Method and system for indoor RF mapping

• US 8,977,287 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Ocean Robotics ApS
• Original Assignee: James Eric Jr. Greenhaw
• Inventors: Gold, Andrew Joseph, Cantin, Graham Tyler, Greenhaw, James Eric Jr., Tesfaye, Tesh
• Primary Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US13/457,265
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 455/561, 701/201, 701/217, 702/180
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for determining a location of a mobile electronic device includes receiving from said device, at a first electronic device, a first RF signal comprising a wireless signal according to a first standard other than a GPS standard. First RF fingerprint data is provided based on the first RF signal. A second RF signal comprising a wireless signal according to a second standard other than a GPS standard is received from said device at a second electronic device. Second RF fingerprint data is provided based on the second RF signal. Device specific RF signal fingerprint data is determined in dependence upon each of the first and second RF fingerprint data. The location of the device is determined using the first RF signal, the device specific RF signal fingerprint data for the first standard, the second wireless signal, and the device specific RF signal fingerprint data for the second standard.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a. receiving at a first electronic device from a mobile electronic device a first RF signal comprising a wireless signal according to a first standard, the first standard other than a GPS standard and providing first RF fingerprint data based on the first RF signal;

b. receiving at a second electronic device from the mobile electronic device a second RF signal comprising a wireless signal according to a second standard, the second standard other than a GPS standard and providing second RF fingerprint data based on the second RF signal;

c. determining device specific RF fingerprint data comprising RF fingerprint data specific to the mobile electronic device for the first standard and RF fingerprint data specific to the mobile electronic device for the second standard in dependence upon the first RF fingerprint data and second RF fingerprint data; and

d. determining a location of the mobile electronic device based on the first RF signal, the device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard, the second RF signal, and the device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determined location is other than a location determinable independently with each of the first RF signal and the second RF signal.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein determining a location comprises:

determining a first location estimate for the mobile electronic device based solely on the first RF signal and stored RF fingerprint data relating to the first standard;

determining a second location estimate for the mobile electronic device based solely on the second RF signal and stored RF fingerprint data relating to the second standard;

determining the location of the mobile electronic device based on the first location estimate and the second location estimate.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein determining the location comprises:

determining a first error in the first location estimate and determining a second error in the second location estimate and resolving the first error and the second error to result in the location of the mobile electronic device.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein determining the location is performed in iterations.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein during each iteration:

the first location estimate is modified to form a modified first location estimate;

the second location estimate is modified to form a modified second location estimate; and

a resulting error is determined based on the modified first location estimate and the modified second location estimate.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein iterating is continued until the resulting error is below a predetermined threshold error.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining the location comprises:

resolving an error resulting between locations determinable independently with each of the first RF signal and the second RF signal to determine the location of the mobile electronic device.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining the location is performed in iterations.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein iterating is continued until the resulting error is below a predetermined threshold error.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless signal according to the first standard is a wireless signal according to an implementation within a broad standard forming the first standard and the wireless signal according to the second standard is a wireless signal according to an implementation within other than the first standard.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless signal according to the first standard is a wireless signal according to an implementation within one of a cellular voice communication standard, a WiFi communication standard, a 3G data communication standard, a cellular data communication standard, a 4G data communication standard, a Bluetooth®

communication standard, a nearfield communication standard, and a WiMax communication standard, the one being the first standard and the wireless signal according to the second standard is a wireless signal according to an implementation within other than the first standard.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a location comprises:

a. storing data relating to a first location estimate of the mobile electronic device based on the first RF signal and a second location estimate based on the second RF signal;

b. determining a second first location estimate for the mobile electronic device based on a second first RF signal received at a different time temporally proximate to the first RF signal, and stored data relating to the first location estimate;

c. determining a second second location estimate for the mobile electronic device based on a second second RF signal received at a different time temporally proximate to the second RF signal, and stored data relating to the second location estimate;

d. determining the location of the mobile electronic device based on the second first location estimate and the second second location estimate.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein determining the location is performed in iterations.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein during each iteration:

a. the first location estimate is modified to form a modified first location estimate;

b. the second location estimate is modified to form a modified second location estimate; and

c. at least a resulting error is determined based on the modified first location estimate and the modified second location estimate.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein iterating is continued until the at least a resulting error is below a predetermined threshold error.

17. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a location comprises:

a. determining a first region of highest probability for the first location estimate and a second region of highest probability for the second location estimate wherein the first region of highest probability is an area within a determined range of the first location estimate and second region of highest probability is an area within a determined range of the second location estimate; and

b. determining a location estimate of the mobile electronic device based on the first location estimate, first region of highest probability, second location estimate, and second region of highest probability.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein determining the location estimate of the mobile electronic device is performed in iterations, each iteration based on data acquired at different times temporally proximate one another, wherein a region of highest probability is determined for a location relating to previously received RF signal and the location estimate is relating to a currently received RF signal.

19. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a location comprises:

a. determining a plurality of models modeling wireless signals of different signal standards interacting with a known plurality of mediums;

b. identifying a common medium from the known plurality of mediums in which the wireless signal according to the first standard and the wireless signal according to the second standard are interacting;

c. determining a compensation function relating to the common medium; and

d. determining a new location based on the wireless signal according to the first standard and the wireless signal according to the second standard and the compensation function.

20. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a location comprises:

a. determining a plurality of models modeling wireless signals of different signal standards interacting with a plurality of known mediums;

b. identifying a medium from the plurality of known mediums with which the wireless signal according to the first standard interacts in a first fashion and with which the wireless signal according to the second standard other than interacts in said first fashion;

c. determining a compensation functions relating to the medium and the first fashion; and

d. determining a new location based on the wireless signal according to the first standard and the wireless signal according to the second standard and the compensation function.

21. A method comprising:

a. receiving at a first electronic device from a mobile wireless electronic device an RF signal comprising a first wireless signal according to a first standard and a second wireless signal according to the first standard whereby the first wireless signal is other than the second wireless signal and the first standard is other than a GPS standard; and

b. based on both the first wireless signal and the second other wireless signal, determining a location of the mobile wireless electronic device, the location determined absent triangulation.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the determined location is other than a location determinable independently with each of the first wireless signal and the second wireless signal.

23. A method comprising:

a. receiving at a first electronic device from a wireless electronic device an RF signal comprising a first wireless signal according to a first standard and at a second electronic device a second wireless signal according to a second other standard from the wireless electronic device, the first standard and the second other standard other than a GPS standard;

b. determining wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard and wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard; and

c. determining a location of the wireless electronic device based on the first wireless signal, the wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard, the second wireless signal, and the wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard.

24. A method comprising:

a. receiving at a first electronic device first RF signal comprising a first wireless signal according to a first standard from a wireless electronic device and receiving at a second electronic device a second RF signal comprising a second wireless signal according to a second other standard from the wireless electronic device, the first standard and the second other standard other than a GPS standard;

b. correlating the wireless electronic device to a known device for which second wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard is known and for which third wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard is known; and

c. determining a location of the wireless electronic device based on the first wireless signal, the second wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard, the second wireless signal, and the third wireless electronic device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein correlating comprises:

selecting the known device from a plurality of devices and using a transform relating the wireless electronic device to the known device for wireless signals received at the first electronic device according to the first standard.

26. A method according to claim 24 wherein correlating comprises:

selecting the known device from a plurality of devices and using a transform relating the second electronic device to the third device for wireless signals received at the second electronic device according to the second standard.

27. A method comprising:

a. receiving at a first electronic device an RF signal comprising a wireless signal according to a first standard from a wireless electronic device and at a second electronic device a wireless signal according to a second other standard from the wireless electronic device, the first standard and the second other standard other than a GPS standard;

b. correlating the wireless electronic device to a first known device for which second device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard is known

c. correlating the wireless electronic device to a second known device for which third device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard is known; and

d. determining a location of the wireless electronic device based on the wireless signal according to the first standard, the second device specific RF fingerprint data for the first standard, the wireless signal according to the second standard, and the third device specific RF fingerprint data for the second standard.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein correlating comprises:

selecting the known device from a plurality of devices and using a transform relating the wireless electronic device to the known device for wireless signals received at the first electronic device according to the first standard.

29. A method according to claim 27 wherein correlating comprises:

selecting the known device from a plurality of devices and using a transform relating the second electronic device to the third device for wireless signals received at the second electronic device according to the second standard.