Precise indoor localization and tracking of electronic devices

• US 10,356,553 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sant, Amit S., Marquez, Alejandro J., Sen, Indranil S., Narang, Mohit, Yang, Shang-Te
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US15/619,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/11 for calibration
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and devices useful in performing precise indoor localization and tracking are provided. By way of example, a method includes locating and tracking, via a first wireless electronic device, a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment. The method also includes performing front-back detection, performing stationary node detection, performing angle of arrival (AoA) error correction, and performing field of view (FOV) filtering. Performing indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices includes providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

performing front-back detection;

performing stationary node detection;

performing angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

performing field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein performing indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein performing front-back detection comprises calculating a range matrix comprising range data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, calculating an angle of arrival (AoA) matrix comprising AoA data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, or both.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing AoA error correction comprises correcting an AoA measurement when one or more of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices moves within the indoor environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises locating and tracking each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within a range of 1-10 meters (m).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical location comprises XY coordinates of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment.

5. A method, comprising:

performing, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

performing front-back detection;

performing stationary node detection;

performing angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

performing field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein performing indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein performing stationary node detection comprises applying a filter to establish a first bound and second bound for each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, and wherein establishing the first bound and the second bound comprises determining whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are stationary based at least in part on whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are resolved as being within the first bound and the second bound.

6. A method, comprising:

performing, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

performing front-back detection;

performing stationary node detection;

performing angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

performing field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein performing indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, generating and adjusting a radio frequency (RF) map of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, or both, and wherein adjusting the RF map comprises;

applying a multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm to generate a corrected shape of the RF map accounting for a plurality of possible distortions, the plurality of possible distortions comprising front-back ambiguity, flipped node ambiguity, or both; and

rotating the corrected shape of the RF map to reflect the physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising generating the corrected shape of the RF map and rotating the corrected shape of the RF map based at least in part on a range matrix and an angle of arrival (AoA) matrix calculated with respect to each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices.

8. An electronic device comprising circuitry to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein perform front-back detection comprises calculating a range matrix comprising range data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, calculating an angle of arrival (AoA) matrix comprising AoA data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, or both.

9. An electronic device comprising circuitry to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein performing stationary node detection comprises applying a filter to establish a first bound and second bound for each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, and wherein establishing the first bound and the second bound comprises determining whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are stationary based at least in part on whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are resolved as being within the first bound and the second bound.

10. An electronic device comprising circuitry to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, generating and adjusting a radio frequency (RF) map of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, or both, and wherein adjusting the RF map comprises;

applying a multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm to generate a corrected shape of the RF map accounting for a plurality of possible distortions, the plurality of possible distortions comprising front-back ambiguity, flipped node ambiguity, or both; and

rotating the corrected shape of the RF map to reflect the physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment.

11. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein perform front-back detection comprises calculating a range matrix comprising range data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, calculating an angle of arrival (AoA) matrix comprising AoA data of each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices with respect to the first wireless electronic device, or both.

12. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, wherein perform stationary node detection comprises applying a filter to establish a first bound and second bound for each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, and wherein establishing the first bound and the second bound comprises determining whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are stationary based at least in part on whether each of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices are resolved as being within the first bound and the second bound.

13. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:

perform, via a first wireless electronic device, indoor localization and tracking of a plurality of other wireless electronic devices within an indoor environment, comprising;

perform front-back detection;

perform stationary node detection;

perform angle of arrival (AoA) error correction; and

perform field of view (FOV) filtering;

wherein perform indoor localization and tracking of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices comprises providing an indication of a physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment, generating and adjusting a radio frequency (RF) map of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices, or both, and wherein adjusting the RF map comprises;

applying a multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm to generate a corrected shape of the RF map accounting for a plurality of possible distortions, the plurality of possible distortions comprising front-back ambiguity, flipped node ambiguity, or both; and

rotating the corrected shape of the RF map to reflect the physical location of the plurality of other wireless electronic devices within the indoor environment.