Method and system for providing enhanced location based information for wireless handsets

• US 9,774,999 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rivada Networks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rivada Research, Llc (Rivada Networks, LLC)
• Inventors: Surampudi, Purnima, Smith, Clint
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US15/362,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554042, 455418-420, 4554221, 455435, 455436, 4554561-4566, 455457, 370328
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/02 Magnetic compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• 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: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/023 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 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems for generating enhanced location information on or about a mobile device. A mobile device may be configured to determine an initial location value, compute an initial location accuracy value, compare the initial location accuracy value to a threshold value, and establish a communications group with a plurality of transceivers in response to determining that the initial location accuracy value exceeds the threshold value. In response to establishing the communications group, the mobile device may receive location information from the transceivers, use the received location information to determine a trilateration position value, and compute a trilateration variance value. The mobile device may then determine a final location value based on a combination of the initial location value, initial location accuracy value, trilateration position value, and trilateration variance value, and use the final location value to provide an enhanced location based service.

Claims

1. A method of providing an enhanced location based service via a mobile device, comprising:

determining, by a processor of the mobile device, an initial location value of the mobile device;

receiving distance information from three or more devices in three or more different reference locations;

using the determined initial location value and the received distance information to generate three or more component vectors that each identify a distance between the mobile device and one of the reference locations;

determining a variance associated with the calculated distance;

executing a kalman filter on each of the generated component vectors to generate a combined kalman value;

generating a three dimensional position estimate based on the combined kalman value;

updating a trilateration position value based on the generated three dimensional position estimate; and

using the updated trilateration position value to provide a location based service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the trilateration position value;

computing an initial location accuracy value for the determined initial location value;

computing a trilateration variance value based on the determined trilateration position value; and

determining a final location value based on the determined initial location value, the computed initial location accuracy value, the determined trilateration position value, and the computed trilateration variance value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the final location value in memory; and

incrementing an iteration count value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a location estimate using a combination of new measurement vectors and vectors stored in memory from a previous cycle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising iteratively removing process noise by:

computing a new measurement vector;

adding the computed new measurement vector to memory;

identifying a least-accurate vector stored in memory from the previous cycle; and

removing the identified least accurate vector from memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating:

a velocity value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations;

an acceleration value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations;

or

a process gain value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating local position information;

generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system;

generating proximity position information based on distance information received from a second mobile device;

generating final location information based on the determined initial location value, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and

using the generated final location information to provide the location based service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a communication group with the three or more devices in the three or more different reference locations,

wherein receiving the distance information from the three or more devices in the three or more different reference locations comprises receiving the distance information from devices in the communication group.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by a processor of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is currently connected to a communications network; and

establishing connections, via an antenna of the mobile device, to a plurality of mobile devices to form a communication group in response to determining that the mobile device is not currently connected to the communications network,

wherein receiving the distance information from the three or more devices in the three or more different reference locations comprises receiving the distance information in response to establishing the communication group.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a final location estimation set comprising a position, a velocity, and an acceleration, based on at least one set of local position information, at least one set of external position information, at least one set of proximity position information and the initial location value; and

using the generated final location estimation set to provide the location based service.

11. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

determining an initial location value;

receiving distance information from three or more devices in three or more different reference locations;

using the determined initial location value and the received distance information to generate three or more component vectors that each identify a distance between the mobile device and one of the reference locations;

determining a variance associated with the calculated distance;

executing a kalman filter on each of the generated component vectors to generate a combined kalman value;

generating a three dimensional position estimate based on the combined kalman value;

updating a trilateration position value based on the generated three dimensional position estimate; and

using the updated trilateration position value to provide a location based service.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining the trilateration position value;

computing an initial location accuracy value for the determined initial location value;

computing a trilateration variance value based on the determined trilateration position value;

determining a final location value based on the determined initial location value, the computed initial location accuracy value, the determined trilateration position value, and the computed trilateration variance value.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising calculating:

a velocity value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations;

an acceleration value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations; and

a process gain.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

generating local position information;

generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system;

generating proximity position information based on distance information received from a second mobile device;

generating final location information based on the determined initial location value, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and

using the generated final location information to provide the location based service.

15. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a final location estimation set comprising a position, a velocity, and an acceleration, based on at least one set of local position information, at least one set of external position information, at least one set of proximity position information and the initial location value; and

using the generated final location estimation set to provide the location based service.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

determining an initial location value;

receiving distance information from three or more devices in three or more different reference locations;

using the determined initial location value and the received distance information to generate three or more component vectors that each identify a distance between the mobile device and one of the reference locations;

determining a variance associated with the calculated distance;

executing a kalman filter on each of the generated component vectors to generate a combined kalman value;

generating a three dimensional position estimate based on the combined kalman value;

updating a trilateration position value based on the generated three dimensional position estimate; and

using the updated trilateration position value to provide a location based service.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

determining the trilateration position value;

computing an initial location accuracy value for the determined initial location value;

computing a trilateration variance value based on the determined trilateration position value; and

determining a final location value based on the determined initial location value, the computed initial location accuracy value, the determined trilateration position value, and the computed trilateration variance value.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations further comprising calculating:

a velocity value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations;

an acceleration value for the mobile device with respect to each of the three or more reference locations; and

a process gain.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

generating local position information;

generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system;

generating proximity position information based on distance information received from a second mobile device;

generating final location information based on the determined initial location value, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and

using the generated final location information to provide the location based service.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a final location estimation set comprising a position, a velocity, and an acceleration, based on at least one set of local position information, at least one set of external position information, at least one set of proximity position information and the initial location value; and

using the generated final location estimation set to provide the location based service.