Techniques for faster time-to-first-fix

• US 9,448,298 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Palanki, Ravi, Chao, Hui, Das, Saumitra Mohan, Gupta, Rajarshi, Khorashadi, Behrooz
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US13/630,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/421, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02523 Details of interaction of receiver with radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, to facilitate or support one or more operations or techniques for a relatively faster time-to-first-fix, such as for use in or with a mobile communication device. Briefly, in accordance with at least one implementation, a method may include transmitting a first message to a mobile device, the first message comprising abbreviated positioning assistance data; receiving a second message from the mobile device, the second message comprising an indication of a coarse location of the mobile device; and transmitting a third message to the mobile device, the third message comprising a detailed tiled radio heat map obtained based, at least in part, on the received indication of the coarse location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a first message to a mobile device, said first message comprising a selected heat map tile;

receiving a second message from said mobile device, said second message comprising a coarse location of said mobile device within said selected heat map tile; and

transmitting a third message to said mobile device, said third message comprising a detailed tiled radio heat map for a locally defined geographic area selected, at least in part, by using said coarse location and an indication of a direction from a center of said selected heat map tile towards a position fix of said mobile device as estimated via a vector computed, at least in part, by using an additional heat map tile centered at a terminal point of said vector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises locations of one or more wireless transmitters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said one or more wireless transmitters comprises one or more access points positioned at known locations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said coarse location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signaling measurements of one or more wireless transmitters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless signaling measurements comprises at least one measurement indicative of a measured range to said one or more wireless transmitters.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said coarse location of said mobile device is estimated in connection with at least one of the following:

a centroid of one or more stronger measurements of said one or more wireless signaling measurements;

a minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimation of said one or more wireless signaling measurements;

or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless signaling measurements comprises at least one of the following:

a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement;

a round-trip delay time (RTT) measurement;

or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a sparse radio heat map.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area smaller than an area covered by a sparse radio heat map.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area substantially the same as an area covered by a sparse radio heat map.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said sparse radio heat map covers an area identifiable via a plurality of location context identifiers (LCIs).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area identifiable via a single LCI.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a selected radio heat map covering a portion of an area that includes said coarse location of said mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said portion of said area is identifiable via an LCI.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said LCI comprises at least one of the following:

a plurality of rectangular heat map tiles;

or a single rectangular heat map tile.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said selected radio heat map comprises a single heat map tile.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said position fix is estimated via said vector computed using, at least in part, an area associated with at least one more additional heat map tile.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map comprises a heat map tile.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said locally defined geographic area comprises a floor of a building.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device comprising;

a wireless transceiver to communicate with a wireless network; and

one or more processors programmed with instructions to;

obtain a first message received at said wireless transceiver, said first message comprising a selected heat map tile;

initiate a transmission of a second message via said wireless transceiver, said second message comprising a coarse location of said mobile device within said selected heat map tile; and

obtain a third message received at said wireless transceiver, said third message comprising a detailed tiled radio heat map for a locally defined geographic area selected, at least in part, by using said coarse location and an indication of a direction from a center of said selected heat map tile towards a position fix of said mobile device as estimated via a vector computed, at least in part, by using an additional heat map tile centered at a terminal point of said vector.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises locations of one or more wireless transmitters.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said coarse location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signaling measurements of said one or more wireless transmitters.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a sparse radio heat map.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a selected heat map tile covering a portion of an area that includes said coarse location of said mobile device.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said position fix is estimated via said vector computed using, at least in part, an area associated with at least one more additional heat map tile.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting a first message to a mobile device, said first message comprising a selected heat map tile;

means for receiving a second message from said mobile device, said second message comprising a coarse location of said mobile device within said selected heat map tile; and

means for transmitting a third message to said mobile device, said third message comprising a detailed tiled radio heat map for a locally defined geographic area selected, at least in part, by using said coarse location and an indication of a direction from a center of said selected heat map tile towards a position fix of said mobile device as estimated via a vector computed, at least in part, by using an additional heat map tile centered at a terminal point of said vector.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises locations of one or more wireless transmitters.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said coarse location of said mobile device is estimated based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signaling measurements of one or more wireless transmitters.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more wireless signaling measurements comprises at least one measurement indicative of a measured range to said one or more wireless transmitters.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said coarse location of said mobile device is estimated in connection with at least one of the following:

a centroid of one or more stronger measurements of said one or more wireless signaling measurements;

a minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimation of said one or more wireless signaling measurements;

or any combination thereof.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more wireless signaling measurements comprises at least one of the following:

a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement;

a round-trip delay time (RTT) measurement;

or any combination thereof.

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a sparse radio heat map.

33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area smaller than an area covered by a sparse radio heat map.

34. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area substantially the same as an area covered by a sparse radio heat map.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said sparse radio heat map covers an area identifiable via a plurality of location context identifiers (LCIs).

36. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map covers an area identifiable via a single LCI.

37. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a selected radio heat map covering a portion of an area that includes said coarse location of said mobile device.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said selected radio heat map comprises a single heat map tile.

39. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said position fix is estimated via said vector computed using, at least in part, an area associated with at least one more additional heat map tile.

40. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said detailed tiled radio heat map comprises a heat map tile.

41. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a special purpose computing platform to;

initiate a transmission of a first message to a mobile device, said first message comprising a selected heat map tile;

obtain a second message received from said mobile device, said second message comprising a coarse location of said mobile device within said selected heat map tile; and

initiate a transmission of a third message to said mobile device, said third message comprising a detailed tiled radio heat map for a locally defined geographic area selected, at least in part, by using said coarse location and an indication of a direction from a center of said selected heat map tile towards a position fix of said mobile device as estimated via a vector computed, at least in part, by using an additional heat map tile centered at a terminal point of said vector.

42. The article of claim 41, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises locations of one or more wireless transmitters.

43. The article of claim 41, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a sparse radio heat map.

44. The article of claim 41, wherein said selected heat map tile comprises a selected heat map tile covering a portion of an area that includes said coarse location of said mobile device.