SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING INDOOR NAVIGATION

• US 20130166193A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applabz, LLC
• Original Assignee: Applabz, LLC
• Inventors: Goldman, David Allan, Patel, Nirav Balkrishna
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0268 using internal positioning means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

An indoor navigational system determines a location of a moveable object in an indoor area and displays this location to a user. The system includes one or more dead-reckoning sensors, one or more absolute position sensors, and a processor. The processor determines the location of the moveable object based on signals received from the sensors. The system also includes a display device to display the location of the moveable object in a graphical representation of the indoor area based on messages from the processor indicating the location of the moveable object.

Claims

1. A method of operating an indoor navigation system, the method comprising:

causing a processor to;

(a) receive an absolute positioning signal generated by an absolute position sensor after the absolute position sensor detects a moveable object is in proximity with an absolute position transmitter, the absolute position transmitter being associated with a unique identifier;

(b) identify the identifier within the absolute positioning signal;

(c) determine a reference location associated with the identifier by identifying where in an indoor area the identifier is specified to be located;

(d) receive a dead-reckoning signal generated by a dead-reckoning sensor coupled to the moveable object after the dead-reckoning sensor detects movement of the moveable object;

(e) determine a direction and a magnitude of the movement;

(f) calculate a current location of the moveable object in the indoor area based on the direction and magnitude of the movement in relation to the reference location; and

(g) transmit to a user device at least one of;

(i) a message indicative of the current location of the moveable object causing the user device to display the current location of the moveable object in relation to a graphical representation of the indoor area; and

(ii) a message indicative of directions to an item-of-interest in the indoor area causing the user device to display the current location of the moveable object and directions to the item-of-interest in relation to the graphical representation.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to display the current location of the moveable object by displaying a marker representative of the moveable object at a point corresponding to an actual location of the moveable object in the indoor area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the moveable object is a grocery cart.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to receive the absolute positioning signal indicative of the absolute position sensor receiving a radio frequency identifier (“

RFID”

) response signal from the absolute position transmitter.

6. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to receive the absolute positioning signal indicative of the absolute position sensor receiving an RFID beacon signal from the absolute position transmitter.

7. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to receive the absolute positioning signal indicative of the absolute position sensor receiving a laser light signal from the absolute position transmitter.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to:

(i) receive a point-of-interest located within the indoor area;

(ii) determine a point-of-interest location of the point-of-interest in the indoor area;

(iii) determine a route to the point-of-interest location from the current location; and

(iv) transmit to the user device a message indicative of the route and the point-of-interest location causing the user device to display the route to the point-of-interest location in relation to the graphical representation of the indoor area.

9. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to:

(i) receive a second dead-reckoning signal after the dead-reckoning sensor detects a second movement of the moveable object;

(ii) determine a second direction and a second magnitude of the second movement;

(iii) calculate a new current location of the moveable object in the indoor area based on the second direction and second magnitude of the second movement in relation to the current location; and

(iv) transmit to the user device a message indicative of the new current location of the moveable object causing the user device to display the new current location of the moveable object in relation to the graphical representation of the indoor area.

10. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the processor to:

(i) after calculating the current location of the moveable device, compare the current location to a location rule;

(ii) determine the current location violates the location rule;

(iii) adjust the current location of the moveable device so that the adjusted current location does not violate the location rule; and

(iv) transmit to the user device a message indicative of the adjusted current location of the moveable object causing the user device to display the adjusted current location of the moveable object in relation to the graphical representation of the indoor area.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the dead-reckoning sensor detects the movement of the moveable object by detecting differential movement of one or more wheels.

2. (canceled)

12. An apparatus comprising:

an absolute position sensor coupled to a moveable object and configured to;

detect that an absolute position transmitter is in proximity to the absolute position sensor; and

transmit to a processor an absolute positioning signal including a unique identifier identifying an absolute position of the moveable object; and

a dead-reckoning sensor coupled to the moveable object and configured to;

determine an amount of movement of the moveable object by sensing movement of the moveable object; and

transmit to the processor a dead-reckoning signal indicative of the determined amount of movement.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the absolute position sensor includes a light sensor and the absolute positioning transmitter includes a light emitting device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the absolute position sensor detects that the absolute position transmitter is in proximity by receiving light emitted by the absolute position transmitter, the light being pulsed by the absolute position transmitter to provide the unique identifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the dead-reckoning sensor includes a rotary encoder that determines the amount of movement based on a rotation of a wheel of the moveable object.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a second dead-reckoning sensor coupled to a second wheel of the moveable object and configured to:

determine an amount of movement based on a rotation of the second wheel; and

transmit to the processor a second dead-reckoning signal indicative of the determined amount of movement of the second wheel causing the processor to determine an orientation of the moveable object by comparing the dead-reckoning signal with the second dead-reckoning signal.

17. A machine-accessible device having instructions stored thereon that are configured when executed to cause a machine to at least:

receive a message indicative of a current location of a moveable object within an indoor area, the current location being based upon;

i) an absolute positioning signal generated by an absolute position sensor after the absolute position sensor detects the moveable object is in proximity with an absolute position transmitter, and

ii) a dead-reckoning signal generated by a dead-reckoning sensor coupled to the moveable object after the dead-reckoning sensor detects movement of the moveable object;

determine a relation of the current location to a graphical representation of the indoor area; and

display the current location in relation to the graphical representation of the indoor area.

18. The machine-accessible device of claim 17, further comprising instructions stored thereon that are configured when executed to cause a machine to at least:

receive a list of items;

determine a location for each of the items within the indoor area;

determine a route to the items from the current location;

display each of the locations of the items on the graphical representation; and

display the route on the graphical representation.

19. The machine-accessible device of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that are configured when executed to cause a machine to at least determine the route by calculating a shortest path between each of the items and a shortest path between the items and the current location.

20. The machine-accessible device of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that are configured when executed to cause a machine to at least provide turn-by-turn directions to the items as the moveable object is moved within the indoor area.

21. The machine-accessible device of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that are configured when executed to cause a machine to at least:

detect one of the items has been placed within the moveable object;

update the route to remove the detected item from the route; and

display the updated route on the graphical representation including directions to another item.