INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEMS AND WIRELESS FINGERPRINTS

• US 20170026804A1
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: JAMPANI, Krishnam Raju, MAILLOUX, Jerry, TSAI, I-Ming, BECKETT, Jason Christopher, MARTIN, Daryl Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 10,419,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An indoor positioning system and method that correlates map locations to respective wireless access point (AP) fingerprints, and wherein each wireless AP fingerprint is a plurality of wireless AP signal measurements associated with the correlated map location. The method includes receiving position-inference data associated with a user; determining a probable location inside the building based on the position-inference data; receiving wireless AP signal measurements detected by a wireless device associated with the user; associating the probable location with the wireless device based on the association between the position-inference data and the user of the wireless device; and updating the wireless AP fingerprint correlated to the probable location using the received wireless AP signal measurements. The method and system use crowd-sourcing to build and refine the wireless AP fingerprints.

Claims

1. An indoor positioning system for a facility, the facility having a plurality of wireless access points distributed throughout the facility and connected to the indoor positioning system via a network, the system comprising:

a memory storing facility data and wireless access point fingerprints, wherein each fingerprint is correlated with a facility location and is a plurality of wireless access point signal measurements associated with that correlated facility location; and

a processor to

determine a probable location in the facility of a user at a first time based on position-inference data correlated to the first time and associated with the user,

receive wireless AP signal measurements for wireless AP signals detected by a wireless device associated with the user, and

update a wireless AP fingerprint correlated to the probable location using the received wireless AP signal measurements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless AP signal measurements are for wireless AP signals detected by the wireless device at the first time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the position-inference data comprises at least one of a calendar entry containing location information, detection of a near-field communications (NFC) access card associated with the user at an NFC access point, or detection of a device associated with the user connected to a wired network port.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a probable location by determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold as a pre-condition to updating the wireless AP fingerprint.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on the source of the position-inference data.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on receipt of position-inference data from at least two sources.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on whether the wireless AP measurements differ from the wireless AP fingerprint by more than a predetermined amount.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory receives and stores wireless AP signal measurements from the wireless device prior to determining a probable location prior to the processor determining a probable location, and wherein each wireless AP signal measurement has an associated time stamp.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to receive the wireless access point signal measurements by receiving a series of wireless access point signal measurements detected by the wireless device from the first time to a second time, and wherein the processor is to determine the probable location by determining a probable path of travel for the wireless device from the probable location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the processor is to update the fingerprint by updating fingerprints correlated to locations along the probable path based upon the series of wireless access point signal measurements.

11. A method of refining an indoor positioning system for a facility, wherein the system correlates locations in the facility to respective wireless access point (AP) fingerprints, and wherein each wireless AP fingerprint is a plurality of wireless AP signal measurements associated with the correlated facility location, the method comprising:

determining a probable location in the facility of a user at a first time based on position-inference data correlated to the first time and associated with the user;

receiving wireless AP signal measurements for wireless AP signals detected by a wireless device associated with the user; and

updating a wireless AP fingerprint correlated to the probable location using the received wireless AP signal measurements.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless AP signal measurements are for wireless AP signals detected by the wireless device at the first time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the position-inference data comprises at least one of a calendar entry containing location information, detection of a near-field communications (NFC) access card associated with the user at an NFC access point, or detection of a device associated with the user connected to a wired network port.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a probable location includes determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold as a pre-condition to updating the wireless AP fingerprint.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on the source of the position-inference data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on receipt of position-inference data from at least two sources.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the probable location determination meets a confidence threshold is based, at least in part, on whether the wireless AP measurements differ from the wireless AP fingerprint by more than a predetermined amount.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the system receives and stores wireless AP signal measurements from the wireless device prior to determining a probable location, and wherein each wireless AP signal measurement has an associated time stamp.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the wireless access point signal measurements includes receiving a series of wireless access point signal measurements detected by the wireless device from the first time to a second time, and wherein determining the probable location further includes determining a probable path of travel for the wireless device from the probable location.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the fingerprint includes updating fingerprints correlated to locations along the probable path based upon the series of wireless access point signal measurements.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the method claimed in claim 11.