CROWD SOURCING BASED ON DEAD RECKONING

• US 20130018629A1
• Filed: 07/14/2011
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sidhu, Gursharan S., Agarwal, Sharad
• Granted Patent: US 9,464,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/14 by recording the course traversed by the object G01C21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

An identification is made as to when a device is at an anchor location, which can be a proximity zone along an edge of a dead zone or a location where a signal from a beacon is detected. In response to the device being at an anchor location, recording of crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning starts. Recording crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning includes identifying one or more signals received by a device while the device is at each of multiple positions. For each of the multiple positions, both an indication of the position determined based at least in part on dead reckoning and an indication of the one or more signals received while the device is at that position are recorded.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, in a device, that the device is at an anchor location; and

starting, in response to the device being at the anchor location, recording crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, the crowd sourcing data including, for each of multiple positions of the device, an identification of one or more signals received while the device is at the position, each of the multiple positions being determined based at least in part on dead reckoning.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, the anchor location comprising a proximity zone along an edge of a dead zone.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, the anchor location comprising a location where a signal from a beacon is detected.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, for each of multiple positions of the device:

determining a first position of the device based on dead reckoning;

determining a second position of the device based on a global navigation satellite system; and

recording, as part of the crowd sourcing data, the one of the first position and the second position that is a more accurate position of the device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising recording the crowd sourcing data at the device and sending the recorded crowd sourcing data to a crowd sourcing data service.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, the recording comprising:

using, as a first known starting position for the dead reckoning, a position obtained based on a global navigation satellite system;

recording the crowd sourcing data, for multiple positions in a dead zone, based on the dead reckoning and the first known starting position;

using, as a second known starting position for the dead reckoning, a position identified by a beacon in the dead zone; and

recording crowd sourcing data, for additional positions in the dead zone, based on the dead reckoning and the second known starting position.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, the recording comprising:

continuing recording the crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning even though a position of the device determined based on the dead reckoning does not have an acceptable estimated accuracy; and

backtracking, when a position of the device that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy is determined, from the position that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy, the backtracking including modifying one or more positions of the device determined based on dead reckoning that did not have the acceptable estimated accuracy.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, the position of the device that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy being determined based on a global navigation satellite system.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, the position of the device that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy being determined based on a signal from a beacon.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, the recording crowd sourcing data comprising recording crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning while the device is within a dead zone, the method further comprising a global navigation satellite system module of the device determining positions of the device at larger intervals while the device is within the dead zone than while the device is not within the dead zone.

12. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

identify, for each of multiple positions in a dead zone, one or more signals received while the device is at the position; and

record, for each of the multiple positions, both an indication of the position and an indication of the one or more signals received while the device is at the position, the position being determined based at least in part on dead reckoning.

13. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the position being determined using a global navigation satellite system if the device is not in a dead zone.

14. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to, for each of multiple positions of the device:

determine a first position of the device based on dead reckoning;

determine a second position of the device based on a global navigation satellite system; and

record, as the position, the one of the first position and the second position that is a more accurate position of the device.

15. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the position being determined based on dead reckoning using a known starting position obtained from a global navigation satellite system module of the device.

16. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the position being determined based on dead reckoning using a known starting position identified by a beacon in or near the dead zone.

17. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

continue to record both the indication of the position and the indication of the one or more signals even though one or more of the positions do not have an acceptable estimated accuracy; and

backtrack, when a position of the device that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy is determined, from the position that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy, including modifying the one or more positions that do not have the acceptable estimated accuracy.

18. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to identify the one or more signals and record both the indication of the position and the indication of the one or more signals in response to the device being within a proximity zone along an edge of a dead zone.

19. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, the multiple instructions further causing the one or more processors to identify the one or more signals and record both the indication of the position and the indication of the one or more signals in response to detecting a signal from a beacon.

20. A method in a device, the method comprising:

identifying, in the device, that the device is at an anchor location, the anchor location comprising a proximity zone along an edge of a dead zone; and

starting, in response to the device being at the anchor location, recording crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning, the crowd sourcing data including, for each of multiple positions of the device, an identification of one or more signals received while the device is at the position, each of the multiple positions being determined based at least in part on dead reckoning, the recording including recording the crowd sourcing data based on dead reckoning even though a position of the device determined based on the dead reckoning does not have an acceptable estimated accuracy and backtracking, when a position of the device that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy is determined, from the position that does have the acceptable estimated accuracy, the backtracking including modifying one or more positions of the device determined based on dead reckoning that did not have the acceptable estimated accuracy.