MAINTAINING HEATMAPS USING TAGGED VISUAL DATA

• US 20160189416A1
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Naguib, Ayman Fawzy, Chao, Hui, Das, Saumitra Mohan
• Granted Patent: US 9,824,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02522 The radio-map containing measured values of non-radio values
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/00 Details of television systems scanning details or combination thereof with generation of supply voltages H04N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Techniques describe tagging visual data (e.g., image and/or video data) with wireless and sensor measurement information by a mobile device. Tagged visual data may be sent to a server, such as a crowdsourcing server. Techniques further describe receiving visual data from a device, wherein the visual data is tagged with information comprising source identifying information associated with an at least one signal emitting device, identifying at least one visual feature from the visual data, determining a coordinate on a map at which the visual data was acquired based on identifying the at least one visual feature from the visual data, and associating the coordinate on the map with the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device.

Claims

1. A method for generating map data, the method comprising:

receiving visual data from a device, wherein the visual data is tagged with information comprising source identifying information associated with an at least one signal emitting device;

identifying at least one visual feature from the visual data;

determining a coordinate on a map at which the visual data was acquired based on identifying the at least one visual feature from the visual data; and

associating the coordinate on the map with the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device further comprises signal strength of an at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device measured at the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device further comprises a round-trip time derived using at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is further tagged with barometer information associated with the device and wherein determining the coordinate on the map at which the visual data was acquired using a camera coupled to the device comprises using the barometer information from the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is further tagged with magnetometer information associated with the device and wherein determining the coordinate on the map at which the visual data was acquired using a camera coupled to the device comprises using the magnetometer information from the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is further tagged with motion data associated with motion of the device and wherein determining the coordinate on the map at which the visual data was acquired using a camera coupled to the device comprises using the motion data from the device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one signal emitting device is a wireless access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the source identifying information associated with the at least one signal emitting device is a media access control (MAC) address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the map is for a GNSS-denied environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a location of the at least one signal emitting device is unknown at least at a time the visual data is acquired using a camera.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is included in an image file formatted according to Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif) and tagging the visual data comprises including the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device as part of metadata for the image file.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual data is a video.

13. A server computing device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive visual data acquired by a device, wherein the visual data is tagged with information comprising source identifying information associated with an at least one signal emitting device;

a memory configured to store the visual data and the tag;

one or more processors configured to;

identify at least one visual feature from the visual data;

determine a coordinate on a map at which the visual data was acquired based on identifying the at least one visual feature from the visual data; and

associate the coordinate on the map with the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device.

14. The server computing device of claim 13, wherein the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device further comprises one or more of signal strength of at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device and a round-trip time derived using the at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device.

15. The server computing device of claim 13, wherein the at least one signal emitting device is a wireless access point.

16. The server computing device of claim 13, wherein the map is for a GNSS-denied environment.

17. The server computing device of claim 13, wherein the visual data is included in an image file formatted according to Exchangeable image file format (Exif) and tagging the visual data comprises including the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device as part of metadata for the image file.

18. The server computing device of claim 13, wherein the visual data is a video.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving visual data from a device, wherein the visual data is tagged with information comprising source identifying information associated with an at least one signal emitting device;

means for identifying at least one visual feature from the visual data;

means for determining a coordinate on a map at which the visual data was acquired based on identifying the at least one visual feature from the visual data;

means for associating the coordinate on the map with the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device further comprises one or more of signal strength of at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device and a round-trip time derived using the at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one signal emitting device is a wireless access point.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the map is for a GNSS-denied environment.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the visual data is included in an image file formatted according to Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif) and tagging the visual data comprises including the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device as part of metadata for the image file.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the visual data is a video.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive visual data from a device, wherein the visual data is tagged with information comprising source identifying information associated with an at least one signal emitting device;

identify at least one visual feature from the visual data;

determine a coordinate on a map at which the visual data was acquired based on identifying the at least one visual feature from the visual data; and

associate the coordinate on the map with the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device further comprises one or more of signal strength of at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device and a round-trip time derived using the at least one wireless signal from the at least one signal emitting device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the at least one signal emitting device is a wireless access point.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the map is for a GNSS-denied environment.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the visual data is included in an image file formatted according to Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif) and tagging the visual data comprises including the information associated with the at least one signal emitting device as part of metadata for the image file.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the visual data is a video.