INTUITIVE WAY TO POINT, ACCESS AND CONTROL APPLIANCES & OTHER OBJECTS IN BUILDING INTERIORS

• US 20160358459A1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Singhar, Anil Ranjan Roy Samanta, Banerjea, Raja
• Granted Patent: US 9,536,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 21/00 Systems for transmitting the position of an object with respect to a predetermined reference system, e.g. tele-autographic system
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) device pointed at an appliance to be controlled, or at an object that is to be accessed or about which information needs to retrieved, determines its position and orientation within an environment with respect to a fixed frame of reference. The appliance to be controlled is identified based on a determined position and orientation of the UE device and a known position of the appliance. The UE device controls the identified appliance by establishing a wireless communication link between the identified appliance and UE device based on a wireless technology that is compliant with both the appliance and the UE device. The UE device may control another appliance via a central control computer server to which the other appliance is interfaced, when the other appliance is not configured for wireless communication.

Claims

1. A method for controlling appliances using a user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:

determining a first position of the UE device within an environment;

determining an orientation of the UE device based on at least one attitude sensor;

calculating a line of sight (LoS) from the UE device based on the determined first position of the UE device and on the determined orientation of the UE device;

calculating lines of association (LoA) between the determined first position of the UE device and locations of the appliances, each LoA being between the determined first position of the UE device and the location of the corresponding appliance;

selecting one of the appliances based on the LoS and the calculated LoAs; and

configuring the UE device to control the selected appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting one of the appliances includes:

calculating angles between the LoS and the LoAs;

determining the smallest of the calculated angles; and

selecting the appliance associated with the smallest of the calculated angles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the appliance associated with the smallest of the calculated angles is conditioned on the smallest of the calculated angles being less than a threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is based on spacings between the appliances, the first position, and a height of a user operating the UE device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, the UE device receiving the locations of the appliances, from a server, and wherein the UE device calculates the LoS, calculates the LoAs, and selects one of the appliances.

6. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting instructions from the UE device to control the selected appliance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position of the UE device and the orientation of the UE device are based on a coordinate system that is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) a Cartesian coordinate system, (b) a cylindrical coordinate system, and (c) a spherical coordinate system.

9. The method of claim 1, further including updating the first position of the UE device to a second position and updating the LoS of the UE device according to the second position, wherein the updating to the second position is based on dead-reckoning or triangulation using sensors internal to the UE device, or trilateration using RF signals from RF signal sources positioned at various locations in the environment.

10. The method of claim 5, further including sending, by the UE device, authentication information to the server prior to the receiving of the locations of the appliances.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the UE device to control the selected appliance includes retrieving connectivity information of the selected appliance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein configuring the UE device to control the selected appliance further includes establishing a wireless communication link between the selected appliance and the UE device using the connectivity information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the UE device to control the selected appliance includes receiving information indicating a type of the selected appliance, and at least one operational instruction for the selected appliance.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting one of the appliances includes at least one of a) determining distances between the UE device and the appliances or b) determining an angles of arrival of signals received by the UE device from the appliances.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the UE device to control the selected appliance includes downloading an appliance control interface associated with the selected appliance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the appliance control interface includes a voice command interface to configure the UE device to receive audio menu selections and process voice commands for the selected appliance.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein

a server calculates the LoS, calculates the LoAs, and selects one of the appliances.

8. (canceled)

17. A method for controlling an appliance using a user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:

receiving from a server, by the user equipment (UE) device, positional information of an environment including a first reference frame that is associated with the environment; and

receiving location information of a plurality of appliances positioned at respective locations within the environment;

determining, by the UE device, a first position of the UE device within the environment, based on the received first reference frame and determining an orientation of the UE device;

calculating, by the UE device, a line of sight (LoS) based on the determined first position and the orientation of the UE device;

calculating multiple lines of association (LoA) for multiple appliances of the plurality of appliances within a predetermined range of the UE device, each LoA being between the determined first position of the UE device and the location of the corresponding appliance;

determining correspondences between the LoS and each of the multiple LoAs;

identifying a subset of the plurality of appliances whose associated LoAs substantially correspond to the LoS,

displaying, in the UE device, respective icons corresponding to each of the appliances in the subset of appliances;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed icons;

configuring the UE device to control the appliance corresponding to the selected icon.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the correspondences between the LoS and the multiple LoAs includes calculating angles between the LoS and each of the multiple LoAs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein an appliance is included in the subset appliances when the calculated angle between the LoAs and the LoS associated with that appliance is less than a threshold angle.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein configuring the UE device to control the appliance corresponding to the selected icon includes receiving information of a type of the appliance corresponding to the selected icon.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive positional information of an environment including a first reference frame that is associated with the environment;

receive location information for a plurality of appliances positioned within the environment;

at least one attitude sensor; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and the at least one attitude sensor and configured to;

determine a position of the apparatus within the environment, based on the received first reference frame;

determine, based on signals from the at least one attitude sensor, an orientation of the apparatus;

calculate a line of sight (LoS) based on the determined first position and the orientation of the apparatus;

calculate multiple lines of association (LoA) for multiple appliances of the plurality of appliances, each LoA being between the determined position of the apparatus and the location of the corresponding appliance;

determine correspondences between the LoS and the multiple LoAs; and

identify an appliance of the multiple appliances having the LoA that most closely corresponds to the LoS;

configure the apparatus to control the identified appliance.

22. A method for controlling an appliance, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, from a user equipment (UE) device within an environment, a first position of the UE device, the first position being based on a first reference frame associated with the environment;

receiving, by the server from the UE device, an orientation of the UE device;

calculating a line of sight (LoS) of the UE device based on the first position and on the orientation of the UE device;

calculating a line of association (LoA) for an appliance between the received first position of the UE device and the location of the appliance;

determining a correspondence between the LoS and the LoA; and

determining whether the LoA substantially corresponds to the LoS;

controlling, by the server, in the case that the LoA substantially corresponds to the LoS, the at least one appliance based on communications with the UE device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining whether the LoA substantially corresponds to the LoS includes:

calculating an angle between the LoA and the LoS, and determining whether the calculated angle is less than a threshold.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the communications with the UE device include sending, to the UE device, a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the appliance for use in controlling the appliance.

26. The method of claim 25, further including, receiving, from the UE device, control parameters associated with the GUI, in response to the sending of the GUI.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein controlling the appliance is according to the received control parameters from the UE device, and includes establishing a communication link with the appliance.

24. (canceled)

28. A method for supplying information about objects to a user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:

determining a first position of the UE device, the first position being based on a first reference frame associated with the environment;

determining an orientation of the UE device;

determining a line of sight (LoS) from the UE device based on the first position of the UE device and on the orientation of the UE device;

calculating lines of association (LoA) between the first position of the UE device locations of objects in the environment, each LoA being between the determined first position of the UE device and the location of the corresponding object;

selecting one of the objects based on the LoS and the LoAs; and

sending information about the selected object to the UE device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the objects are merchandise placed on the shelves of a store or artifacts of a museum.

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. A method for controlling an appliance using a user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment (UE) device from a server, positional information of an environment including a first reference frame that is associated with the environment;

receiving location information of a plurality of appliances positioned at locations within the environment;

determining, by the UE device, a first position of the UE device within the environment, based on the received first reference frame;

determining an orientation of the UE device;

calculating, by the UE device, a line of sight (LoS) based on the determined first position and the orientation of the UE device;

receiving, by the UE device, direction finding beacons from the plurality of appliances;

calculating, by the UE device, multiple angle of arrival (AoA) parameters based on the received direction finding beacons;

identifying a subset of the plurality of appliances associated with AoA parameters that substantially correspond to the LoS;

displaying, in the UE device, icons corresponding to each of the appliances in the subset of appliances;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed icons;

configuring the UE device to control the appliance corresponding to the selected icon.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the identifying the subset of the plurality of appliances includes calculating angles between the LoS and AoA parameters, and identifying the calculated angles that are less than a threshold.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the receiving the direction finding beacons includes receiving at least one of the direction finding beacons at multiple antennas of the UE device at different arrival times.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the configuring the UE device further includes downloading a control user interface (UI) of the selected appliance and controlling the selected appliance according to the control UI.