Drone localization

• US 10,429,487 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Fowe, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US15/983,492
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/04 using angle measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/12 wherein the cooperating elements are telecommunication base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• 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: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

An apparatus is configured to perform a method for collaborative localization of multiple devices in a geographic area including receiving global localization data originating with one or more neighboring devices, receiving local localization data originating with a mobile device, determining a first confidence level from the local localization data, determining a second confidence level from the global localization data, and performing, by a processor, a collaborative localization calculation for the mobile device based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

Claims

1. A method for collaborative localization of multiple devices in a geographic area, the method comprising:

receiving global localization data originating with one or more neighboring devices;

receiving local localization data originating with a mobile device;

determining a first confidence level from the local localization data;

determining a second confidence level from the global localization data; and

performing, by a processor, a collaborative localization calculation for the mobile device based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more neighboring devices includes at least one aerial vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the global localization data includes location data derived from an image of a marker collected by the at least one aerial vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the image of the marker is matched with a geographic database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the local localization data includes include signal based ranging, object based ranging, triangulation, or trilateration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the local localization data includes global positioning system (GPS) data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a relative position between the mobile device and the one or more neighboring devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the relative position is calculated from time of arrival, time difference of arrival, angle of arrival, trilateration, or triangulation.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a collaborative location threshold; and

performing a comparison of the second confidence level from the global localization data to the collaborative location threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a flight command for the one or more neighboring devices based on the comparison of the second confidence level from the global localization data to the collaborative location threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more neighboring devices includes two neighboring devices and the second confidence level is from a first neighboring device, the method comprising:

determining a third confidence level from a second neighboring device;

performing a comparison of the second confidence level to the third confidence level; and

selecting the first neighboring device or the second neighboring device for the collaborative localization calculation based on the comparison.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance and a direction between the mobile device and one or more neighboring devices is calculated from a signal transmitted between the mobile device and one or more neighboring devices.

13. An apparatus for collaborative localization of multiple devices in a geographic area, the apparatus comprising:

a localization database including global localization data originating with one or more neighboring devices and associated with a first confidence level based on a variance of the global localization data and local localization data originating with a mobile device and associated with a second confidence level based on a variance of the local localization data; and

a collaborative localization controller configured to perform a collaborative localization calculation for the mobile device based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

14. A system for collaborative localization of multiple devices in a geographic area, the system comprising:

a mobile device configured to perform a first localization and calculate a first confidence level; and

a drone configured to perform a second localization and calculate a second confidence level,

wherein a collaborative localization calculation for a location of the mobile device is based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, the first localization, and the second localization.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a server configured to perform the collaborative localization calculation for the mobile device based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, the first localization, and the second localization.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device is configured to perform the collaborative localization calculation for the mobile device based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, the first localization, and the second localization.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the collaborative localization calculation includes a comparison of the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein when the first confidence level exceeds the second confidence level, localization calculated at the mobile device is applied to the location of the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein when the second confidence level exceeds the first confidence level, localization calculated at an aerial vehicle is applied to the location of the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the localization calculated at the aerial vehicle is based on a static marker calibrated with a geographic database.