SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED INTEGRATED NAVIGATION WITH WIRELESS ANGLE OF ARRIVAL

• US 20160227366A1
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Georgy, Jacques, Syed, Husain
• Granted Patent: US 10,469,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02585 at least one of the measurements being a non-radio measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• 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 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for integrated navigation integrating wireless measurements including at least angle of arrival (AOA) measurements with a navigation solution. This integrated navigation system provides an enhanced integrated navigation solution of a device within a platform (such as for example person, vehicle, or vessel), wherein the device can be strapped or non-strapped within the platform, wherein the device is non-strapped the mobility of the device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform, and wherein the device can be tilted to any orientation and still provide a seamless navigation solution without degradation in performance of said navigation solution. The device may include sensors such as for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometer among others. The present system and method can work whether in the presence or in the absence of absolute navigational information such as, for example, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Claims

1. A method for integrating measurements from a wireless system comprising at least angle of arrival measurement(s) with a navigation solution about at least one wireless-enabled device, wherein the wireless system comprises at least one transceiver means at any location within a wireless network area, wherein the at least one transceiver is capable of transmitting a wireless signal, wherein the measurements of the wireless system are generated from said signal(s), wherein the at least one device is capable of receiving the signal(s) from the at least one transceiver means, the method comprising:

a. receiving the signal(s) transmitted from the at least one transceiver means, and generating the wireless measurements,

b. obtaining information from the transmitted signal(s) that identifies the at least one transceiver means,

c. integrating the wireless measurements with the navigation solution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method uses the wireless measurements to calculate the position of the at least one device, and to integrate said position with the navigation solution.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method calculates an accuracy measure of the at least one device position, and further utilizes the accuracy measure for the integration with the navigation solution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further provides updates to the navigation solution using the wireless measurement(s) directly.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method calculates accuracy measure(s) of the wireless measurement(s), and further utilizes said accuracy measure(s) for the integration with the navigation solution.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further utilizes the navigation solution to build dynamic online wireless model(s) for the wireless measurements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further utilizes the navigation solution to verify and correct the built wireless model(s).

8. The method of any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the method further calculates the position of the at least one device using the wireless measurements, and integrates said position with the navigation solution.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method calculates an accuracy measure of the at least one device position, and further utilizes the accuracy measure for the integration with the navigation solution.

10. The method of any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the method further provides updates to the navigation solution using the wireless measurement(s) directly.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method calculates accuracy measure(s) of the wireless measurement(s), and further utilizes said accuracy measure(s) for the integration with the navigation solution.

12. The method of any one of claims 6, 7, 8, or 10, wherein the wireless model is one of the following:

a. an online propagation model of the at least one transceiver means, wherein the propagation model relates received signal strength from the at least one transceiver means to a distance from the at least one transceiver means,

b. an online power profile of the at least one transceiver means, wherein the power profile relates received signal strength from the at least one transceiver means to a location in the wireless network area, or

c. a combination of the propagation model and the online power profile of the at least one transceiver means.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless models are built using an adaptive, calibrated best-fit mathematical formula.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless models are built using an adaptive, calibrated conditional probabilistic approach.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless models are built using the combination of an adaptive, calibrated hybrid approach that combines a best fit mathematical model and a conditional probabilistic approach.

16. The method of any one of claims 12, 13, 14, or 15, wherein the wireless models undergo online, automatic, dynamic, and adaptive verification and correction.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the verification and the correction of the models occurs periodically.

18. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, or 16, wherein the method determines the location(s) of the at least one transceiver means using:

a. a table containing the location(s) of the at least one transceiver means indexed by the information that identifies the at least one transceiver means, or

b. by encoding the location(s) of the at least one transceiver means in the signal(s) transmitted by the at least one transceiver means.

19. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, or 16, wherein the method calculates the location(s) of the at least one transceiver means.

20. The method of any one of claims 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, or 16, wherein the method utilizes the navigation solution to determine the location(s) of the at least one transceiver means or assist in the determination of the locations(s) of the at least one transceiver means.

21. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, 19, or 20, wherein the signal(s) transmitted by the at least one transceiver means are broadcasted wirelessly or transmitted through a wired network to the at least one processor.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device communicates with the at least one processor through:

a. wireless communication,

b. wired communication, or

c. by embedding the at least one processor inside the at least one wireless-enabled device in a single device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is further capable of ranking the at least one transceiver means.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the ranking of the at least one transceiver means is used to calculate accuracy measure(s) for the wireless measurements from the at least one transceiver means.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the integration of the wireless measurements with the navigation solution utilizes the ranking of the at least one transceiver means.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a pre-processing routine to de-noise the wireless signals or to smooth the wireless measurements.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further performs a multipath assessment and rejection for the wireless signals and measurements.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the multipath assessment and rejection is performed using the navigation solution.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further utilizes beamforming technique(s) to obtain the angle of arrival from each of the at least one transceiver means.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless measurements further comprise one of the following:

(i) received signal strength measurement(s) from the at least one transceiver means, (ii) time derivative of the received signal strength measurement(s) from the at least one transceiver means, (iii) both received signal strength measurement(s) from the at least one transceiver means and time derivative of the received signal strength measurement(s) from the at least one transceiver means.

31. A system for integrating measurements from a wireless system comprising at least angle of arrival measurement(s) with a navigation solution about at least one wireless-enabled device, wherein the wireless system comprises at least one transceiver means at any location within a wireless network area, wherein the at least one transceiver is capable of transmitting a wireless signal, wherein the measurements of the wireless system are generated from said signal(s), wherein the at least one device is capable of receiving the signal(s) from the at least one transceiver means, the system comprising:

a. at least one transceiver means capable of transmitting a wireless signal comprising a power pattern,

b. at least one wireless-enabled device capable of receiving the signal(s) from the at least one transceiver means, and

c. at least one processor capable of receiving the signal(s) transmitted from the at least one transceiver means and operative to;

i. process the information that identifies the at least one transceiver means, and

ii. integrate the wireless measurements with the navigation solution.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to use the wireless measurements to calculate the position of the at least one device, and to integrate said position with the navigation solution.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to calculate an accuracy measure of the at least one device position, and further to utilize the accuracy measure for the integration with the navigation solution.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to update the navigation solution using the wireless measurement(s) directly.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to calculate accuracy measure(s) of the wireless measurement(s), and to utilize said accuracy measure(s) for the integration with the navigation solution.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to utilize the navigation solution to build dynamic online wireless model(s) for the wireless measurements.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to utilize the navigation solution to verify and correct the built wireless model(s).

38. The system of any one of claims 36 or 37, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to calculate the position of the at least one device using the wireless measurements, and to integrate said position with the navigation solution.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to calculate an accuracy measure of the at least one device position, and to utilize the accuracy measure for the integration with the navigation solution.

40. The system of any one of claims 36 or 37, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to update the navigation solution using the wireless measurement(s).

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to calculate accuracy measure(s) of the wireless measurement(s), and to utilize said accuracy measure(s) for the integration with the navigation solution.

42. The system of any one of claims 36, 37, 38, or 40, wherein the wireless model is one of the following:

a. an online propagation model of the at least one transceiver means, wherein the propagation model relates the received signal strength from the at least one transceiver means to a distance from the at least one transceiver means,

b. an online power profile of the at least one transceiver means, wherein the power profile relates the received signal strength from the at least one transceiver means to a location in the wireless network area, or

c. a combination of the propagation model and the online power profile of the at least one transceiver means.

43. The system of any one of claims 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, or 42, wherein the signal(s) transmitted by the at least one transceiver means are broadcasted wirelessly or transmitted through a wired network to the at least one processor.

44. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one device communicates with the at least one processor through:

a. wireless communication,

b. wired communication, or

c. by embedding the at least one processor inside the at least one wireless-enabled device in a single device.

45. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one device comprises means to obtain the angle of arrival from each of the at least one transceiver means.

46. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one device comprises a wireless antenna enabling the device to obtain the angle of arrival from each of the at least one transceiver means.

47. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one device comprises a wireless antenna structure comprising a plurality of antennas enabling the device to obtain the angle of arrival from each of the at least one transceiver means.

48. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one device comprises means to utilizes beamforming technique(s) to obtain the angle of arrival from each of the at least one transceiver means.