Utilizing a pressure profile to determine a location context identifier

• US 9,131,347 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Sai Pradeep, Liu, Weiyi, Zhang, Gengsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/020,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20140323160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6, 455/457, 4555561- 2, 340/426.19, 340/426.22, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, to facilitate or support one or more operations or techniques for utilizing a pressure profile to determine a location context identifier (LCI) for use in or with a mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a mobile device, positioning assistance data comprising a radio heat map defining a plurality of predetermined locations in an area identified via a location context identifier (LCI), said radio heat map comprising one or more expected altitude values for at least some of said predetermined locations relative to a reference altitude value within said area;

measuring an altitude of said mobile device relative to said reference altitude value based, at least in part, on one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained via a barometric pressure sensor of said mobile device; and

estimating a location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on at least one signal pattern matching operation with respect to said one or more expected altitude values and said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is based, at least in part, on selecting a signal pattern from among a plurality of candidate signal patterns determined for said LCI.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said selecting said signal pattern from among said plurality of candidate signal patterns comprises comparing said one or more expected altitude values with said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements to determine a closest signal pattern match.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said reference altitude value is determined based, at least in part, on at least one of the following:

a recent position fix obtained via a satellite positioning system (SPS);

a combination of wireless signals and barometric pressure measurements;

user input;

or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on a history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained over a time interval.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements comprises a pressure profile for said plurality of predetermined locations within said area.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements is obtained while a user of said mobile device travels within said area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said radio heat map further comprises at least one of the following:

expected received signal strength values at said predetermined locations;

expected round trip time values at said predetermined locations;

or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is performed in response to a determination of a coarse location of said mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation performed in response to said determination of said coarse location of said mobile device is based, at least in part, on selecting a signal pattern from a subset of signal patterns determined for said LCI and stored in a database.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more expected altitude values are provided in combination with said radio heat map or as a part of said radio heat map.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device comprising;

a wireless transceiver to communicate with a wireless network to obtain positioning assistance data comprising a radio heat map defining a plurality of predetermined locations in an area identified via a location context identifier (LCI), said radio heat map comprising one or more expected altitude values for at least some of said predetermined locations relative to a reference altitude value within said area;

a barometric pressure sensor to measure an altitude of said mobile device relative to said reference altitude value based, at least in part, on one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained via said barometric pressure sensor of said mobile device; and

one or more processors programmed with instructions to estimate a location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on at least one signal pattern matching operation with respect to said one or more expected altitude values and said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is based, at least in part, on selecting a signal pattern from among a plurality of candidate signal patterns determined for said LCI.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on a history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained over a time interval.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements comprises a pressure profile for said plurality of predetermined locations within said area.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is performed in response to a determination of a coarse location of said mobile device.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining, at a mobile device, positioning assistance data comprising a radio heat map defining a plurality of predetermined locations in an area identified via a location context identifier (LCI), said radio heat map comprising one or more expected altitude values for at least some of said predetermined locations relative to a reference altitude value within said area;

means for measuring an altitude of said mobile device relative to said reference altitude value based, at least in part, on one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained via a barometric pressure sensor of said mobile device; and

means for estimating a location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on at least one signal pattern matching operation with respect to said one or more expected altitude values and said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said means for estimating said location of said mobile device further comprises means for selecting a signal pattern from among a plurality of candidate signal patterns determined for said LCI.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for selecting said signal pattern from among said plurality of candidate signal patterns further comprises means for comparing said one or more expected altitude values with said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements to determine a closest signal pattern match.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said reference altitude value is determined based, at least in part, on at least one of the following:

a recent position fix obtained via a satellite positioning system (SPS);

a combination of wireless signals and barometric pressure measurements;

user input;

or any combination thereof.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on a history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained over a time interval.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements comprises a pressure profile for said plurality of predetermined locations within said area.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements is obtained while a user of said mobile device travels within said area.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said radio heat map further comprises at least one of the following:

expected received signal strength values at said predetermined locations;

expected round trip time values at said predetermined locations;

or any combination thereof.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is performed in response to a determination of a coarse location of said mobile device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation performed in response to said determination of said coarse location of said mobile device is based, at least in part, on selecting a signal pattern from a subset of signal patterns determined for said LCI and stored in a database.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said one or more expected altitude values are provided in combination with said radio heat map or as a part of said radio heat map.

28. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a special purpose computing platform to;

obtain, at a mobile device, positioning assistance data comprising a radio heat map defining a plurality of predetermined locations in an area identified via a location context identifier (LCI), said radio heat map comprising one or more expected altitude values for at least some of said predetermined locations relative to a reference altitude value within said area;

measure an altitude of said mobile device relative to said reference altitude value based, at least in part, on one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained via a barometric pressure sensor of said mobile device; and

estimate a location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on at least one signal pattern matching operation with respect to said one or more expected altitude values and said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein said storage medium further comprises instructions to select a signal pattern from among a plurality of candidate signal patterns determined for said LCI.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein said storage medium further comprises instructions to compare said one or more expected altitude values with said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements to determine a closest signal pattern match.

31. The article of claim 28, wherein said location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on a history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements obtained over a time interval.

32. The article of claim 31, wherein said history of said altitude measured via said one or more barometric pressure measurements comprises a pressure profile for said plurality of predetermined locations within said area.

33. The article of claim 28, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is performed in response to a determination of a coarse location of said mobile device.

34. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a mobile device, positioning assistance data comprising a radio heat map defining a plurality of predetermined locations in an area identified via a location context identifier (LCI), said radio heat map comprising one or more expected barometric pressure values for at least some of said predetermined locations relative to a reference barometric pressure value within said area;

measuring, via a barometric pressure sensor of said mobile device, a barometric pressure of said mobile device relative to said reference barometric pressure value; and

estimating a location of said mobile device based, at least in part, on at least one signal pattern matching operation with respect to said one or more expected barometric pressure values and said barometric pressure of said mobile device measured via said barometric pressure sensor.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said at least one signal pattern matching operation is based, at least in part, on selecting a signal pattern from among a plurality of candidate signal patterns determined for said LCI.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said selecting said signal pattern from among said plurality of candidate signal patterns comprises comparing said one or more expected barometric pressure values with said barometric pressure of said mobile device to determine a closest signal pattern match.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on at least one of the following:

a history of said barometric pressure obtained over a time interval;

a history of said barometric pressure obtained over an estimated horizontal distance of travel;

a history of maximum and minimum values of said barometric pressure;

a history of differences between maximum and minimum values of said barometric pressure;

or any combination thereof.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein said one or more expected barometric pressure values are provided in combination with said radio heat map or as a part of said radio heat map.