Terminal and method for measuring location thereof

• US 10,145,934 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Yonggwon, Kim, Youngkyu, Ahn, Taewon, Kong, Dongkeon, Kim, Kyungjae, Kim, Junhyung, Baek, Dusan
• Primary Examiner(s): Diaby, Moustapha
• Application Number:
  US15/263,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20170074965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0268 by deriving positions from different combinations of signals or of estimated positions in a single positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A user terminal measures a location thereof. In a method for measuring a terminal location, the terminal measures received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values of signals received from a plurality of electronic devices deployed in a space. Then the terminal extracts a preliminary location of the terminal with respect to each of a plurality of predetermined algorithms by applying the plurality of algorithms to the measured RSSI values, identifies a first estimated location of the terminal by applying a predetermined weight to each preliminary location, identifies a second estimated location of the terminal using an output of at least one sensor, and determines a final location of the terminal, based on the first and second estimated locations.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a location of a terminal, the method comprising:

peforming a first location estimating operation including;

measuring received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values of signals received from a plurality of electronic devices located in a space;

extracting a plurality of preliminary locations of the terminal corresponding to a plurality of algorithms, respectively, by applying the plurality of algorithms to the measured RSSI values;

determining a first location of the terminal by applying a plurality of predetermined weights corresponding to the plurality of algorithms to the plurality of preliminary locations corresponding to the plurality of algorithms; and

determining whether to perform a second location estimating operation of the terminal, based on the first location;

determining a final location of the terminal based on the first location, if it is determined not to perform the second location estimating operation; and

determining the final location of the terminal based on the first location and the second location, if it is determined to perform the second location estimating operation,

wherein the second location is determined based on an output of at least one sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of algorithms is configured to obtain location information of the terminal, based on distance information obtained from the RSSI values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of algorithms includes:

a first algorithm configured to determine a terminal location using a model indicating a path loss and distance between the terminal and each electronic device with respect to three or more electronic devices;

a second algorithm configured to apply a predetermined weight of the plurality of predetermined weights to the first algorithm based on the measured RSSI value;

a third algorithm configured to estimate the RSSI value between each electronic device and an arbitrary point in the space using a model indicating a path loss and distance between each electronic device and the arbitrary point and a place at which a Euclidean error between the estimated RSSI value and the RSSI value measured at each electronic device is minimized as a terminal location; and

a fourth algorithm configured to determine each distance using a model indicating a path loss and distance between the terminal and each of four or more electronic devices and to determine a terminal location from four or more equations including ratios of the determined distances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of predetermined weights are determined based on error rates of received signals from the electronic devices at predetermined time intervals, measuring the RSSI values, applying the algorithms to the measured RSSI values, and identifying the error rates caused by output values of the applied algorithms and actual values of the terminal location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the final location of the terminal based on the first and second estimated locations includes combining the first and second estimated locations using a filter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the filter is at least one of a Kalman filter and a particle filter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the final location of the terminal further includes performing path compensation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the path compensation includes storing a map of the space and, if a location of the terminal overlaps with an object existing in the space or is placed out of the space, compensating a path of the terminal based on the stored map.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of predetermined weights are determined in response to an input or in dependence on a variation of wireless environments.

10. A terminal comprising:

a transceiver; and

a controller configured to;

perform a first location estimating operation including measuring received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values of signals received through the transceiver from a plurality of electronic devices located in a space;

extracting a plurality of preliminary locations of the terminal corresponding to each of a plurality of algorithms, respectively, by applying the plurality of algorithms to the measured RSSI values;

determining a first location of the terminal by applying a plurality of predetermined weights corresponding to the plurality of algorithms to the plurality of preliminary locations corresponding to the plurality of algorithms;

determining whether to perform a second location estimating operation of the terminal, based on the first location;

determining a final location of the terminal based on the first location, if it is determined not to perform the second location estimating operation; and

determining the final location of the terminal based on the first location and the second location, if it is determined to perform the second location estimating operation,

wherein the second location of the terminal is determined based on an output of at least one sensor.

11. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the plurality of algorithms is configured to determine location information of the terminal, based on distance information obtained from the RSSI values.

12. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the plurality of algorithms includes:

a first algorithm configured to determine a terminal location using a model indicating a path loss and distance between the terminal and each electronic device with respect to three or more electronic devices;

a second algorithm configured to apply a predetermined weight of the plurality of predetermined weights to the first algorithm based on the measured RSSI value;

a third algorithm configured to estimate the RSSI value between each electronic device and an arbitrary point in the space using a model indicating a path loss and distance between each electronic device and the arbitrary point and a place at which a Euclidean error between the estimated RSSI value and the RSSI value measured at each electronic device is minimized as a terminal location; and

a fourth algorithm configured to determine each distance using a model indicating a path loss and distance between the terminal and each of four or more electronic devices and to determine a terminal location from four or more equations including ratios of the determined distances.

13. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the plurality of predetermined weights are determined based on error rates of received signals from the electronic devices at predetermined time intervals, measuring the RSSI values, applying the algorithms to the measured RSSI values, and identifying the error rates caused by output values of the applied algorithms and actual values of the terminal location.

14. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the final location of the terminal based on the first and second estimated locations by combining the first and second estimated locations using a filter.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the filter is at least one of a Kalman filter and a particle filter.

16. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the final location of the terminal by performing path compensation.

17. The terminal of claim 16, further comprising:

a memory,

wherein the controller is further configured to store a map of the space in the memory and, if a location of the terminal overlaps with an object existing in the space or is placed out of the space, to compensate a path of the terminal based on the stored map.

18. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the plurality of predetermined weights are determined in response to an input or in dependence a variation of wireless environments.