Method and system for adaptive location determination for mobile device

• US 9,282,436 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chitre, Monica, Rajala, Yoganand, Bates, Peter C., Tuscano, Paul, Nadler, Matt, Blum, Brent Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US14/056,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20140106782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An example method includes connecting to a call center by a user equipment (UE) device via a voice call and receiving a request for a current location. The device is determined to be in an outdoor environment if the signal strength of satellite signals used by a global positioning system (GPS) is greater than a threshold. The device is determined to be in an indoor environment if a beacon signal strength is greater than a further threshold. If the device is in an outdoor environment, the current location is determined using a standalone or assisted GPS method. If the device is in an indoor environment, the current location is the known location of the beacon or an assisted GPS method. If neither the signal strength of the satellite signals nor the signal strength of the beacon exceeds its respective threshold, the current location is determined as a last stored location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment (UE) device from a call center, a first request to determine a location of the UE device when the UE device is in an indoor environment; and

receiving, by the UE device from the call center, a second request to determine another location of the UE when the UE device is in an outdoor environment;

in response to the first request;

determining the location by a) using a Mobile Station Based Assisted Global Positioning System (MSB AGPS) or b) detecting a pilot beacon inside a building, and in response to the second request;

determining whether the UE device is currently in use in a voice call communication; and

upon determining that the UE device is currently in use in the voice call communication, determining the other location using a standalone GPS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of at least one of the first and second requests further includes receiving the at least one of the first and second requests by the UE device upon entering or exiting the building.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining of the location using the MSB AGPS further includes storing breadcrumb location data upon determining the location using the MSB AGPS; and

the determining of the location in response to the first request includes providing the stored breadcrumb location data, as the determined location upon determining that the UE device is not within a range of the pilot beacon.

4. The method of claim 3, further including using instant MSB AGPS data for determining of the location, upon further determining that the breadcrumb location data are not available.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the location using the MSB AGPS further includes determining that the UE device is not within a range of the pilot beacon before using the MSB AGPS.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the other location using the standalone GPS includes determining an unavailability of the MSB AGPS, and determining an availability of sufficient signal strength of satellite signals for use by the standalone GPS.

7. A user equipment (UE) device comprising:

at least one network interface, configured to support a connection via a communication network; and

a processor coupled to the network interface configured to cause the UE device to perform functions, including functions to;

receive a first request from a call center to determine a location of the UE device, when the UE device is in an indoor environment; and

receive a second request from the call center to determine another location of the UE device, when the UE device is in an outdoor environment;

in response to the first request;

determine the location by using, in the indoor environment, at least one of a) a Mobile Station Based Assisted Global Positioning System (MSB AGPS) or b) a pilot beacon, and

in response to the second request;

determine whether the UE device is currently in use in a voice call communication, and

upon a determination that the UE device is currently in use in the voice call communication, determine the other location using, in the outdoor environment, a standalone GPS.

8. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to cause the UE device to receive at least one of the first and second requests when the UE device enters or exits a building.

9. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine that the UE device is within a range of the pilot beacon and based on the determination, cause the UE device to determine the location using the pilot beacon.

10. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to cause the UE device to store bread-crumb location data, when the UE device determines the location using the MSB AGPS and to provide, in response to the first request, the stored bread-crumb location data as the determined location when the UE device is not within a range of the pilot beacon.

11. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine that bread-crumb location data are not available and, based on the determination, cause the UE device to use instant MSB AGPS for determination of the location.

12. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine that the UE device is not within a range of the pilot beacon and, based on the determination, cause the UE device to use the MSB AGPS for determination of the location.

13. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine an unavailability of the MSB AGPS, and based on the determination, cause the UE device to use the standalone GPS for the determination of the other location.

14. The UE device of claim 7, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine an availability of satellite signals of sufficient signal strength for use by the standalone GPS and, based on the determination, cause the UE device to use the standalone GPS for the determination of the other location.

15. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver coupled to the processor and configured to receive localization signals from GPS satellites;

a first wireless transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to enable communications via a wireless communication network;

a second wireless transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to enable communications with one or more local pilot beacons; and

a memory storing programming instructions, wherein execution of the programming instructions by the processor configures the mobile device to perform functions, including functions to;

upon determining that a predetermined condition is met, determine a location of the mobile device by performing functions to;

determine whether a signal from a local pilot beacon is received via the second wireless transceiver;

upon determining that a signal from one local pilot beacon is received, determine the location of the mobile device to be the location of the one local pilot beacon from which the signal is received;

upon determining that a local pilot beacon is not received via the second wireless transceiver, determine whether the mobile device is currently in use in a voice call communication via the first wireless transceiver; and

upon determining that the mobile device is currently in use in the voice call communication, use the GPS receiver in a standalone mode to determine the location of the mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the function of determining that a predetermined condition is met includes determining that a signal strength of a signal received from one local pilot beacon via the second wireless transceiver exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the determining the location of the mobile device further comprises performing functions to:

upon determining that the local pilot beacon is not received using the second wireless transceiver and that a signal strength of the localization signals received from the GPS satellites is lower than a threshold, retrieve from the memory a recently stored location for the mobile device,

wherein the memory holds at least one location of the local pilot beacon from which a signal was received by the mobile device via the second wireless transceiver; and

determine the location of the mobile device to be the recently stored location of the local pilot beacon from which the signal was received.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein:

the functions to determine the location of the mobile device further comprise functions to determine whether a second signal strength of the localization signals received from the GPS satellites is lower than a threshold.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the determining the location of the mobile device further comprises performing functions to:

use, upon determining that the mobile device is not currently in use in a voice call communication, a Mobile Station Based Assisted Global Positioning System (MSB AGPS) to determine the location of the mobile device.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the mobile device comprises a wearable personal emergency response system (PERS) device.