Method and/or system for obtaining signatures for use in navigation

• US 9,026,138 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Do, Ju-Yong, Das, Saumitra Mohan, Mirzaei, Faraz Mohammad
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/738,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20140194137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 4554561-4562, 370/252, 370/328, 703/2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods and techniques for obtaining round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of signals at one or more mobile devices, the signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters; approximating locations of the one or more mobile devices while obtaining the RTT measurements; and combining the measurements to determine expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in the area based, at least in part, on the obtained RTT measurements and the approximated locations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a first plurality of round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of signals by a plurality of mobile devices, said signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters;

identifying a selected type of receiver used to acquire at least one of said signals by at least one mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices, said selected type of receiver being selected from among multiple types of receivers;

approximating locations of at least a portion of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein said approximated locations are of said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices during a time that said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices are obtaining at least a first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, and wherein said approximated locations are derived based upon other than said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements;

selecting a second plurality of RTT measurements comprising at least a portion of said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, wherein said second plurality of RTT measurements corresponds to said selected type of receiver; and

combining said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area based, at least in part, on said selected second plurality of RTT measurements and said approximated locations,

wherein said expected RTT signature values are for application by said at least one of said plurality of mobile devices employing said selected type of receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising providing said expected RTT signature values to at least one other mobile device for use in positioning operations.

3. The method of claim 2, and further comprising:

computing expected uncertainty values associated with said expected RTT signature values; and

combining said expected uncertainty values with said expected RTT signature values as positioning assistance data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said combining said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine said expected RTT signature values comprises interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximated locations and said discrete positions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximated locations and said discrete positions comprises applying a Gaussian process regression.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said discrete positions comprise locations defined on grid points defined by a radio heatmap over an indoor area.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising constructing multiple radio heatmaps corresponding to said multiple types of receivers based, at least in part, on said expected RTT signature values for the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said multiple types of receivers are based, at least in part, on properties of said multiple types of receivers to select a component from among multiple components for computation of an RTT measurement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multiple components comprise at least one line of sight component and at least one multipath component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said approximated locations are based, at least in part, on ground truth measurements obtained from said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising sorting said first plurality of RTT measurements, at least in part, by said multiple types of receivers.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface; and

one or more processors to;

access a first plurality of round trip time (RTT) measurements received at said communication interface, wherein said first plurality of RTT measurements are obtained from acquisition of signals by a plurality of mobile devices, said signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters;

identify a selected type of receiver used to acquire at least one of said signals by at least one mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices, said selected type of receiver being selected from among multiple types of receivers;

approximate locations of at least a portion of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein said approximated locations are of said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices during a time that said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices are obtaining at least a first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, and wherein said approximated locations are derived based upon other than said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements;

select a second plurality of RTT measurements comprising at least a portion of said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, wherein said second plurality of RTT measurements corresponds to said selected type of receiver; and

combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area based, at least in part, on said selected second plurality of RTT measurements and said approximated locations,

wherein said expected RTT signature values are for application by said at least one of said plurality of mobile devices employing said selected type of receiver.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are further to provide said expected RTT signature values to at least one other mobile device for use in positioning operations.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more processors are further to combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine said expected RTT signature values by interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximate locations and said discrete positions.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximate locations and said discrete positions comprises applying a Gaussian process regression.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said discrete positions comprise locations defined on grid points defined by a radio heatmap over an indoor area.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said one or more processors are further to sort said first plurality of RTT measurements, at least in part, by said multiple types of receivers.

18. A non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable code, stored thereon, which is executable by a special purpose computing apparatus, comprising:

code to obtain a first plurality of round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of signals by a plurality of mobile devices, said signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters;

code to identify a selected type of receiver used to acquire at least one of said signals by at least one mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices, said selected type of receiver being selected from among multiple types of receivers;

code to approximate locations of at least a portion of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein said approximated locations are of said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices during a time that said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices are obtaining at least a first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, and wherein said approximated locations are derived based upon other than said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements;

code to select a second plurality of RTT measurements comprising at least a portion of said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, wherein said second plurality of RTT measurements corresponds to said selected type of receiver; and

code to combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area based, at least in part, on said selected second plurality of RTT measurements and said approximated locations,

wherein said expected RTT signature values are for application by said at least one of said plurality of mobile devices employing said selected type of receiver.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, further comprising code to provide said expected RTT signature values to at least one other mobile device for use in positioning operations.

20. The storage medium of claim 18, wherein said code to combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements further comprises code to combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values by interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximate locations and said discrete positions.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein said code to combine said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values by interpolating or extrapolating said expected RTT signature values between said approximate locations and said discrete positions comprises code to apply a Gaussian process regression.

22. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein said discrete positions comprise locations defined on grid points defined by a radio heatmap over an indoor area.

23. The storage medium of claim 18 further comprising code to sort said first plurality of RTT measurements, at least in part, by said multiple types of receivers.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining a first plurality of round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of signals by a plurality of mobile devices, said signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters;

means for identifying a selected type of receiver used to acquire at least one of said signals by at least one mobile device of said plurality of mobile devices, said selected type of receiver being selected from among multiple types of receivers;

means for approximating locations of at least a portion of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein said approximated locations are of said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices during a time that said at least said portion of said plurality of mobile devices are obtaining at least a first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, and wherein said approximated locations are derived based upon other than said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements;

means for selecting a second plurality of RTT measurements comprising at least a portion of said at least said first portion of said first plurality of RTT measurements, wherein said second plurality of RTT measurements corresponds to said selected type of receiver; and

means for combining said selected second plurality of RTT measurements to determine expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area based, at least in part, on said selected second plurality of RTT measurements and the approximated locations,

wherein said expected RTT signature values are for application by said at least one of said plurality of mobile devices employing said selected type of receiver.

25. A method comprising, at a mobile device:

approximating a location of said mobile device;

obtaining one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of one or more signals at said mobile device, said one or more signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters; and

transmitting one or more messages comprising said approximated location and said one or more RTT measurements to a server for use in computing expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area,

wherein the one or more messages further identify a type of receiver used by said mobile device to acquire said one or more signals.

26. The method of claim 25, and further comprising receiving one or more messages comprising said computed expected RTT signature values for use in positioning operations at said mobile device.

27. A mobile device comprising:

a transceiver to transmit and receive signals over a wireless communication link; and

one or more processors configured to;

obtain one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of one or more signals at said transceiver, said signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters; and

initiate transmission of one or more messages through said transceiver comprising an approximate location of said mobile device and said one or more RTT measurements to a server for use in computing expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area,

wherein the one or more messages further identify a type of the transceiver used by said mobile device to acquire said one or more signals.

28. The mobile device of claim 27, and further comprising one or more inertial sensors, and wherein said one or more processors are further configured to determine said approximate location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on one or more measurements obtained from said one or more inertial sensors.

29. The mobile device of claim 27, wherein the or more processors are further configured to obtain one or more messages received at said transceiver comprising said computed expected RTT signature values for use in positioning operations at said mobile device.

30. A mobile device comprising:

means for approximating a location of said mobile device;

means for obtaining one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of one or more signals at said mobile device, said one or more signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters; and

means for transmitting one or more messages comprising said approximated location and said one or more RTT measurements to a server for use in computing expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area,

wherein the one or more messages further identify a type of receiver used by said mobile device to acquire said one or more signals.

31. An article comprising:

a storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing apparatus in a mobile device to;

approximate a location of said mobile device;

obtain one or more round trip time (RTT) measurements from acquisition of one or more signals at said mobile device, said one or more signals being transmitted by one or more transmitters; and

transmit one or more messages comprising said approximated location and said one or more RTT measurements to a server for use in computing expected RTT signature values at discrete positions in an area,

wherein the one or more messages further identify a type of receiver used by said mobile device to acquire said one or more signals.