AUTONOMOUS ROBOT-ASSISTED INDOOR WIRELESS COVERAGE CHARACTERIZATION PLATFORM

• US 20150312774A1
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Lau, Vincent Kin Nang
• Granted Patent: US 9,668,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A wireless coverage characterization platform uses an autonomous vehicle or robot, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or other small robot, to autonomously collect key wireless coverage parameters for an indoor environment. One or more vehicles or robots are equipped with integrated simultaneous localization and mapping sensors as well as wireless signal measurement sensors. As a vehicle traverses the indoor environment, on-board processing components process the sensor measurement data to simultaneously build an indoor map of the environment and to learn the wireless coverage characteristics of the environment incrementally. The vehicle'"'"'s navigation system guides the vehicle through the environment based on the sensor measurements and the learned indoor map until a complete map of the wireless signal strength at all locations throughout the environment is obtained. The system can identify areas of weak wireless coverage or interference sources and recommend access point device locations based on results of the survey.

Claims

1. A system, comprising

a memory that stores executable components;

and

a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising;

a simultaneous localization and mapping component configured to measure topological information for a space within a range of an unmanned vehicle;

a map building component configured to generate, based on the topological information, estimated indoor map data describing a layout of an indoor environment and vehicle location data identifying a location of the unmanned vehicle within the indoor environment;

a wireless channel measurement component configured to measure a strength of a wireless channel detected at the location of the unmanned vehicle to yield wireless measurement data;

a wireless coverage characterization component configured to generate wireless coverage characterization data for the indoor environment incrementally based on the wireless measurement data, the estimated indoor map data, and the vehicle location data; and

a navigation control component configured to control a navigation path for the unmanned vehicle based on the estimated indoor map data, the vehicle location data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless coverage characterization data comprises a wireless signal strength map for the indoor environment.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the navigation control component is configured to control the navigation path to direct the unmanned vehicle to another location of the indoor environment at which a measurement of the strength of the wireless channel is to be obtained for completion of the wireless signal strength map based on the topological information, the wireless measurement data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless coverage characterization data at least one of identifies one or more areas within the indoor environment for which wireless channel strength is below a defined minimum strength level or identifies one or more locations of wireless interference sources within the indoor environment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless coverage characterization component is further configured to generate recommendation data identifying a recommended location of an access point device and a recommended configuration setting for the access point device determined to decrease the one or more areas within the indoor environment for which the wireless channel strength is below the defined threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation control component is configured to

determine which areas of the indoor environment have not been measured based on the wireless coverage characterization data and the estimated indoor map data,

select another location within the indoor environment at which a wireless channel measurement is to be taken based on the areas of the indoor environment that have not been measured, and

determine the navigation path for the manned vehicle based on the other location, the estimated indoor map data, and the vehicle location data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable components further comprise a communication component configured to receive, via a wireless connection, other topological information from another unmanned vehicle and other location data indicating another location of the other unmanned vehicle, wherein the map building component is configured to update the estimated indoor map data based on the other topological information and the other location data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication component is further configured to receive other wireless measurement data from the other unmanned vehicle, and wherein the wireless channel coverage characterization component is configured to update the wireless coverage characterization data incrementally based on the other wireless measurement data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation component is configured to generate at least one of a direction signal, a thrust signal, or an acceleration signal for the unmanned vehicle based on the estimated indoor map data, the vehicle location data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

11. A method, comprising:

measuring, by a system comprising at least one processor, topology data for a portion of an indoor environment within a sensing range of an unmanned vehicle;

creating, by the system based on the topology data, estimated indoor map data representing a map of the indoor environment and vehicle location data representing a location of the unmanned vehicle within the indoor environment;

measuring, by the system, a strength of a wireless communication signal at the location of the unmanned vehicle to yield wireless measurement data;

creating, by the system, wireless coverage characterization data for the indoor environment based on the wireless measurement data, the estimated indoor map data, and the vehicle location data; and

controlling, by the system, a navigation path of the unmanned vehicle based on the estimated indoor map data, the vehicle location data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the creating the wireless coverage characterization data comprises generating a wireless signal strength map for the indoor environment incrementally based as the wireless measurement data is incrementally measured.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the creating the wireless coverage characterization data comprises at least one of

identifying one or more portions of the indoor environment at which the strength of the wireless communication signal is below a defined minimum strength, or

identifying one or more locations of wireless interference sources within the indoor environment.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, via a wireless connection, other topology data from another unmanned vehicle and other location data identifying another location of the other unmanned vehicle; and

updating the estimated indoor map data based on the other topology information and the other location data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, via the wireless connection, other wireless measurement data from the other unmanned vehicle;

and

updating the wireless coverage characterization data based on the other wireless measurement data.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling the navigation path comprises generating at least one of a direction signal, a thrust signal, or an acceleration signal for the unmanned vehicle based on the estimated indoor map data, the vehicle location data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

13. The method of clam 12, wherein the controlling the navigation path comprises:

determining, based on the estimated indoor map data and the wireless coverage characterization data, another location within the indoor environment at which a measurement of the strength of the wireless communication signal is required to complete the wireless signal strength map; and

controlling the navigation path to direct the unmanned vehicle to the location based on the estimated indoor map and the vehicle location data.

18. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

measuring a topology of a space within a sensing range of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

generating topology data based on the measuring;

generating estimated indoor map data based on the topology data, wherein the estimated indoor map data represents an obstruction map of the indoor environment;

generating vehicle location data based on the topology data, wherein the vehicle location data identifies a location of the unmanned vehicle within the indoor environment;

measuring a strength of a wireless communication channel at the location of the unmanned vehicle to yield wireless measurement data;

generating wireless coverage characterization data for the indoor environment based on the wireless measurement data, the estimated indoor map data, and the vehicle location data; and

controlling a navigation path of the unmanned vehicle based on the estimated indoor map data, the vehicle location data, and the wireless coverage characterization data.

19. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 18, wherein the generating the wireless coverage characterization data comprise incrementally generating a wireless signal strength map for the indoor environment as the wireless measurement data is measured.

20. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 18, wherein the controlling the navigation path comprises:

identifying, based on the estimated indoor map data and the wireless coverage characterization data, another location within the indoor environment at which a measurement of the strength of the wireless communication channel is requested to complete the wireless signal strength map; and

controlling the navigation path to direct the unmanned vehicle to the location based on the estimated indoor map data and the vehicle location data.