Indoor localization and mapping

• US 8,818,706 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogale, Abhijit, Rivlin, Ehud, Ettinger, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US13/109,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/426, 701432-434, 701/436, 701/450, 701/451, 701/454, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/539.25, 340/944
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation

Abstract

An indoor area may be localized to provide end users with a mobile-accessible map to guide the end user in navigating the indoor area. A preliminary version of a map of the indoor area to be localized is processed to identify different navigable routes within the indoor area. A user may access the processed map and collect sensory data using the mobile device while moving along any of the navigable routes. The different sensory data that is collected at the same moment in time may be associated based on the location of the mobile device when the data is collected. The localized map is then generated with visual indications of the locations of the corresponding sensory data. The end user may then access the localized map on a mobile device to navigate the indoor area and to locate specific points of interest corresponding to the sensory data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a non-localized version of a map of an indoor area from a first mobile computing device;

receiving, by the one or more processors, sensory data associated with the indoor area, wherein the sensory data has been collected from the indoor area using the first mobile computing device, the received sensory data including a set of data points, each data point including one or more wireless network access point identifiers, one or more corresponding signal strengths, and an image captured in the indoor area;

generating, by the one or more processors, a localized version of the map using the non-localized version of the map and the received sensory data, wherein the localized version of the map is a representation of the indoor area that indicates features of the indoor area on the map that correspond to the received sensory data, the localized version of the map comprising at least one visual indicator corresponding to the received sensory data, and wherein the at least one visual indicator includes one of the images of the set of data points; and

storing, by the one or more processors, the localized version of the map for subsequent transmission to client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator identifies a location on the localized version of the map that corresponds to a location in the indoor area where the received sensory data was collected.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

processing, by the one or more processors, the non-localized version of the map to identify a plurality of navigable routes of the indoor area.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing at least one of the identified navigable routes for display in order to enable the first mobile computing device to be moved along the at least one identified navigable route.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing to the first mobile computing device directions to locations within the indoor area with reference to the localized version of the map.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the non-localized version of the map is an image.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving user provided edits to the non-localized version of the map.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the localized version of the map to a second mobile computing device for display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying a location of the second mobile device in the indoor area; and

indicating the identified location on the localized version of the map.

10. A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors configured to;

receive a non-localized version of a map of an indoor area from a first mobile computing device;

receive sensory data associated with the indoor area, wherein the sensory data has been collected from the indoor area using the first mobile computing device, the received sensory data including a set of data points, each data point including one or more wireless network access point identifiers, one or more corresponding signal strengths, and an image captured in the indoor area;

generate a localized version of the map using the non-localized version of the map and the received sensory data, wherein the localized version of the map is a representation of the indoor area that indicates features of the indoor area on the map that correspond to the received sensory data, the localized version of the map comprising at least one visual indicator corresponding to the received sensory data, and wherein the at least one visual indicator includes one of the images of the set of data points; and

store the localized version of the map in the memory.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visual indicator identifies a location on the localized version of the map that corresponds to a location in the indoor area where the received sensory data was collected.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to process the non-localized version of the map to identify a plurality of navigable routes of the indoor area.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide at least one of the identified navigable routes for display in order to enable the first mobile computing device to be moved along the at least one identified navigable route.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide to the first mobile computing device directions to locations within the indoor area with reference to the localized version of the map.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-localized version of the map is an image.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive user provided edits to the non-localized version of the map.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the localized version of the map to a second mobile computing device for display.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to;

identify a location of the second mobile device in the indoor area; and

indicate the identified location on the localized version of the map.

19. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a non-localized version of a map of an indoor area from a first mobile computing device;

receiving sensory data associated with the indoor area, wherein the sensory data has been collected from the indoor area using the first mobile computing device, the received sensory data including a set of data points, each data point including one or more wireless network access point identifiers, one or more corresponding signal strengths, and an image captured in the indoor area;

generating a localized version of the map using the non-localized version of the map and the received sensory data, wherein the localized version of the map is a representation of the indoor area that indicates features of the indoor area on the map that correspond to the received sensory data, the localized version of the map comprising at least one visual indicator corresponding to the received sensory data, and wherein the at least one visual indicator includes one of the images of the set of data points; and

storing the localized version of the map for subsequent transmission to client devices.