Methods and apparatuses relating to determination of locations of portable devices

• US 10,257,647 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kordybach, Krzysztof, Drazynski, Karol, Januszewski, Maciej, Stanczak, Jedrzej
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Justin Y
• Application Number:
  US15/224,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20180035255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

This specification describes a method comprising detecting presence of a portable device in a vicinity of a first vehicle based on an identifier of the portable device which is detected at first user equipment, UE, located at the first vehicle, and further comprising causing transmission, from the first UE to a second UE located at a second vehicle in the vicinity of the first vehicle, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the first vehicle, the measurement data being for use at the second vehicle to determine the location of the portable device relative to the second vehicle.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus;

to detect presence of a portable device in a vicinity of a first vehicle based on an identifier of the portable device which is detected at first user equipment, UE, located at the first vehicle;

to cause transmission, from the first UE to a second UE located at a second vehicle in the vicinity of the first vehicle, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the first vehicle, the measurement data enabling the location of the portable device relative to the second vehicle to be determined at the second vehicle;

to enable receipt, at the first UE from the second UE, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the second vehicle; and

to determine, at the first vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the first vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the first vehicle and the measurement data collected at the second vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus:

to enable receipt, at the first UE from an infrastructural communication node, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the infrastructural communication node; and

to determine, at the first vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the first vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the first vehicle, the measurement data collected at the second vehicle and the measurement data collected at the infrastructural communication node.

3. Apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus;

to detect presence of a portable device in a vicinity of a vehicle based on an identifier of the portable device which is detected at user equipment, UE, located at the vehicle;

to cause transmission, from the UE to one or more other UEs each located at a different other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the vehicle, the measurement data enabling the location of the portable device relative to the one or more other vehicles to be determined at the one or more other vehicles;

to enable receipt, at the UE located at the vehicle from the one or more other UEs, of the identifier of the portable device detected in a vicinity of each of the one or more other vehicles and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the one or more other vehicles; and

to determine, at the vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the vehicle and the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus:

to enable receipt, at the UE located at the vehicle from an infrastructural communication node, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the infrastructural communication node; and

to determine, at the vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the vehicle, the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles and the measurement data collected at the infrastructural communication node.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the measurement data collected at the vehicle or the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is transmitted and received, respectively, along with error data indicative of a degree of measurement data error, and wherein the location of the portable device is determined further based on the error data.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the measurement data collected at the vehicle or the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is transmitted and received, respectively, along with location data indicative of a location of a vehicle at which a UE which collected, either the transmitted or the received measurement data is located, and wherein the location of the portable device is determined further based on the location data.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the measurement data collected at the vehicle or the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is transmitted and received, respectively, along with timing information indicative of measurement data time of collection.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the measurement data collected at the vehicle or the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is transmitted and received, respectively, as raw data.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of transmitted measurement data collected at the vehicle or received measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is indicative of, or enables determination of, a distance between the portable device and a vehicle at which a UE which collected either the transmitted or the received measurement data is located.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of transmitted measurement data collected at the vehicle or received measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles is indicative of, or enables determination of, a direction of the portable device relative to a vehicle at which a UE which collected either the transmitted or the received measurement data is located.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the measurement data collected at the vehicle is based on a measured two-way propagation delay between the UE at the vehicle and the portable device.

12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein detecting the presence of the portable device in the vicinity of the vehicle is based on receipt, at the UE located at the vehicle and from the portable device, of the identifier of the portable device.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the portable device.

14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the identifier identifies the portable device as being a portable device and/or as being other than a UE associated with a vehicle.

15. A method comprising:

detecting presence of a portable device in a vicinity of a first vehicle based on an identifier of the portable device which is detected at first user equipment, UE, located at the first vehicle;

causing transmission, from the first UE to a second UE located at a second vehicle in the vicinity of the first vehicle, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the first vehicle, the measurement data enabling the location of the portable device relative to the second vehicle to be determined at the second vehicle;

enabling receipt, at the first UE from the second UE, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the second vehicle; and

determining, at the first vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the first vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the first vehicle and the measurement data collected at the second vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

enabling receipt, at the first UE from an infrastructural communication node, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the infrastructural communication node; and

determining, at the first vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the first vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the first vehicle, the measurement data collected at the second vehicle and the measurement data collected at the infrastructural communication node.

17. A method comprising:

detecting presence of a portable device in a vicinity of a vehicle based on an identifier of the portable device which is detected at user equipment, UE, located at the vehicle;

causing transmission, from the UE to one or more other UEs each located at a different other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the vehicle, the measurement data enabling the location of the portable device relative to the one or more other vehicles to be determined at the one or more vehicles;

enabling receipt, at the UE located at the vehicle from the one or more other UEs, of the identifier of the portable device detected in a vicinity of each of the one or more other vehicles and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the one or more other vehicles; and

determining, at the vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the vehicle based on the measurement data collecting at the vehicle and the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

enabling receipt, at the UE located at the vehicle from an infrastructural communication node, of the identifier of the portable device and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the infrastructural communication node; and

determining, at the vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the vehicle, the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles and the measurement data collected at the infrastructural communication node.

19. Apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus;

to enable receipt, at a user equipment, UE, located at a vehicle from one or more other UEs each located at a different other vehicle, of an identifier of a portable device detected in a vicinity of each of the other vehicles and measurement data relating to the portable device and collected at the one or more other vehicles, wherein the measurement data is received along with error data indicative of a degree of error in the measurement data; and

to determine, at the vehicle, the location of the portable device relative to the vehicle based on the measurement data collected at the one or more other vehicles and the error data by assigning weights to the measurement data based on the error data, and performing a weighted average of locations indicated by the measurement data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to assign a lower weight to measurement data associated with a higher probability of non-line-of-sight conditions.