Indoor/Outdoor Transition Determination

• US 20140002307A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mole, Stephen, Lu, Yan, van Diggelen, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 9,482,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method is provided for indoor/outdoor transition detection of devices to improve selection of the navigation algorithms. To determine whether an outdoor-to-indoor transition has occurred, a mobile device can determine whether a difference between an indoor position determined using indoor position information and outdoor position determined using outdoor position information is less than a threshold and can conclude that the mobile device transitioned from outdoor to indoor of the structure, if the difference is less than the threshold. Also, to determine whether an indoor-to-outdoor transition has occurred, the mobile device can determine whether an indoor position survey area exists, determine whether an outdoor position determined based on outdoor position information is outside of the survey area, and determine whether a signal strength associated with the outdoor position location information is greater than a threshold.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processing unit, whether a difference between a first position of a mobile device determined using indoor position information and a second position of the mobile device determined using outdoor position information is less than a threshold;

if the difference is less than the threshold, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device transitioned from outdoor to indoor of a structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processing unit, whether the indoor position information exists before the determining.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if the indoor position information does not exist, concluding that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the mobile device recently transitioned between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within a threshold time period, before the concluding.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the mobile device recently transitioned between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within the threshold time period, concluding, by the processing unit of the mobile device, that no transition between the outdoor and the indoor of the structure has occurred.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the difference between the first and second positions is greater than the threshold, evaluating, by the processing unit, a signal strength of a signal that was used to derive the outdoor position information.

7. The method of claim 6, farther comprising,

if the signal strength is relatively weak, then concluding that the mobile device transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure occurred.

if the signal strength is relatively strong, then concluding that no transition between the outdoor and the indoor of the structure has occurred.

8. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processing unit, whether an indoor reference position exists for a structure;

if the indoor reference position exists, determining, by the processing unit, a difference between the indoor reference position and a position determined based on outdoor position information;

if the difference is greater than a first threshold, determining, by the processing unit, whether a signal strength associated with the outdoor position location information is greater than a second threshold; and

if the signal strength associated with the outdoor position information is greater than the second threshold, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device transitioned from indoor to outdoor of the structure.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

if the difference is less than the first threshold, concluding that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure has occurred.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

if the signal strength associated with the outdoor position information is less than the second threshold, concluding that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure occurred.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive outdoor position information; and

a control logic configured to;

determine whether a difference between a first position of the apparatus determined based on indoor position information and a second position of the apparatus determined based on the outdoor position information is less than a threshold; and

if the difference is less than the threshold, conclude that the apparatus transitioned from outdoor to indoor of a structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control logic is further configured to determine whether the indoor position information exists before the determining.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control logic is further configured to conclude that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure occurred, if the indoor position information does not exist.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control logic is further configured to determine that no transition between the outdoor and the indoor of the structure has occurred if apparatus recently transitioned between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within a threshold time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the difference between the first and second positions is greater than the threshold, the control logic is further configured to evaluate a signal strength of a signal that was used to derive the outdoor position information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

if the signal strength is relatively weak, then the control logic is further configured to conclude that the mobile device transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure.

if the signal strength is relatively strong, then the control logic is further configured to conclude that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure has occurred.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive outdoor position information; and

a control logic configured to;

determine whether an indoor reference position exists for a structure;

if the indoor reference position exists, determine a difference between the indoor reference position and a position determined based on the outdoor position information;

if the difference is greater than a first threshold, determine whether a signal strength associated with the outdoor position location information is greater than a second threshold; and

if the signal strength associated with the outdoor position information is greater than the second threshold, conclude that the apparatus transitioned from indoor to outdoor of the structure.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control logic is further configured to conclude that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure occurred, if the difference is less than the first threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control logic is further configured to conclude that no transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure occurred, if the signal strength associated with the outdoor position information is less than the second threshold.