Determining building floor level of wireless mobile communication device

• US 8,990,043 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolodziej, Kris
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US13/038,108
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A floor-reporting computer system may determine the specific floor in a building on which a wireless mobile communication device is located. A network interface may receive device location information from a network communication system which originated from the wireless mobile communication device and which is indicative of the horizontal and vertical location of the wireless mobile communication device. A computer processing system may receive the device location information from the network interface and determine floor location information indicative of the specific floor in the building on which the wireless mobile communication device is located based on the device location information. The computer processing system may consult one or more databases when determining the floor location information, such as a building location database, a ground elevation database, a building floor height database, and/or an atmospheric air pressure database.

Claims

1. A floor-reporting computer system for determining a specific floor in a building on which a wireless mobile communication device is located, the system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a plurality of device locations from a network communication system which originated from the wireless mobile communication device and which are indicative of the horizontal and vertical locations of the wireless mobile communication device; and

a computer processing system configured to;

receive a first device location, and a second device location of the plurality of device locations from the network interface, based on a corresponding first location technique and a second location technique, different from the first location technique, wherein the first and second location techniques are selected from a group of different location techniques consisting of;

a GPS receiver in the wireless mobile communication device, signal triangulation at the wireless mobile communication device, WiFi geo-location at the wireless mobile communication device, and RF fingerprinting at the wireless mobile communication device, wherein the first and the second location techniques are used simultaneously, and

determine floor location information, upon combining the second device location with the first device location to generate a third device location indicative of an enhanced horizontal position and an enhanced vertical position of the wireless communication device;

wherein the floor location information is indicative of the specific floor in the building on which the wireless mobile communication device is located.

2. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the floor reporting computer system includes a building location database containing building location information indicative of the horizontal location of multiple buildings; and

the computer processing system is further configured to determine the floor location information by querying the building location database for the identity of the building at the horizontal location of the wireless mobile communication device.

3. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 2, wherein:

the floor-reporting computing system includes a building floor height database containing floor height information indicative of the height of floors in various buildings; and

the computer processing system is configured to determine the floor location information based in part by querying the building floor height database for the floor height information relating to the building in which the wireless mobile communication device is located.

4. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 3, in which the building floor height database is derived from public records.

5. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the device location information which is indicative of the vertical location of the wireless mobile communication device includes atmospheric air pressure information indicative of the atmospheric air pressure at the location of the wireless mobile communication device;

the floor reporting computer system includes an atmospheric air pressure database containing atmospheric air pressure information indicative of the atmospheric air pressure at different elevations; and

the computer processing system is further configured to determine the floor location information based in part by querying the atmospheric air pressure database for the elevation of the wireless mobile communication device based on the atmospheric air pressure information.

6. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 1, wherein the device location information further includes information indicative of the vertical location of the wireless mobile communication device, determined by feedback obtained by the wireless mobile communication device from an RFID tag located with the building.

7. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 6, wherein the feedback is indicative of the floor in the building on which the RFID tag is located.

8. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the floor-reporting computing system includes a ground elevation database containing ground elevation information indicative of the elevation of land at various horizontal locations; and

the computer processing system is configured to determine the floor location information based in part by querying the ground elevation database for the elevation of the ground below the wireless mobile communication device based on the device location information which is indicative of the horizontal location of the wireless mobile communication device.

9. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 8, wherein the ground elevation database includes a digital elevation mode.

10. A floor-reporting computer system for determining a specific floor in a building on which a wireless mobile communication device is located, the system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a plurality of device locations from a network communication system which originated from the wireless mobile communication device and which are indicative of the horizontal and vertical locations of the wireless mobile communication device; and

a building location database containing building location information indicative of the horizontal location of multiple buildings;

a building floor height database containing floor height information indicative of the height of each floor in various buildings;

a ground elevation database containing ground elevation information indicative of the elevation of land at various horizontal locations; and

a computer processing system configured to;

receive a first device location, and a second device location of the plurality of device locations, from the network interface based on a corresponding first location technique and a second location technique, different from the first location technique, wherein the first and second location techniques are selected from a group of different location techniques consisting of;

a GPS receiver in the wireless mobile communication device, signal triangulation at the wireless mobile communication device, WiFi geo-location at the wireless mobile communication device and RF fingerprinting at the wireless mobile communication device;

wherein the first and second location techniques are used simultaneously; and

determine floor location information, upon combining the second device location with the first device location to generate a third device location indicative of an enhanced horizontal position and an enhanced vertical position of the wireless communication device;

wherein the floor location information is indicative of the specific floor in the building on which the wireless mobile communication device is located and by further;

querying the building location database for the identity of the building in which the wireless mobile communication device is located based on the horizontal location of the wireless mobile communication device;

querying the building floor height database for floor height information indicative of the height of the floors in the building identified by querying the building location database;

querying the ground elevation database for ground elevation information indicative of the elevation of the ground below the wireless mobile communication device based on the horizontal location of the wireless mobile communication device; and

determining the floor location information based on the enhanced vertical position of the wireless mobile communication device, the floor height information, and the ground elevation information.

11. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 10, wherein:

the information indicative of the vertical location of the wireless mobile communication device includes atmospheric air pressure information indicative of the atmospheric air pressure at the location of the wireless mobile communication device;

the floor reporting computer system includes an atmospheric air pressure database containing atmospheric air pressure information indicative of the atmospheric air pressure at different elevations; and

the computer processing system is further configured to determine the floor location information by querying the atmospheric air pressure database for the elevation of the wireless mobile communication device based on the atmospheric air pressure information.

12. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 10, wherein:

the network interface is configured to;

receive a request for the floor location information from the network communication system;

deliver the floor information into the network communication system; and

the computer processing systems is configured to deliver the floor location information to the network interface for delivery into the network communication system in response to the request for the floor information.

13. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 10, wherein the floor-reporting computer system is part of a location-based computer system which provides a location-based service.

14. The floor-reporting computer system of claim 10, wherein the floor-reporting computer system is part of an emergency response computer system which provides an emergency response service.