Localization of a wireless user equipment (UE) device based on out-of-hearing band audio signatures for ranging

• US 9,286,879 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Nguyen, Nam, Dhakal, Sagar
• Primary Examiner(s): YOUNG, WAYNE R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fischer, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/621,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20140079224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/72 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/18 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/002 Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A scheme for localizing a wireless user equipment (UE) device'"'"'s relative position with respect to a spatial configuration based on audio signatures received via a multi-channel audio system, e.g., an audio system of a vehicle or home entertainment system. The wireless UE device is configured to capture the audio signatures received from a head unit that are placed in an out-of-hearing band of a captured signal. The wireless UE device includes a persistent memory module having program instructions for processing the captured signal including the out-of-band signatures, which may comprise either channel-specific pseudo-random noise (PN) sequences or single-frequency tones, in order to compute time delays or power levels associated with the speaker channels. A localization module is configured to estimate the wireless UE device'"'"'s relative position based on the time delays or power levels.

Claims

1. A method operating at a wireless user equipment (UE) device, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of audio signatures from a head unit via an audio system having a plurality of speaker channels, wherein said plurality of audio signatures are in an out-of-hearing frequency band of a signal recorded by a microphone of the wireless UE device;

receiving information identifying a model or a type of a vehicle from said head unit via at least one of said plurality of speaker channels;

determining a particular spatial configuration of an interior of the vehicle based on correlating the model or the type to a mapping between models or types and spatial configurations; and

processing said plurality of audio signatures, by a processor of said wireless UE device configured to operate in association with one or more subsystems of said wireless UE device, for determining said wireless UE device'"'"'s location relative to said particular spatial configuration associated with the interior of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of audio signatures comprises a plurality of single-frequency tones, each corresponding to a speaker channel of said plurality of speaker channels.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said processing comprises:

segmenting said received signal including said plurality of single-frequency tones in said out-of-hearing frequency band into a plurality of frames, each frame having a length;

summing said plurality of frames to form a single combined frame;

performing a Fourier Transform analysis on said single combined frame and measuring an energy level at each of said single-frequency tones; and

estimating said wireless UE device'"'"'s location based on said energy levels relative to said particular spatial configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising deactivating at least a functionality of said wireless UE device based on said wireless UE device'"'"'s location relative to said particular spatial configuration.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least a functionality of said wireless UE device comprises at least one of call reception, call origination, Short Message Service (SMS) texting, Instant Messaging (IM) , a data application, an email application, a word processing application, a camera application, a presence application, gaming application, a music playback application, a video playback application, a social media application, a voice command mode, and a hands-free mode.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said out-of-hearing frequency band comprises a frequency range beyond 18 kHz.

7. A wireless user equipment (UE) device comprising:

a processor configured to control one or more subsystems of said wireless UE device;

a microphone; and

a persistent memory module having program instructions which, when executed by said processor, perform;

facilitating reception of a plurality of audio signatures from a head unit via an audio system having a plurality of speaker channels, wherein said plurality of audio signatures are in an out-of-hearing frequency band of a signal recorded by the microphone;

receiving information identifying a model or a type of a vehicle from said head unit via at least one of said plurality of speaker channels;

determining a particular spatial configuration of an interior of the vehicle based on correlating the model or the type to a mapping between models or types and spatial configurations; and

processing said plurality of audio signatures, by the processor operating in association with one or more of the subsystems of the wireless UE device, for determining said wireless UE device'"'"'s location relative to said particular spatial configuration associated with the interior of the vehicle.

8. The wireless UE device of claim 7 wherein said plurality of audio signatures comprise a plurality of single-frequency tones, each corresponding to a speaker channel of said plurality of speaker channels.

9. The wireless UE device of claim 7 wherein said persistent memory module further comprises program instructions for deactivating at least a functionality of said wireless UE device based on said wireless UE device'"'"'s location relative to said particular spatial configuration.

10. The wireless UE device of claim 9 wherein said at least a functionality of said wireless UE device comprises at least one of call reception, call origination, Short Message Service (SMS) texting, Instant Messaging (IM), a data application, an email application, a presence application, a word processing application, a camera application, a gaming application, a music playback application, a video playback application, a social media application, a voice command mode, and a hands-free mode.