Positioning based on signals injected into concealed infrastructure

• US 20140274114A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: ROWITCH, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US13/831,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274114A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02522 The radio-map containing measured values of non-radio values
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods and devices for positioning operations based, at least in part, on measurements or observations of energy emanating from building infrastructure concealed in walls obtained a mobile device. In one implementation, the energy emanating from the building infrastructure in emanates in response to one or more signals injected into the building infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method comprising, at an end user mobile device:

observing or measuring one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtaining an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring one or more aspects based, at least in part, on an estimated difference between said current location and a previously known location of the end user mobile device; and

transmitting one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising estimating said difference between said current location and said previously known location by:

obtaining a position fix at said previously known location; and

measuring movement of said end user mobile device from said position fix to said observation of said current location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein measuring said movement further comprises measuring said movement based, at least in part, on measurements obtained from one or more inertial sensors.

4. The method of claim 2, and further comprising estimating said difference between said current location and said previously known location further by obtaining visual cue at a camera device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining said position fix further comprises acquiring one or more satellite positioning system (SPS) signals.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining said position fix further comprises acquiring one or more signals transmitted from a wireless local area network access point.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining said position fix further comprises:

observing or measuring said one or more aspects of signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls while positioned at said previously known location, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to said injected signal; and

estimating said previously known location of the end user mobile device based, at least in part, on application of previously determined positioning assistance data to said observed or measured said one or more aspects.

8. The method of claim 1, and further comprising estimating said difference between the current location and the previously known location by:

interpolating between or among the previously known location and one or more additional previously known locations of the end user mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said observation of said current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects further comprises associating a location of the end user mobile device with a map feature based, at least in part, on measurements obtained from one or more inertial sensors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said observation of the current location of the end user mobile device further comprises:

obtaining a sequence of observations of locations of the end user mobile device paired with observations or measurements of the one or more aspects of signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls; and

reordering said sequence of observations.

11. An end user mobile device comprising:

a transmitter to transmit messages though a communication network; and

one or more processors to;

observe or measure one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtain an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on an estimated difference between said current location and a previously known location of the end user mobile device; and

initiate transmission of one or more messages through said transmitter containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

12. The end user mobile device of claim 11, wherein said one or more processors are further to estimate said difference between said current location and said previously known location by:

obtaining a position fix at said previously known location; and

measuring movement of said end user mobile device from said position fix to said observation of said current location.

13. The end user mobile device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further to measure said movement based, at least in part, on measurements obtained from one or more inertial sensors.

14. The end user mobile device of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are further to estimate said difference between said current location and said previously known location by obtaining visual cue at a camera device.

15. The end user mobile device of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are to obtain said position fix based, at least in part, on acquisition of one or more satellite positioning system (SPS) signals.

16. The end user mobile device of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are to obtain said position fix based, at least in part, on acquisition of one or more signals transmitted from a wireless local area network access point.

17. The end user mobile device of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are to obtain said position fix by:

observing or measuring said one or more aspects of signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls while positioned at said previously known location, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to said injected signal; and

estimating said previously known location of the end user mobile device based, at least in part, on application of previously determined positioning assistance data to said observed or measured said one or more aspects.

18. The end user mobile device of claim 11, wherein said one or more processors are further to estimate said difference between the current location and the previously known location by:

interpolating between or among the previously known location and one or more additional previously known locations of the end user mobile device.

19. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing apparatus of an end user mobile device to;

obtain an observation or measurement of one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtain an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on an estimated difference between said current location and a previously known location of the end user mobile device; and

initiate transmission of one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein said instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to estimate said difference between said current location and said previously known location by:

obtaining a position fix at said previously known location; and

measuring movement of said end user mobile device from said position fix to said observation of said current location.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein said instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to measure said movement based, at least in part, on measurements obtained from one or more inertial sensors.

22. The article of claim 20, wherein said instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to estimate said difference between said current location and said previously known location further comprises obtaining visual cue at a camera device.

23. The article of claim 20, wherein said instructions are further executable by said special purpose computing apparatus to obtain said position fix based, at least in part, on acquisition of one or more satellite positioning system (SPS) signals.

24. The article of claim 20, wherein said instructions are further executable by said special purpose computing apparatus to obtain said position fix based, at least in part, on acquisition of one or more signals transmitted from a wireless local area network access point.

25. The article of claim 20, wherein said instructions are further executable by said special purpose computing apparatus to obtain said position fix by:

observing or measuring one or more aspects of signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls while positioned at said previously known location, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to said injected signal; and

estimating said previously known location of the end user mobile device based, at least in part, on application of previously determined positioning assistance data to said observed or measured one or more aspects.

26. The article of claim 19, wherein said instructions are further executable by said special purpose computing apparatus to estimate said difference between the current location and the previously known location by:

interpolating between or among the previously known location and one or more additional previously known locations of the end user mobile device.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for observing or measuring one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

means for obtaining an observation of a current location of an end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on an estimated difference between said current location and a previously known location of the end user mobile device; and

means for transmitting one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

28. A method comprising, at an end user mobile device:

observing or measuring one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtaining an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on a user selection on a touchscreen of said end user mobile device over a location on a map displayed on said touchscreen; and

transmitting one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls are further transmitted in response to a signal injected into a medium from a central location.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls are further transmitted in response to a signal injected into a medium from a plurality of distributed locations.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the infrastructure concealed in walls comprises one or more of electrical wiring, plumbing pipes, metal framing or HVAC ducting.

32. The method of claim 28, and further comprising receiving updated positioning assistance data comprising at least one or more signature values derived, at least in part, from said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation.

33. An end user mobile device comprising:

a transceiver to transmit messages to and receive messages from a wireless network;

a touchscreen device; and

one or more processors to;

obtain an observation or measurement of one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtain an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on a user selection on said touchscreen device over a location on a map displayed on said touchscreen device; and

initiate transmission of one or more messages through said transceiver containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

34. The end user mobile device of claim 33, wherein said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls are further transmitted in response to a signal injected into a medium from a central location.

35. The end user mobile device of claim 33, wherein said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls further are transmitted in response to a signal injected into a medium from a plurality of distributed locations.

36. The end user mobile device of claim 33, wherein the infrastructure concealed in walls comprises one or more of electrical wiring, plumbing pipes, metal framing or HVAC ducting.

37. An article comprising

a non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing apparatus of an end user mobile device to:

obtain an observation or measurement of one or more aspects of signals emanating from infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

obtain an observation of a current location of the end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on a user selection on a touchscreen device over a location on a map displayed on said touchscreen device; and

initiate transmission of one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.

38. The article of claim 37, wherein said signals transmitted by said infrastructure concealed in walls are transmitted in response to a signal injected into a transmission medium from a central location.

39. The article of claim 37, wherein said signals transmitted by said infrastructure concealed in walls are transmitted in response to a signal injected into a transmission medium from a plurality of distributed locations.

40. The article of claim 37, wherein the infrastructure concealed in walls comprises one or more of electrical wiring, plumbing pipes, metal framing or HVAC ducting.

41. An apparatus comprising:

means for observing or measuring one or more aspects of signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls, said signals emanating from said infrastructure concealed in walls at least in part in response to an injected signal;

means for obtaining an observation of a current location of an end user mobile device contemporaneously with the observing or measuring the one or more aspects based, at least in part, on a user selection on a touchscreen of said end user mobile device over a location on a map displayed on said touchscreen; and

means for transmitting one or more messages containing said observed or measured one or more aspects and said observation to a server for use in computing positioning assistance data.