Position indication controls for device locations

• US 10,240,932 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Friedler, Sorelle Alaina, Kadous, Mohammed Waleed, Lookingbill, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US15/491,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20170322032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 701495
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to localizing mobile devices. In one example, a first location method associated with a first accuracy value may be used to estimate a location of the mobile device. A confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the estimation of the location is calculated. The confidence circle may be displayed on a mobile device. When other location methods become available, the size of the displayed confidence circle may be expanded based on information from an accelerometer of the client device or the accuracy of the other available location methods. This may be especially useful when the mobile device is transitioning between areas which are associated with different location methods that may be more or less accurate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

estimating, by one or more processors, using a first location method, a current location of a mobile device based on a first accuracy value for the first location method;

determining, by the one or more processors, a size of a first confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation based on the first accuracy value;

providing for display, by the one or more processors, the first confidence circle according to the determined size and a location marker representing the current location such that the location marker is positioned at a relative location within the first confidence circle;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, determining, by the one or more processors, an updated size of the first confidence circle by increasing a radius of the first confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method; and

providing for display, by the one or more processors, a second confidence circle according to the updated size of the first confidence circle such that the first confidence circle appears to increase to the size of the updated confidence circle while the location marker remains stationary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising after estimating the current location, determining that a step has been taken with the mobile device, and wherein determining the updated size of the first confidence circle is based on the determination that the step has been taken.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current location corresponds to an indoor location and updated size of the first confidence circle when it has not yet been determined that the mobile device has moved from the indoor location to an outdoor location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current location corresponds to an indoor location, and the method further comprises:

determining that the mobile device has moved from the indoor location to an outdoor location;

after determining that the mobile device has moved to the outdoor location, determining an updated size of the second confidence circle by increasing a radius of the second confidence circle based on a confidence in the determination that the mobile device has moved to the outdoor location; and

providing for display, by the one or more processors, the third confidence circle according to the updated size such that the second confidence circle appears to increase to the size of the updated second confidence circle while the location marker remains stationary while the location marker remains stationary.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the updated size of the second confidence circle includes increasing the radius of the second confidence circle by a certain amount over a certain period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing for display a map with the first confidence circle and wherein the second confidence circle is provided for display such that the location marker remains fixed relative to the map.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising delaying providing a new location marker for display, when the new location marker would put the location marker in an invalid state relative to the map.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first accuracy value indicates a greater level of accuracy in location determinations using the first location method than a level of accuracy in location determinations using the second location method according to the second accuracy value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising after a predetermined period of time after the current location is estimated, providing for display a new location for the location marker such that the location marker is moved to the new location.

10. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

estimate using a first location method, a current location of a mobile device based on a first accuracy value for the first location method;

determine a size of a first confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation based on the first accuracy value;

provide for display the first confidence circle according to the determined size and a location marker representing the current location such that the location marker is positioned at a relative location within the first confidence circle;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, determine an updated size of the first confidence circle by increasing a radius of the first confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method; and

provide for display a second confidence circle according to the updated size of the first confidence circle such that the first confidence circle appears to increase to the size of the updated confidence circle while the location marker remains stationary.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to after estimating the current location, determine that a step has been taken with the mobile device, and wherein determining the updated size of the first confidence circle is based on the determination that the step has been taken.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the current location corresponds to an indoor location and updated size of the first confidence circle when it has not yet been determined that the mobile device has moved from the indoor location to an outdoor location.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the current location corresponds to an indoor location and the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that the mobile device has moved from the indoor location to an outdoor location;

after determining that the mobile device has moved to the outdoor location, determining an updated size of the second confidence circle by increasing a radius of the second confidence circle based on a confidence in the determination that the mobile device has moved to the outdoor location; and

provide for display the third confidence circle according to the updated size such that the second confidence circle appears to increase to the size of the updated second confidence circle while the location marker remains stationary while the location marker remains stationary.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the updated size of the second confidence circle includes increasing the radius of the second confidence circle by a certain amount over a certain period of time.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide for display a map with the first confidence circle and wherein the second confidence circle is provided for display such that the location marker remains fixed relative to the map.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to delay providing a new location marker for display, when the new location marker would put the location marker in an invalid state relative to the map.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the first accuracy value indicates a greater level of accuracy in location determinations using the first location method than a level of accuracy in location determinations using the second location method according to the second accuracy value.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, after a predetermined period of time after the current location is estimated, provide for display a new location for the location marker such that the location marker is moved to the new location.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising the mobile device, and wherein the one or more processors are one or more processors of the mobile device.

20. A non-transitory, computer readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

estimating using a first location method, a current location of a mobile device based on a first accuracy value for the first location method;

determining a size of a first confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation based on the first accuracy value;

providing for display the first confidence circle according to the determined size and a location marker representing the current location such that the location marker is positioned at a relative location within the first confidence circle;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, determining an updated size of the first confidence circle by increasing a radius of the first confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method; and

providing for display a second confidence circle according to the updated size of the first confidence circle such that the first confidence circle appears to increase to the size of the updated confidence circle while the location marker remains stationary.