Method, Device, and System for Obtaining a Mobile Computing Device Location

• US 20120108258A1
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Xintian
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of determining a mobile computing device location. The method may comprise emitting at least one audio signal from at least one audio signal emitter and determining a sending time of the at least one audio signal. The method further comprises receiving the at least one audio signal at the mobile computing device and determining a receiving time of the at least one audio signal. A difference between the receiving time and the sending time is calculated and this difference is used to determine a distance from the at least one audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device. The distance is then used to obtain a location of the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising,

a microphone adapted to receive at least one audio signal from one or more audio signal emitters;

memory components adapted to store,

a receiving time that the at least one audio signal was received at the mobile computing device, and

a temperature reading;

a wireless receiver adapted to receive a sending time for the one or more audio signals;

processing components adapted to,

calculate a difference between the receiving time and the sending time, and

use the temperature reading and the difference between the receiving time and the sending time to determine a location of the mobile computing device.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein,

the temperature reading is output from a mobile computing device temperature sensor;

the wireless receiver is further adapted to receive a communication signal from a service provider; and

the memory components are adapted to store a general location of mobile computing device.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2 wherein, the wireless receiver is further adapted to receive a response from a server, the response informing the mobile computing device if a mobile computing device location service is available for the general location of the mobile computing device.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein, the at least one audio signal comprises one of an ultrasonic and an audible audio signal.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein, the processing components are further adapted to determine the location of the mobile computing device to within at least a centimeter of an actual location of the mobile computing device.

6. A method of determining a mobile computing device location comprising,

emitting at least one audio signal from at least one audio signal emitter;

determining a sending time of the at least one audio signal, the sending time comprising a time the at least one audio signal was emitted from the at least one audio signal emitter;

receiving the at least one audio signal at the mobile computing device;

determining a receiving time of the at least one audio signal, the receiving time comprising a time the at least one audio signal was received at the mobile computing device;

calculating a difference between the receiving time and the sending time;

using the difference between the receiving time and the sending time to determine a distance from the at least one audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device; and

using the distance from the at least one audio signal emitter to obtain a location of the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein, the at least one audio signal comprises at least one of an ultrasonic signal and an audible signal.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein, the at least one audio emitter comprises a plurality of speakers.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein, before emitting at least one audio signal from at least one audio signal emitter, further comprising,

obtaining a first mobile computing device location;

sending a request from the mobile computing device to a server, wherein the request comprises,

the first mobile computing device location, and

a request to use a location service; and

determining whether the location service is available for the mobile computing device based on the first mobile computing device location.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein, using the difference between the receiving time and the sending time to determine a distance from the at least one audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device comprises,

incorporating at least one air temperature reading;

and

calibrating at least one of the sending time and the receiving time.

11. A device-location system comprising,

at least one signal emitting device;

a mobile computing device adapted to receive a signal emitted from the at least one signal emitting device;

a server in communication with the at least one signal emitting device and the mobile computing device; and

wherein,

at least one of the at least one signal emitting device, mobile computing device, and server is adapted to use a signal sending timestamp and a signal receiving timestamp to determine the distance between the at least one signal emitting device and the mobile computing device.

12. The device-location system of claim 11 wherein,

the signal emitting device comprises at least one speaker adapted to emit an audible signal;

and

the mobile computing device comprises a microphone adapted to receive the audible signal.

13. The device-location system of claim 11 further comprising,

a network device adapted to transfer communications between the mobile computing device and the server;

and wherein,

the server is adapted to determine a general location of the mobile computing device.

14. The device-location system of claim 13 wherein,

the at least one signal emitting device comprises at least one audio signal emitter adapted to emit at least one audio signal;

and

the server is adapted to,

provide timing information to at least one of the audio signal emitter and the mobile computing device,

receive a request to provide a location service to the mobile computing device,

determine whether a location service is available to the mobile computing device, based on the general location of the mobile computing device,

inform the mobile computing device to initiate reception of the at least one audio signal when the location service is available,

inform the at least one audio signal emitter to emit the at least one audio signal when the location service is available, and

receive information comprising an audio signal sending timestamp from the at least one audio signal emitter.

15. The device-location system of claim 11, further comprising a location service provider device adapted to communicate with the mobile computing device through one of a WiFi signal, a GPS signal, and a cellular signal.

16. The device-location system of claim 11 wherein, the distance from the at least one signal emitting device and the mobile computing device is further determined from,

at least one of a signal emitting device temperature reading and a mobile computing device temperature reading;

and

calibrating at least one of a signal sending timestamp and a signal receiving timestamp.

17. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium, encoded with processor-readable instructions to perform a method of obtaining a location of a mobile computing device, the method comprising,

determining a first difference between a sending time that a first audio signal is emitted from a first audio signal emitter and a receiving time that the first audio signal is received by the mobile computing device;

determining a second difference between a sending time that a second audio signal is emitted from a second audio signal emitter and a receiving time that the second audio signal is received by the mobile computing device;

determining a third difference between a sending time that a third audio signal is emitted from a third audio signal emitter and a receiving time that the third audio signal is received by the mobile computing device; and

using the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference to obtain the location of the mobile computing device.

18. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein, using the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference to obtain the location of the mobile computing device comprises,

obtaining a first distance from the first audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device by,

using a first air temperature reading to determine a first speed of the first audio signal, and

calibrating at least one of the sending time and the receiving time of the first audio signal;

obtaining a second distance from the second audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device by,

using a second air temperature recording to determine a second speed of the second audio signal, and

calibrating at least one of the sending time and the receiving time of the second audio signal;

obtaining a third distance from the third audio signal emitter to the mobile computing device by,

using a third air temperature recording to determine a third speed of the third audio signal, and

calibrating at least one of the sending time and the receiving time of the third audio signal.

19. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein, the method further comprises,

moving the mobile computing device while the first audio signal, the second audio signal, and third audio signal are being received by the mobile computing device;

and

obtaining a distance and a direction of the mobile computing device movement.

20. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein prior to determining a first difference between the sending time that the first audio signal was emitted from the first audio signal emitter and the receiving time that the first audio signal was received by the mobile computing device, the method further comprises,

estimating a first mobile computing device location;

sending the first mobile computing device location to a server;

querying the server for an availability of a location-based service; and

sending a request to the server for the server to initiate emitting the first audio signal.