Activating and deactivating sensors for dead reckoning

• US 10,082,397 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sidhu, Gursharan S., Agarwal, Sharad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US15/181,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20170211938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/26 involving a sensor measurement for aiding acquisition or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An identification is made as to when a device is at an anchor location, which can be a proximity zone along an edge of a dead zone or a location where a signal from a beacon is detected. In response to the device being at the anchor location, one or more inertial sensors can be activated and data from the one or more inertial sensors collected to determine a position of the device using dead reckoning. Alternatively, in response to the device being at the anchor location, a determination is made as to when to deactivate one or more inertial sensors from which data is collected to determine the position of the device using dead reckoning.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

an inertial sensor configured to provide inertial sensor data;

a processing device; and

a storage device storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to;

identify that the mobile device is within an entrance anchor location associated with a dead zone;

activate the inertial sensor in response to arrival of the mobile device at the entrance anchor location;

identify that the mobile device is within an exit anchor location associated with the dead zone;

determine that the mobile device has moved a particular distance away from the exit anchor location; and

deactivate the inertial sensor in response to determining that the mobile device has moved the particular distance away from the exit anchor location and has not re-entered the dead zone.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

determine the particular distance away from the exit anchor location based at least in part on a speed at which the mobile device is moving.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

in a first instance where the mobile device is moving at a relatively greater speed, select a longer particular distance away from the exit anchor location; and

in a second instance where the mobile device is moving at a relatively slower speed, select a shorter particular distance away from the exit anchor location.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the entrance anchor location and the exit anchor location comprise the same anchor location.

5. A mobile device comprising:

an inertial sensor configured to provide inertial sensor data;

a processing device; and

a storage device storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to;

identify that the mobile device is at a first anchor location, the first anchor location being associated with a proximity zone of a dead zone;

activate the inertial sensor in response to the mobile device being at the first anchor location;

collect data from the inertial sensor to determine a position of the mobile device using dead reckoning;

identify when the mobile device is at a second anchor location, the second anchor location being associated with the proximity zone of the dead zone or with a second proximity zone of the dead zone;

determine that the mobile device has left the dead zone; and

provided a threshold amount of time has lapsed after the mobile device arrived at the second anchor location, deactivate the inertial sensor.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

determine that the threshold amount of time has lapsed; and

determine that the mobile device has not re-entered the dead zone.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

deactivate the inertial sensor in response to determining that the mobile device has moved a particular distance away from the second anchor location and that the mobile device has not re-entered the dead zone.

8. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

obtain a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position from a GNSS of the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

determine whether the position of the mobile device determined using dead reckoning is more accurate than the GNSS position of the mobile device.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

deactivate the GNSS in response to determining that the position of the mobile device determined using dead reckoning is more accurate than the GNSS position of the mobile device.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

reactivate the GNSS in response to determining that the mobile device has exited the dead zone.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

increase a time interval at which the GNSS collects additional GNSS positions in response to determining that the position of the mobile device determined using dead reckoning is more accurate than the GNSS position of the mobile device.

13. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processing device to:

associate the position of the mobile device determined using dead reckoning with crowd sourcing data when the position of the mobile device determined using dead reckoning is more accurate than the GNSS position of the mobile device.

14. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the position comprises a latitude and a longitude estimation of the mobile device.

15. A method comprising:

identifying that a device is within an entrance anchor location associated with a dead zone;

activating an inertial sensor of the device in response to arrival of the device at the entrance anchor location;

identifying that the device has passed through an exit anchor location associated with the dead zone and is no longer within the dead zone;

determining that the device has moved a particular distance away from the exit anchor location; and

deactivating the inertial sensor in response to the device having moved the particular distance away from the exit anchor location and no longer being within the dead zone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising deactivating the inertial sensor based at least in part on a threshold amount of time having lapsed after the device exited the dead zone.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the particular distance away from the exit anchor location based at least in part on a speed of the device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising collecting data from the inertial sensor to determine a position of the device using dead reckoning.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising deactivating the inertial sensor in response to determining that a current position of the device with an acceptable estimated accuracy is available without using the inertial sensor.

20. The method of claim 15, performed by the device.