Method and system for determining position of an inertial computing device in a distributed network
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- a database configured to simultaneously store, for each of a plurality of positioning docks each configured to allow docking of a mobile computing device, pre-determined information including;
respective information indicative of estimations of fixed three dimensional positions and orientations of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is docked with the positioning docks; and
respective unique identifiers associated with the positioning docks; and
a processor configured to, while a first positioning dock of the plurality of positioning docks is located in a fixed position relative to a second positioning dock of the plurality of positioning docks;
receive a first indication of a first unique identifier associated with the first positioning dock at which the mobile computing device is or was docked;
in response to receiving the first indication of the first unique identifier, retrieving a first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device from the pre-determined information stored in the database so as to calibrate to the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device;
receive, from one or more sensors, position data indicative of a movement of the mobile computing device after docking with the first positioning dock; and
calculate, based on the received position data and the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation, a second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device with reference to the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation, wherein;
the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device comprises an estimated position of the mobile computing device in three dimensional space, andthe first estimated three dimensional position and orientation is more precise than the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation.
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Abstract
A system for retrieving information about a position of a mobile computing device for use in an application, which includes a network of local positioning docks (PDs), each capable of docking a mobile computing device by restricting three dimensions of a physical position of the mobile computing device near one of the PDs; a database capable of storing information about the positions of the PDs within the network; a calculator capable of determining, based on a position of a positioning dock (PD), the position of the mobile computing device; and an application programming interface (API) connected to the database and capable of outputting the position of a PD to the mobile computing device.
118 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a database configured to simultaneously store, for each of a plurality of positioning docks each configured to allow docking of a mobile computing device, pre-determined information including; respective information indicative of estimations of fixed three dimensional positions and orientations of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is docked with the positioning docks; and respective unique identifiers associated with the positioning docks; and a processor configured to, while a first positioning dock of the plurality of positioning docks is located in a fixed position relative to a second positioning dock of the plurality of positioning docks; receive a first indication of a first unique identifier associated with the first positioning dock at which the mobile computing device is or was docked; in response to receiving the first indication of the first unique identifier, retrieving a first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device from the pre-determined information stored in the database so as to calibrate to the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device; receive, from one or more sensors, position data indicative of a movement of the mobile computing device after docking with the first positioning dock; and calculate, based on the received position data and the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation, a second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device with reference to the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation, wherein; the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device comprises an estimated position of the mobile computing device in three dimensional space, and the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation is more precise than the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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receiving from one or more sensors, at a computer processor of a computing system, position and orientation data indicative of a movement of a mobile computing device between docking with a first positioning dock and docking with a second positioning dock, wherein the first and second positioning docks are of a plurality of positioning docks configured to allow docking of the mobile computing device; accessing, by the computer processor of the computing system, a database simultaneously storing, for each of the plurality of positioning docks, pre-determined information including respective information indicative of estimations of fixed three dimensional positions and orientations of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is docked with the positioning docks; calculating, by the computer processor of the computing system and while the first positioning dock is located in a fixed position relative to the second positioning dock, a first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device based on; the position and orientation data indicative of the movement of the mobile computing device between docking with the first positioning dock and docking with the second positioning dock, from the pre-determined information, a second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is docked with the first positioning dock that is usable for calibrating the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device, and from the pre-determined information, a third estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is docked with the second positioning dock; and outputting the first estimated position and orientation of the mobile computing device to a position-based software application, wherein the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation of the mobile computing device comprises an estimated three dimensional position of the mobile computing device in three dimensional space, and wherein the second estimated three dimensional position and orientation is more precise than the first estimated three dimensional position and orientation. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification