Building perpendicularity testing and adjustment

• US 9,222,784 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edward K. Welch II
• Original Assignee: Myles L. Strohl
• Inventors: Keene, Richard M., Garland, Stephen Kent, Crouch, Milne T., Maxwell, Daniel Travis, Maxwell, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, MISCHITA L
• Application Number:
  US13/236,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

Tracking a person in a building can be performed by obtaining a building layout with respect to a surrounding geography and tracking movement of the person using a monitoring device carried by the person. A correction angle can be calculated to normalize tracked movement of the person with respect to a skew angle of the building layout. The correction angle can be applied to the tracked movement of the person or the building layout.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking a person in a building, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and having a processor and memory for executing the executable instructions,

obtaining a building layout of a building with respect to a surrounding geography;

tracking movement of the person with respect to the building using the processor and based on data from a monitoring device carried by the person;

calculating a correction angle using the processor to normalize tracked movement of the person with respect to a skew angle of the building layout;

applying the correction angle to at least one of the tracked movement of the person and the building layout using the processor; and

correcting a tracked movement offset of the person when a path of the tracked movement of the person is blocked by a wall of the building layout and steps of the person are continued to be detected by;

identifying a straight path and two angled paths on opposite sides of the straight path for path continuity candidates;

determining whether a path continuity candidate exists for the straight path or at least one of the two angled paths, wherein the path continuity candidate intersects a wall of the building layout; and

projecting a position of the person onto an existing path continuity candidate to place the projected position within the building layout, wherein the projected position along the path continuity is determined according to a number of the detected steps of the person.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a perpendicularity of the building.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating the perpendicularity further comprises:

determining an orientation of the building relative to a known direction;

calculating an average orientation of walls of the building; and

testing whether a majority of the walls fit within a predetermined number of angular intervals by rotating a wall orientation in 90 degree increments until the wall orientation fits within at least one predetermined angular interval.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating the correction angle and applying the correction angle further comprises calculating the correction angle and applying the correction angle only when the majority of the walls fit within the predetermined number of angular intervals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a barometer, a compass, and a gyroscope.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a compass and a gyroscope and wherein tracking the movement of the person comprises stabilizing an output from the compass using the gyroscope.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising stabilizing an output of the gyroscope using the building layout.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the correction angle further comprises applying the correction angle when the tracked movement of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout is less than a predetermined angle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking comprises receiving tracking data associated with individual steps of the person, and wherein applying the correction angle further comprises applying the correction angle to the received tracking data when two consecutive steps of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout are less than a predetermined angle and not applying the correction angle to the received tracking data when zero or one steps of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout are greater than the predetermined angle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a magnetic compass and a gyroscope, wherein tracking the movement of the person comprises using the magnetic compass to stabilize an output from the gyroscope at least two times faster when a detected movement of the person is on a circularly winding stairway comprising at least 1.5 full rotations as compared with when the movement of the person is not on a circularly winding stairway comprising at least 1.5 full rotations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a magnetic compass, and wherein tracking the movement of the person comprises ignoring an output of the magnetic compass when the person is not moving.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the tracked movement of the person is within the building layout or without the building layout according to a number of walls of the building layout a path of the tracked movement crosses.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a gyroscope, the method further comprising correcting gyroscope drift to realign the gyroscope with the building.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a compass and tracking the movement further comprises using an average output of the compass.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the monitoring device further comprises a gyroscope, the method further comprising holding an output of the compass steady using an output of the gyroscope when the person is not moving.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement a method for tracking a person in a building, comprising:

receiving, at a monitoring station, data signals associated with a tracked movement of the person in the building as detected by a monitoring device carried by the person;

calculating, using a correction module, a correction angle to normalize the tracked movement of the person with respect to a skew angle of a layout of the building;

applying, using the processor, the correction angle to at least one of the tracked movement of the person and the building layout and to track the movement of the person by estimating a location of the person from the data signals; and

correcting, using the processor, a movement offset of the a tracked movement of the person when the tracked path of the movement of the person is blocked by a wall of the building layout and steps of the person are continued to be detected, correcting the movement offset comprising;

identifying a straight path and two angled paths on opposite sides of the straight path for path continuity candidates;

determining whether a path continuity candidate exists for the straight path or at least one of the two angled paths, wherein the path continuity candidate intersects a wall of the building layout; and

projecting a position of the person onto an existing path continuity candidate to place the projected position within the building layout, wherein the projected position along the path continuity is determined according to a number of the detected steps of the person.

17. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining an orientation of the building relative to a known direction;

calculating an average orientation of walls of the building; and

testing whether a majority of the walls fit within a predetermined number of angular intervals by rotating a wall orientation in 90 degree increments until the wall orientation fits within at least one predetermined angular interval.

18. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising applying the correction angle when the movement of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout is less than a predetermined angle.

19. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising tracking individual steps of the person and to apply the correction angle when consecutive steps of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout are less than a predetermined angle and not applying the correction angle when zero or one steps of the person with respect to the skew angle of the building layout are greater than the predetermined angle.

20. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the monitoring device comprises a gyroscope and a magnetometer.

21. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the monitoring device comprises a magnetic compass and a gyroscope, the gyroscope being configured to stabilize a readout from the compass.

22. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising stabilizing an output of the gyroscope using the building layout.

23. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium claim 16, wherein the monitoring device comprises a gyroscope and a magnetometer, the method further comprising stabilizing a readout from the gyroscope using the magnetometer at least two times faster when the movement of the person is on a circularly winding stairway comprising at least 1.5 full rotations as compared with when the movement of the person is not on a circularly winding stairway comprising at least 1.5 full rotations.

24. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the monitoring device comprises a magnetic compass, the method further comprising ignoring an output of the magnetic compass when the person is not moving.

25. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the movement of the person is within the building or without the building according to a number of walls of the building a path of the movement crosses.

26. The method implemented by the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the monitoring device comprises a magnetometer, the method further comprising using an average output of the magnetometer.

27. A system for tracking a person in a building, comprising:

a monitoring station operable to receive data signals comprising a positional information associated with a movement of the person in the building as detected by a monitoring device carried by the person;

a processor comprising a tracking module configured to track the movement of the person with respect to a building layout of the building by estimating a location of the person from the data signals; and

the processor comprising a forward look-ahead path correction module for correcting a movement offset of the person when a path of the movement of the person is blocked by a wall of the building and steps of the person are continued to be detected, the forward look-ahead path correction module configured to;

identify a straight path and two angled paths on opposite sides of the straight path for path continuity candidates;

determine whether a path continuity candidate exists for the straight path or at least one of the two angled paths, wherein the path continuity candidate intersects a wall of the building layout; and

project a position of the person onto an existing path continuity candidate to place the projected position within the building layout, wherein the projected position along the path continuity is determined according to a number of the detected steps of the person.