Method and apparatus for mobile location determination

• US 9,749,780 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Joseph Ding-Jiu, Millman, David Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/983,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method of generating a user?s location using a mobile device. The method comprises, determining a signal snapshot on the mobile device, the signal snapshot describing characteristics of unregulated radio frequency (RF) transmissions detectable by the mobile device. Generating the user?s location on the mobile device using the signal snapshot and at least one additional input from the mobile device. The generating and determining are iteratively repeated. The unregulated RF transmission can comprise WiFi signals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a mobile device from a server computer, a signal snapshot associated with a cell within a grid of contiguous cells that divide a map of an indoor space, where the cell is associated with a location in the indoor space and the signal snapshot includes one or more statistical parameters describing a probability distribution of received signal strength measurements of radio frequency (RF) transmissions from access points within the indoor space;

adjusting the statistical parameters based on observations of RF transmissions from one or more neighboring cells in the grid of cells;

obtaining, by the mobile device while the mobile device is operating in the indoor space, a set of received signal strength measurements of RF transmissions from the access points within the indoor space;

receiving, by the mobile device, input from one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an accelerometer, gyro or magnetometer;

applying, by the mobile device, one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and a path history associated with the indoor space, wherein applying one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements includes fitting the set of received signal strength measurements to the probability distribution using the one or more statistical parameters; and

determining a location of the mobile device in the indoor space based on a result of applying the one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and the path history associated with the indoor space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more statistical parameters include a mean and variance of the probability distribution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the grid is associated with at least one occupancy value which indicates one or more areas in the indoor space that are walkable or not walkable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is initialized with statistical parameters associated with a plurality of cells in the grid.

5. A mobile device comprising:

a receiver;

one or more sensors; and

a processor operable to;

obtain, by the receiver, a signal snapshot associated with a cell within a grid of contiguous cells that divide a map of an indoor space, where the cell is associated with a location in the indoor space and the signal snapshot includes one or more statistical parameters describing a probability distribution of received signal strength measurements of radio frequency (RF) transmissions from access points within the indoor space;

adjust the statistical parameters based on observations of RF transmissions from one or more neighboring cells in the grid of cells;

obtain, by the receiver while the mobile device is operating in the indoor space, a set of received signal strength measurements of RF transmissions from the access points within the indoor space;

receive input from the one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an accelerometer, gyro or magnetometer;

apply one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and a path history associated with the indoor space, wherein applying the one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements includes fitting the set of received signal strength measurements to the probability distribution using the one or more statistical parameters; and

determining a location of the mobile device in the indoor space based on a result of applying the one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and the path history associated with the indoor space.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the one or more statistical parameters include a mean and variance of the probability distribution.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the grid is associated with at least one occupancy value which indicates one or more areas in the indoor space that are walkable or not walkable.

8. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the cell is initialized with statistical parameters associated with a plurality of cells in the grid.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors of a mobile device, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by the mobile device from a server computer, a signal snapshot associated with a cell within a grid of contiguous cells that divide a map of an indoor space, where the cell is associated with a location in the indoor space and the signal snapshot includes one or more statistical parameters describing a probability distribution of received signal strength measurements of radio frequency (RF) transmissions from access points within the indoor space;

adjusting the statistical parameters based on observations of RF transmissions from one or more neighboring cells in the grid of cells;

obtaining, by the mobile device while the mobile device is operating in the indoor space, a set of received signal strength measurements of RF transmissions from the access points within the indoor space;

receiving, by the mobile device, input from one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an accelerometer, gyro or magnetometer;

applying, by the mobile device, one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and a path history associated with the indoor space, wherein applying the one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements includes fitting the set of received signal strength measurements to the probability distribution using the one or more statistical parameters; and

determining a location of the mobile device in the indoor space based on a result of applying the one or more fit functions to the set of received signal strength measurements, the input and the path history associated with the indoor space.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more statistical parameters include a mean and variance of the probability distribution.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the grid is associated with at least one occupancy value which indicates one or more areas in the indoor space that are walkable or not walkable.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the cell is initialized with statistical parameters associated with a plurality of cells in the grid.