Mobile device location estimation

• US 8,494,554 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marti, Lukas M., Mayor, Robert, Huang, Ronald K., MacGougan, Glenn Donald, Dere, Jason, Grosman, Yefim
• Primary Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/153,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554141-4144, 455418-4221, 4554321-444, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/41.2, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/500, 455/517, 455/524, 455/525, 455/561, 370/310.2, 370/315, 370/328, 370331-333, 370/338, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems of location estimation using multiple wireless access gateways are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a mobile device can scan and detect multiple wireless access gateways. The mobile device can determine an initial estimate of distance between the mobile device and each wireless access gateway. The mobile device can receive, from a server, location data of the detected wireless access gateways. The location data can include an estimated location of each wireless access gateway, an uncertainty of the estimated location, and a reach of each wireless access gateway. The mobile device can assign a weight to each estimated location using the uncertainty, the reach, and the initial estimate. The mobile device can estimate the location of the mobile device using the weighted locations.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device, comprising:

detecting, on the mobile device, a plurality of wireless access devices;

determining a closeness between the mobile device and each wireless access device, the closeness including an initial measurement of distance between the mobile device and each wireless access device;

receiving location data associated with each of the detected wireless access devices, the location data including an estimated location of each detected wireless access device, an uncertainty value associated with the estimated location, and a reach of each detected wireless access device;

weighting the estimated locations using the uncertainty values, the reaches of the wireless access devices, and the closeness, wherein weighting the estimated locations comprises;

determining a reach weight of the estimated location based on the reach of a corresponding wireless access device;

determining an uncertainty weight of each estimated location based on the uncertainty value of the estimated location;

determining a closeness weight of each estimated location based on the closeness between the mobile device and the corresponding wireless access device; and

determining a weight of each estimated location using each of the reach weight of the corresponding estimated location, the uncertainty weight of the corresponding estimated location, and the closeness weight of the corresponding estimated location as a factor of the determining, wherein each of a smaller reach, a smaller uncertainty value, or a smaller closeness causes the weight to be larger; and

determining the location of the mobile device based on the weighted locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the wireless access devices includes at least one wireless access gateway, the wireless access gateway being a cell tower, a wireless router, or a Bluetooth™

device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the closeness is based on at least one of:

a signal strength of a signal from the wireless access device;

a round-trip time of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device;

or

a bit error rate of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes an altitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reach of each wireless access device indicates how far away the wireless access device is expected to be observed by a mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the uncertainty value indicates an estimation accuracy of the estimated location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the weight of each estimated location comprises:

multiplying;

the uncertainty weight,

the closeness weight, and

a unit value minus the reach weight; and

then

adding a product of the uncertainty weight and the reach weight.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying an outlier from the detected wireless access devices; and

excluding the outlier from the operations of weighting the estimated locations and determining the location of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the outlier comprises:

identifying an estimated location from the received location data, wherein a distance between the estimated location and other estimated locations exceeds a maximum reach among the reaches of the detected wireless access devices; and

designating a wireless access device associated with the identified estimated location as the outlier.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising determining, based on the weighted locations, an estimated uncertainty associated with the location of the mobile device.

12. A computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory medium and configured to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

detecting, on the mobile device, a plurality of wireless access devices;

determining a closeness between the mobile device and each wireless access device, the closeness including an initial measurement of distance between the mobile device and each wireless access device;

receiving location data associated with each of the detected wireless access devices, the location data including an estimated location of each detected wireless access device, an uncertainty value associated with the estimated location, and a reach of each detected wireless access device;

weighting the estimated locations using the uncertainty values, the reaches of the wireless access devices and the closeness, wherein weighting the estimated locations comprises;

determining a reach weight of the estimated location based on the reach of a corresponding wireless access device;

determining an uncertainty weight of each estimated location based on the uncertainty value of the estimated location;

determining a closeness weight of each estimated location based on the closeness between the mobile device and the corresponding wireless access device; and

determining a weight of each estimated location using each of the reach weight of the corresponding estimated location, the uncertainty weight of the corresponding estimated location, and the closeness weight of the corresponding estimated location as a factor of the determining, wherein each of a smaller reach, a smaller uncertainty value, or a smaller closeness causes the weight to be larger; and

determining the location of the mobile device based on the weighted locations.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein each of the wireless access devices includes at least one wireless access gateway, the wireless access gateway being a cell tower, a wireless router, or a Bluetooth™

device.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein determining the closeness is based on at least one of:

a signal strength of a signal from the wireless access device;

a round-trip time of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device;

or

a bit error rate of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device.

15. The product of claim 12, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

16. The product of claim 12, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes an altitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

17. The product of claim 12, wherein the reach of each wireless access device indicates how far away the wireless access device is expected to be observed by a mobile device.

18. The product of claim 12, wherein the uncertainty value indicates an estimation accuracy of the estimated location.

19. The product of claim 12, wherein determining the weight of each estimated location comprises:

multiplying;

the uncertainty weight,

the closeness weight, and

a unit value minus the reach weight; and

then

adding a product of the uncertainty weight and the reach weight.

20. The product of claim 12, the operations comprising:

identifying an outlier from the detected wireless access devices; and

excluding the outlier from the operations of weighting the estimated locations and determining the location of the mobile device.

21. The product of claim 20, wherein identifying the outlier comprises:

identifying an estimated location from the received location data, wherein a distance between the estimated location and other estimated locations exceeds a maximum reach among the reaches of the detected wireless access devices; and

designating a wireless access device associated with the identified estimated location as the outlier.

22. The product of claim 12, the operations comprising determining, based on the weighted locations, an estimated uncertainty associated with the location of the mobile device.

23. A system, comprising:

a transceiver for detecting, on a mobile device, a plurality of wireless access devices;

a signal processing unit comprising a signal analyzer and a processor, the signal processing unit configured to determine a closeness between the mobile device and each wireless access device, the closeness including an initial measurement of distance between the mobile device and each wireless access device;

a communication subsystem for receiving location data associated with each of the detected wireless access devices, the location data including an estimated location of each detected wireless access device, an uncertainty value associated with the estimated location, and a reach of each detected wireless access device; and

a location calculation unit comprising;

one or more processors configured to perform operations including weighting the estimated locations using the uncertainty values, the reaches of the wireless access devices, and the closeness, wherein weighting the estimated locations comprises;

determining a reach weight of the estimated location based on the reach of a corresponding wireless access device;

determining an uncertainty weight of each estimated location based on the uncertainty value of the estimated location;

determining a closeness weight of each estimated location based on the closeness between the mobile device and the corresponding wireless access device; and

determining a weight of each estimated location using each of the reach weight of the corresponding estimated location, the uncertainty weight of the corresponding estimated location, and the closeness weight of the corresponding estimated location as a factor of the determining, wherein each of a smaller reach, a smaller uncertainty value, or a smaller closeness causes the weight to be larger; and

a location estimation unit for determining the location of the mobile device based on the weighted locations.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein each of the wireless access devices includes at least one wireless access gateway, the wireless access gateway being a cell tower, a wireless router, or a Bluetooth™

device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein determining the closeness is based on at least one of:

a signal strength of a signal from the wireless access device;

a round-trip time of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device;

or

a bit error rate of a signal between the mobile device and the wireless access device.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the estimated location of each wireless access device includes an altitude coordinate of the wireless access device.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the reach of each wireless access device indicates how far away the wireless access device is expected to be observed by a mobile device.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the uncertainty value indicates an estimation accuracy of the estimated location.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein determining the weight of each estimated locations comprises:

multiplying;

the uncertainty weight,

the closeness weight, and

a unit value minus the reach weight; and

then

adding a product of the uncertainty weight and the reach weight.

31. The system of claim 23, the operations comprising:

identifying an outlier from the detected wireless access devices; and

excluding the outlier from the operations of weighting the estimated locations and determining the location of the mobile device.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein identifying the outlier comprises:

identifying an estimated location from the received location data, wherein a distance between the estimated location and other estimated locations exceeds a maximum reach among the reaches of the detected wireless access devices; and

designating a wireless access device associated with the identified estimated location as the outlier.

33. The system of claim 23, the operations comprising determining, based on the weighted locations, an estimated uncertainty associated with the location of the mobile device.