Positioning arrangement, method, mobile device and computer program

• US 9,125,019 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glopos FZC
• Original Assignee: Glopos FZC
• Inventors: Heikkila, Timo, Vainio, Mikael
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/266,876
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457, 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 701/410
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Electronic arrangement for positioning a mobile device, including a mapping entity configured to obtain positioning data, from a plurality of measuring mobile devices present in an area of interest, establish and maintain, based on the obtained data, a multi-level probability map model structure for the area, wherein each higher level covers the area with lower spatial resolution by a plurality of determine sub-areas, each having a unitary character, and each lower level correspondingly covers, for each the sub-area of the adjacent upper level, a plurality of determined sub-areas thereof with higher spatial resolution, the lowest level determining the highest spatial resolution location elements of the model, optionally coordinates, a locating entity configured to obtain data provided by the mobile device, determine an estimate of the position of the mobile device by traversing through at least a portion of a number of vertical candidate paths of the multi-level probability model structure.

Claims

1. An electronic arrangement for positioning a mobile device, comprising

a modeling entity configured to, in order to construct a database for locating mobile devices,

obtain positioning data and environment data from a plurality of measuring mobile devices present in an area of interest, and

establish and maintain, based on the obtained data, a multi-level probability map model structure for the area of interest, wherein each higher level covers the area of interest with lower spatial resolution by a plurality of determined sub-areas, each sub-area having a unitary character in terms of the obtained data and/or features derived therefrom, and each lower level correspondingly covers, for each said sub-area of the adjacent upper level, a plurality of determined sub-areas thereof with higher spatial resolution, the lowest level determining the highest spatial resolution location elements of the model, optionally coordinates, and

a locating entity configured to, in order to locate a mobile device,

obtain at least environment data and optionally positioning data provided by the mobile device, and

determine an estimate of the position of the mobile device by traversing through at least a portion of a number of vertical candidate paths of the multi-level probability model structure starting from a number of candidate sub-areas in the highest level, the candidate sub-areas being selected and paths continued or terminated on each level based on determining the probability of the mobile device residing in each sub-area in view of the obtained environment data and optional positioning data and characteristics of the sub-area, until the lowest level with highest spatial resolution is reached, wherein the position estimate of the mobile device is determined based on the highest probability location elements thereof according to predefined criteria.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the positioning data includes satellite positioning data and environment data includes cellular network based data.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the positioning data includes satellite positioning data according to at least one system selected from the group consisting of:

GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), BDS (BeiDou Satellite Navigation System), and COMPASS (BeiDou-2).

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein environment data comprises at least one data element selected from the group consisting of:

cellular network data element, wireless LAN (local area network) data element, MCC (mobile country code) identifier, MNC (mobile network code) identifier, primary scrambling code, ARFCN (absolute radio-frequency channel number), BSIC (base station identity code), received signal strength, radio frequency, LAC (location area code), TAC (tracking area code), CID (Cell ID), PCI (Physical Cell ID), MAC (media access control address), SSID (service set identifier), RSSI (received signal strength indication), RSCP (received signal code power), and RSRP (reference signal received power).

5. The arrangement of claim 1, configured to group multiple data elements for establishing a characteristic for modelling and positioning.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, configured to group multiple data elements for establishing a characteristic for modelling and positioning, wherein multiple cellular data elements are grouped, preferably including indication of current serving cell and neighbouring cells.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein a location-related probability is determined utilizing the probabilities of adjacent locations according to predefined logic.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein a plurality of technology-specific, spatially overlapping probability maps are established with a number of technology-specific characteristics, and combined during positioning according to a predefined merging logic.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the probability map model structure incorporates or is established by a number of predefined statistics, such as cell visibility statistics, for use during positioning.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein a bounding box technique is applied to determine a geographical sub-area or blank area within scope of the probability map model structure, wherein the bounding box is delimited by data points obtained by the modelling entity from mobile devices.

11. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least two co-existing geographically overlapping models are at least temporarily maintained for an area, optionally a sub-area of the model structure.

12. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least two co-existing geographically overlapping models are at least temporarily maintained for an area, optionally a sub-area of the model structure, and wherein responsive to detecting a change large enough in the obtained data relative to previous data regarding the area according to a utilized criterion, a new model is established alongside with a previous model.

13. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least two co-existing geographically overlapping models are at least temporarily maintained for an area, optionally a sub-area of the model structure, and wherein responsive to detecting a change large enough in the obtained data relative to previous data regarding the area, a new model is established alongside with a previous model, and wherein a new model or previous model is discarded as obsolete in favour of the remaining model after a period of co-existence according to decision-making criterion optionally putting emphasis on the more recent data.

14. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the model structure is time-sensitive.

15. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein determining a current position estimate of the mobile device comprises merging probability data of different time instants.

16. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein movement estimation is applied to estimate the probability of a number of paths or transitions between possible locations of the mobile device.

17. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein road map data, road plan data or other data indicative of the road characteristics in the area is applied for determining likely, minimum, or maximum expected transition per selected time window or speed within the area.

18. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein estimation technique, preferably Kalman filter, is utilized to determine like path of movement of the mobile device based on the model and obtained environment data.

19. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the locating entity is configured to apply data, obtained during positioning a second mobile device from the second mobile device, to position the mobile device.

20. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein offset compensation is applied to level out differences between positioning or environment data measured by multiple mobiles devices, caused by different data receipt or processing capabilities of the devices.

21. The arrangement of claim 1, configured to receive, from the mobile device, at least one further data element selected from the group consisting of:

sensor data, accelerometer data, temperature data, humidity data, context data, digital image data, video data, sound data, and time data.

22. The arrangement of claim 1, configured to obtain supportive modelling or positioning data relative to the area of interest, optionally sub-area, including at least one data element selected from the group consisting of:

area topology data, speed limit data, traffic status data, area geographical data, city plan data, artificial object data, building data, natural object data, lake data, river data, sea data, boulder data, traffic light data, road data, sidewalk data, and cycleway data.

23. The arrangement of claim 1, configured to associate data from different sources, optionally including professional entities and crowdsourcing, with source-dependent reliability estimates to enable giving data from different sources a different weight in modelling and positioning.

24. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein during a repetitive or substantially continuous positioning, optionally navigation, procedure, a subsequent new position estimate is determined through utilization of the multi-level probability model structure starting from a number of candidate sub-areas in an intermediate or lowest level thereof, based on the history data relating to a number of previous positioning rounds, optionally a previously selected sub-area and/or a previously determined position estimate.

25. A method for positioning a mobile device operable in at least one wireless communications network, comprising

obtaining positioning data, optionally including satellite positioning data, and environment data, optionally including cellular network based data, from a plurality of measuring mobile devices present in an area of interest,

establishing, based on the obtained data, a multi-level probability map model structure for the area of interest, wherein each higher level covers the area of interest with lower spatial resolution by a plurality of determined sub-areas, each sub-area having a unitary character in terms of the obtained data and/or features derived therefrom, and each lower level correspondingly covers, for each said sub-area of the adjacent upper level, a plurality of determined sub-areas thereof with higher spatial resolution, the lowest level determining the highest spatial resolution location elements of the model, optionally coordinates, and

generating a location estimate of the mobile device, wherein at least environment data and optionally positioning data are provided by the mobile device and an estimate of the position of the mobile device is determined by traversing through at least a portion of a number of vertical candidate paths of the multi-level probability map model structure starting from a number of candidate sub-areas in the highest level, the candidate sub-areas being selected and paths continued or terminated on each level based on determining the probability of the mobile device residing in each sub-area in view of the obtained environment data and optional positioning data and characteristics of the sub-area, until the lowest level with highest spatial resolution is reached, wherein the position estimate of the mobile device is determined based on the highest probability location elements thereof according to predefined criteria.

26. A mobile electronic device operable in at least one wireless communications network, configured to

obtain a multi-level probability map model structure for an area of interest, wherein each higher level covers the area of interest with lower spatial resolution by a plurality of determined sub-areas, each sub-area having a unitary character in terms of the obtained data and/or features derived therefrom, and each lower level correspondingly covers, for each said sub-area of the adjacent upper level, a plurality of determined sub-areas thereof with higher spatial resolution, the lowest level determining the highest spatial resolution location elements of the model, optionally coordinates, the model structure being established based on positioning data and environment data from a plurality of measuring mobile devices present in the area of interest,

obtain environment data based on a number of captured wireless network signals, and

estimate its position through utilization of the model structure, wherein the position is determined by traversing through at least a portion of a number of vertical candidate paths of the multi-level probability map model structure starting from a number of candidate sub-areas in the highest level, the candidate sub-areas being selected and paths continued or terminated on each level based on determining the probability of the mobile device residing in each sub-area in view of the obtained environment data and characteristics of the sub-area, until the lowest level with highest spatial resolution is reached, wherein the position estimate of the mobile device is determined based on the highest probability location elements thereof according to predefined criteria.

27. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory carrier medium, comprising instructions causing the computer to,

obtain positioning data, optionally satellite positioning data, and environment data, optionally cellular network based data, from a plurality of measuring mobile devices present in an area of interest,

establish, based on the obtained data, a multi-level probability map model structure for the area of interest, wherein each higher level covers the area of interest with lower spatial resolution by a plurality of determined sub-areas, each sub-area having a unitary character in terms of the obtained data and/or features derived therefrom, and each lower level correspondingly covers, for each said sub-area of the adjacent upper level, a plurality of determined sub-areas thereof with higher spatial resolution, the lowest level determining the highest spatial resolution location elements of the model, optionally coordinates, and

generate a location estimate of the mobile device, wherein at least environment data and optionally positioning data are provided by the mobile device and an estimate of the position of the mobile device is determined by traversing through at least a portion of a number of vertical candidate paths of the multi-level probability map model structure starting from a number of candidate sub-areas in the highest level, the candidate sub-areas being selected and paths continued or terminated on each level based on determining the probability of the mobile device residing in each sub-area in view of the obtained environment data and optional positioning data and characteristics of the sub-area, until the lowest level with highest spatial resolution is reached, wherein the position estimate of the mobile device is determined based on the highest probability location elements thereof according to predefined criteria.