Image assistance for indoor positioning

• US 9,369,677 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jarvis, Murray Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Nien-Ru
• Application Number:
  US13/689,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 348/135
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method for tracking collector devices in an indoor area associated with imaging devices and RF signal sources covering the area includes generating aspects of a plurality of coarse position tracks of the collector devices based on RF signal measurements obtained by the collector devices from the RF signal sources. Imaging devices capture image frames of the collector devices in the indoor area which are then processed in order to determine aspects of a plurality of fine position tracks of the collector devices. The server and the collector device communicate with each other and match aspects of at least one of the fine position tracks to the aspects of the coarse position track of the communicating collector device in order to determine the precise location of the collector device in the indoor area.

Claims

1. A method for determining a fine position of a collector device associated with a server and a plurality of imaging devices coupled to the server, the method comprising the collector device:

collecting multiple sets of sensor measurements from at least one sensor associated with the collector device to determine a coarse position track of the collector device;

identifying at least turns of the coarse position track;

time-stamping and storing data representing each identified turn in the coarse position track;

receiving from the server data representing at least respective time-stamped turns of a plurality of fine position tracks associated with moving objects in images obtained by the plurality of imaging devices;

determining a matching fine position track for the collector device among the plurality of fine position tracks that are associated with the moving objects in the images obtained by the plurality of imaging devices by comparing at least the stored data representing the time-stamped turns of the coarse position track to the received data representing the time stamped turns of the plurality of fine position tracks until the matching fine position track is identified; and

determining a position of the collector device from the matching fine position track.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor associated with the collector device includes a pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) sensor and wherein identifying at least the turns of the coarse position track comprises using PDR sensor data to quantify a path that includes the turns of the coarse position track.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising calibrating the PDR sensor by conforming the stored data representing the time stamped turns of the coarse position track to the received data representing the turns of the matching fine position track.

4. The method of claim 1, further including a plurality of RF signal sources, wherein collecting the multiple sets of sensor measurements from the at least one sensor associated with the collector device comprises collecting sensor measurement data representing respective signal strengths of at least a portion of the plurality of RF signal sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data representing at least the respective time-stamped turns of the plurality of fine position tracks comprises receiving data representing each of the plurality of fine position tracks labeled with respective time-stamps.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising time-calibrating the collector device with the server and the imaging devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data representing at least the respective time-stamped turns of the plurality of fine position tracks comprises receiving the data representing at least the respective time-stamped turns of the plurality of fine position tracks over a secure link from the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the stored data representing the time-stamped turns of the coarse position track to the received data representing the time-stamped turns of the plurality of fine position tracks comprises determining whether the received data representing the time-stamped turns of at least one of the plurality of fine position tracks matches the stored data representing the time-stamped turns of the coarse position track within a region of uncertainty.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the turns include at least one of a left turn, right turn, or a u-turn.

10. A method for determining a fine position of a collector device associated with a server and a plurality of imaging devices coupled to the server, the method comprising the server:

receiving a plurality of fine position tracks from the plurality of imaging devices;

aggregating corresponding ones of the plurality of fine position tracks by combining data representing the corresponding ones of the plurality of fine position tracks from the plurality of imaging devices to generate a single aggregated fine position track representing a path followed by a respective collector device;

identifying turns in the plurality of aggregated fine position tracks and extracting time-stamped data representing each of the identified turns from each of the plurality of aggregated fine position tracks; and

receiving requests from collector devices for the data representing the turns of the aggregated fine position tracks and sending at least the time-stamped data representing the turns of the plurality of aggregated fine position tracks to the requesting collector devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the requests from the collector devices comprises receiving time-stamped data representing at least turns of a plurality of coarse position tracks provided by the plurality of collector devices respectively.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein aggregating the corresponding ones of the plurality of fine position tracks comprises aggregating overlapping fine position tracks, captured by at least two different imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices, into a single fine position track.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein aggregating the overlapping fine position tracks comprises averaging the overlapping fine position tracks.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the overlapping fine position tracks, captured by at least two different imaging devices, are in respective coordinate systems and the method further comprises transforming at least one of the overlapping fine position tracks such that the overlapping fine position tracks have a common coordinate system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transforming at least one of the overlapping fine position tracks comprises sending reference images in the common coordinate system to the plurality of imaging devices.