INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20100259450A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kainulainen, Antti Paavo Tapani, Ranki, Ville Valtteri, Kauppinen, Hannu Pekka, Kalliola, Kimmo Heikki Juhana
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/417
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0269 Inferred or constrained positioning, e.g. employing knowledge of the physical or electromagnetic environment, state of motion or other contextual information to infer or constrain a position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/08 Position of single direction-finder fixed by determining direction of a plurality of spaced sources of known location

Abstract

A method, including: receiving, at an apparatus, first and second radio signals from a first location; discriminating the first and second radio signals, in order to estimate a bearing from the first location; and estimating, using the bearing and constraint information which is independent of the radio signals, a position of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an apparatus, first and second radio signals from a first location;

discriminating the first and second radio signals, in order to estimate a bearing from the first location; and

estimating, using the bearing, the first location and constraint information that is independent of the received first and second radio signals, a position of the apparatus.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the constraint information by receiving third and fourth radio signals from a second location;

discriminating the third and fourth radio signals in order to estimate a further bearing; and

estimating, using the bearing and the further bearing, a position of the apparatus.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the constraint information relates to a vertical displacement associated with the apparatus.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the constraint information is received in a radio signal other than the first and second radio signals.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the constraint information is input by a user.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the constraint information received from a remote server.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving data, from the first location or a remote server, to enable the first and second radio signals to be discriminated from one another.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first radio signal is transmitted by a first antenna element and the second radio signal is transmitted by a second antenna element, and a relative displacement between the first and second antenna elements is used to estimate the bearing from the first location.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a relative difference in time of reception between the received first and second radio signals is used to estimate the bearing from the first location.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining whether a line of sight between the apparatus and the first location is blocked, and estimating the position of the apparatus differently in dependence upon the determination.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a position of the first location is known on a map, and estimating the position of the apparatus includes locating the apparatus relative to the first location using the estimated bearing.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second radio signals are beacon signals.

4. (canceled)

9-10. -10. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. An apparatus, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to discriminate first and second radio signals received from a first location, in order to estimate a bearing from the first location, and

configured to estimate, using the bearing, the first location and constraint information that is independent of the received first and second radio signals, a position of the apparatus.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to discriminate third and fourth radio signals received from a second location, in order to estimate a further bearing from the second location, and to estimate, using the bearing and the further bearing, a position of the apparatus.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, where the constraint information relates to a vertical displacement associated with the apparatus.

23. A system comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit first and second radio signals, and an apparatus as claimed in claim 17.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the constraint information is received in a radio signal other than the first and second radio signals, input by a user or received from a remote server.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive first and second radio signals from a first location.

36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the processing circuitry, to cause the apparatus to at least:

discriminate the first and second radio signals, in order to estimate a bearing from the first location; and

estimate, using the bearing, the first location and constraint information that is independent of the received first and second radio signals, a position of the apparatus.

20-22. -22. (canceled)

24-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform:

discriminating first and second radio signals received at the apparatus from a first location, in order to estimate a bearing from the first location; and

estimating, using the bearing, the first location and constraint information that is independent of the received first and second radio signals, a position of the apparatus.

31. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 29, where the constraint information relates to a vertical displacement associated with the receiver.

30. (canceled)

32-33. -33. (canceled)