10,123,195 B1
• Filed: 03/22/2018
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mapsted Corp.
• Original Assignee: Mapsted Corp.
• Inventors: Bavand, Majid, Huberman, Sean, Nagpal, Paramvir Singh, Gulo, Eros
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seyedvosoghi, Farid
• Application Number:
  US15/928,167
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system of broadcasting crowd-sourced localization data from a mobile device within a pedestrian area. The method, executed in the processor of the mobile device, comprises localizing the mobile device by determining an estimated position of the mobile device within the pedestrian area based on accessing fingerprint data of the pedestrian area, broadcasting, at a first broadcast power level, a localization data packet that includes data of the estimated position to one or more peer mobile devices within the pedestrian area, determining a confidence level indicative of a degree of accuracy for the estimated position, and continuing the broadcasting at one of a lower and a higher broadcast power level than the first broadcast power level when it is determined that the confidence level is one of above and below a threshold confidence level.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting crowd-sourced localization data from a mobile device within a pedestrian area, the mobile device including a processor and a memory, the method executed in the processor and comprising:

localizing the mobile device by determining an estimated position of the mobile device within the pedestrian area based on accessing fingerprint data of the pedestrian area;

broadcasting, at a first broadcast power level, a localization data packet that includes data of the estimated position to one or more peer mobile devices within the pedestrian area;

determining a confidence level indicative of a degree of accuracy for the estimated position, by fusing probabilistic results of one or more concurrent location estimates; and

continuing the broadcasting at one of;

a lower broadcast power level than the first broadcast power level, when it is determined that the confidence level is below a threshold confidence level and a higher broadcast power level than the first broadcast power level when it is determined that the confidence level is of above the threshold confidence level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pedestrian area comprises an indoor area within at least one of a shopping mall, a warehouse, an airport facility, a hospital facility, a university campus facility and an at least partially enclosed building.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising broadcasting the localization data packet as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmission.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the localization data packet comprises location coordinate information and floor number information within the pedestrian area.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the localization data packet further comprises a preamble component, the preamble component including a company identifier associated with formatting of the localization data packet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the localizing is based on at least one of an orientation, a magnetic field strength and direction, a received wireless communication signal strength, a wireless connectivity indication and a barometric pressure in accordance with the fingerprint data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fingerprint data includes respective time-stamps whereby the orientation, the magnetic field strength and direction, the received wireless signal strength, the wireless connectivity indication and the barometric pressure are correlated in accordance with the respective time-stamps.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the lower and higher broadcast power levels range from −

100 to +20 Decibel-milliwatts (dBm).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the estimated position comprises a probabilistic estimate expressed as a confidence level.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the threshold confidence level ranges from 60 to 90 percent.

11. A crowd-sourced system for localizing a mobile device within a pedestrian area, the system comprising:

a first mobile device including a processor and a memory, the memory including instructions executable in the processor of the first mobile device to;

localize the mobile device by determining an estimated position of the mobile device within the pedestrian area based on accessing fingerprint data of the pedestrian area;

broadcast, at a first broadcast power level, a localization data packet that includes data of the estimated position within the pedestrian area;

determine a confidence level indicative of a degree of accuracy for the estimated position, by fusing probabilistic results of one or more concurrent location estimates; and

continue the broadcast at one of;

a lower broadcast power level than the first broadcast power level, when it is determined that the confidence level is below a threshold confidence level, and a higher broadcast power level than the first broadcast power level when it is determined that the confidence level is above the threshold confidence level;

and

at least a second mobile device including a memory and a processor, the memory including instructions executable in the processor of the at least a second mobile device to;

during the continuation of the broadcast, receive the localization data packet at the at least a second mobile device; and

localize the at least a second mobile device using the data pertaining to estimated position in the localization data packet corresponding to the first mobile device.

12. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 wherein the pedestrian area comprises an indoor area within at least one of a shopping mall, a warehouse, an airport facility, a hospital facility, a university campus facility and an at least partially enclosed building.

13. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 further comprising instructions executable in the processor of the first mobile device to broadcast the localization data packet as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmission.

14. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 wherein the localization data packet comprises location coordinate information and floor number information within the pedestrian area.

15. The crowd-sourced system of claim 14 wherein the localization data packet further comprises a preamble component, the preamble component including a company identifier associated with formatting of the localization data packet.

16. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 wherein the localizing is based on at least one of an orientation, a magnetic field strength and direction, a received wireless communication signal strength, a wireless connectivity indication and a barometric pressure in conjunction with the fingerprint data.

17. The crowd-sourced system of claim 16 wherein the fingerprint data includes respective time-stamps whereby the orientation, the magnetic field strength and direction, the received wireless signal strength, the wireless connectivity indication and the barometric pressure are correlated in accordance with the respective time-stamps.

18. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 wherein the lower and higher broadcast power levels range from −

100 to +20 Decibel-milliwatts (dBm).

19. The crowd-sourced system of claim 11 wherein the estimated position comprises a probabilistic estimate expressed as a confidence level.

20. The crowd-sourced system of claim 19 wherein the threshold confidence level ranges from 60 to 90 percent.