Method and apparatus for determining environmental context utilizing features obtained by multiple radio receivers

• US 8,838,147 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Eronen, Antti, Leppanen, Jussi, Collin, Jussi Taneli, Parviainen, Jussi, Bojja, Jayaprasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/222,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20130053069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/446, 455/423, 455/137, 455/550.1, 455/566, 708/270, 382/190, 382/115, 706/14
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/01 Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to facilitate the determination of the environmental context of a mobile terminal. In this regard, the method, apparatus and computer program product may utilize the features obtained by a plurality of different types of radio receivers in order to more precisely determine the environmental context of the mobile terminal. The performance of the mobile terminal including applications executed by the mobile terminal may correspondingly be more accurately tailored to the current environmental context of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first feature from a first radio receiver;

receiving a second feature from a second radio receiver, wherein the second radio receiver is of a different type than the first radio receiver,

wherein at least one of the first feature or the second feature is a result of a statistical application over a predetermined period of time of a signal received from the first radio receiver or the second radio receiver;

determining, with a processor, an environmental context based upon a combination of the first and second features; and

causing one or more applications to perform in accordance with the environmental context.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising concatenating the first feature and the second feature into a feature vector, and wherein determining the environmental context comprises determining the environmental context based upon the feature vector.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising normalizing the feature vector.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising transforming the feature vector.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein transforming the feature vector comprising transforming the feature vector in accordance with a linear transform.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein determining the environmental context further comprises applying a classifier to the feature vector.

7. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

receive a first feature from a first radio receiver;

receive a second feature from a second radio receiver, wherein the second radio receiver is of a different type than the first radio receiver,

wherein at least one of the first feature or the second feature is a result of a statistical application over a predetermined period of time of a signal received from the first radio receiver or the second radio receiver;

determine an environmental context based upon a combination of the first and second features; and

cause one or more applications to perform in accordance with the environmental context.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to concatenate the first feature and the second feature into a feature vector, and wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to determine the environmental context by determining the environmental context based upon the feature vector.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to normalize the feature vector.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to transform the feature vector.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to transform the feature vector by transforming the feature vector in accordance with a linear transform.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to determine the environmental context by applying a classifier to the feature vector.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises or is embodied in a mobile terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal comprises user interface circuitry and user interface software stored on one or more of the at least one memory;

wherein the user interface circuitry and user interface software are configured to;

facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile terminal through use of a display; and

cause at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile terminal to be displayed on the display to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile terminal.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored therein, the computer-readable program instructions comprising:

program instructions configured to receive a first feature from a first radio receiver;

program instructions configured to receive a second feature from a second radio receiver, wherein the second radio receiver is of a different type than the first radio receiver,

wherein at least one of the first feature or the second feature is a result of a statistical application over a predetermined period of time of a signal received from the first radio receiver or the second radio receiver;

program instructions configured to determine an environmental context based upon a combination of the first and second features; and

program instructions for causing one or more applications to perform in accordance with the environmental context.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise program instructions configured to concatenate the first feature and the second feature into a feature vector, and wherein the program instructions configured to determine the environmental context comprise program instructions configured to determine the environmental context based upon the feature vector.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16 wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise program instructions configured to normalize the feature vector.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16 wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise program instructions configured to transform the feature vector.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18 wherein the program instructions configured to transform the feature vector comprise program instructions configured to transform the feature vector in accordance with a linear transform.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16 wherein the program instructions configured to determine the environmental context further comprise program instructions configured to apply a classifier to the feature vector.

21. A method comprising:

receiving first and second features that have been extracted by a mobile terminal from first and second radio receivers, respectively;

causing the first and second features to be stored,

wherein at least one of the first feature or the second feature is a result of a statistical application over a predetermined period of time of a signal received from the first radio receiver or the second radio receiver;

determining an environmental context based upon a combination of the first and second feature;

performing, with a processor, a geostatistical analysis of the first and second features;

enabling at least one application to utilize a result of the geostatistical analysis of the first and second features that have been extracted by the mobile terminal from the first and second radio receivers, respectively; and

causing the at least one application to perform in accordance with the geostatistical analysis.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein performing the geostatistical analysis comprises performing the geostatistical analysis of the first and second features and the environmental context.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein enabling at least one application comprises causing a display of a map depicting the environmental context at a plurality of locations.