System with wireless messages to enhance location accuracy

• US 9,693,197 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Parupudi, Ravisastry
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US15/155,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20160360371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 455 5711, 4554221
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/10 providing dedicated supplementary positioning signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Electronic equipment in a system may transmit and receive wireless advertisement messages. Each wireless message may include location information and may have an associated received signal strength indicator when received from transmitting equipment by receiving equipment. The transmitting equipment may be associated with stationary equipment such as equipment installed at a building, adjacent to a road, or in traffic control equipment or other traffic structures. The receiving electronic equipment may be mobile equipment such as a vehicle or mobile computing equipment such as a cellular telephone or portable computer. Satellite navigation system signals may be received by the receiving electronic equipment in addition to the wireless messages. The receiving electronic information can present alerts to a user based on a location determined using the wireless messages and the satellite navigation system signals.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location where mobile electronic equipment is operating, comprising:

receiving satellite navigation system signals with the mobile electronic equipment;

with the mobile electronic equipment, extracting location information from Bluetooth Low Energy messages transmitted by stationary electronic equipment;

based on whether a signal strength of the satellite navigation system signals is sufficient to identify the location, determining whether to use the location information in addition to the satellite navigation system signals to help identify the location; and

identifying the location with the mobile electronic equipment using at least one of the satellite navigation system signals and the location information.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the location with the mobile electronic equipment comprises using a combination of the satellite navigation system signals and the location information in response to determining that the signal strength of the satellite navigation system signals is not sufficient to identify the location.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic equipment only extracts the location information in response to determining that the signal strength of the satellite navigation system signals is not sufficient to identify the location.

4. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising:

with the mobile electronic equipment, extracting received signal strength indicator information from the messages.

5. The method defined in claim 4, further comprising:

based on whether the signal strength of the satellite navigation system signals is sufficient to identify the location, determining whether to use the received signal strength indicator information in addition to the satellite navigation system signals to help identify the location.

6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein identifying the location with the mobile electronic equipment comprises using the satellite navigation system signals and at least one of the location information and the received signal strength indicator information in response to determining that the strength of the satellite navigation system signals is not sufficient to identify the location.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the messages comprise Bluetooth Low Energy messages.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the stationary electronic equipment includes at least two pieces of transmitting equipment configured to transmit distinct Bluetooth Low Energy messages from two respective distinct locations and wherein identifying the location comprises using triangulation to identify the location.

9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the satellite navigation system signals comprise global positioning system location information, the method further comprising:

determining the location using only the location information in response to determining that no global positioning system location information is available.

10. Electronic equipment in a vehicle that is configured to be driven at a location, the electronic equipment comprising:

a satellite navigation system receiver that receives satellite navigation system signals;

a wireless receiver that receives Bluetooth Low Energy wireless messages containing location information from stationary transmitting electronic equipment; and

control circuitry that determines whether the received satellite navigation system signals are inaccurate and identifies the location using at least one of the received satellite navigation system signals and the location information based on whether the received satellite navigation system signals are inaccurate.

11. The electronic equipment defined in claim 10, wherein the control circuitry identifies the location using a combination of the received satellite navigation system signals and the location information in response to determining that the received satellite navigation system signals are inaccurate.

12. The electronic equipment defined in claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy wireless messages include received signal strength indicator information, and wherein the control circuitry identifies the location using a combination of the received satellite navigation system signals, the location information, and the received signal strength indicator information in response to determining that the received satellite navigation system signals are inaccurate.

13. The electronic equipment defined in claim 11 further comprising:

a display that displays a map that includes an icon representing the location at which the vehicle is being driven, wherein the control circuitry adjusts the icon in response to identifying the location using the combination of the received satellite navigation system signals and the location information.

14. The electronic equipment defined in claim 13, wherein the satellite navigation system receiver, the wireless receiver, the control circuitry, and the display form part of a cellular telephone.

15. A method for operating receiving electronic equipment in a vehicle that is configured to be driven at a location, the method comprising:

with a satellite navigation system receiver in the electronic equipment, receiving a satellite navigation system signal from a global positioning system satellite;

with a Bluetooth Low Energy receiver in the electronic equipment, receiving a Bluetooth Low Energy message from roadside stationary electronic equipment;

with processing circuitry in the electronic equipment, determining the location using the satellite navigation system signal;

with the processing circuitry in the electronic equipment, determining that the satellite navigation system signal is inaccurate; and

with the processing circuitry in the electronic equipment, determining the location using a combination of the satellite navigation system signal and the Bluetooth Low Energy message only in response to determining that the satellite navigation system signal is inaccurate.

16. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

with a display in the electronic equipment, displaying a map that includes an icon that represents the location at which the vehicle is being driven; and

changing a position of the icon on the map in response to determining the location.

17. The method defined in claim 15, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy message includes received signal strength indicator information.

18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry determines the location using a combination of the satellite navigation system signal and the received signal strength indicator information in response to determining that the satellite navigation system signal is inaccurate.

19. The method defined in claim 18, wherein the Bluetooth Low Energy message includes location information that identifies a position of the roadside stationary electronic equipment relative to the vehicle.

20. The method defined in claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry determines the location using a combination of the satellite navigation system signal, the received signal strength indicator information, and the location information in response to determining that the satellite navigation system signal is inaccurate.