METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR MOBILE STATION CENTRIC DETERMINATION OF POSITIONING ASSISTANCE DATA

• US 20150126229A1
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Rajarshi, Garin, Lionel James, Khorashadi, Behrooz
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• 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

Methods and apparatuses are provided which may be implemented in various devices to generate positioning assistance data and/or the like by mobile station with regard to at least one of a plurality of different indoor regions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, digital electronic signals comprising one or more descriptions or characterizations of at least a portion of an environment;

extracting, by the computing device, one or more features from the one or more descriptions; and

determining, by the computing device, one or more annotations for at least one map based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more annotations comprise positioning assistance data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more descriptions or characterizations of at least a portion of the environment comprise at least one CAD file or document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features extracted comprise one or more of:

walls, doors, or entry/exit points.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computing device, one or more regions for which movement or access is feasible or infeasible based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining, by the computing device, a dense connectivity graph based, at least in part, on the determined one or more regions.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising reducing, by the computing device, the dense connectivity graph into a routing graph.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, by the computing device, a probability map based, at least in part, on the routing graph.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more descriptions or characterizations comprise descriptions of one or more transmitters located within the at least a portion of the environment.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising computing, by the computing device, a radio heatmap covering the at least a portion of the environment based, at least in part, on the descriptions of the one or more transmitters.

11. A mobile station, comprising:

a network interface to receive digital electronic signals transmitted over a communication network; and

a processor to;

obtain, from the digital electronic signals, one or more descriptions or characterizations of at least a portion of an environment;

extract one or more features from the one or more descriptions; and

determine one or more annotations for at least one map based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

12. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the one or more annotations comprise positioning assistance data.

13. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the one or more descriptions or characterizations of at least a portion of the environment comprise at least one CAD file or document.

14. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the one or more features extracted comprise one or more of:

walls, doors, or entry/exit points.

15. The mobile station of claim 11, the processor to further determine one or more regions for which movement or access is feasible or infeasible based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

16. The mobile station of claim 15, the processor to further determine a dense connectivity graph based, at least in part, on the determined one or more regions.

17. A mobile station comprising:

means for obtaining one or more descriptions or characterizations, from digital electronic signals, of at least a portion of an environment;

means for extracting one or more features from the one or more descriptions; and

means for determining one or more annotations for at least one map based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

18. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the one or more annotations comprise positioning assistance data.

19. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the one or more features extracted comprise one or more of:

walls, doors, or entry/exit points.

20. The mobile station of claim 17, further comprising means for determining one or more regions for which movement or access is feasible or infeasible based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

21. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the one or more descriptions or characterizations comprise descriptions of one or more transmitters located within the at least a portion of the environment.

22. The mobile station of claim 21, further comprising means for computing a radio heatmap covering the at least a portion of the environment based, at least in part, on the descriptions of the one or more transmitters.

23. A non-transitory storage medium having machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing apparatus of a mobile station to:

obtain one or more descriptions or characterizations, from digital electronic signals, at least a portion of an environment from at least one repository device;

extract one or more features from the one or more descriptions; and

determine one or more annotations for at least one map based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

24. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, wherein the machine-readable instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to determine one or more regions for which movement or access is feasible or infeasible based, at least in part, on the one or more features extracted.

25. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 24, wherein the machine-readable instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to determine a dense connectivity graph based, at least in part, on the determined one or more regions.

26. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 25, wherein the machine-readable instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to reduce the dense connectivity graph into a routing graph.

27. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, wherein the machine-readable instructions are further executable by the special purpose computing apparatus to compute a radio heatmap covering the at least a portion of the environment based, at least in part, on descriptions of the one or more transmitters.