Indoor/outdoor transition determination

• US 9,482,739 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mole, Stephen, Lu, Yan, van Diggelen, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US13/588,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20140002307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• 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 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method is provided for indoor/outdoor transition detection of devices to improve selection of the navigation algorithms. To determine whether an outdoor-to-indoor transition has occurred, a mobile device can determine whether a difference between an indoor position determined using indoor position information and outdoor position determined using outdoor position information is less than a threshold and can conclude that the mobile device transitioned from outdoor to indoor of the structure, if the difference is less than the threshold. Also, to determine whether an indoor-to-outdoor transition has occurred, the mobile device can determine whether an indoor position survey area exists, determine whether an outdoor position determined based on outdoor position information is outside of the survey area, and determine whether a signal strength associated with the outdoor position location information is greater than a threshold.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an indoor radio receiver, indoor position information from one or more sources inside a structure;

receiving, by an outdoor radio receiver, outdoor position information;

determining, by a processing unit, a difference between a first position of a mobile device determined using the indoor position information and a second position of the mobile device determined using the outdoor position information;

comparing, by the processing unit, the difference with a first threshold;

in response to a determination that the difference is less than the first threshold, determining, by the processing unit, whether the mobile device recently transitioned between indoor and outdoor of the structure within a threshold time period;

in response to a determination that the mobile device recently transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within the threshold time period, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device did not transition from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and using the second position of the mobile device determined based on the outdoor position information;

in response to a determination that the mobile device did not recently transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within the threshold time period, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and using the first position of the mobile device determined based on the indoor position information;

in response to a determination that the difference is greater than the first threshold, comparing, by the processing unit, a signal strength of a signal that was used to derive the outdoor position information with a second threshold;

in response to a determination that the signal strength is less than the second threshold, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and using the first position of the mobile device determined based on the indoor position information; and

in response to a determination that the signal strength is greater than the second threshold, concluding, by the processing unit, that the mobile device did not transition from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and using the second position of the mobile device determined based on the outdoor position information.

2. An apparatus, comprising:

an indoor radio receiver configured to receive indoor position information from one or more sources inside a structure;

an outdoor radio receiver configured to receive outdoor position information; and

a processor configured to;

determine a difference between a first position of the apparatus determined based on the indoor position information and a second position of the apparatus determined based on the outdoor position information;

compare the difference with a first threshold;

in response to a determination that the difference is less than the first threshold, determine whether the apparatus recently transitioned between indoor and outdoor of the structure within a threshold time period;

in response to a determination that the apparatus recently transitioned between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within the threshold time period, conclude that the apparatus did not transition from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and use the second position of the apparatus determined based on the outdoor position information;

in response to a determination that the apparatus did not recently transition between the indoor and the outdoor of the structure within the threshold time period, conclude that the apparatus transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and use the first position of the apparatus determined based on the indoor position information;

in response to a determination that the difference is greater than the first threshold, compare a signal strength of a signal that was used to derive the outdoor position information with a second threshold;

in response to a determination that the signal strength is less than the second threshold, conclude that the apparatus transitioned from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and use the first position of the apparatus determined based on the indoor position information; and

in response to a determination that the signal strength is greater than the second threshold, conclude that the apparatus did not transition from the outdoor to the indoor of the structure and use the second position of the apparatus determined based on the outdoor position information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more sources inside the structure include one or more radio frequency (RF) sources including an access point or a near field communication device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the outdoor radio receiver is configured to receive the outdoor position information from one or more satellites.