Methods and apparatuses for use in providing position assistance data to mobile stations

• US 8,892,118 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Garin, Lionel J., Gupta, Rajarshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/187,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20120021762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 4554561-4566, 455/457, 705/37, 705/217, 705/7.29, 370/338, 345/14.08, 345/633, 345/581
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided which may be implemented in various devices to provide position assistance data and/or the like to a mobile station with regard to at least one of a plurality of different indoor regions.

Claims

1. A method comprising, at a mobile station:

transmitting a request for a repository device identifier to a directory device, said request for said repository device identifier being indicative of a repository device identifier and at least a first indication of location of said mobile station;

receiving said repository device identifier for said repository device from said directory device, said repository device identifier identifying a repository device and at least one indoor region corresponding to said first indication of location;

transmitting a request for position assistance data for said at least one indoor region to said repository device;

receiving said position assistance data from said repository device, said position assistance data comprising, at least in part, encoded metadata for at least a portion of said at least one indoor region and corresponding to at least one of an electronic map or an access point locator; and

providing at least a portion of said encoded metadata to at least one function for use in estimating a location of said mobile station.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said request for position assistance data comprises a repository device identifier.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, at said mobile station:

receiving a decryption key; and

wherein decoding said encoded metadata further comprises decrypting at least a portion of said encoded metadata using said decryption key.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said encoded metadata is established, at least in part, by an analyzer capability provided via at least one of:

a directory device, said repository device, or a map inference device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said encoded metadata is established, at least in part, prior to said mobile station transmitting said request for position assistance data, and stored at said repository device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said encoded metadata is established, at least in part, in response to said request for position assistance data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, at said mobile station interfacing with a crowd-sourcing device by, at least one of:

gathering and transmitting collected data for said at least one indoor region to said crowd-sourcing device;

or

receiving additional metadata for said at least one indoor region from said crowd-sourcing device, and providing at least a portion of said additional metadata to said at least one function.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, at said mobile station:

receiving local metadata for said at least one indoor region from a local device; and

providing at least a portion of said local metadata to said at least one function.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one function comprises at least one of:

a positioning function, a navigation function, or a location based service function.

29. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first indication of location comprises an estimated location of said mobile station.

10. An apparatus for use in a mobile station, the apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting a request for a repository device identifier to a directory device, said request for said repository device identifier being indicative of a repository device identifier and at least a first indication of location of said mobile station;

means for receiving said repository device identifier for said repository device from said directory device, said repository device identifier identifying a repository device and at least one indoor region corresponding to said first indication of location;

means for transmitting a request for position assistance data for said at least one indoor region to said repository device;

means for receiving said position assistance data from said repository device, said position assistance data comprising, at least in part, encoded metadata for at least a portion of said at least one indoor region and corresponding to at least one of an electronic map or an access point locator; and

means for providing at least a portion of said encoded metadata to at least one function for use in estimating a location of said mobile station.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, and further comprising:

means for obtaining a decryption key; and

means for decrypting at least a portion of said encoded metadata using said decryption key.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, said encoded metadata having been established, at least in part, by an analyzer capability.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, and further comprising, at least one of:

means for transmitting collected data for said at least one indoor region to said crowd-sourcing device;

or

means for receiving additional metadata for said at least one indoor region from said crowd-sourcing device, and means for proving at least a portion of said additional metadata to support said at least one function.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, and further comprising:

means for receiving local metadata for said at least one indoor region from a local device; and

means for providing at least a portion of said local metadata to said at least one function.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said first indication of location comprises an estimated location of said mobile station.

15. A mobile station comprising:

a network interface; and

a processing unit to;

initiate transmission of a request for a repository device identifier to a directory device via said network interface, said request for said repository device identifier being indicative of a repository device identifier and at least a first indication of location of said mobile station;

obtain said repository device identifier for a repository device from said directory device via said network interface, said repository device identifier identifying said repository device and at least one indoor region corresponding to said first indication of location;

initiate transmission of a request for position assistance data for said at least one indoor region to said repository device;

obtain said position assistance data from said repository device via said network interface, said position assistance data comprising, at least in part, encoded metadata for at least a portion of said at least one indoor region and corresponding to at least one of an electronic map or an access point locator; and

provide at least a portion of said encoded metadata to at least one function for use in estimating a location of said mobile station.

16. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said processing unit to further:

obtain a decryption key; and

decrypt at least a portion of said encoded metadata using said decryption key.

17. The mobile station as recited in claim 16, wherein said decryption key is obtained from a directory device via said network interface.

18. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said encoded metadata having been established, at least in part, by an analyzer capability.

19. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said encoded metadata having been established, at least in part, prior to transmission of said request for position assistance data.

20. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said encoded metadata having been established, at least in part, in response to said request for position assistance data.

21. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said processing unit to further interface, via said network interface, with a crowd-sourcing device by, at least one of:

initiating transmission of collected data for said at least one indoor region to said crowd-sourcing device;

or

obtaining additional metadata for said at least one indoor region from said crowd-sourcing device, and providing at least a portion of said additional metadata to said at least one function.

22. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, said processing unit to further:

obtain local metadata for said at least one indoor region from a local device, via said network interface; and

use at least a portion of said local metadata to support said at least one function.

23. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one function comprises at least one of:

a positioning function, a navigation function, or a location based service function.

31. The mobile station as recited in claim 15, wherein said first indication of location comprises an estimated location of said mobile station.

24. An article comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer implementable instructions that are executable by a processing unit in a mobile station to;

initiate transmission of a request for a repository device identifier to a directory device, said request for said repository device identifier being indicative of a repository device identifier and at least a first indication of location of said mobile station;

obtain said repository device identifier for a repository device from said directory device, said repository device identifier identifying said repository device and at least one indoor region corresponding to said first indication of location;

initiate transmission of a request for position assistance data for said at least one indoor region to said repository device;

obtain said position assistance data from said repository device, said position assistance data comprising, at least in part, encoded metadata for at least a portion of said at least one indoor region and corresponding to at least one of an electronic map or an access point locator; and

provide at least a portion of said encoded metadata to at least one function for use in estimating a location of said mobile station.

25. The article as recited in claim 24, said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said processing unit to:

obtain a decryption key; and

decrypt at least a portion of said encoded metadata using said decryption key.

26. The article as recited in claim 24, said encoded metadata having been established, at least in part, by an analyzer capability.

27. The article as recited in claim 24, said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said processing unit to:

obtain additional metadata for said at least one indoor region from a crowd-sourcing device; and

provide at least a portion of said additional metadata to support said at least one function.

28. The article as recited in claim 24, said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said processing unit to:

obtain local metadata for said at least one indoor region from a local device; and

provide at least a portion of said local metadata to said at least one function.

32. The article as recited in claim 24, wherein said first indication of location comprises an estimated location of said mobile station.