LOCATION DATA REGRESSION

• US 20140171126A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mayor, Robert, Marti, Lukas M., Grosman, Yefim, Shimada, Tadaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A server can receive, from a mobile device, a reference location and one or more measurements of signal from signal sources. Each signal source is associated with a signal source location in a location database. The server can use the measurements and the signal source locations to validate the reference location. The server can use the validated reference location to validate the signal source locations, including detecting moved signal sources.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server and from a mobile device, a device location and a plurality of signal measurements, each signal measurement being a measurement of a signal from a different signal source;

determining that, according to location data stored in a location database, a portion of the signal sources are located in a signal source cluster, the signal source cluster being defined by a threshold number of signal sources and a reliability threshold distance, wherein the signal source cluster comprises at least the threshold number of signal sources located within the reliability threshold distance of one another;

determining whether a distance between the device location and a location of at least one signal source in the signal source cluster satisfies the reliability threshold distance;

upon determining that the distance satisfies the reliability threshold distance, designating the device location as a trustworthy device location;

determining that a first signal measurement of a first signal from a first signal source among the signal sources indicates a conflict between detection of the first signal and a signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location data, including determining that the trustworthy device location is located outside of a maximum detection area surrounding the signal source location; and

upon determining the conflict, designating the first signal source as an outlier signal source, including designating the signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location database for update.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each signal source is one of a radio frequency (RF) signal source, a magnetic signal source, an audio signal source, a visual signal source, an air pressure source, or a heat source, and

the device location is a geographic location of the mobile device determined based on one or more global satellite system signals received by the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location data comprise an identifier of each signal source and an estimated location of each signal source.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the estimated location is determined based on signal measurement previously received from one or more crowd-sourced mobile devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum detection area includes a geographic area where, if a signal source is located in the geographic area, signal from the signal source is detectable by the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reliability threshold distance is an estimated reach of a signal from each signal source.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising preventing the outlier signal source from being used for calculating locations of mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining an estimated location of the mobile device using the signal measurements and the location data;

determining that a distance between the estimated location and the received device location exceeds the reliability threshold; and

designating the mobile device as a suspect mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

preventing device locations received from the suspect mobile device from being used to estimate a location of a signal source.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a server comprising one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, a device location and a plurality of signal measurements, each signal measurement being a measurement of a signal from a different signal source;

determining that, according to location data stored in a location database, that a portion of the signal sources are located in a signal source cluster, the signal source cluster being defined by a threshold number of signal sources and a reliability threshold distance, wherein the signal source cluster comprises at least the threshold number of signal sources located within the reliability threshold distance of one another;

determining whether a distance between the device location and a location of at least one signal source in the signal source cluster satisfies the reliability threshold distance;

upon determining that the distance satisfies the reliability threshold distance, designating the device location as a trustworthy device location;

determining that a first signal measurement of a first signal from a first signal source among the signal sources indicates a conflict between detection of the first signal and a signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location data, including determining that the trustworthy device location is located outside of a maximum detection area surrounding the signal source location; and

upon determining the conflict, designating the first signal source of the one or more signal sources as an outlier signal source, including designating the signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location database for update.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

each signal source is one of a radio frequency (RF) signal source, a magnetic signal source, an audio signal source, a visual signal source, an air pressure source, or a heat source, and

the device location is a geographic location of the mobile device determined based on one or more global satellite system signals received by the mobile device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the location data comprise an identifier of each signal source and an estimated location of each signal source.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the estimated location is determined based on signal measurement previously received from one or more crowd-sourced mobile devices.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the maximum detection area includes a geographic area where, if a signal source is located in the geographic area, signal from the signal source is detectable by the mobile device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the reliability threshold distance is an estimated reach of a signal from each signal source.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, the operations comprising preventing the outlier signal source from being used for calculating locations of mobile devices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, the operations comprising:

determining an estimated location of the mobile device using the signal measurements and the location data;

determining that a distance between the estimated location and the received device location exceeds the reliability threshold; and

designating the mobile device as a suspect mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the operations comprising:

preventing device locations received from the suspect mobile device from being used to estimate a location of a signal source.

19. A system comprising:

a server comprising one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause the server to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device, a device location and a plurality of signal measurements, each signal measurement being a measurement of a signal from a different signal source;

determining that, according to location data stored in a location database, that a portion of the signal sources are located in a signal source cluster, the signal source cluster being defined by a threshold number of signal sources and a reliability threshold distance, wherein the signal source cluster comprises at least the threshold number of signal sources located within the reliability threshold distance of one another;

determining that a distance between the device location and a location of at least one signal source in the signal source cluster satisfies the reliability threshold distance;

upon determining that the distance satisfies the reliability threshold distance, designating the device location as a trustworthy device location;

determining that a first signal measurement of a first signal from a first signal source among the signal sources indicates a conflict between detection of the first signal and a signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location data, including determining that the trustworthy device location is located outside of a maximum detection area surrounding the signal source location; and

upon determining the conflict, designating a signal source of the one or more signal sources as an outlier signal source, including designating the signal source location of the first signal source as stored in the location database for update.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

each signal source is one of a radio frequency (RF) signal source, a magnetic signal source, an audio signal source, a visual signal source, an air pressure source, or a heat source, and

the device location is a geographic location of the mobile device determined based on one or more global satellite system signals received by the mobile device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the location data comprise an identifier of each signal source and an estimated location of each signal source.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the estimated location is determined based on signal measurement previously received from one or more crowd-sourced mobile devices.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the maximum detection area includes a geographic area where, if a signal source is located in the geographic area, signal from the signal source is detectable by the mobile device.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the reliability threshold distance is an estimated reach of a signal from each signal source.

25. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising preventing the outlier signal source from being used for calculating locations of mobile devices.

26. The system of claim 19, the operations comprising:

determining an estimated location of the mobile device using the signal measurements and the location data;

determining that a distance between the estimated location and the received device location exceeds the reliability threshold; and

designating the mobile device as a suspect mobile device.

27. The system of claim 26, the operations comprising:

preventing device locations received from the suspect mobile device from being used to estimate a location of a signal source.