Method and apparatus to correct indoor positioning by utilizing Wi-Fi handovers

• US 9,332,476 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shatsky, Alexander, Kouznetsov, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, THAI D
• Application Number:
  US14/045,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20150098442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 701400-412, 701468-472, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• 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: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method may dynamically correct the dead reckoning (DR) position of a mobile device. An indoor or outdoor venue may have Access Points (APs) dispersed around its interior. Each time that a mobile device experiences a handover from one AP to a new AP, the mobile device and/or the local network associated with the venue may determine whether or not the mobile device'"'"'s DR position corresponds to the location of the new AP. If the mobile device'"'"'s DR position does not correspond to the location of the new AP within a predetermined threshold, then the mobile device'"'"'s DR position may be updated to a position associated with the new AP. As a result, the DR position of the mobile device may be continuously checked, and if need be, corrected at each AP handover associated with the venue. The APs may be Wi-Fi/WLAN APs, eNodeB'"'"'s, or other APs.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of mobile device dead reckoning (DR) navigation, the method comprising:

determining that a handover of a mobile device from one Access Point (AP) to a next AP is occurring;

determining a border of a handover spot associated with the next AP;

obtaining a DR current position of the mobile device;

determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is outside the border; and

resetting the DR current position of the mobile device to a point on the handover spot'"'"'s border nearest to the DR current position of the mobile device such that sensor-based DR error or drift is accounted for during the interior AP handover.

2. The method of mobile device DR navigation of claim 1, wherein the one AP and the next AP are Wi-Fi APs, WLAN APs, or Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeB'"'"'s.

3. The method of mobile device DR navigation of claim 1, wherein the handover spot is circular, and the handover spot'"'"'s border is located at an estimated distance from the next AP at which the handover event between the one interior AP and the next AP is expected to occur.

4. The method of mobile device DR navigation of claim 1, wherein the method repeats at each AP handover event within an indoor or outdoor venue such that the mobile device'"'"'s current position is repeatedly checked and corrected if need be as the mobile device moves about the venue.

5. The method of mobile device DR navigation of claim 1, wherein the method is performed when GPS signals received by the mobile device are determined by the mobile device to be deeraded.

6. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed by the mobile device when GPS signals are not desired to be used for navigation to conserve battery power.

7. A computer-implemented method of navigation, the method comprising:

determining that a handover of a mobile device from one Access Point (AP) to a new AP is occuring,

obtaining a dead reckoning (DR) current) position of the mobile device;

determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is beyond a predetermined distance of the new AP; and

resetting the DR current position of the mobile device to a point associated with the new AP such that DR error or drift is accounted for at the AP handover event.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is beyond a predetermined distance of the new AP entails determining whether the DR current position of the mobile is within a border of a handover spot associated with the next AP.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the handover spot is a circular handover spot, and a border of the handover spot is a radius around of an actual location of the next AP at which a handover event of the mobile device from the one AP to the new AP is expected to occur.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the radius of the handover spot is within 5 meters from the location of the AP transceiver or transmitter.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a virtual map of locations at which handovers from one AP the next are automatically estimated from existing maps of AP locations of a venue, the venue being an indoor or outdoor venue.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the handover spot is a square or rectangular handover spot, and a border of the handover spot is represented by a square or rectangle around of an actual location of the next AP at which a handover event of the mobile device from the one AP to the new AP is expected to occur.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the new AP is a Wi-Fi AP, WLAN AP, or a Long Tenn Evolution (LTE) eNodeB.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the DR current position of the mobile device is within a predetermined distance of the new AP is performed at the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the DR current position of the mobile device is within a predetermined distance of the new AP is performed at a local network controller associated with a venue, and if not, the local network controller sends a command to the mobile device to correct its DR current position to a position at which handover to the new AP is expected to occur.

16. A computer-implemented method of navigation, the method may comprise:

determining that a handover of a mobile device from one AP to a next AP is occurring,

obtaining a dead reckoning (DR) current position of the mobile device;

determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is beyond a predetermined distance of the next AP'"'"'s location; and

resetting the DR current position of the mobile device to a (a) point associated with, or within a predetermined distance of, the next AP'"'"'s location, or (b) a radius of a circular handover spot associated with the next AP such that DR error or drift is accounted for at the AP handover event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the interior APs are Wi-fi APs, WLAN APs, or Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeBs.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the point associated with, or within a predetermined distance of, the next AP'"'"'s location, and/or the radius of a circular handover spot represents an estimated location at which the handover event between the APs is expected to occur.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is beyond the predetermined distance of the next AP'"'"'s location is performed at the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the DR current position of the mobile device is beyond the predetermined distance of the next AP'"'"'s location is performed at a local network controller associated with an indoor or outdoor venue.