Quality control of mapping data

• US 8,504,288 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadous, Mohammed Waleed, Lookingbill, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US13/105,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 701/433, 701/434, 701/450, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/477
• US Class Current: 701/433
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/383 Indoor data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/72 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• 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 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to quality control of survey data used to generate and or supplement map information. A device may be walked through an indoor space in order to collect survey data (accelerometer, gyroscope, wireless network identifiers, etc.). The survey data is then transmitted to a server for further processing to identify the path (or the various locations) of the device in the indoor space. The path may be determined by referring to a map of the indoor location and a localization algorithm, for example, a particle filter or least squares optimizer. The path may be compared to other survey data and paths from the same indoor space as well as the map in order to provide an estimate of the quality of the localization produced for the survey data. Low quality survey data may be flagged for further review or used to make changes to the map.

Claims

1. A method of flagging survey data, the method comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of client devices, time-indexed logs recorded while each client device was moved through an indoor space, wherein the indoor space is the same for each time-indexed log;

identifying a map of the indoor space;

for each of the received time-indexed logs, identifying an associated path through the indoor space;

selecting one of the received time-indexed logs;

determining, by a processor, a consistency score for the selected time-indexed log based on the selected time-indexed log and one or more other of the received time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space; and

flagging, for further review, a portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log based on the consistency score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected time-indexed log includes data received from a user indicating a current location of the corresponding client device; and

identifying the associated path for the selected time-indexed log is based on the data received from the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected time-indexed log includes data received from one or more orientation devices; and

identifying the associated path for the selected time-indexed log is based on the data received from the one or more orientation devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected time-indexed log includes data identifying one or more wireless network access point locations and associated signal strengths; and

identifying the associated path for the selected time-indexed log is based on the data identifying the one or more wireless network access point locations and the associated signal strengths.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the identified paths associated with the received time-indexed logs, except the flagged portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log, to generate a wireless network access point location and signal strength model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the identified map includes a plurality of constraints; and

the method further comprises adjusting one or more of the plurality of constraints associated with the identified map based on the flagged portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log to generate an adjusted map.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting the adjusted map to a client device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of constraints are walls in the indoor space.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of constraints are rails representing locations where a user may walk within an indoor space.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the consistency score for the selected time-indexed log further comprises:

generating a first model of the indoor space based on the selected time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space;

generating a second model of the indoor space based on the one or more other time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space; and

comparing the first model to the second model.

11. A device for flagging survey data, the device comprising:

memory storing a map of the indoor space;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being operable to;

receive, from a plurality of client devices, time-indexed logs recorded while each client device was moved through an indoor space, wherein the indoor space is the same for each time-indexed log;

identify a map of the indoor space;

for each of the received time-indexed logs, identify an associated path through the indoor space;

select one of the received time-indexed logs;

determine a consistency score for the selected time-indexed log based on the selected time-indexed log and one or more other of the received time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space; and

flag, for further review, a portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log based on the consistency score.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the selected time-indexed log includes data received from a user indicating a current location of the corresponding client device, and the processor is further operable to identify the associated path for the selected time-indexed log based on the data received from the user.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the selected time-indexed log includes data received from one or more orientation devices, and the processor is further operable to identify the associated path for the selected time-indexed log based on the data received from the one or more orientation devices.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the selected time-indexed log includes data identifying one or more wireless network access point locations and associated signal strengths, and the processor is further operable to identify the associated path for the selected time-indexed log based on the data identifying the one or more wireless network access point locations and the associated signal strengths.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further operable to use the identified paths associated with the received time-indexed logs, except the flagged portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log, to generate a wireless network access point location and signal strength model.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the identified map includes a plurality of constraints, and the processor is further operable to adjust one or more of the plurality of constraints based on the flagged portion of the path associated with the selected time-indexed log to generate an adjusted map.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable to transmit the adjusted map to a client device.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of constraints are walls in the indoor space.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of constraints are rails representing locations where a user may walk within an indoor space.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the consistency score is further determined by the processor by:

generating a first model of the indoor space based on the selected time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space;

generating a second model of the indoor space based on the one or more other time-indexed logs and the identified map of the indoor space; and

comparing the first model to the second model.