Providing indoor location, position, or tracking of a mobile computer using sensors

• US 8,284,100 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: HJ Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Vartanian, Harry, Jurikson-Rhodes, Jaron
• Primary Examiner(s): PIHULIC, DANIEL T
• Application Number:
  US13/463,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20120214511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 159 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.3, 342/357.28, 342/357
• US Class Current: 342/357.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/00 Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/06 Systems determining the position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/465 by Trilateration, i.e. two transducers determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the transducers, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/012 Identifying whether indoors or outdoors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/013 Identifying areas in a building
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/907 : Coordinate determination

Abstract

Providing indoor location, position, or tracking of a mobile computer is disclosed. Outdoor location, indoor location, and determined motion information is used to track the mobile computer indoors.

Claims

1. A mobile computer comprising:

circuitry configured to send building layout information to a server to generate a map of a building;

circuitry configured to determine outdoor location of the mobile computer using global positioning system (GPS) data;

at least one processor configured to determine an initial location of a room in the building that the mobile computer is located, wherein the initial location is determined based on the outdoor location, Wi-Fi information, environmental information or atmospheric information provided by at least one sensor in the mobile computer, and cell tower information; and

the at least one processor configured to track the mobile computer in the building, using the generated map of the building, from the room to another room using the initial location of the room and estimated motion information, wherein the estimated motion information is based on accelerometer and gyroscope information provided to the mobile computer by an accelerometer and gyroscope.

2. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein the mobile computer is a smartphone or telephone.

3. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein the gyroscope determines an orientation of the mobile computer in the room.

4. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein the initial location of the room is used to determine a user context for an application on the mobile computer.

5. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein the initial location of the room is used to guide emergency personal.

11. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein the outdoor location is used to determine a side of the building the mobile computer is located.

12. The mobile computer of claim 1 further comprising:

the environmental information or the atmospheric information provided by the at least one sensor in the mobile computer is used to determine altitude; and

wherein the altitude assists in determining a floor of the building the mobile computer is on.

13. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein a probability is determined that the mobile computer is in the room in the building.

14. The mobile computer of claim 1 wherein compass information, camera information, radio frequency identification (RFID) information, Bluetooth information, ranging information, WiFi based ranging information, femtocell information, or picocell information is provided to determine the initial location or the estimated motion information of the mobile computer.

6. A method performed by a mobile computer, the method comprising:

sending, by the mobile computer, building layout information to a server to generate a map of a building;

determining, by the mobile computer, outdoor location of the mobile computer using global positioning system (GPS) data;

determining, by the mobile computer, an initial location of a room in the building that the mobile computer is located, wherein the initial location is determined based on the outdoor location, Wi-Fi information, environmental information or atmospheric information provided by at least one sensor in the mobile computer, and cell tower information;

estimating, by the mobile computer, motion information based on accelerometer and gyroscope information provided to the mobile computer by an accelerometer and gyroscope; and

tracking, by the mobile computer, the mobile computer in the building, using the generated map of the building, from the room to another room using the initial location of the room and estimated motion information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the mobile computer is a smartphone or telephone.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the gyroscope determines an orientation of the mobile computer in the room.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the initial location of the room is used to determine a user context for an application on the mobile computer.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the initial location of the room is used to guide emergency personal.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein the outdoor location is used to determine a side of the building the mobile computer is located.

16. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining altitude with the environmental information or the atmospheric information provided by the at least one sensor in the mobile computer; and

determining a floor of the building the mobile computer is on using the altitude.

17. The method of claim 6 wherein a probability is determined that the mobile computer is in the room in the building.

18. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

providing compass information, camera information, radio frequency identification (RFID) information, Bluetooth information, ranging information, WiFi based ranging information, femtocell information, or picocell information to determine the initial location or the estimated motion information of the mobile computer.