Method and system for mobile device localization in extreme ambient conditions

• US 10,165,543 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2018
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mapsted Corp.
• Original Assignee: Mapsted Corp.
• Inventors: Huberman, Sean, Karon, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Quoc Thai N
• Application Number:
  US16/101,826
• Time in Patent Office: 134 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554042, 4554561, 4554562, 4554563, 4554566, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A method and system for localizing a mobile device in extreme ambient conditions. The method, executed in a processor of the mobile device, comprises detecting, using a temperature sensor of the mobile device at a first sampling rate, an ambient temperature anomaly along an indoor route being traversed, determining, based on switching to a second sampling rate, that the ambient temperature anomaly persists over a sequence of positions along the indoor route, filtering a set of barometric ambient pressure measurements contemporaneously associated with the sequence of positions, the set obtained using a barometric pressure sensor of the mobile device, and localizing the mobile device based at least partly on the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements.

Claims

1. A method for localizing a mobile device having a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

detecting, using a temperature sensor of the mobile device at a first sampling rate, an ambient temperature anomaly along an indoor route within an indoor facility being traversed;

determining, based on switching to a second sampling rate, that the ambient temperature anomaly persists over a sequence of positions along the indoor route;

filtering a set of barometric ambient pressure measurements contemporaneously associated with the sequence of positions, the set obtained using a barometric pressure sensor of the mobile device; and

localizing the mobile device based at least partly on the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indoor facility is a multi-floor facility, and the indoor route being traversed comprises at least one of a hallway, a corridor, a pedestrian path, a set of stairs and a route commencing from at least an entrance of the indoor facility.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the localizing identifies a floor number within the multi-floor facility.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the localizing further comprises matching the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements with barometric fingerprint data of a fingerprint data repository.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the fingerprint data repository is one of accessible in the memory and accessible from a server computing device via a wireless communication network.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the fingerprint data repository further includes at least one of wireless signal strength data, wireless connectivity data, accelerometer data, gyroscope data, magnetometer data and ambient lighting sensor data associated with the respective positions along the route.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering at least partially discards pressure measurements contemporaneous with a duration of the temperature anomaly that exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature for at least a portion of the sequence of positions.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second sampling rate comprises a frequency that exceeds the first sampling rate.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising algorithmically smoothing the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements prior to the localizing.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is one of a wearable computing device, a smartphone, and a wireless communication device.

11. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing a set of instructions, the instructions executable in the processor to;

detect, using a temperature sensor of the mobile device at a first sampling rate, an ambient temperature anomaly along an indoor route being traversed;

determine, based on switching to a second sampling rate, that the ambient temperature anomaly persists over a sequence of positions along the indoor route;

filter a set of barometric ambient pressure measurements contemporaneously associated with the sequence of positions, the set obtained using a barometric pressure sensor of the mobile device; and

localize the mobile device based at least partly on the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the indoor facility is a multi-floor facility, and the indoor route being traversed comprises at least one of a hallway, a corridor, a pedestrian path, a set of stairs and a route commencing from at least an entrance of the indoor facility.

13. The mobile device of claim 12 wherein the localizing identifies a floor number within the multi-floor facility.

14. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the localizing further comprises matching the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements with barometric fingerprint data of a fingerprint data repository.

15. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein the fingerprint data repository is one of accessible in the memory and accessible from a server computing device via a wireless communication network.

16. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein the fingerprint data repository further includes at least one of wireless signal strength data, wireless connectivity data, accelerometer data, gyroscope data, magnetometer data and ambient lighting sensor data associated with the respective positions along the route.

17. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the filtering at least partially discards pressure measurements contemporaneous with a duration of the temperature anomaly that exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature for at least a portion of the sequence of positions.

18. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the second sampling rate comprises a frequency that exceeds the first sampling rate.

19. The mobile device of claim 11 further comprising instructions executable in the processor to algorithmically smooth the filtered set of barometric ambient pressure measurements prior to the localizing.

20. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the mobile device is one of a wearable computing device, a smartphone, and a wireless communication device.