DETERMINING POSITIONAL INFORMATION FOR AN OBJECT IN SPACE

• US 20150119074A1
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lmi Liquidating Co., LLC
• Original Assignee: Leap Motion Incorporated (Ultraleap Limited)
• Inventors: HOLZ, David S., ROY, Neeloy, SILLS, Maxwell, DURDIK, Paul, GORDON, Robert Samuel, HARE, Gabriel A.
• Granted Patent: US 11,307,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/66 Superimposing direction-indicating intelligence signals, e.g. speech, Morse
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

The technology disclosed relates to determining positional information about an object of interest is provided. In particular, it includes, conducting scanning of a field of interest with an emission from a transmission area according to an ordered scan pattern. The emission can be received to form a signal based upon at least one salient property (e.g., intensity, amplitude, frequency, polarization, phase, or other detectable feature) of the emission varying with time at the object of interest. Synchronization information about the ordered scan pattern can be derived from a source, a second signal broadcast separately, social media share, others, or and/or combinations thereof). A correspondence between at least one characteristic of the signal and the synchronization information can be established. Positional information can be determined based at least in part upon the correspondence.

Claims

1. A method of locating a mobile device relative to one or more emitter arrays, the method including:

receiving a first swept first beam-formed signal in a mobile device, wherein the first beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of the first beam-formed signal;

trapping at least a first received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude of the first beam-formed signal during the sweep of the first beam-formed signal; and

returning the trapped first time related data value.

2. The method of claim 1, applied to 2D triangulation, further including:

receiving a second swept beam-formed signal in the mobile device, wherein the second beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of a second beam-formed signal;

trapping at least a second received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude of the second beam-formed signal during the sweep of the second beam-formed signal; and

returning the trapped second time related data value for triangulation of a position at which the first and second beam-formed signals were received.

3. The method of claim 2, further including distinguishing the first and second beam-formed signals based on different respective frequencies.

4. The method of claim 2, further including distinguishing the first and second beam-formed signals based on different respective polarizations.

5. The method of claim 2, further including distinguishing the first and second beam-formed signals based on amplitude modulation.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first and second beam-formed signals have different mixes of frequencies;

the mixes of frequencies produce first and second beats of amplitude due to respective frequency differences; and

the beats of amplitude encode time related data.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the time related data comprises a series of time stamps.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the time related data comprises a clock signal.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the time related data comprises a periodic frequency chirp.

10. The method of claim 2, further including transmitting the time related data via a separate channel.

11. The method of claim 2, further including transmitting the time related data via a sub channel.

12. The method of claim 2, applied to 3D triangulation, wherein sweep patterns of the first and second beam-formed signals define respective planes that are not parallel.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein combined sweep patterns of the first and second beam-formed signals define a toroidal emission pattern.

14. The method of claim 2, further including receiving a calculated position based at least in part on the returned first and second received values of the time related data.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second beam-formed signals are swept in opposing directions.

16. The method of claim 2, further including receiving geo-relevant information within an indoor facility responsive to returning the trapped first and second time related data values.

17. A method of locating a mobile device relative to one or more emitter arrays, the method including:

forming a first swept first beam-formed signal directed towards a mobile device, wherein the first beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of the first beam-formed signal;

receiving from the mobile device at least a first received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude at the mobile device of the first beam-formed signal during the sweep of the first beam-formed signal; and

calculating an angle of arrival between emitters used to form the first swept beam-formed signal and the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, applied to 2D triangulation, further including:

forming a second swept second beam-formed signal directed towards the mobile device using a second set of emitters separated from a first set of emitters used to form the first swept first beam-formed signal, wherein the second beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of the second beam-formed signal;

receiving from the mobile device at least a second received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude at the mobile device of the second beam-formed signal during the sweep of the second beam-formed signal; and

triangulating a position of the mobile device at which the first and second beam-formed signals were received.

19. The method of claim 18, further including tracking positions of the mobile device over a period of time.

20. The method of claim 18, further including determining based upon positions of the mobile device and data describing points of interest, a set of points of interest visited by a user of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 18, further including providing to third parties at the points of interest, a set of identifiers associated with users of mobile devices determined to have visited the points of interest of the third parties.

22. A method of locating a mobile device relative to one or more emitter arrays, the method including:

receiving a first swept first beam-formed signal in a mobile device, wherein the first beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of the first beam-formed signal;

receiving a second swept beam-formed signal in the mobile device, wherein the second beam-formed signal is associated with time related data that varies according to the sweep of the second beam-formed signal;

trapping at least a first received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude of the first beam-formed signal during the sweep of the first beam-formed signal;

trapping at least a second received value of the time related data corresponding to receipt of a maximum amplitude of the second beam-formed signal during the sweep of the beam-formed signal;

receiving data describing source location and timing of each of the first and second beam-formed signals; and

calculating a position of the mobile device at least relative to the source locations.

23. A method of distinguishing among mobile devices in a three-dimensional (3D) sensory space, the method including:

transmitting from a pair of phased arrays in known locations swept beam-formed signals, wherein each beam formed signal is associated with respective time related data that varies during sweeping of the respective beam-formed signals;

receiving from a mobile device one or more reports of respective time related data values captured when the respective beam-formed signals were directed towards the mobile device;

triangulating a location of the mobile device based on the reports of respective time related data values;

in a three-dimensional (3D) field of view, using the triangulated location of the mobile device to distinguish the mobile device from other objects with similar appearances in the field of view; and

interpreting gestures associated with the distinguished mobile device or user of the mobile device.

24. A method of locating a mobile device relative to one or more emitter arrays, the method including:

emitting two or more mixed signals from a first pair of two or more emitters to produce a first scan that sweeps a field of interest, wherein;

each mixed signal is a sum of at least two different frequencies that beat against each other and produce a beat characteristic;

the emission from the first pair of emitters causes a first combined signal to sweep the field of interest; and

the first combined signal is associated with time related data that varies according to a current direction of the sweep;

receiving from a mobile device a first value of the time related data corresponding to a time when the direction of the sweep by the first combined signal was directed at the mobile device; and

calculating a first angle relative to the first pair of emitters and the mobile device based at least in part on the first value.

25. The method of claim 24, applied to 2D triangulation, further including:

emitting two or more mixed signals from a second pair of two or more emitters to produce a second scan that sweeps a field of interest, wherein;

each mixed signal is a sum of at least two different frequencies that beat against each other and produce a beat characteristic;

the emission from the second pair of emitters causes a second combined signal to sweep the field of interest; and

the second combined signal is associated with time related data that varies according to a current direction of the sweep;

receiving from the mobile device a second value of the time related data corresponding to a time when the direction of the sweep by the second combined signal was directed at the mobile device; and

calculating a second angle relative to the second pair of emitters and the mobile device based at least in part on the second value for triangulation of a position at which the first and second combined signals were received.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the combined signals are pulsed over a variety of phase angles.

27. The method of claim 24, further including applying a frequency filter to distinguish the two or more mixed signals.