Determining Location Using Magnetic Fields From AC Power Lines
First Claim
1. A method for determining location using magnetic field readings, the method comprising:
- obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a reading of a magnetic field collected by a magnetometer;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of characteristics of a magnetic field based at least in part on the reading, wherein one or more of the plurality of characteristics describe a component of the magnetic field that exhibits a frequency at which electrical power is transmitted along one or more power lines;
comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the plurality of characteristics to a plurality of expected values associated with each of a plurality of locations, wherein the plurality of expected values for each location are provided by a map of the magnetic field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for determining location using magnetic fields from AC power lines are provided. As an example, each magnetic field reading collected by the device over time can be analyzed to determine a plurality of characteristics of the magnetic field. One or more of the plurality of characteristics can describe a component of the magnetic field that oscillates at a frequency associated with the AC power lines. The plurality of characteristics can be compared to expected values respectively associated with a plurality of locations and provided by a map of the magnetic field to determine a location at which each magnetic field reading was collected. In further embodiments, magnetic field readings collected by the device over time can be analyzed in conjunction with other data or constraints to determine a trajectory of the device. In addition, the map can be updated using the collected readings and the determined trajectory.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for determining location using magnetic field readings, the method comprising:
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obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a reading of a magnetic field collected by a magnetometer; determining, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of characteristics of a magnetic field based at least in part on the reading, wherein one or more of the plurality of characteristics describe a component of the magnetic field that exhibits a frequency at which electrical power is transmitted along one or more power lines; comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the plurality of characteristics to a plurality of expected values associated with each of a plurality of locations, wherein the plurality of expected values for each location are provided by a map of the magnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations, the operations comprising:
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obtaining a plurality of readings of a magnetic field respectively associated with a plurality of times; determining, for each of the plurality of readings, a plurality of characteristics of a component of the magnetic field that oscillates at a frequency associated with one or more alternating current power conductors; respectively determining, for each of the plurality of times, a plurality of location probabilities for a plurality of locations based at least in part on the plurality of characteristics of the component of the magnetic field that oscillates at the frequency associated with one or more alternating current power conductors determined for the reading associated with such time; determining a trajectory based at least in part on the plurality of location probabilities associated with each of the plurality of times. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for determining locations using magnetic field readings, the system comprising:
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one or more computing devices; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations, the operations comprising; obtaining a plurality of magnetic field readings respectively associated with a plurality of times; determining a location probability for each of a plurality of locations for each of the plurality of times, wherein the location probability for each location for each time indicates the probability that the magnetic field reading collected at such time was collected at such location based at least in part on a comparison of the magnetic field reading to an expected reading associated with such location and such time; and determining a trajectory probability for each of a plurality of trajectories, wherein each of the plurality of trajectories comprises a sequence of selected of the locations over the plurality of times. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification