Position indication controls for device locations

• US 9,146,117 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Friedler, Sorelle Alaina, Kadous, Mohammed Waleed, Lookingbill, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US14/132,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 701408-409, 701433-434, 701/445, 701/534
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• 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: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to localizing mobile devices. In one example, a first location method associated with a first accuracy value may be used to estimate a location of the mobile device. A confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the estimation of the location is calculated. The confidence circle may be displayed on a mobile device. When other location methods become available, the size of the displayed confidence circle may be expanded based on information from an accelerometer of the client device or the accuracy of the other available location methods. This may be especially useful when the mobile device is transitioning between areas which are associated with different location methods that may be more or less accurate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

estimating, by one or more processors, using a first location method, a location of a mobile device based at least in part on a first accuracy value;

determining, by the one or more processors, a size of a confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation;

providing for display, by the one or more processors, the confidence circle according to the determined size;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, adjusting, by the one or more processors, the size of the confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method, and wherein the size of the confidence circle is adjusted in two phases having different adjustment criteria; and

providing for display, by the one or more processors, the confidence circle according to the adjusted size.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

wherein when the confidence circle according to the adjusted size is provided for display, the location dot remains fixed relative to the map.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

delaying providing a new location dot for display, when the new location dot would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and to another level in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map;

determining the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map of the location dot being based on selecting a particle of a particle filter, the selected particle representing a relative location of the location dot to the map; and

removing the selected particle from consideration when the relative location of the selected particle would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and on another level or floor in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first accuracy value is greater than the second accuracy value, adjusting the size of the confidence circle includes increasing the size of the confidence circle.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map;

determining the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map of the location dot being based on selecting a particle of a particle filter, the selected particle representing a relative location of the location dot to the map; and

removing the selected particle from consideration when the relative location of the selected particle would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and on another level or floor in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.

10. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

estimate, using a first location method, a location of a mobile device based at least in part on a first accuracy value;

determine a size of a confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation;

provide for display the confidence circle according to the determined size;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, adjust the size of the confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method, and wherein the size of the confidence circle is adjusted in two phases having different adjustment criteria; and

provide for display the confidence circle according to the adjusted size.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

wherein when the confidence circle according to the adjusted size is provided for display, the location dot remains fixed relative to the map.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

delay providing a new location dot for display, when the new location dot would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and to another level in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

provide for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map;

determine the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map of the location dot being based on selecting a particle of a particle filter, the selected particle representing a relative location of the location dot to the map; and

remove the selected particle from consideration when the relative location of the selected particle would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and on another level or floor in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the first accuracy value is greater than the second accuracy value, adjust the size of the confidence circle includes increasing the size of the confidence circle.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

estimating, using a first location method, a location of a mobile device based at least in part on a first accuracy value;

determining a size of a confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the location estimation;

providing for display the confidence circle according to the determined size;

when a second location method associated with a second accuracy value different from the first accuracy value is available, adjusting the size of the confidence circle, wherein the second location method is different from the first location method, and wherein the size of the confidence circle is adjusted in two phases having different adjustment criteria; and

providing for display the confidence circle according to the adjusted size.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

wherein when the confidence circle according to the adjusted size is provided for display, the location dot remains fixed relative to the map.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

providing for display a location dot within the confidence circle according to the determined size, wherein the location dot indicates the estimated location of the mobile device relative to a map; and

delaying providing a new location dot for display, when the new location dot would put the location dot in an invalid state relative to the map.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the invalid state is one or more of moving the location dot across a barrier without an associated exit or portal, within a wall or partition, and to another level in the absence of stairs, an elevator, or an escalator.