ADAPTIVE POSITIONING SYSTEM

• US 20170074989A1
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: VAN DIGGELEN, Frank Stephen Tromp, MOLE, Steve Graham, BELOV, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments

Abstract

A device implementing an adaptive positioning system may include at least one processor that is configured to concurrently implement a first positioning system that generates first positioning information items and a second positioning system that generates second positioning information items. The processor may be configured to buffer the second positioning information items generated by the second positioning system and to determine a position estimation for the device based on the first positioning information items generated by the first positioning system. The processor may be configured to detect a degradation in a quality of the first positioning system. The processor may be configured to, in response to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system, determine the position estimation for the device based at least in part on at least one of the buffered second positioning information items generated by the second positioning system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

concurrently implementing, by a device, a first positioning system that generates first positioning information items and a second positioning system that generates second positioning information items;

buffering at least some of the second positioning information items generated by the second positioning system;

determining a position estimation for the device based at least in part on at least one of the first positioning information items generated by the first positioning system;

detecting a degradation in a quality of the first positioning system; and

in response to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system, determining the position estimation for the device based at least in part on at least one of the buffered second positioning information items generated by the second positioning system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system, determining the position estimation for the device based at least in part on at least one of the buffered second positioning information items and a previous position estimation that was determined for the device prior to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning system comprises a satellite positioning system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system is detected based at least in part on a signal strength of at least one positioning signal received via the satellite positioning system.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second positioning system comprises a dead reckoning positioning system and the method further comprises:

in response to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system;

initializing the dead reckoning positioning system using a previous position estimation for the device determined by the satellite positioning system prior to detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system; and

updating the dead reckoning positioning system based on the buffered second positioning information items that were buffered after the previous position estimation for the device was determined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning system comprises a satellite positioning system and the second positioning system comprises a dead reckoning positioning system and the method further comprises:

periodically updating the dead reckoning positioning system based on the first positioning information items generated by the satellite positioning system when a signal strength of at least one positioning signal received via the satellite positioning system satisfies a signal strength threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on detecting the degradation in the quality of the first positioning system, a transition of the device from an outdoor environment to an indoor environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning system utilizes a first filter that generates first states of the first positioning system and the second positioning system utilizes a second filter that generates second states of the second positioning system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein buffering the at least some of the second positioning information items generated by the second positioning system comprises buffering at least some of the second states of the second positioning system generated by the second filter.

10. A device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

concurrently implement a plurality of positioning systems;

select a first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems based at least in part on a current environment in which the device is located; and

determine position information for the device based at least in part on the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems while others of the plurality of positioning systems are concurrently being implemented.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of positioning systems utilizes one of a plurality of filters and the at least one processor is further configured to:

buffer a plurality of states generated by each of the plurality of filters of each of the plurality of positioning systems.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

detect a degradation of quality of a second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems in a prior environment based on the plurality of states generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems;

determine, based on detecting the degradation, a change from the prior environment to the current environment; and

select the first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems based on the determined change.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a first state of the plurality of states generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems prior to the detected degradation of quality occurred; and

disregarding at least one other state of the plurality of states generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems subsequent to the determined first state.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein determining the position information further comprises:

determining at least one state of the plurality of states generated by the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems subsequent to the first state being generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems; and

determining the position information for the device based at least in part on the first state generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems and the determined at least one state of the plurality of states generated by the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of positioning systems comprises a different positioning system.

16. A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a tangible computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:

instructions to concurrently implement a plurality of positioning systems;

instructions to buffer a plurality of states generated by each of the plurality of positioning systems;

instructions to select a first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems based at least in part on a current environment; and

instructions to determine position information based at least in part on the plurality of states generated by the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions to select the first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems based at least in part on the current environment further comprises:

instructions to detect a degradation of quality of a second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems in a prior environment based at least in part on at least some of the plurality of states generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems;

instructions to determine, based at least in part on detecting the degradation, a change from the prior environment to the current environment; and

instructions to select the first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems based at least in part on the determined change.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions to determine the position information further comprises:

instructions to determine a first state of the plurality of states generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems before the degradation of quality occurred; and

instructions to disregard at least one state of the plurality of states that was generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems subsequent to generating the determined first state of the plurality of states by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions to determine the position information further comprises:

instructions to determine at least one state of the plurality of states generated by the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems subsequent to the first state being generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems; and

instructions to determine the position information based at least in part on the first state generated by the second positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems and the at least one state generated by the selected first positioning system of the plurality of positioning systems.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of positioning systems comprises a different positioning system.