LOCATING MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20140005930A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhong, Lin, Chu, David Chiyuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,128,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/445
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a method for displaying a map comprising a location estimate on a mobile device. The method includes displaying an interface specifying a correction to the location estimate. The method also includes determining a revised location based on the correction. Additionally, the method includes displaying the map comprising the correction.

Claims

1. A method for improving a localization service, comprising:

displaying a map comprising a location estimate on a mobile device;

displaying an interface specifying a correction to the location estimate;

determining a revised location based on the correction; and

displaying a map comprising the revised location.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein an urban canyon comprises the estimated location, and wherein determining the revised location comprises mapping raw satellite data associated with the estimated location to the revised location based on the correction.

3. The method recited in claim 1, comprising determining the revised location based on a plurality of corrections provided by crowd-sourcing.

4. The method recited in claim 3, comprising aggregating the plurality of corrections to determine the revised location.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the interface comprises:

a list of landmarks disposed proximately to the revised location; and

a list of relative locations describing a location of the mobile device relative to a selected landmark of the list of landmarks.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the list of landmarks is generated by a map service in response to a request from the mobile device.

7. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the list of landmarks is generated by mechanical turks.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the list of landmarks is automatically generated by sensor-detection, wherein the list comprises landmarks comprising a specific sensor-based property consistent with a location of the mobile device.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the sensor-based property comprises a selected one of a specific acoustic signature, a specific visual signature, and a specific radio spectrum signature.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the localization service comprises a global positioning system (GPS).

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the localization service comprises a map service.

12. The method recited in claim 9, comprising:

displaying an interface for specifying a transitory landmark;

determining a time span to associate with the transitory landmark; and

displaying the transitory landmark on the mobile device in response to determine a current location of the mobile device is in proximity to the transitory landmark, and a current time is within the time span.

13. A system for improving a localization service, comprising:

a processing unit; and

a system memory, wherein the system memory comprises code configured to direct the processing unit to;

provide a list of landmarks to describe a correction to a location estimate from the localization service;

determine a revised location based on the correction, wherein the correction describes a current location of a mobile device in relation to a selected one of the list of landmarks;

map the revised location to the location estimate; and

automatically determine the revised location in response to a request to the localization service associated with the original location estimate.

14. The system recited in claim 13, comprising code configured to direct the processing unit to determine the revised location based on crowd-sourcing that specifies a plurality of corrections to the location estimate, wherein determining the revised location comprises aggregating the plurality of corrections.

15. The system recited in claim 13, wherein an urban canyon comprises the estimated location, and wherein determining the revised location comprises mapping raw satellite data associated with the estimated location to the revised location based on the correction.

16. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the interface comprises:

a list of landmarks disposed proximately to the revised location, wherein the list of landmarks are generated by a map service in response to a request from the mobile device; and

a list of relative locations describing a location of the mobile device relative to a selected landmark of the list of landmarks.

17. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the localization service comprises one of a global positioning system (GPS) and a map service.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media, comprising code configured to direct a processing unit to:

present an interface to specify a transitory landmark to include on a map display from a mobile device disposed proximate to the transitory landmark;

determine a current time that the transitory landmark is available; and

present the map display comprising the transitory landmark based on an input to the interface, a current time that a second mobile device is proximate to the transitory landmark, and a current position of the second mobile device, the interface specifying a relative location of the mobile device in relation to the transitory landmark, the relative location comprising a selected one of a list of landmarks displayed in the interface, and the list of landmarks being provided by a map service.

19. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 18, wherein the interface specifies a relative location of the mobile device in relation to the transitory landmark.

20. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 18, wherein the relative location comprises a selected one of a list of landmarks displayed in the interface, wherein the list of landmarks is provided by a map service.