KR102458993B1 - Methods and systems for providing enhanced location-based trilateration - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for performing enhanced location-based trilateration include receiving location information (eg, waypoints) from one or more external devices, determining validity of the received location information, receiving performing normalization operations to normalize the obtained location information, assigning an overall ranking and a device specific ranking to the location information, and storing the identified and normalized location information in a memory. Enhanced location-based trilateration involves selecting four locations (e.g., waypoints) from memory based on a combination of an overall ranking and a device-specific ranking, and applying the four selected waypoints to a Kalman filter. It may include generating a final position value or waypoint based on the result. The output of the Kalman filter may be reported and/or used as the current location of the device.

Description

Methods and systems for providing enhanced location-based trilateration

Related applications

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/102,853, filed January 13, 2015, entitled "Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Trilateration," and It is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/950,595, filed November 24, 2015, entitled "Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Information," and "Providing Enhanced Location-Based Information for Wireless Handsets." It is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/823,244, filed on August 11, 2015, entitled “Method and System for It is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/293,056, filed June 2, 2014, and filed August 14, 2012, entitled “Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Information for Wireless Handsets.” U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/575,300, filed August 18, 2011, entitled “Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Information for Wireless Handsets,” a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 13/585,125, filed on August 18, 2011 , and U.S. Patent No. 8,787,944, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/573,636, filed September 9, 2011, for "Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Information for Wireless Handsets" asserts the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/993,618, filed on January 12, 2016, filed on July 22, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also relates to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/961,088, filed December 7, 2015, entitled Method and System for Providing Enhanced Location-Based Server Trilateration Using a Single Device, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. incorporated herein).

field of invention

BACKGROUND This application relates generally to wireless mobile communication systems, and more particularly to methods and systems for providing enhanced location information for wireless mobile devices.

BACKGROUND Wireless communication technologies and mobile electronic devices (eg, cellular phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) have increased in popularity and use over the past few years. To keep up with increased consumer demand, mobile electronic devices have become more powerful and feature-rich, and now include Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, sensors, and many other components that connect users to friends, work, leisure and entertainment. elements are usually included. However, despite these advances, mobile devices still lack the ability of mobile devices to provide effective location-based services, information or communications. As mobile devices and technologies continue to grow in popularity and use, generating enhanced location information for mobile devices is expected to become important and challenge design criteria and network technicians for mobile device manufacturing.

Various aspects include methods of determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration, the method comprising: receiving location information from one or more external devices through a processor of the mobile device, the received location information comprising: a waypoint comprising a waypoint from each of one or more external devices, each waypoint comprising a coordinate value, an elevation value and a range value, the range value identifying a distance from the external device to the mobile device; determining the validity of each of the above, performing normalization operations to normalize received valid waypoints, assigning an overall ranking to each of the normalized waypoints, assigning a device specific rank to each of the normalized waypoints, and , storing the normalized waypoints in memory, selecting four waypoints from memory based on a combination of a device-specific ranking and an overall ranking associated with each waypoint, four waypoints to create a final location waypoint. applying the selected waypoint to a Kalman filter, and using the generated final location waypoint to provide a location based service.

In an embodiment, the step of receiving the location information from one or more external devices includes one of a mobile device, a device having a cell ID, a Wi-Fi device, a Bluetooth device, an RFID device, a GPS device, a location beacon transmitting device, and external trilateration location information. It may include receiving location information from one or more. In a further embodiment, determining the validity of each of the received waypoints comprises determining a range value for each waypoint included in the received location information, and based on a corresponding range value of each waypoint. and determining the validity of each of the received waypoints. In a further embodiment, determining the validity of each of the received waypoints comprises determining a confidence value for each waypoint included in the received location information, and based on a corresponding confidence value of each waypoint. and determining the validity of each of the received waypoints. In a further embodiment, receiving the location information from the one or more external devices includes establishing communication links to each of a plurality of external devices in the communication group, and receiving the location information only from external devices in the communication group. may include.

In a further embodiment, selecting four waypoints from memory based on a combination of a device specific ranking and an overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises one of the waypoints included in the received location information and 3 from the memory. and selecting the previously created waypoints. In a further embodiment, selecting the four waypoints from the memory based on a combination of the device-specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises two of the waypoints included in the received location information and from the memory. It may include selecting two previously created waypoints. In a further embodiment, selecting the four waypoints from the memory based on a combination of the device-specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises three of the waypoints included in the received location information and from the memory. It may include selecting one previously created waypoint.

Additional embodiments may include a computing device having a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform various operations corresponding to the methods discussed above. Further embodiments may include a computing device having various means for performing functions corresponding to the method operations discussed above. A further embodiment may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform various operations corresponding to the method operations discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the generic description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.
1 is a communication system block diagram illustrating network components of an example telecommunications system suitable for use in a mobile device centric approach to determining the location of a mobile device in accordance with various embodiments.
2 is a communication system block diagram illustrating network components of an example telecommunications system suitable for use in a network-centric approach to determining the location of a mobile device in accordance with various embodiments.
3 is an illustration of an example mobile device suitable for use in computing precise location information and grouping with other mobile devices in accordance with various embodiments.
4A is a communication system block diagram illustrating network components of an exemplary LTE communication system suitable for use with various embodiments.
4B is a block diagram illustrating logical components, communication links, and information flows in an embodiment communication system.
5A-5C are component block diagrams illustrating functional components, communication links and information flows in an embodiment method of grouping mobile devices and sharing location information among the grouped mobile devices.
5D is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment mobile device method of grouping mobile devices to compute enhanced location information and sharing location information between the grouped mobile devices and a network.
6A-6D show functional components, communication links and Component block diagrams illustrating information flows.
6E is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment system method of determining the location of two or more grouped mobile devices.
6F is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment mobile device method of adjusting update intervals in response to detecting a low battery condition.
7 is a component block diagram illustrating the functional components, communication links and information flows in one embodiment method of periodically scanning for cells.
8 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment mobile device method of determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network.
9A-9E are component block diagrams illustrating various logical and functional components, information flows, and data suitable for use in various embodiments.
10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an embodiment hybrid survey method in which mobile devices may access a network.
11 is a sequence diagram illustrating another embodiment hybrid survey method in which a mobile device cannot discover a network due to coverage issues.
12A-12C are component block diagrams illustrating functional components, communication links and information flows in one embodiment method of conveying a connection from a local wireless system to a small cell system.
13A-13C are component block diagrams illustrating functional components, communication links and information flows in an embodiment method of identifying and responding to a distressed mobile device.
14 is a component block diagram illustrating functional components, communication links and information flows in one embodiment method of performing dead reckoning of grouping mobile devices in an ad hoc manner.
15 is an illustration of an enhanced antenna that may be used with various embodiments to further improve position accuracy.
16A and 16B are examples of various enhanced antenna configurations that may be used with various embodiments to further improve position accuracy.
17A and 17B are cross-sectional views illustrating strips of antenna patches that may be used in various embodiments.
18 is a circuit diagram of an antenna system suitable for use with various embodiments.
19 is an example of an antenna array newly mounted to an existing cellular wireless network according to an embodiment.
20 is a block diagram of the components of a mobile device suitable for use with one embodiment.
21 is a block diagram of the components of a server suitable for use with one embodiment.
22 is a flow diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system configured to perform location-based operations in accordance with one embodiment.
23 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment location-based method in which a mobile device acts as a master.
24 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment location-based method in which a mobile device operates as a slave.
25 is a component block diagram illustrating functional components, communication links and information flows in a system configured to perform a method for determining and using the latitude, longitude, and altitude of a trusted or known location in accordance with one embodiment. to be.
26-29 are component block diagrams illustrating sharing location-based information between mobile devices in accordance with various embodiments.
30A is a block diagram illustrating various components, information flow, and operation in an example mobile device system configured to perform enhanced location-based services (eLBS) trilateration operations in accordance with various embodiments.
30B is a block diagram illustrating various components, information flow, and operation in an example mobile device system configured to perform single device eLBS trilateration operations in accordance with various embodiments.
30C is a block diagram illustrating various components, information flow, and operation in a device/system configured to perform eLBS trilateration operations in accordance with some embodiments.
31 is a diagram illustrating a method of time normalization according to an embodiment.
32 is a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system configured to perform location-based operations in accordance with one embodiment.
33 is a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system configured to perform location-based operations in accordance with one embodiment.
34 is a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system for receiving trilateration input from up to N units in accordance with one embodiment.
35 is a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system configured to use a Kalman filter in accordance with one embodiment.
36 is a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system configured for a number of different types of inputs in accordance with one embodiment.
37 illustrates sharing location-based information between mobile devices in accordance with various embodiments.
38 depicts a block diagram illustrating various components, operations, and information flow in a system in accordance with embodiments.

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. References made to specific examples and implementations are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the claims.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration”. Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.

The terms “mobile device,” “cellular telephone,” and “cell phone” refer to cellular telephones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, tablet computers, ultra any one of or are used interchangeably herein to refer to both. While the various embodiments are particularly useful in mobile devices such as cellular telephones with limited battery life, the embodiments are generally useful in any computing device that may be used to communicate information wirelessly.

The terms “wireless network”, “network”, “cellular system”, “cell tower” and “radio access point” refer to various wireless mobile systems may be used generically and interchangeably to refer to any one of. In one embodiment, the wireless network may be a wireless access point (eg, a base station) that provides a wireless link to the mobile device so that the mobile device can communicate with the core network.

Many different cellular and mobile communication services and standards are available or contemplated in the future, all of which may implement and benefit from various embodiments. Such services and standards include, for example, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Third Generation Wireless Mobile Communication Technology (3G), Fourth Generation Wireless Mobile Communication Technology (4G), Universal System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 3GSM, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems (e.g. cdmaOne, CDMA2000TM), GSM evolution for enhanced data transfer rates (EDGE), advanced mobile phone systems (AMPS), digital AMPS (IS-136/TDMA), evolution data optimization (EV-DO) Global Interoperability (WiMAX), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Wi-Fi Protected Access I & II (WPA, WPA2), Bluetooth®, Integrated Digitally Enhanced Network (iden), and Land Mobile Includes radio (LMR). Each of these techniques involves, for example, the transmission and reception of voice, data, signaling and/or content messages. Any reference to terminology and/or technical details relating to an individual telecommunications standard or technology are for illustrative purposes only and, unless specifically recited in claim expression, the scope of the claims for a particular communication system or technology. It should be understood that it is not intended to limit

Numerous different methods, techniques, solutions and/or techniques (collectively referred to herein as “solutions”) any or all of which may be implemented, included in, and/or used by, the various embodiments. ) is currently available to determine the location of the mobile device. Such solutions include, for example, Global Positioning System (GPS) based solutions, Assisted GPS (A-GPS) solutions, and Cell of Origin (COO), Time of Arrival (TOA), Observed Time of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Includes cell-based positioning solutions such as forward link trilateration (AFLT) and angle of arrival (AOA). In various embodiments, such solutions include one or more wireless communication technologies and/or networks, including wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), and other similar networks or technologies. can be implemented with As an example, a WWAN may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an OFDMA network, a 3GPP LTE network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, or the like. The WPAN may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x network, or the like. The WLAN may be an IEEE 802.11x network or the like. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as CDMA2000, Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), and the like.

Various embodiments discussed herein may generate, compute, and/or use location information associated with one or more mobile devices. Such location information may be useful in providing and/or implementing a variety of location-based services, including emergency location services, commercial location services, internal location services, and legitimate eavesdropping location services. By way of example: emergency location services may include services related to the provision of location and/or identification information to an emergency service individual and/or emergency systems (eg, to a 911 system); Commercial location services may include any generic or value-added service (eg, asset tracking service, navigation service, location-based advertising service, etc.); Internal location services may include services related to the management of a wireless service provider network (eg, wireless resource management service, message forwarding service, paging service, call forwarding service, service providing location/location network enhancements, etc.) can; Lawful eavesdropping location services may include any service that provides public security and/or law enforcement agencies with identification and/or location information relating to a mobile device or mobile device user. While various embodiments are particularly useful for applications that fall within one or more of the categories/types of location-based services discussed above, embodiments are generally useful in any application or service that benefits from location information.

Modern mobile electronic devices (eg, mobile phones) typically include one or more geospatial positioning systems/components that determine the geographic location of the mobile device. Location information obtained by these geospatial systems can be used by location-aware mobile software applications (eg, Google® Maps, Yelp®, Twitter® Places) to provide users with information about the physical location of the mobile device at a given point in time. , “Find my Friends” on Apple®, etc.). In recent years, such location-based services and software applications have grown in popularity, and now mobile device users can navigate cities, read reviews of nearby restaurants and services, track assets or friends, and and/or to obtain location-based safety advice and/or enable mobile device users to use many other location-based services on their mobile devices.

Consumers of modern mobile devices now require location based services that are more advanced, robust, and feature rich than location based services currently available on their mobile devices. However, despite many recent advances in mobile and wireless technologies, mobile devices still lack the ability of mobile devices to provide location-based services to users/consumers of mobile devices that are accurate or powerful enough to meet the needs of these consumers. lack. For example, existing location-aware mobile software applications (eg, “Find my Friends” on Apple®, Google® Latitude, etc.) allow a mobile device user to determine a geographic location that is an approximation of other mobile devices on a two-dimensional map. While enabling viewing, existing location-aware mobile software applications all pinpoint accurately, efficiently and consistently the precise location and/or location of other mobile devices in three dimensions and/or within a wireless communication network. lack of ability Various embodiments provide more accurate, more powerful, and more reliable location-based services from multiple mobile devices, generated more precise location information on or about one or more mobile devices to provide mobile device users with location-based services. These and other limitations of existing solutions are overcome by gathering information, generating advanced three-dimensional location and location information on or for one or more mobile devices, and using the generated location/location information.

One of the challenges associated with using geospatial positioning technology on a mobile device is that when the mobile device is indoors, substandard, and/or satellites are obstructed (eg, by tall buildings, etc.), The point is that the ability of the mobile device to acquire satellite signals and navigation data to calculate the mobile device's geospatial location (called "performing a fix") may be hampered. The presence of physical obstacles such as metal beams or walls can cause multipath interference and signal degradation of wireless communication signals when the mobile device is indoors or in urban environments including tall buildings or skyscrapers. In rural environments, the mobile device may not have sufficient access to satellite communication (eg, a global positioning system satellite) to effectively locate the mobile device's current location. These and other factors often cause existing geospatial technologies to function incorrectly and/or inconsistently on mobile devices, and enable location-aware mobile software applications and/or other location-based services and applications on a mobile device user's mobile device. It hinders the mobile device user's ability to take full advantage of it.

Another problem with using existing geospatial positioning technologies is that the relatively high level of location accuracy is required by emergency services so that the location accuracy provided by existing technologies is not sufficient for use in these services. that it doesn't

Various embodiments include improved location solutions for determining the location of a mobile device with a level of location accuracy suitable for use in emergency location services, commercial location services, internal location services, and legitimate eavesdropping location services.

In general, there are three basic approaches to determining the location of mobile devices in a communication network: a mobile device centric approach, a network centric approach, and a hybrid approach that may include aspects of both the mobile device centric approach and the network centric approach.

1 illustrates an example communication system 100 suitable for implementing a mobile device-centric approach to determining the location of a mobile device 102 in accordance with various embodiments. The mobile device 102 may include a number of geospatial positioning and navigation satellites 110 , and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver in communication with a base tower 104 of a communications network 106 . The mobile device 102 receives wireless signals emitted by the navigation satellites 110 (eg, via a GPS receiver), measures the time required for the signals to reach the mobile device 102 , and the mobile device Trilateration techniques may be used to determine the geographic coordinates of 102 (eg, latitude and longitude coordinates). The mobile device 102 responds to various conditions or events, such as in response to network-based requests, in response to third-party requests, and the like, many times and/or upon restoring initial contact with the communications network 106 , to the communications network 106 . to transmit geographic coordinates.

In one embodiment, the communication network may be a cellular telephone network. A typical cellular telephone network is a network destination other than mobile devices 102 (eg, mobile phones), for example, via telephone landline lines (eg, POTS network, not shown) and the Internet 114 . and a plurality of cellular base stations/base towers 104 coupled to a network operations center 108 operative to link voice and data calls therebetween. Communication between mobile devices 102 and a cellular telephone network may be accomplished over two-way wireless communication links, such as 4G, 3G, CDMA, TDMA, and other cellular telephone communication technologies. The communications network 106 may include one or more servers 112 coupled to or within a network operations center 108 that provides connections to the Internet 114 .

In various embodiments, mobile device 102 is configured with LTE, CDMA2000/EVDO, WCDMA/HSPA, IS-136, GSM, WiMax, Wi-Fi, AMPS, DECT, TD-SCDMA, or TD-CDMA and a switch, land mobile radio (LMR) interoperability equipment, may be configured to communicate with a radio access node, which may include any radio base station or radio access point, such as a satellite fixed service satellite (FSS) that interconnects over long distances with the Internet and the PSTN.

2 depicts an example communication system 200 suitable for implementing a network-centric approach to determining the location of a mobile device 102 in accordance with various embodiments. Mobile device 102 may include circuitry to wirelessly transmit and receive wireless signals. The communication system 200 includes a plurality of wireless access points 204, 206 having installed additional wireless equipment 208 on the plurality of wireless access points 204, 206 for measuring the location of mobile devices in the communication system. can do. For example, mobile device 102 may transmit wireless signals for reception by one or more (eg, typically three) wireless access points 204 , which wireless access points receive the transmitted signals. and measure the signal strength and/or wireless energy of the received signals to identify the location of the mobile device 102 .

In one embodiment, the wireless access points 204 may be configured to determine the location of the mobile device relative to a known location of a network component, such as the wireless access point 206 shown. In this way, the additional wireless equipment 208 installed on the wireless access points 204, 206 provides the communication system 200 with functionality similar to that provided by a GPS receiver for signals received from the mobile device. do. For example, the wireless equipment at one or more of the wireless access points 204 can measure how long it takes for a wireless signal to travel from the mobile device 102 to another wireless access point 206 , trilateration Using techniques (eg, time of arrival, angle of arrival, or a combination thereof), the mobile device 102 or network server 210 can estimate the location of the mobile device 102 to within an accuracy of 100-300 meters. can Once the network has estimated the latitude and longitude coordinates of the mobile device 102 , this information can be used to determine the geospatial location of the mobile device 102 , which information is communicated via the Internet 114 to other systems, servers, and/or other systems. or the components.

Various embodiments may implement and/or utilize a hybrid approach for determining the location of mobile devices in a communications network that may include aspects of both the device-centric and network-centric approaches discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . have. For example, one embodiment indicates that the GPS capabilities of mobile devices, measured signal strengths and/or wireless energy of wireless signals transmitted from the mobile devices, and known locations of network components are determined by one or more mobile devices in the network. It is possible to implement a hybrid approach used in combination to estimate the positions of . In a further embodiment, the mobile devices and/or network components (eg, servers, wireless access points, etc.) determine certain factors (eg, wireless signal strength, GPS, etc.) of the location of the mobile devices. may be configured to dynamically determine whether to use to measure and/or determine

3 depicts sample components of a mobile device 102 in the form of a telephone that may be used with various embodiments. The mobile device/telephone 102 includes a speaker 304 , user input elements 306 , microphones 308 , an antenna 312 for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation, an electronic display 314 , a processor 324 , memory 326 and other well-known components of modern electronic devices.

Phone 102 may include one or more sensors 310 that monitor physical conditions (eg, position, motion, acceleration, orientation, altitude, etc.). The sensors may include any or all of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a magnetic compass, an altimeter, an odometer, and a pressure sensor. Sensors may include various biosensors (eg, heart rate monitor, body temperature sensor, carbon sensor, oxygen sensor, etc.) that collect information related to environment and/or user conditions. The sensors are external to the mobile device and may be paired or grouped into the mobile device via a wired or wireless connection (eg, Bluetooth®, etc.). In embodiments, mobile device 102 may include two or more of the same type of sensor (eg, two accelerometers, etc.).

Phone 102 may include a GPS receiver 318 configured to receive GPS signals from GPS satellites to determine the geographic location of phone 102 . Phone 102 may include circuitry 320 that transmits wireless signals to wireless access points and/or other network components. The phone 102 determines wireless signal delays (eg, for cell phone towers and/or cell sites), performs trilateration and/or multilateration operations, and/or operates on known networks. The geographic location/location of the phone 102 such as components that identify proximity to (eg, Bluetooth® networks, WLAN networks, Wi-Fi, etc.) and/or implement other known geolocation technologies. It may further include other components/sensors 322 for determining.

The phone 102 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM), for example, to determine the order in which the listed frequencies or channels are to be tried when the phone 102 is to acquire/connect to a wireless network or system; It may include a system acquisition function configured to access and use information contained in a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and/or a Preferred Roaming List (PRL). In various embodiments, the phone 102 attempts to acquire network access (ie, the phone 102 ) upon initial power-on and/or when the current channel or frequency is lost (which may happen for a variety of reasons). to attempt to find a channel or frequency accessible to the radio/communication network).

Mobile device 102 may include pre-built USIM, SIM, PRL or access point information. In one embodiment, the mobile device may be configured for the first responders and/or the public security network, for example, by setting the incident scene wireless system as the default and/or preferred communication system.

As mentioned above, notwithstanding recent advances in mobile and wireless communication technologies, determining the specific location of a mobile device in a wireless network depends on the variability of environmental conditions in which mobile devices are often used by consumers, the mobile device. It is still a difficult task for a variety of reasons, including the shortcomings of existing techniques for computing and/or measuring location information on fields, and the lack of uniform standards. For example, there are currently no universally accepted standards for implementing or providing location-based services. As a result, mobile device designers and wireless network operators, along with local public security and third-party providers, have a variety of inefficient, inconsistent, and sometimes incompatibilities to determine the location of a mobile device and/or to provide location-based services. Methods, techniques, solutions and/or techniques that are not available are being used.

While there are no universally accepted standards for implementing or providing location based services, there are certain requirements or standards associated with determining the location of a mobile device that may be useful in various embodiments. The US Congress has directed that cellular service providers configure their networks, communication systems, and/or mobile devices so that the locations of mobile devices can be determined when a 911 call is placed. To implement Congress' directive, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has requested that cellular service providers upgrade their systems to two tiers (“Phase I” and “Phase II” herein respectively). Although the level of sophistication/accuracy provided by these Phase I and II upgrades is generally inadequate for providing effective location based services that meet the needs of modern users of mobile devices, these upgrades will enable more effective location based solutions to be built. provides a basis for

As mentioned above, the FCC has requested that cellular service providers upgrade their systems in two phases. In a first step (Step I), cellular service providers allow emergency calls (eg 911 calls) to be routed to the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) closest to the base station antenna to which the mobile device is connected, and the PSAP call Cellular service providers' systems had to be upgraded so that recipients could see the mobile device's phone number and the location of the base station to which it was connected. The location of the base station to which it is connected may be used to identify the general location of the mobile device within a three to six mile radius.

In a second phase (Phase II), cellular service providers had to upgrade their systems so that PSAP callees could identify the location of the mobile device to within 300 meters. To meet these Phase II requirements, wireless service providers have implemented various techniques and, depending on the technology used, can generally identify the location of a mobile device to within 50 to 300 meters. For example, on systems that have implemented a network-based solution (eg, triangulation of nearby base stations, etc.), the location of the mobile device is 67% then within an accuracy of 100 meters, and 95 then. % can be determined to within an accuracy of 300 meters. On systems that have employed a mobile device-based solution (eg, embedded satellite positioning system receivers, etc.), the location of the mobile device can be determined within 67% of the time to within 50 meters, and 95% of the time to within 150 meters. have.

Existing Tier I and II solutions alone are not suitable for generating location information with sufficient accuracy or detail for use in providing accurate, robust, and reliable location based services. Various embodiments (e.g., Phase I and II upgrades, device centric system) with more advanced location determination techniques to compute location information appropriate for the advanced location based services required by today's consumers. may use some or all of the capabilities built into existing systems (as part of network-centric systems, etc.).

In addition to the three basic approaches discussed above, a number of different solutions are currently available for determining the location of a mobile device, any or all of which may be implemented by and/or included in the various embodiments.

The most common positioning solutions use distance estimation techniques based on single carrier signals, and one of the basic operations in ground-based (or network-centric) positioning solutions is timing estimation of the signal's first arrival path. . That is, a single carrier signal transmitted between a transceiver and a mobile device may be received over multiple paths (ie, multiple paths), and multiple paths of the signal may have different received powers and times of arrival. Received signals may be compared to each other to distinguish multiple paths of the received signal. In this method, the first arrival path (eg, first detected signal, strongest signal, etc.) is associated with the path that travels the shortest distance, and thus the correct value to use for estimating the distance between the mobile device and the transceiver. It is generally assumed that Often, this first arrival path is the strongest path due to less than zero reflections relative to other paths between the transceiver and the mobile device.

In various embodiments, the first time of arrival of the identified first path of arrival is another parameter to estimate a distance between the mobile device and a network component (eg, another mobile device, transceiver, access point, base station, etc.) (eg, an estimated signal transmission time and/or a time offset between the clocks of the transceiver and the mobile device, etc.). The first time of arrival may be estimated by a mobile device (eg, based on a downlink received signal) or a network component (eg, based on an uplink received signal).

The location of the mobile device may be determined by estimating the distance between the mobile device and a network component or other signal sources (eg, transceiver, ground or satellite based signal sources, etc.). For example, the location of the mobile device may be determined by performing trilateration using estimated distances between multiple (eg, three or more) transceivers and the mobile device.

Another location determination solution would involve computing an observed difference in time of arrival (OTDOA) value by measuring the timing of signals received from three network components (eg, mobile devices, transceivers, access points, etc.). can For example, the mobile device may be configured to compute two hyperbola based on the time difference of arrival between a reference transceiver signal and the signals of two neighboring transceivers. The intersection of the computed hyperbolas may define a location on the earth's surface that may be used by various embodiments to determine the location of the mobile device.

The accuracy of such OTDOA solutions may be a function of the resolution of the geometry and time difference measurements of neighboring transceivers. Accordingly, implementing an OTDOA solution may require determining precise timing relationships between neighboring transceivers. However, in existing asynchronous networks, this precise timing relationship can be difficult to ascertain.

In various embodiments, localization units (LMUs) are configured to measure/compute timing information for one or more network components (eg, transceivers) for high quality timing reference signals throughout the deployment area of the asynchronous network. can be added over. For example, the mobile device or LMU may determine an observed time difference between the frame timing of the transceiver signals, and the observed time difference may be transmitted to a radio network controller of the transceiver or communication network to determine the location of the mobile device. The location of the mobile device may be determined based on the observed time difference and assistance data (eg, the location of reference and neighboring transceivers) received from the communication network.

Another location determination solution involves computing an uplink-time-of-arrival (U-TDOA) based on network measurements of a known signal's time-of-arrival transmitted from a mobile device and received at multiple (eg, four or more) LMUs. may include For example, the LMUs may be located in the geographic vicinity of the mobile device to accurately measure the time of arrival of known signal bursts, the location of the mobile device being based on the known geographic coordinates of the LMUs and the measured time of arrival values. can be determined using hyperbolic trilateration.

As discussed above, conventional positioning solutions are typically based on single carrier signals. Various embodiments include a ground-based positioning solution based on multi-carrier signals. A location determination solution based on multi-carrier signals may improve the accuracy of computed location information, for example, by improving the accuracy of timing estimation (eg, by extending the bandwidth of cellular signals). Multiple carrier based location determination solutions can be used for both device centric (eg, mobile device based) and network centric (eg, base station based) approaches, and can be used in both 3GPP and 3GPP2 wireless communication technologies. can be applied.

In various embodiments, the mobile device includes information collected from mobile device sensors (eg, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, pressure sensor, etc.), information received from other mobile devices, and a network component of a communication system. and determine a geospatial location of the mobile device based on information received from

4A illustrates an example communication system in which various embodiments may be implemented. In general, mobile device 102 communicates signals to and from network 406 , and ultimately Internet 114 , using various communication systems/technology (eg, GPRS, UMTS, LTE, cdmaOne, CDMA2000™). may be configured to transmit and receive In the example shown in FIG. 4 , Long Term Evolution (LTE) data transmitted from the mobile device 102 is received by an eNodeB (eNB) 404 and is located within the core network 406 Serving Gateway (S-GW). 408 is sent. Mobile device 102 or serving gateway 408 may transmit signaling (control plane) information (eg, information related to security, authorization, etc.) to mobility management entity (MME) 410 .

MME 410 requests user and subscription information from Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 412 , performs various administrative tasks (eg, user authorization, enforcement of roaming restrictions, etc.), and various user and control information to the S-GW 408 . The S-GW 408 receives and stores information transmitted by the MME 410 (eg, parameters of an IP bearer service, network intra-network routing information, etc.), generates data packets, and sends the data packets to the packet. data network gateway (P-GW) 416 . The P-GW 416 receives the packets and processes the packets with a Policy and Control Enforcement Function (PCEF) 414 that requests the Imposition/Control Policies for connection from the Policy and Imposition Rules Function (PCRF) 415 and can send. The PCRF 415 is a policy rule that enforces bandwidth, quality of service (QoS), and characteristics of data and services communicated between the network (eg, the Internet, service network, etc.) and the mobile device 102 . are provided to the PCEF 414 . In one embodiment, the PCEF 414 may be or are some of the operations typically associated with the P-GW 416 . For detailed information on policy and charging enforcement function operations see “3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Policy and Charging Control Architecture),” TS 23.203 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

In one embodiment, the network 406 may include an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) 418 . In general, the E-SMLC 418 collects and maintains tracking information for the mobile device 102 . E-SMLC 418 may be configured to provide location services via a Lightweight Provisioning Protocol (LPP) that supports provision of application services in addition to TCP/IP networks. E-SMLC 418 may transmit or receive almanac and/or assistance data to and from MME 410 and/or eNB 404 (eg, via LPP). The E-SMLC 418 may send external or network initiated location service requests to the MME 410 .

In addition, the mobile device 102 serves via system information blocks including a home eNB (HeNB) in addition to CDMA, GERAN and UTRA cells, which are neighboring cells to scan on the same system using the same frequencies or different frequencies. Information may be received from the eNodeB 404 .

4B illustrates logical components, communication links, and information flows in one embodiment communication system 450 suitable for use in determining the location of a mobile device. The communication system 450 may include a network location based system 452 , a core network 454 , and a radio access network 456 . The communication system 450 includes an application component 458 , a location calculation component 460 , a wireless grouping component 462 , and a sensor data component 464 , any or all of which may be included in the mobile device 102 . ) may be included. Application component 458 (eg, client software) may request and receive location information from network location based system 452 (eg, via core network 454 and radio access network 456 ). can Likewise, the network location based system 452 (or other clients attached to or within the core network 454 ) may request and receive location information from the application component 458 .

In various embodiments, mobile device 102 provides information collected from mobile device sensors (eg, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, pressure sensor, etc.), information received from other mobile devices, and and determine a geospatial location of the mobile device based on information received from network components. In one embodiment, the collection and reporting of sensor information may be controlled/performed by the sensor data component 464 . For example, the application component 458 retrieves and/or receives sensor information from the sensor data component 464 and configures the location calculation to compute the location of the mobile device locally for location updates and/or location augmentation. Element 460 may send sensor information. The application component 458 may transmit the computed location information to the network location based system 452 and/or other mobile devices.

As noted above, in various embodiments, mobile device 102 may be configured to determine a geospatial location of mobile device 102 based on information collected from other mobile devices. In such embodiments, two or more mobile devices may be organized into groups. Each mobile device may share location information of each mobile device with other mobile devices with which the mobile device is grouped. For example, mobile devices may use the mobile device's current location and/or location information (eg, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, etc.), and an estimate of the distance between the mobile devices themselves and the target mobile device. can be configured to share with other mobile devices in a group of

In one embodiment, the grouping of mobile devices may be controlled by a wireless grouping component 462 . For example, the application component 458 retrieves radio group information (eg, information relating to the locations of other mobile devices) from the wireless grouping component 462 , location updates and/or location augmentation. may send group information to the location calculation component 460 to perform local calculations for In one embodiment, location calculation component 460 may perform local calculations based on both sensor information received from sensor data component 464 and group information received from wireless grouping component 462 . .

In one embodiment, mobile device 102 may be configured to automatically share location information of mobile device 102 with other mobile devices upon discovery of other mobile devices. Mobile devices may augment their location information (eg, location coordinates) with information received from other mobile devices within the same geographic location and in a controlled pseudo ad hoc environment. Since shared location information (eg, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, etc.) involves relatively small amounts of data, in one embodiment, mobile devices provide such information from a network server by in-band and/or out-of-band signaling. can receive

When implemented with a 3GPP-LTE network, various embodiments transmit location information (eg, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, etc.) to and from mobile devices that can be achieved both on-net and off-net and an E-SMLC 418 component configured to receive. Location information may be cell-based or geographic coordinates along with estimated errors (uncertainty) of the location, location, altitude and speed of the mobile device and, if available, a location method (or list of methods) used to obtain a location estimate. can be delivered in standard formats, such as standard formats for

To help determine the locations of mobile devices, 3GPP-LTE networks have several standardized reference signals. Various embodiments may use these reference signals for timing based positioning and positioning solutions. Such reference signals may include primary and secondary synchronization signals and cell specific reference signals.

As mentioned above, two or more mobile devices may be organized into groups. Mobile devices within the same group may be part of the same network, or may be associated with different networks and/or network technologies. Mobile devices within the same group may operate on different network operating systems (NOSs) and/or radio access networks (RANs).

5A-5C illustrate functional components, communication links and information flows in one embodiment method of grouping mobile devices and sharing location information among the grouped mobile devices. Referring to FIG. 5A , after mobile device 102 is powered on, mobile device 102 may connect to predetermined and/or preferred radio frequency carriers and/or systems to which mobile device 102 may be connected to a network. Airwaves can be scanned. If the mobile device 102 does not find a suitable network to which the mobile device 102 can connect (or if the mobile device 102 is disconnected), the mobile device 102 establishes a connection to the network/internet 510 . It may scan airwaves for other wireless access systems (eg, a mobile network, a wireless access point associated with a mobile device, etc.) to acquire (ie, to be connected to). These operations may be performed in case of a disconnected call or power cut.

Mobile device 102 may begin acquiring GPS signals while scanning airwaves for radio frequency carriers and/or systems. If the mobile device 102 is unable to acquire GPS signals, a network component (not shown) may be configured based on one or more of the location determination solutions discussed herein (eg, an antenna used in the wireless access point, time assist in determining the relative position of the mobile device 102 (based on delay, angle of arrival, etc.).

Mobile device 102 may acquire (ie, couple to) the appropriate radio access system, radio frequency carrier and/or system via the mobile device's system acquisition system. In the examples shown in FIGS. 5A-5C , mobile device 102 establishes a connection to network 510 via eNodeB 404 . However, it should be understood that any or all of the communication techniques discussed above are contemplated and are within the scope of various embodiments.

After mobile device 102 acquires the wireless access system, network 510 (ie, a component of the network, such as a server) (eg, location determination solutions discussed above, such as proximity to base towers) (via one or more of the following) will recognize an approximate location of the mobile device 102 . In addition, the mobile device 102 computes the current location of the mobile device 102 (eg, via GPS and/or the location determination solutions discussed above), stores the calculations in the mobile device's memory, and The current location of the device 102 may be reported to the network 510 .

In addition to recognizing the approximate location of the mobile device 102 , the network 510 may also include locations of other mobile devices 502 and proximity of other mobile devices 502 to the recently captured mobile device 102 . This may be notified.

FIG. 5B shows network 510 issuing instructions/commands to mobile devices 102 , 502 to allow mobile devices 102 , 502 to group with mobile devices 102 , 502 and possibly others. Shows what can be transmitted. In one embodiment, network 510 may be configured to automatically group mobile devices 102 , 502 based on proximity of mobile devices 102 , 502 to each other. In one embodiment, network 510 may be configured to enable an incident site command system (ICS) commander to group devices. In one embodiment, network 510 may be configured to enable mobile devices to form groups based on their proximity to each other.

5C illustrates a mobile device 102 pairing and/or grouping with another mobile device 502 and/or establishing communication links so that the mobile devices 102 , 502 can share real-time relative location information with each other. Show what you can The two or more grouped/paired mobile devices 102 and 502 determine the relative positions of the two or more grouped/paired mobile devices 102 and 502 with respect to each other by transmitting relative location information over established communication links. can be identified. The relative position information may include time to arrival, angle of arrival, and existing or self-aware position information.

Mobile devices 102 , 502 may be configured to report sensor information to each other and/or to network 510 . The sensor information may include x, y, z coordinate information and speed information. Sensor information may be polled on a continuous basis and/or requested periodically and/or made available on demand in response to network/system requests.

In one embodiment, the mobile device 102 , 502 reports sensor information in response to determining that there has been a high probability that there has been a change in the position of the mobile device 102 , 502 (eg, in response to detecting motion). can be configured to Mobile devices 102 , 502 collect sensor information in response to receiving a command/command from network 510 (ie, a server shown in FIG. 4 or a component of a network such as E-SLMC 418 ) and It may be configured to report to the network 510 . Network 510 (ie, a component of the network) receives sensor and location information from mobile devices 102 , 502 (eg, time delay and angle of arrival for mobile devices 102 , 502 ). ) to compute and store information about distances.

In one embodiment, reporting of sensor information may be based on local parameter settings. For example, mobile devices 102 , 502 can detect when any of the measured parameters (eg, x, y, z, and velocity information) meet or exceed a threshold (eg, . can be identified by In one embodiment, mobile devices 102 , 502 are responsive to determining that measured parameters (eg, x, y, and z coordinates and velocity information) meet or exceed a threshold value. may be configured to recompute and/or update the location information of s 102 , 502 .

In one embodiment, the mobile device 102 and/or network 510 (ie, a component of the network) collect sensor information to determine whether there is a discrepancy between the collected/measured values and expected values. to the computed latitude and longitude coordinates, relative elevation information, and other available information. When it is determined that a discrepancy exists between the expected values and the measured values, the mobile device 102 and/or network 510 may perform additional measurements to improve the location accuracy of the measurements/location information. .

5D illustrates an embodiment mobile device method 550 for grouping mobile devices to compute enhanced location information and sharing location information between the grouped mobile devices and a network. After the mobile device is powered on, at block 552 , the mobile device may scan airwaves for predetermined and/or preferred radio frequency carriers and/or systems to which the mobile device may connect. At block 554 , the mobile device may begin acquiring GPS signals while scanning airwaves for radio frequency carriers and/or systems. If the mobile device cannot acquire GPS signals, the mobile device or network component may determine, as part of block 554 , the relative location of the mobile device based on one or more of the location determination solutions discussed herein. At block 556, the mobile device may acquire (ie, connect to) an appropriate radio access system, radio frequency carrier, system and/or network.

At block 558 , the mobile device computes the current location of the mobile device (eg, via GPS and/or the location determination solutions discussed above), stores the calculations in memory, and the current location of the mobile device can be reported to the network. At block 560 , the mobile device is responsive to receiving instructions/commands from a network component and/or in response to determining that other mobile devices are within a predetermined proximity (ie, within a threshold distance) to the mobile device. You can group with other mobile devices. At block 562 , the mobile device may share the mobile device's current location information, as well as information collected from sensors, with the grouped mobile devices. At block 564 , the mobile device may receive location and/or sensor information from the grouped mobile devices. The sensor information may include x, y, z coordinate information and speed information.

At block 566 , the mobile device may identify the relative positions of other mobile devices, which may be obtained by evaluating position and sensor information received from the other mobile devices and/or any of the location determination solutions discussed herein. or through all. At block 568 , the mobile device receives the sensor and location information and/or a network component capable of computing the updated location information (eg, based on time delay and distance of angle of arrival, relative elevation information, etc.) Alternatively, relative location information, current location information of the mobile device and/or sensor information may be transmitted to other mobile devices. At block 570 , the mobile device may receive updated location information from the network component and/or other grouped mobile devices. At block 572 , the mobile device may update the current location calculation and/or information of the mobile device based on information received from the network component and/or other grouped mobile devices. The operations of blocks 562-572 may be repeated until a desired level of precision is achieved for the position information.

6A-6D show one embodiment method of computing location information in which grouped/paired mobile devices 102, 502 are updated with the respective location information of grouped/paired mobile devices 102, 502. shows the functional components, communication links and information flows in

6A illustrates that mobile device 102 may communicate with a serving eNodeB 404 to relay location information of mobile device 102 to network 510 and/or to receive location information from network 510 . do.

6B shows that another mobile device 502 may communicate with a serving eNodeB 404 to relay location information of the other mobile device 502 to the network 510 and/or to receive location information from the network 510 . show that

6C shows that grouped/paired mobile devices 102 , 502 may communicate with each other to determine a distance therebetween, which may include time of arrival, relative position in angle of arrival measurements, and other similar values; It shows what can be accomplished by mobile devices 102 , 502 communicating various types of information, such as measurements or calculations. Mobile devices 102 , 502 then recompute current location calculations and/or location information of mobile devices 102 , 502 based on information received from other mobile devices 102 , 502 and and/or may improve and/or update.

6D shows that grouped/paired mobile devices 102 and 502 transmit self-aware location information and/or relative location information of grouped/paired mobile devices 102 and 502 (via serving eNodeB 404 ). ) to the network 510 and to receive updated location information from the network 510 . For example, mobile devices 102 and 502 can measure current location coordinates of mobile devices 102 and 502, distances between the mobile devices (eg, distance to each other), elevation, and ( For example, mobile device 102 may transmit orientations (relative to mobile device 502 ) to network 220 . The network may compute the updated location information based on the received information (eg, coordinates, sensor information, proximity information, etc.) and transmit the updated location information to the mobile devices 102 , 502 . The mobile devices 102 , 502 may then recompute, refine and/or recompute the current location calculations and/or location information of the mobile devices 102 , 502 based on information received from the network; can be updated.

The operations discussed above with respect to FIGS. 6A-6D allow mobile devices 102 , 502 to receive updates from other mobile devices and/or network 510 until a desired level of precision is achieved for the location information. recomputing, improving and/or updating current location calculations and/or location information of mobile devices 102 , 502 based on the updated information recursively, continuously, and/or periodically; can be repeated.

6E illustrates an embodiment system method 650 for determining the location of two or more grouped mobile devices. At block 652 , the first mobile device may transmit and/or receive current location information to and from the network element. At block 654 , the second mobile device may transmit and/or receive current location information to and from the network element. At block 656 , the first and second mobile devices may communicate with each other to determine relative distances therebetween, including time of arrival, relative position to angle of arrival measurements, speed, altitude, etc. This can be accomplished by communicating various types of information.

At block 658 , the first and/or second mobile devices perform current location calculations and/or location of the first and/or second mobile devices based on information received from other mobile devices and/or the network. The information may be recomputed, improved and/or updated. At block 660 , the first and/or second mobile devices receive the calculations/information and compute the updated location information (eg, based on time delay and distance of angle of arrival, relative elevation information, etc.). and transmit the updated current location calculations and/or location information of the first and/or second mobile devices to a capable network element. At block 662 , the first and/or second mobile devices may receive updated location information from the network. The operations of blocks 658-662 may be repeated until a desired level of precision is achieved for the position information.

It should be understood that the methods and operations discussed above with reference to FIGS. 5A-5D and 6A-6F may be performed to include more than two devices. For example, in one embodiment, mobile devices may be grouped into four (4) units such that each mobile device can triangulate the location of each mobile device with respect to other mobile devices in the same group. have.

In one embodiment, mobile device 102 and/or network component may store relative location information for all mobile devices in each group based on the type of grouping. For example, the network component may store relative location information for all mobile devices that are grouped/paired by an incident site command system (ICS) commander. Likewise, the network component may store relative location information for all mobile devices that are grouped/paired based on the proximity of all mobile devices to each other.

In one embodiment, mobile device 102 may be configured to detect a low battery condition and initiate actions that will conserve battery. For example, mobile device 102 may be configured to turn off wireless communication of mobile device 102 and/or terminate or reduce mobile device 102's participation in group/pairing information exchange. As another example, mobile device 102 can be flagged or identified as having a low battery condition, and other grouped/paired mobile devices are notified of a low battery condition so that update intervals can be adjusted to reduce battery consumption. can be

6F illustrates an embodiment method 670 of adjusting update intervals of a mobile device in response to detecting a low battery condition. At block 672 , the mobile device may detect/determine that the amount of power remaining in the mobile device battery is below a predetermined threshold. At block 674 , the mobile device may transmit a signal or notify the grouped mobile devices of the detected low battery condition. At block 676 , the mobile device initiates operations that will save power, eg, by turning off the mobile device's wireless communication and/or reducing the mobile device's participation in exchanging information with grouped mobile devices. can do. At block 678 , the mobile device and/or the notified grouped mobile devices may adjust update intervals for the mobile device to reduce the load on the mobile device.

As discussed above, grouped mobile devices may share various types of information to improve the accuracy of location determination calculations. For information shared between grouped/paired mobile devices, the mobile device can use any or all of the information available to the mobile devices (eg, location coordinates, sensor information, proximity information, etc.) Comparisons of paths and ranges between them can be made. If two mobile devices report relative location information that is within user or network defined range tolerances as acceptable, this information can be sent to the network. If the relative location information is not within a user or network defined range tolerance, additional polling operations may be performed to improve the accuracy of the measurements or location information. The aforementioned operations may be repeated until a desired level of accuracy is achieved. In one embodiment, the number of times the aforementioned operations are repeated may be determined based on user definable values that may be set by the network, user, or algorithm used.

As noted above, mobile device 102 may include two or more of the same type of sensor. In embodiments where mobile device 102 includes more than one of the same type of sensor (eg, includes two accelerometers), one of the sensors (eg, one of the two accelerometers) is the master can be identified as a sensor. The values measured by each sensor can be compared, and if the difference between the values is within the tolerance range, the values measured by the master sensor can be compared to the sensor parameters (eg, x, y, z, and velocity). parameters) can be used to compute. If the difference between the values is not within the tolerance range, the mobile device uses information collected from other sensors (of the same or different types) to determine whether the values measured by the master sensor match the expected values. Can be used. For example, the mobile device computes sensor parameters (eg, x, y, z, and velocity parameters) and based on values measured on the master sensor to determine whether the master sensor is functioning correctly. to use information collected from various other types of sensors to compare computed sensor parameters to similar computed sensor parameters. Values measured on the master sensor may be compared to information stored on a network or other mobile devices to determine whether the master sensor is functioning correctly. If it is determined that the master sensor is not functioning correctly, the auxiliary sensor may be designated as the master sensor. The old master sensor may be demoted to a standby state (ie, for use if the master sensor fails) and not used for immediate position calculations.

As mobile devices move to an area, they may be requested to group/pair with more devices. The number of devices a mobile device can group/pair with is dependent on the user configuration through the system, and/or user intervention to save battery and computational effort (eg, when the mobile device detects a low battery condition). may be limited by

In one embodiment, proximity grouping may be used for x, y and z coordinates/fields and/or for velocity information.

If the mobile device is unable to group with another mobile device that it is instructed to group/pair (eg, due to RF path issues), the mobile device may group with another mobile device in an ad hoc manner. If no mobile device is pairable with the mobile device, reporting to the network may depend on the mobile device's own geographic and/or sensor information.

When the mobile device 102 is not detected to be within a given proximity of the grouping radius, other mobile devices in the same group as the mobile device 102 ungroup/unpair other mobile devices from the mobile device 102 . The decision may be notified. In one embodiment, the system may be configured to require approval from the incident scene commander or user before the mobile can be ungrouped/unpaired. In one embodiment, this would be accomplished by sending a signal to the incident site commander or the user's mobile device requesting approval that the incident site commander or user could send a reply for or against a request to ungroup/unpair. can In one embodiment, the ungroup/unpair process may be transparent to mobile device users.

If the mobile device is unable to communicate with the network, the mobile device may transmit telemetry information (and other telemetry information) related to location services to the grouped mobile device relaying to the network.

In one embodiment, if the network has lost communication with the mobile device, polling for information may be performed. Mobile devices known to be grouped with the mobile device may be directed to communicate with the disconnected mobile even when the mobile device is attempting to reacquire the network. A logical sequence based on proximity, signal quality to the network, and/or battery strength may be used to determine which mobile device will be used as a repeater to communicate with the network.

The relayed telemetry information may include more than location information. For example, telemetry information may include biosensor and user biometric information reporting on environmental and user conditions including heart rate and temperature, CO, O2 and other sensor information.

In one embodiment, the network may continuously measure/monitor connected mobile devices. Knowing the location and relative location of other mobile devices to each of the other mobile devices enables the network to continuously measure uplink and downlink communication paths. When communication path degradation occurs and begins to fall within a defined system quality range (which can be user defined), the mobile device is instructed to handover another radio access node to the same network and/or network technology, or as a secondary signal path. may be directed to initiate performing relay operations relaying communication via the defined mobile device.

If the communication link with the network is lost, the mobile device may attempt to acquire the communication link itself on another network. While the acquisition process is in progress, the mobile device can act as a mesh device. Other mobile devices in the proximity group may be connected as a mesh network.

In one embodiment, mobile devices may utilize dead reckoning techniques (also called subtracted estimate) to compute updated location information. The mobile devices may have other mobile devices with network access until one or both of the mobile devices have access to the initial network or another network and have authorized access to whether the initial network or the other network is a public or private network. It can store updated information about the eventual relay to the device.

7 illustrates typical operating conditions in which the mobile device 102 will periodically scan for other cells 704 including the serving cell 903 of the mobile device 102 . If the wireless access points are part of a network, then the mobile device is required by the existing network to determine the location of the mobile device (eg, via triangulation and/or trilateration) based on the network approach. identity and signaling information. If the mobile device detects that the wireless access point is not part of the mobile device's preferred cell selection process, the mobile device may attempt to read coordinates and location information from the broadcast access point.

Once synchronized with the access point, the mobile device can determine timing differences and other essential information to help determine the relative location and distance of the mobile device from the access point. Such information may relate to a location system used by the mobile device to help improve the mobile device's current location calculations.

In addition, the mobile device may be configured to compare each cell being read to the mobile device's own coordinates using the orientation and time difference for all cells the mobile device reads. The mobile device may then triangulate on the location of the mobile device itself.

During a 911 call, a software application on the distressed mobile device may be executed. A software application can use that information to access the list of active neighbors, read the overhead of each cell, and triangulate on the location of the mobile device itself. The mobile device may read the time offset for each of the cells.

In this case, the system triangulates on the location of the distressed mobile and transmits information to the incident site commander and/or the public service response point (PSAP) with a relative distance to the target indication that is updated on predetermined intervals. with greater precision and accuracy to help first responders try and find the location of the distressed mobile. If the mobile device loses contact with the PSAP, the 911 center, then the last location is displayed continuously and any speed information is also relayed to assist the first responders.

In an emergency, mobile device 102 may be configured to transmit location information of mobile device 102 to a network. Mobile device 102 may be configured to automatically transmit location information of mobile device 102 in response to detecting an emergency, or may provide a user with an option to transmit location information. In one embodiment, mobile device 102 may be configured to transmit location information of mobile device 102 in response to a network initiated command.

Each mobile device may be an access point (AP). The determination of an access point may be updated periodically while still communicating with the network, or when no network is found. Upon power up, each mobile device can act as a client, and in a pseudo-random time interval, the mobile devices can become an access point and then a client.

The location-based methodology may be the same for frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) systems. However, if the communication link between the mobile device and the network is broken, the mobile device may be configured to relay telemetry information of the mobile device via another mobile device that has network access.

In one embodiment, all information transmitted over wireless communication links may be digital. In one embodiment, the information may be encrypted at the required Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) standard level, or an appropriate encryption level required for the required communication system and access method used.

In general, location based systems (LBS) may utilize reactive or proactive based methods. In a responsive location-based system, mobile devices may interact synchronously with each other on a time-based or some other predetermined update method. In a proactive location-based system, mobile devices may update location information of mobile devices based on a set of predetermined event conditions using an algorithm. Various embodiments may include both reactive and proactive aspects, taking the best of both approaches to enhancing location accuracy and precision.

Various embodiments may include positioning solutions that utilize horizontal data (ie, a set of reference points on the earth's surface at which position measurements are made) and/or vertical data. Horizontal data are essential conditions that define the origin and orientation of the coordinate system and indicate its position with respect to the earth's surface. The vertical data is based on geoids, which serve primarily as the basis for determining the height of the location relative to the mean sea level where the geoids serve as benchmarks for origin and orientation. Various embodiments may utilize horizontal and vertical data to provide/generate enhanced three-dimensional location information. Horizontal and vertical data may be global, national, local, or customized depending on the location and the localization reference system utilized.

Typically, global data is used for place/location compared to local data. Global data is used for initial location fixing, if possible, and is based on GPS coordinates. Local data is based on a specific location on the Earth's surface, which enables non-GPS based location based services to occur. Various embodiments may use global data, local data, or both. In one embodiment, GPS can be used to help identify an initial location fix, augmented by dead reckoning, and a hybrid trilateration solution that utilizes both network and terminal-based positioning. In such an embodiment, both local and global data may be used.

In general, a hybrid survey and trilateration solution includes a mobile device that performs measurements and transmits the measurements to a network, and a network component that performs position determination calculations. Various embodiments include hybrid surveying and trilateration solutions in which a mobile device performs position determination calculations with and without the support of network components.

Various embodiments may include sensor fusion operations in which a collaborative approach is used such that the sensors act as a collective team, rather than as individual sensors. As discussed above, a mobile device may include a variety of sensors (eg, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic compass, altimeter, , odometers, etc.). In various embodiments, information collected from any or all internal sensors may be used to improve location or location accuracy and/or reliability improvements. Various embodiments may compute location information based on information from multiple sensors with or without the aid of radio frequency propagation information.

Sensor fusion operations may include the sharing of telemetry including sensor data indicative of the relative movement of the personal mobile device, allowing transient readings to aid in location estimation with external assistance or dead reckoning.

8 illustrates an embodiment mobile device method 800 for determining a location of a mobile device in a wireless network. At block 802 , the mobile device may determine a current location of the mobile device using any of the aforementioned location determination solutions. At block 804 , the mobile device may share location information of the mobile device with other grouped mobile devices and/or receive location information from other grouped mobile devices. At block 806 , the mobile device may compute and transmit the updated distance vector and sensor information to the network element for an improved location fix. At block 808 , the mobile device may receive updated location information from the network component and perform a location fix of the mobile device itself based on the mobile data information received from the network. At block 810 , the mobile device may verify the location information of the mobile device using dead reckoning that updates the location information of the mobile device and/or enhances location accuracy.

Dead reckoning can provide the necessary position corrections as a local data method for positioning when GPS or other network related positioning solutions are not available. In addition, dead reckoning can enhance location location accuracy and precision calculations by providing additional horizontal and vertical data comparisons.

With dead reckoning, the current location can be inferred (or inferred) from the last known location. Dead reckoning accuracy requires a known starting point, which may be provided by a network, GPS, near field communication link, RF beacon, or via other mobile device.

Dead reckoning systems may rely on the accuracy of measured distances and directions of flight, and the accuracy of known sources. However, a problem with relying on dead reckoning alone to aid in location improvement is error accumulation (ie, differences or errors in values computed/collected from one or more sensors) caused by sensor drift. In particular, magnets, accelerometers and gyroscopes are sensitive to sensor drift. Error accumulation for any of the sensors may increase through a wavy region as compared to a flat region. Bias error and step size error are major contributors to dead reckoning errors.

Various embodiments may tightly couple mobile device sensors and continuously recalibrate the sensors to reduce any drift problems caused by unaided dead reckoning. Moreover, as part of tightly coupling the sensors, any deflection drift associated with the sensors (eg, gyroscopes) reduces errors from primary and/or secondary sensors (eg, gyroscopes). This can be dealt with by using the Kalman filter.

In various embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to include velocity calculations as part of the position determination calculations to account for position changes that occur. When a GPS signal is available, the step size (via velocity calculation) and compass bias errors can be estimated by an enhanced Kalman filter (EKF). In addition, if GPS is available, the compass may be able to identify slow motion changes due to changes in magnetic dip. The compass can be relied on for motion calculations in addition to those of accelerometers and gyroscopes with and without the availability of GPS.

Dead reckoning accuracy degrades over time, necessitating regular location updates or location corrections. Thus, a mobile device may be configured to use its own internal sensors to compute location/place information, as well as use the location/place information of other mobile devices to augment the mobile device's own location/place information. It may communicate with other mobile devices to leverage. In essence, mobile devices can act as RF base stations, providing surveying capabilities to improve the location accuracy of other mobile devices.

In one embodiment, the mobile device may be configured to poll one or more other mobile devices to get a better location fix on the location of the mobile device.

Mobile devices together via a mobile device connected to/acquiring/detecting/connecting to other mobile devices (which may or may not be in the same network) as part of a discovery method sharing location information or via assignment by the network can be grouped.

Location information may be shared through the use of short-range communication systems (eg, Bluetooth®, ultra-wideband, Peanut Radios, etc.), infrared, ultrasound and other similar technologies, for example, through the use of Wi-Fi. The wireless communication may be ad hoc or infrastructure based, or based on a TDD system such as LTE, SD-CDMA, TD-CDMA or any other TDD methods.

In one embodiment, the mobile device may be configured to initiate sharing of location/place information in response to receiving a network driven grouping request from a network component.

In one embodiment, when the mobile device loses contact with the network, the mobile device connects to the appropriate mobile device for possible connection to the network (eg, via a repeater) and to assist with the location determination calculations of the mobile device. You can try to find

In one embodiment, a mobile device may be configured to transmit a request for location information to another mobile device. The request may be sent after an authorization process between mobile devices and may include a timestamp that may be sub-second in size (milliseconds). The other mobile device may also respond with a message with the other mobile device's timestamp and when the other mobile device receives the timestamp from the initiating mobile device.

Several messages (eg, three messages) are sent between mobile devices to establish time synchronization and share location/place information, including x, y, and z coordinates and velocity components in each message. can be exchanged quickly. The time differences along the x, y, and z coordinates can be compared to possible pulses or pings to establish an estimated distance vector between the devices.

When the distance vectors and x, y, z coordinates of the two mobile devices are known, a two-point fix can be established. This process may be repeated for all mobile devices in the group that have been assigned or created by the mobile device itself. Having multiple distance vectors from different points to the mobile can enhance positioning accuracy.

The mobile device may be configured to report back to the network location server the distance vectors the mobile device found between different mobiles. Other mobile devices also associated with location enhancement may also report the distance vectors of other mobile devices to the network to have their overall location accuracy improved.

Position accuracy means that incremental steps are also taken and the process will continue until no further position improvements are achievable. The position accuracy improvement threshold may be operator defined and may be stored in the mobile device memory.

When gathering distance vectors and other location information, if the error of location is greater than x% for a lower location confidence level, then no update may be needed. As the mobile device receives other sensor data and a pre-specified distance in any direction or a combined distance vector, then the location update process begins again. However, if the location confidence level of x% is less than desired, additional location updates may be made to the mobile devices grouped together in an interactive process to improve the confidence level of the location information.

It is important to note that the typical geolocation methods currently used by networks are not necessarily supplanted by the above-described localization. Instead, a hybrid survey method may be used in various embodiments to increase location accuracy and reliability for network based location requests due to boundary changes or paging requests or other location/location triggered events.

9A-9E illustrate various logical components, information flows, and data suitable for use in various embodiments. 9A shows mobile devices 901 , 902 , 903 , and 904 communicating with a wireless network via multiple cell sites/wireless access points/eNodeBs 911 . Mobile devices 901 , 902 , 903 and 904 can compute a relative fix on the initial location of mobile devices 901 , 902 , 903 and 904 using any of the location determination solutions discussed above. The first mobile device 901 may be directed to find and communicate with other mobile devices 902 , 903 and 904 , and/or any or all of the mobile devices 902 , 903 and 904 may be 1 may be directed to communicate with a mobile device 901 . Mobile devices 901 , 902 , 903 , and 904 may be grouped together (eg, via one of the grouping methods discussed above). The network may be configured with one of the mobile devices 901 (eg, elevated mobile device with trust).

9B shows that a combination of circular and hyperbolic trilateration operations may be performed as part of an embodiment positioning solution. For example, if any of the coordinate data provided by sensors and/or mobile devices is in latitude and longitudinal coordinates, this data may be transformed into Cartesian coordinates to facilitate composite survey calculations. In the example shown in FIG. 9B , mobile devices 901 have been designated as reference mobile devices, and reference number 912 identifies a location to be determined/computed relative to mobile device 901 (ie, with a high level of accuracy) and , reference number 910 identifies the three-dimensional sphere containing the mobile device 901 , and reference number 914 identifies the area of the three-dimensional sphere (in x, y and z coordinates) in which the device resides.

9C and 9D illustrate distance vectors may be computed between mobile devices 901 , 902 , 903 and 904 as part of an embodiment location determination solution. In FIG. 9C , mobile 901 determines a relative position for each of mobile devices 902 , 903 , and 904 using a hybrid trilateration method. Moreover, reference numerals 915 , 909 and 916 identify relative regions of mobile devices 902 , 903 and 904 , respectively. As part of the hybrid trilateration operations of the above embodiment location determination solution, mobile devices 902 , 903 and 904 can locate mobile device 901 , which mobile device 901 itself and the distance vector between the mobile devices 902 , 903 and/or 904 may be computed. Mobile device 901 may initiate communication with mobile device 902 (even if mobile device 902 may initiate communication) and exchange time stamps, location information, sensor data. The same process can occur for mobile devices 904 and 903 , where location and sensor information are exchanged.

As shown in FIG. 9D , mobile devices 902 , 903 , and 904 can establish a distance vector between mobile devices 902 , 903 , and 904 itself and mobile device 901 . The same process may occur for mobile devices 902 , 903 and/or 904 , where location and sensor information are exchanged. When mobile device 902 undergoes the same process as is done with mobile device 901 as part of the hybrid trilateration process, mobile device 901 uses mobiles to enhance location information of mobile device 901 . 902 , 903 , 904 may be used and mobile device 902 may use mobiles 901 , 903 and 904 to enhance location information of mobile device 902 , etc. for all mobile devices grouped together. have.

The three circles or ellipses 909 , 915 and 916 shown in FIG. 9C and the three circles or ellipses 906 , 907 and 908 shown in FIG. 9D do not intersect at a given point, but are specific depending on the extent involved. spans an area of size.

9E illustrates one embodiment hybrid trilateration method in which the location of the mobile device 901 is identified or further improved. As part of a hybrid survey method, a separate computational operation may be required for each of the x, y and z coordinates in addition to handling the velocity. However, the ability to have three mobile devices 902 , 903 , and 904 locate mobile device 901 may give an error window (or error region) to each coordinate plane, denoted by reference numeral 930 . The error window/area may be a combination of range errors from mobile devices 902 , 903 and 904 . One contributor to the error window/area are the mixed range errors shown by reference numerals 921 , 922 and 923 , where: 921 is a mixed range error associated with the mobile device 902 ; reference number 922 is a mixed range error associated with mobile device 903 ; Reference number 923 is a mixed range error associated with mobile device 904 . Moreover, this process can be done with fewer or more mobile devices than used in the example above.

For each axis (x, y or z), a similar process occurs if the error region 930 is a combination of determining the range between the mobile device 901 and other mobile devices. Hyperbolic surveying is a typical computational method used in location-based systems and is based on the principle that the range between two locations is equal. However, the range determined for the points may not be constant, as both may be moving towards, apart or together, towards a similar velocity and trajectory.

In the proposed hybrid survey method, correction distance vectors (Δx, Δy, Δz) that can be used to apply to the estimated position are used.

The three circles or ellipses 909 , 915 and 916 shown in FIG. 9C and the three circles or ellipses 906 , 907 and 908 shown in FIG. 9D do not intersect at a given point, but are specific depending on the extent involved. spans an area of size. Therefore, the range is “r” and is denoted by a subscript indicating the accompanying distance vector. So it is:

r = p _i + error

The pseudo range _pi deviates from the real range in any axis due to inaccuracies in synchronization or propagation or sensor induced errors in a multipath environment. Here, the distance vector describing the change in direction is:

r _i = √(X _i - x) ² + (Y _i - y) ² + (Z _i - z) ²

The three range calculations are then averaged to determine the distance vector used. If the previous range calculation (r _j ) has an error that exceeds a user-defined percentage or amount of variation compared to the range calculation of the current calculation, then the new measure is ignored. Included in the distance vector verification may be fusion sensor information that the calculated expected position vector may be included for the confidence interval.

Range difference = d _ij = r _i - r _j

An iterative process may be used for position refinement, which may include the use of least squares calculations tailored to approximate a position solution on a stepwise basis. The process may continue until the measured range difference does not produce any significant accuracy improvement that can be customized on the mobile device or the network or both.

Multilateration calculations may include estimating a location of a mobile device based on estimated distances to three or more measurement locations (ie, locations of three other mobile devices or wireless transceivers). In these calculations, the estimated distance from the measurement location (the location of another mobile device) to the mobile device may be derived from the measured signal strength. As the signal strength generally decreases, as the inverse square of the separation distance, and the transmit power of the mobile device can be assumed, the distance d _i can simply be calculated as:

d _i = √(S ₀ / Si _i )

here:

d _i is the estimated separation distance between the measurement location and the mobile device;

_Si is the measured signal strength;

S ₀ is the strength of the signal transmitted by the other mobile device.

Alternatively, the signal strength readings can be converted to distances using a path loss model such as:

RSSI _i = a - cblog ₁₀ (d _i )

here:

a is the signal strength at d _i = 1 meter;

b is the path loss index;

c is the path loss slope of 20 used for free space.

The survey operations may include performing a least squares calculation that may be accomplished by a processor that computes the following equation:

here:

d _i is a distance calculated based on the measured signal strength value;

MS _i corresponds to a known location/location of the mobile device;

The minimization of (x, y) is the estimated location of the other mobile devices.

10 illustrates an embodiment hybrid survey method 1000 in which mobile devices may access a network. Mobile devices may be directed to be grouped by a network. Mobile devices 901 and 902 are suitable mobile to assist in the location/location of the mobile device, and possible connection to a network or other network through a repeater, either due to a network driven grouping request, or where the mobile device has lost contact with the network. When attempting to find a device, it may initiate sharing information about the place/location.

Mobile device 901 may transmit a request for location information to mobile device 902 . The information may be transmitted after an authorization process between mobile devices and may include a time stamp. The timestamp may be sub-second in size (eg, milliseconds). Mobile device 902 can respond with a message also having the timestamp and timing information associated with when mobile device 902 received the timestamp from mobile device 901 . Three messages can be sent quickly to establish time synchronization. The time differences may then be compared with possible pulses or pings to establish an estimated distance vector between the mobile devices. Knowing the distance vectors of both 901 and 902 and the x, y and z coordinates, a point-to-point fix can be established.

Mobile device 901 may then initiate communication with mobile devices 903 , 904 and repeat the operations discussed above for mobile device 902 for each of mobile devices 903 , 904 . After obtaining the two or more distance vectors along with the location information, the mobile device 901 may compare the new coordinates to the previously computed current location of the mobile device 901 and adjust the location calculations accordingly.

The location information distance vectors may be transmitted to the network for location processing with other network location information. Based on the location calculated for the mobile device, the network (ie, a network server or a component of the network, such as an E-SMLC) may instruct the mobile device to adjust the location information of the mobile device.

In addition, the mobile device 901 may make a location correction if the network does not respond in time, which may cause a message update timeout. Alternatively, when the network is unable to make the necessary corrections, the location information may be used by other components and/or other mobile devices to make the necessary corrections.

If the error is greater than x% for a lower location confidence level, then no update is needed. As the mobile receives other sensor data and a predefined distance in any direction or a combined distance vector, then the location update process begins again. If the location confidence level of x% is less than desired, additional location updates may be made to the mobile devices grouped (eg, iteratively) to improve the confidence level of the location information. In addition, if the location information of one of the mobile devices for which it is trying to obtain the distance vector appears to be in error, then those mobile devices data are in this iterative step of performing location updates with other grouped mobile devices. may be chosen not to be used. However, as the location/location of such a mobile device may be corrected in one of the steps where such a mobile device is also beginning to improve the location/location of such a mobile device, such a mobile device will continue to be queried as part of the process. will be.

Moreover, if one or more mobile devices lose communication with the core network, it will still be possible to maintain location accuracy via one of the other grouped mobile devices. It would also be possible to continue maintaining the communication link by establishing a network relay connection with another one of the mobile devices in the same group that still has communication with the network itself.

11 illustrates another embodiment hybrid survey method in which a mobile device cannot discover a network due to coverage issues. Mobile device 901 may operate in an autonomous mode and attempt to discover other mobile devices. Other mobile devices may be used to establish short-range communication bridges in addition to relaying information to the network and possibly providing location enhancement capabilities.

In the example shown in FIG. 11 , the mobile device 901 establishes a local area LAN that invites other nearby mobile devices to communicate with the mobile device 901 . The location information can then be shared, the mobile device 901 can have the location of the mobile device 901 improved, and the location information can be relayed back to the core network via other mobile devices.

The mobile device 901 may communicate location information of the mobile device 901 and establish a short-range communication link with a mobile device that is not part of a home network associated with the mobile device 901 .

Mobile devices may have pre-built USIM, SIM, PRL or access point information. The mobile device for the first responders may have the incident scene wireless system set up as the preferred system of the first responders or if the wireless access system is used as a public security network.

For first responders utilizing a wireless mobile network (eg, LTE), location/location accuracy will be improved for in-building environments in addition to providing more accurate location information about where mobile devices are actually located. There is a need. The mobile device is used by a first responder, a commercial cellular user, or a combination of both.

Improved location tracking for first responders can help improve situational awareness, improved telemetry and overall communication with the incident scene commander. As all incident scenes for first responders tend to be fluid, there is an ability to handle the dynamic environment of mobile devices entering and exiting the incident scene area. In addition, the location of mobile devices proximity to other mobile devices may and will change as the demand for operational requirements arises, and as event site situation changes as resources are added and/or reallocated.

The use of network and terminal driven location enhancement techniques discussed above may be utilized. Grouping of mobile devices can be done as part of a free plan or as an intervention by an incident scene commander, or from a commercial wireless network, public security wireless network, or local incident scene communication system (ICS) 1204 based on the reported proximity of mobile devices. can be driven

12A shows that upon arriving at the scene of an incident, the mobile device 102 may be aware of the presence of the local wireless network 1202 . If there is no ICS wireless network 1204 to which the mobile device can connect, the mobile device 102 will continue to communicate via the commercial or other wireless network 1202 .

12B shows that the mobile device 102 may determine that there is a valid local wireless system 1202 with which it can communicate, a small cell system based on a preferred network, and a cell selection process that the mobile device 102 has been directed to use. may have priority access to 1204 .

12C shows that mobile device 102 may transmit a connection from local wireless system 1202 to small cell system 1204 .

For first responders, location-based processes can be used to assist in the search and rescue of persons when situations arise that require finding a person who has fallen down or answering an emergency call 911.

13A shows that mobile device 102 may be identified by the network as being in distress via the mobile device transmitting a distress signal or network monitoring of mobile device 102 . The distressed mobile device 102 may determine that the distressed mobile device 102 has lost communication with the network, and may instruct the wearer/user to disable or initiate a distress signal. can Mobile device 102 may initiate the grouping process defined above upon initiation of the distress signal.

13B shows a mobile device 1302 in the same group as the mobile device 102 that the network 510 to which the serving eNodeB 404 is connected has been distressed to report the last known location and timestamp of the mobile device 102 . Shows what can be dictated.

13C shows that network 510 may instruct additional mobiles devices 1304 to attempt to group with distressed mobile device 102 .

14 shows that when the mobile device 102 is unable to communicate with the network 510 , the mobile device 102 is operating under a dead reckoning process and discovers other mobile devices 1402 , 1404 and finds other mobile devices 1402 , 1404 in an ad hoc manner. It shows that it can continue to attempt to group with mobile devices 1402 , 1404 .

If a mobile device has been grouped or is still connected to a network, the relative location of the mobile device will be transmitted to all mobile devices that are actively searching for that mobile device. The selection of which mobile devices to search for may be determined by operator intervention and selection.

15 illustrates an embodiment enhanced antenna scheme 1500 that may be used by wireless network operators or first responders to improve location accuracy for a mobile device. The enhanced antenna scheme 1500 may include a radome 1515 that is curved over a series of patch antennas 1520 . Several antennas 1520 may be used to achieve better angle of arrival measurements. In one embodiment, the enhanced antenna scheme 1500 may include an array of antennas 1520 on flexible circuit boards such that the antennas 1520 are compliant with the radome 1515 .

16A and 16B show that the enhanced antenna scheme 1500 discussed above may be implemented on a vehicle 1602 . Specifically, FIG. 16A shows an enhanced antenna scheme 1500 comprising two antennas 1602 for this purpose. 16B shows an enhanced antenna scheme 1500 comprising four antennas 1602 for this purpose. Each antenna 1602 may include an array of antennas 1520 on flexible circuit boards, such that the antennas 1520 may conform to the radome 1515 .

17A and 17B show strips of antenna patches that may be used in various embodiments. FIG. 17A shows two strips of antenna patches 1520 and 1521 side by side in an antenna array (wherein the antenna patches 1520 and 1521 conform to the radome as they may be on a flexible circuit board). 17B is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of a radome 1515 in which the antenna patches 1520 and 1521 of the antenna array are shown layered. The antenna patch 1520 is closer to the outer radome cover 1515 than to the antenna array 1521 . Fiberglass or transparent RF medium 1522 may provide strength and enable antennas to be closely spaced. The antenna array may be conical in shape using a flexible circuit design (accommodating configurations only). Envelope detectors can be used to determine which of the antenna patches is receiving the highest quality signal from the mobile device using the amplitude method for detection.

In one embodiment, detection and tracking of the mobile device may be controlled such that measurements are made concurrently with an eNodeB pulse request to the mobile device for location information.

18 shows an antenna array 1520 or 1521 in which the antenna system is connected to a common antenna port on a receiver (eg, eNodeB) 1525 . Each of the patch antennas may be matched to a 10 dB combiner 1527 and configured to provide port coupling to a receive patch detector 1530 . The receive patch detector 1530 may be configured to determine which patch antenna has the strongest signal, and based on the number and distance calculation of the patch antennas, another elevation measurement may be made by the mobile device.

In one embodiment, the antenna array system may not be coupled to the eNodeB receiver 1525 and control coordination may be provided by the E-SMLC for synchronization of signals received from the mobile device.

19 illustrates an embodiment antenna array 1523 retrofitted into an existing cellular wireless network. The array 1523 may be installed parallel to the existing antenna 1524 . A control mechanism identical or similar to the control mechanism shown in FIG. 18 may be used for commercial applications.

Various embodiments may be implemented on various mobile computing devices, one example of which is illustrated in FIG. 20 . In particular, FIG. 20 is a system block diagram of a mobile transceiver device in the form of a smartphone/cell phone 2000 suitable for use with any of the embodiments. The cell phone 2000 may include a processor 2001 , a display 2003 , and a speaker 2054 coupled to an internal memory 2002 . In addition, the cell phone 2000 may include an antenna 2004 for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation, which may be coupled to a wireless data link and/or to a cellular phone transceiver 2005 coupled to the processor 2001 . Cell phones 2000 also typically include menu selection buttons or rocker switches 2008 for receiving user inputs.

A typical cell phone 2000 also digitizes the sound received from the microphone into data packets suitable for wireless transmission and acoustic encoding that decodes the received acoustic data packets to generate analog signals that are provided to the speaker 2054 that generates the sound. /decoding (CODEC) circuitry 2024 is included. In addition, one or more of the processor 2001 , the radio transceiver 2005 , and the CODEC 2024 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (not shown separately). The cell phone 2000 may be configured with a Pinnut or ZigBee transceiver (ie, IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver) 2013, or other similar communication circuitry (eg, Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi protocols, etc.) for low-power, single-band communication between wireless devices. circuitry to implement) may be further included.

Various embodiments may be implemented on any of a variety of commercially available server devices, such as server 2100 shown in FIG. 21 . Such a server 2100 typically includes one or more processors 2101 , 2102 coupled to volatile memory 2103 and mass non-volatile memory, such as a disk drive 2104 . Server 2100 may include a floppy disk drive, compact disk (CD) or DVD disk drive 2106 coupled to processor 2101 . Server 2100 may include network access ports 2106 coupled to processor 2101 that establishes data connections with network 2105, such as a local area network, coupled to other communication system computers and servers. .

Processors 2001, 2101, and 2102 are any programmable microprocessor, microcomputer, or multiprocessor that can be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform various functions, including those of various embodiments described below. It may be a chip or chips. In some mobile devices, multicore processors 2102 may be provided, such as one processor core dedicated to wireless communication functions and one processor core dedicated to running other applications. Typically, software applications may be stored in internal memories 2002, 2103 and 2104 before being accessed and loaded into the processors 2001, 2101 and 2102. Processors 2001 , 2101 , and 2102 may include internal memory sufficient to store application software instructions.

The wireless (or mobile) device location techniques described herein may be implemented with a variety of wireless communication networks, such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), and the like. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A WWAN may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, an OFDMA network, a 3GPP LTE network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, or the like. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as CDMA2000, Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), and the like. CDMA2000 includes the IS-95, IS-2000 and IS-856 standards. W-CDMA is described in documents from a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 is described in documents from a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A WLAN may be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a WPAN may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x or some other type of network. The techniques may be implemented with any combination of WWAN, WLAN and/or WPAN.

Various embodiments include enhancements to current location-based service methods and methodologies used for wireless mobile communication, and improved method for determining a location of a mobile or wireless device (eg, mobile device 102 ). may include

Commercial and public security positioning applications are growing in popularity and use, as are other similar services and applications that are based on or utilize precise, accurate, detailed location information. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly important for modern wireless/mobile devices to be able to accurately determine the locations of modern wireless/mobile devices within a wireless network. Various embodiments include mobile devices that are configured to accurately determine locations of mobile devices within a wireless network with a high degree of reliability/precision.

Public security systems are now embarking on the use of commercial cellular technologies such as Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) as the communication protocol(s) of selected public security systems. Consequently, there is a need for improved situational awareness at the scene of an incident (eg, for first responders, mobile device users, etc.). Various embodiments include mobile devices that may be used by first responders for improved situational awareness at the scene of an incident. In some embodiments, this may be achieved by configuring the mobile device to determine the location of the mobile device with a high degree of accuracy and precision.

Under accurate conditions, existing geospatial positioning systems, such as GPS systems, provide a good estimate of the location of a mobile device. However, in many other cases (eg, within buildings and urban environments), such geospatial positioning systems are not available and/or do not generate sufficiently accurate location information. For example, a GPS system may determine the geographic location of a mobile device (called “performing a fix”) when the device is indoors, is substandard, or when satellites are obstructed (eg, by tall buildings, etc.) It may not be possible to acquire satellite signals and/or sufficient navigation data to calculate a spatial position. In addition, the presence of physical obstacles such as metal beams or walls causes multipath interference and signal degradation of wireless communication signals when the mobile device is indoors (or in urban environments including high buildings, skyscrapers, etc.) can do. These and other factors often cause existing geospatial technologies to function incorrectly and/or inconsistently on mobile devices, and cause mobile device users to take full advantage of location-aware mobile software applications and/or other location-based services and applications. interfere with ability

Likewise, network-based solutions for locating a mobile device may not be suitable for locating a mobile device within buildings and/or in urban environments. The introduction of new wireless network systems, such as LTE, has provided some new opportunities and capabilities (eg, network based solutions). However, notwithstanding these advances, existing solutions often lack a sufficiently high level of accuracy, precision or You cannot create location information with details.

In some cases, wireless network systems such as LTE may be used with public security bands. This combination can enable good coverage in urban and indoor environments. However, using existing solutions, the accuracy and precision of location information is often limited. For example, location information generated via existing network-based solutions and/or existing wireless network system technologies is often used with enhanced location-based services (eg, applications that improve situational awareness at the scene of an incident, etc.) ) does not contain a sufficiently high level of accuracy, precision or detail to provide

Improving the geolocation accuracy, reliability and precision of a mobile device has many advantages, especially when the device is used for emergency location services, commercial location services, internal location services and lawful eavesdropping location services. Various embodiments provide the ability to improve geolocation information for both new and existing wireless networks, and to improve geolocation accuracy, reliability and precision of a mobile device.

For commercial applications, the ability of a mobile device to generate highly accurate location information (eg, eLBS information) within a high-rise building, in an urban environment, within a shopping mall, etc. provides the system with various network radio resource improvements. can do. In addition, eLBS information may enable unique ad targeting capabilities. Moreover, eLBS information can be used in applications involving improved fleet management, asset tracking, and various two-machine communication where highly accurate location/location information is important. For commercial users, the need for improved location/location accuracy is most needed in in-building environments where the location of a mobile device can be pinpointed more accurately for location-based services. The benefit of law enforcement with improved location information is the ability of mobile devices inside a building to be able to determine what floor or part of the building the device is being used for without the need to replace wireless beacons or location aware access points. This will enable tracking. For emergency services, the benefit is better location tracking of the party in need, especially in urban environments where location information is most problematic with existing techniques. For first responders, this enhancement enables co-located mobile devices to help augment the location coordinates of mobile devices with each other in a controlled ad hoc environment. The shared location information includes not only latitude and longitude, but also altitude and speed. As this information carries a small amount of data, mobile devices can allow E-SMLC to share information both on-net and off-net in the case of LTE.

The use of sensors including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers and pressure sensors along with GPS receivers with mobile devices is becoming more prevalent. Therefore, enhancements to spatial location tracking include accelerometers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, gyroscopes, which in the case of LTE utilize GPS or network inferred coordinate information to E-SMLC as well as improve and reduce some of the location uncertainties inherent in wireless location determination. It will also give the ability to have augmentation with sensors associated with mobile devices that may include magnetometer and pressure sensors.

For wireless mobile networks such as LTE, location/location accuracy needs to be improved for in-building environments in addition to providing more accurate location information about where mobile devices are actually located. The mobile device is used by a first responder, a commercial cellular user, or a combination of both.

Geolocation improvements enable improved situational awareness, improved telemetry and improved global communication to the incident scene commander. In addition, the location of mobile devices proximity to other mobile devices can and will change, dynamically enabling resources to be added and/or reallocated as demands for operational requirements arise.

As discussed above, various embodiments include methods of determining a location of a mobile device and mobile computing devices configured to implement the methods. The methods include determining an approximate location of the mobile device, grouping the mobile device with a wireless transceiver proximate to the mobile device to form a communication group, transmitting the determined approximate location of the mobile device to the wireless transceiver, from the wireless transceiver receiving location information on the mobile device, and determining a more precise location of the mobile device based on the location information received from a wireless transceiver. As part of determining an approximate location of the mobile device, the mobile device may estimate the location of the mobile device and/or generate a location estimate. It may be beneficial for these location estimates to include latitude, longitude and altitude information that is accurate to within one (1) meter (and many times within one meter accuracy).

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be equipped with a “sensor fusion” system/component. The sensor fusion component may be configured to collect and use information from sensors in the mobile device to further refine location location determinations. Accordingly, the sensor fusion component may enable the device to better determine an approximate position of the device and/or generate a better position estimate (eg, more precise values, more accurate coordinates, etc.) have.

In further embodiments, the mobile device receives location information from multiple external devices (eg, via an antenna coupled to one or more of the mobile device's processors, etc.) and better provides an approximate location of the mobile device. and/or use such information to generate a better position estimate (eg, more precise values, more accurate coordinates, etc.).

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to receive location information that were waypoints. A waypoint may be an information structure including one or more information fields, component vectors, location information, location information, coordinate information, and the like. In some embodiments, each waypoint includes coordinate values (eg, x and y coordinates, latitude and longitude values, etc.), elevation value, time value, timestamp, ranking values, confidence values, may include precision values, range values, and information type identifiers (eg, GPS, Loran C, Sensor, Combine, etc.). The coordinates and elevation values may identify a three-dimensional position of the corresponding external device. The timestamp may identify the time at which the location was determined/captured. The range value may identify a distance between the external device and the mobile device. In some embodiments, a waypoint may be, or may include, a position estimate, a set of positions or any other similar position information suitable for conveying or communicating position information.

In one embodiment, the mobile device includes a first waypoint from a first external device, a second waypoint from a second external device, a third waypoint from a third external device, and a fourth waypoint from a fourth external device. It may be configured to receive location information in the form of points. The mobile device is an approximation of the mobile device and/or along with stored and historical information (eg, previously computed waypoints, movement information, etc.) to determine or compute a more precise location with a high degree of accuracy (eg, previously computed waypoints, movement information, etc.). For example, any combination of waypoints received first (via the fourth waypoints) may be used.

In some embodiments, the mobile device is configured to determine whether there is a sufficiently high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the generated location information (eg, location estimate set/value) to determine whether there is a sufficiently high degree of confidence in the location information (eg, location estimate set/value). value), use the differential RMS ² method (or any other method known in the art), compute confidence values, and compare the computed confidence values to one or more thresholds. for example, advanced sensor fusion operations). In some embodiments, the mobile device provides a confidence value between 0.0 and 1.0 (eg, latitude, longitude and altitude data fields) that identifies a confidence level in the accuracy of the measurement for each data field in the location estimate set. a confidence value for each, etc.). For example, confidence values of 0.90, .95, and .91 may indicate that the x, y, and z coordinates are correct within 30 meters between 90 and 95 percent of that time.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to also compute a precision value that identifies, or represents, a factor of repeatability of calculations/measures across multiple measurements. The precision value (i.e., based on evaluating multiple reports indicating that the device has not moved more than X meters, etc.) can often be used to determine how a device reports the same place/location, which can be used to determine the precision ( for example, within 1 meter, etc.). The precision value may be used to determine the likelihood that repeating a calculation (eg, using the same inputs or input sources) will result in substantially identical values.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to perform normalization operations to normalize/synchronize the timing of the received location information (“location information timing”). In some embodiments, this may be accomplished through a timing component or mechanism (timer, system clock, processor cycles, etc.) in the mobile device. The mobile device may use a common time value (or common timer, reference clock, etc.) to synchronize and/or adjust information included in the received waypoints. The mobile device may measure the propagation delay between the mobile device and the corresponding external device, the time difference between when the waypoint was captured at the external device and when the waypoint was received at the mobile device, the relative movements of the devices, communication path time delays, Generate normalized waypoints that contain normalized values and/or are normalized, synchronized, and/or updated to handle various delays and inconsistencies, including delays associated with processing requests, etc. .

In some embodiments, the mobile device associates or assigns a time value to each normalized waypoint (eg, by storing a waypoint with respect to the time value in a map or table, etc.), and It may be configured to determine whether the specified waypoint is valid. For example, the mobile device may determine whether the waypoint is sufficiently accurate whether the associated time value is within a valid duration or whether the waypoint is sufficiently accurate (eg, by determining whether a precision or confidence value associated with the waypoint exceeds a threshold, etc.). It can be determined whether or not information is included. In response to determining that a waypoint is valid, the mobile device may determine or compute one or more rankings for that waypoint, associate and/or assign ranks to the waypoint (by storing the waypoint as a field). . In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine an overall rank and a device specific rank and assign it to each valid waypoint, and store the waypoints in memory (eg, in a location database, etc.).

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to determine a number of stored waypoints suitable for use in determining the current location of the device. For example, the mobile device may determine whether the memory stores 4 or more valid waypoints, whether the stored waypoints are associated with sufficiently high rankings, whether the stored waypoints identify 4 or more independent locations, the stored waypoints Whether or not they identify the locations of four or more external devices with respect to the current location of the mobile device with a sufficiently high level of accuracy may be determined. In response to determining that there are four or more suitable waypoints stored in memory, the mobile device intelligently selects the four most appropriate waypoints (eg, waypoints with the highest overall rank and/or device-specific rank, etc.) Select, apply the selected waypoints as inputs to the Kalman filter, and generate location information that identifies the current location of the mobile device with a high level of accuracy (eg, within 1 meter in all directions, etc.) You can use the output of the filter.

22 illustrates an example eLBS method 2200 that may be performed by a processor in a mobile or wireless computing device to better determine a location of the mobile or wireless computing device according to an embodiment. At block 2202 , the mobile device is turned on (ie, powered on, etc.) and may acquire service from the wireless service provider (eg, via operations performed by the mobile device processor, etc.). At block 2204 , the processor/mobile device may obtain an initial location fix and use this information to generate a waypoint (eg, a current location waypoint) or other location information unit. The mobile device is a GPS, CellID, Wi-Fi ID, enhancement received by, computed with, or available for use by the mobile device to perform any or all of the location determination techniques, methods, or operations discussed herein. An initial location fix may be obtained by using the given Loran C and/or other similar information.

In some embodiments, as part of the operations at block 2204 , the processor/mobile device is located at, or at, interior locations such as within a building, at a store entrance of a shopping mall, at a street light, at a fixture, etc. may obtain, determine, generate, or compute a short-term location fix estimate (e.g., latitude and longitude values, etc.) from information received from small cells (e.g., femto cells, etc.) suitable for use in . In some embodiments, the operations at block 2204 may be accomplished by utilizing RFID chips, quick response (QR) codes, or other similar technologies. For example, the external device may include an RFID chip that transmits location information of the external device to the mobile device. The mobile device receives and uses this information to generate a short-term location fix estimate, uses the short-term location fix estimate to create a new waypoint, and uses an existing waypoint (e.g., a current location waypoint, etc.) You can use these new waypoints to check or confirm. The mobile device may be configured to use the short-term location fix estimate to compute, replace, and/or recompute a current location waypoint.

At decision block 2206 , the mobile device can determine whether additional location information has been received and/or whether the mobile device recently reported location information of the mobile device (indicating that the device has acquired a suitable location fix). have. In response to determining that no additional location information has been received (ie, decision block 2206 = “no”), at block 2210 , the mobile device may select the last known/trusted location from memory. In various embodiments, this selects the most recently computed, created, or stored waypoint (eg, a previous “current location waypoint,” etc.), or a waypoint with the most recent timestamp. or by selecting the waypoint with the highest precision or confidence values, selecting the waypoint with the highest ranking, or any combination thereof.

In response to determining that additional location information has been received (ie, determination block 2206 = “yes”), at block 2208, the mobile device displays the last known/trusted determine whether it is more accurate (or have higher confidence and/or precision values) than the location (or the current location waypoint discussed above), and select the more accurate location information for use in generating the final location waypoint have. For example, the mobile device creates a temporary waypoint based on the received “additional location information”, determines whether the temporary waypoint is more accurate than the current location waypoint, and uses it to determine the final location waypoint. You can select/set the more accurate of the two waypoints for

At block 2211 , the mobile device may use the selected waypoint (eg, the current location waypoint) to establish the LBS fix. At decision block 2212 , the mobile device may determine whether the LBS fix is sufficient (eg, sufficiently detailed, sufficiently accurate, etc.) for use in determining the final location waypoint. In response to determining that the LBS fix is sufficient (ie, decision block 2212 = “yes”), the mobile device stores location information (eg, LBS fix, waypoint associated with the LBS fix) in the location buffer at block 2216 . , current location waypoint, etc.), enter the eLBS network mode (or receive eLBS network data) at block 2218 , and receive LBS information from other devices at block 2220 . In response to determining that the LBS fix is not sufficient (ie, decision block 2212 = “no”), at block 2214 , the mobile device requests and/or retrieves and/or receives sensor data, and This information can be used to perform fusion operations. At block 2222 , the mobile device determines the DR position values (X, Y, Z), time value, DR position delta values (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ), confidence values (C _X , C _Y , C _Z ). and dead reckoning operations (eg, based on sensor data, results of sensor fusion operations, etc.) to generate a DR waypoint (or DR data) comprising one or more precision values.

At blocks 2224 , 2226 and 2228 , the mobile device may perform trilateration operations (eg, based on the received LBS information, DR data, etc.) to generate updated eLBS information. For example at blocks 2224 and 2226, the mobile device uses the received LBS information and/or DR data to determine/compute the device's current location, and/or use the trilateration location values X , Y, Z), time value, trilateration position delta values (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ), confidence values (C _X , C _Y , C _Z ), and final position waypoint ( or estimate) and/or use the generated final location waypoint to set the current location of the device (eg, by storing the generated last location waypoint as the current location waypoint, etc.). can The mobile device may store any or all of such updated eLBS location information (eg, last location waypoint, etc.) in a location buffer at block 2216 .

In some embodiments, the mobile device processor attempts to obtain a geographic location tracking of the mobile device processor at block 2204, and based on the types of location/location information provided/received, Determine the confidence level value. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured such that if no responses are provided or received at block 2204 , the processor may use the last location of the mobile device to obtain/determine an initial location fix. After the initial fix is obtained (regardless of the accuracy of the initial fix), the mobile device may determine whether further enhancements are available, possible, captureable, and/or necessary. If improvements are needed (or when a 911 call is placed), the mobile device is configured to determine, compute, and/or provide an estimate (eg, a waypoint or estimate) of a change in location/location of the device. Information collected from various sensors on the device may be used. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished via a mobile device processor that performs a combination of sensor fusion and dead reckoning operations (described in greater detail above).

As part of dead reckoning operations (eg, operations at block 2222 , etc.), sensors/sensor information may be incremented and/or decremented based on any of a variety of weight filters, including a Kalman filter. have. A Kalman filter may be a component in a mobile device configured to perform Kalman operations on a plurality of input data streams to produce a single output in the form of a location, location information, coordinates, or waypoint.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to update or adjust at an interval for the sensors based on the response characteristics of each sensor. Adjusting the sensors may enable the mobile device to avoid sensor saturation, improving the overall responsiveness of the device. For example, the accelerometer data may be updated at 100 Hz intervals, the manometer data may be updated at 15 Hz intervals, and the difference between the updates intervals (eg, the mobile device at block 2222 dead reckoning position) may be included (or seized) in dead reckoning decisions made at the mobile device (such as when generating an estimate).

The trilateration component of the mobile device determines and generates triangulation data (eg, in blocks 2224 and 2226 ) that identifies the location of the device with respect to other wireless devices that are both fixed and mobile. may be configured to perform various operations/calculations to For example, after the dead reckoning location is estimated (or after DR data is generated at block 2222 , etc.), this information is used (eg, at blocks 2224 and 2226) to compute the location of the device. may be sent (eg, via memory write operations, radio transceiver, etc.) to a trilateration component that uses these inputs along with information received from wireless/external devices for In some embodiments, the sensor data associated with the dead reckoning estimate/value may include confidence intervals for the x, y and z axes. These trust values may identify an individual or overall trust of place/location information.

In general, performing the eLBS method 2200 improves the performance of a mobile device by improving the location-based solutions described above (eg, with reference to FIGS. 1-19 , etc.). For example, the eLBS method 2200 allows the mobile device to generate “more precise location information,” updated eLBS location information, or more accurate waypoints more efficiently than if the information was generated solely based on received location information. can make it possible to This method also enables the mobile device to generate more accurate location information with fewer iterations, freeing up devices resources and improving the performance characteristics of the mobile device. For all these reasons, the method 2200 improves the overall functionality of the mobile device.

In addition, the eLBS method 2200 may enable a mobile device to intelligently determine whether or when to request additional location information to perform additional location updates/enhancements. For example, a mobile device may not request or initiate a location improvement (i.e., generate more precise location information) when the mobile device is stationary/stopped or when the mobile device determines that the device has moved less than 1 meter. ) can be configured. This improves the power consumption characteristics of the device and helps conserve the battery life of the device. Moreover, it enables the mobile device to request a location update (or generate more precise location information) immediately after the subscriber dials 911 or initiates an emergency call. It also enables information to be sent/routed to a public service response point (PSAP) faster, which in turn improves the responsiveness and overall functionality of the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the mobile computing device may be configured to request location updates from other devices. The initial location of the mobile device may be determined through the use of time-of-flight (TOF) via two message queries. RSSI can also be read, and using TOF and RSSI, the mobile device can more accurately determine the distance between the mobile device and each of the other devices. The mobile device may then use this distance information to better determine the current location of the mobile device (through performance of any or all methods, operations or techniques discussed herein).

Privacy (eg, data privacy, etc.) is an important aspect of modern systems. The various techniques, solutions, methods and operations discussed in this application enable a subscriber to be identified quickly and effectively without requiring the use of such subscriber's IMSI (or other sensitive data) that could be misused by malware or hackers. do. Rather than using the subscriber's IMSI for example, the system (eg, mobile devices, sensors, etc.) uses the PN code to generate an independent device ID when the device is turned on, and all subsequent You can use these device IDs for communication. The device ID may change each time the wireless device is powered on. For these and other reasons, performing the operations described above improves the overall functionality of the device (eg, by improving the privacy and security characteristics of the device, etc.).

Once the initial handshake has occurred, the mobile can exchange the mobile's location information with another device. The mobile device may provide known points, which are waypoints, RFID/QC points, Wi-Fi AP points, or any information unit including latitude and longitude values (or equivalents thereof) or It can be a structure. In some embodiments, the mobile device may be configured to receive and/or use four known points to generate more accurate or more precise location information.

23 illustrates a system 2300 for relaying information request messages and obtaining location information from other devices according to an embodiment. The mobile device may then use the obtained location information to determine or compute more precise location information (or update last location values, etc.). In the example shown in FIG. 23 , system 2300 includes mobile device 102 , adjacent neighboring mobile devices 2302 , and other mobile devices 2304 . In some embodiments, one or more of the components in system 2300 may be configured to track and report a number of hops in a path (eg, a communication path, a wireless data path, etc.). This enables devices that were not initially connected to the mobile device 102 in the network to provide data back to the mobile device 102 more quickly and efficiently.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 generates, transmits, receives, and/or generates a message/information structure 2306 including distance information 2308 and/or location information 2310 . , can be configured to use Distance information 2308 includes time-of-flight (TOF) information, originating device ID field/value, response device ID field/value, priority field/value, processing time field/value, originating tag field/value, RFID information, latitude field /value, longitude field/value, elevation field/value, bearing field/value, speed field/value, timestamp field/value, accuracy field/value, indicator field/value, hop distance field/value, and route field/value may include Location information 2310 includes origin device ID field/value, response device ID field/value, origin tag field/value, latitude field/value, longitude field/value, altitude field/value, bearing field/value, speed field/value , timestamp field/value, accuracy field/value, indicator field/value and hop distance field/value, route field/value. In some embodiments, the location information 2310 includes a latitude field/value, a longitude field/value, an altitude field/value, a distance field/value, an orientation field/value, a trust field/value, and/or a device ID field/value. containing It may include one or more known points. In some embodiments, one or more of the points/known points may be a waypoint that includes any or all of the information, fields or values discussed above. In various embodiments, any or all of the data/values may be combined with distance information 2308 and/or to compute one or more waypoints (eg, current location waypoint, last location waypoint, etc.) or included in the location information 2310 messages.

At action block 2312 , mobile device 102 may search for local area (NF) LANs and/or determine whether there are available NF LANs. At action block 2314 , mobile device 102 may determine that there are no NF LANs available. At action block 2316 , mobile device 102 may establish a mesh network in response to determining that there are no NF LANs available. At action blocks 2318 and 2320, mobile device 102 may perform various actions to establish the NF LAN and assume the role of master.

In operations 2322 - 2328 , the mobile device 102 may communicate with neighboring neighboring mobile devices 2302 to determine a distance between the mobile device 102 and the neighboring devices of the mobile device 102 . have. In operations 2330 - 2338 , mobile device 102 may communicate with nearby neighboring mobile devices 2302 (relaying information to other mobile devices 2304) to obtain location information. In particular in act 2322 , mobile device 102 may generate and transmit a distance request message to one or more of the neighboring neighboring mobile devices 2302 . At operation 2324 , mobile device 102 may receive a distance acknowledgment message from one or more of its neighboring neighboring mobile devices 2302 . At operation 2326 , mobile device 102 can transmit a second distance request message to adjacent neighboring mobile devices 2302 . At operation 2328 , mobile device 102 can receive a second distance acknowledgment message from nearby neighboring mobile devices 2302 .

At operation 2330 , mobile device 102 can transmit a location information request message to nearby neighboring mobile devices 2302 . At operation 2332 , one or more of the adjacent neighboring mobile devices 2302 may relay the location information request message to other mobile devices 2304 . At operation 2334 , mobile device 102 may receive a location acknowledgment message from one or more of its neighboring neighboring mobile devices 2302 . In operation 2336 , adjacent neighboring mobile devices 2302 receive a “relay geolocation acknowledgment message” from one or more of the other mobile devices 2304 , and in operation 2338 , send a relay geolocation acknowledgment message can be transmitted to the mobile device.

In the example shown in FIG. 23 , mobile device 102 acts as a master in the communication flow. 24 shows that mobile device 102 may act as a slave. 24 shows that the eLBS for communication with other mobile devices 2304 can assume an “accept-only” mode when an update is needed or not (eg, when it is determined that no update is needed). is further shown. In addition, during active exchange with other mobile devices 2304 and adjacent neighboring mobile devices 2302 , each device may provide any or all of the information shown in FIG. 24 .

Referring to FIG. 24 , in action block 2312 , mobile device 102 may discover NF LANs. The mobile device 102 determines in action block 2314 that the NF LAN is available, and in blocks 2404 and 2406 with one or more of the adjacent neighboring devices 2302 and one or more of the other devices 2304 . NF LAN can be connected. At blocks 2410 - 2416 , the mobile device 102 may communicate with adjacent neighboring devices 2302 to determine or establish distances to the mobile devices (eg, via time, RSSI, etc.) have. In operations 2420 - 2426 , mobile device 102 may communicate with nearby neighboring devices 2302 and other mobile devices 2034 to determine, obtain, or provide location information.

Other methods of obtaining an initial fix may include communicating or interacting with iBeacon type devices and/or devices that radiate sounds beyond the audible range of people. Additional devices that provide location information (eg, latitude, longitude, and altitude of a trusted or known location) to mobile device 102 may include devices that include or utilize RFID or QR codes, examples of which are illustrated in FIG. 25 . can

25 shows a system including a mobile device 102 configured to utilize RFID or QR codes in accordance with various embodiments. In the example shown in FIG. 25 , RFID/QR device 2501 provides location information to mobile device 102 . RFID/QR device 2501 may be placed, deployed, or located (eg, periodically, interrogating message) at any of a variety of locations (eg, entrance to a shopping mall or store, street lamp, etc.) in response to receiving the location of the RFID/QR device 2501 to the mobile device 102 (based on the location of the mobile device, etc.), transmit, or broadcast the location of the RFID/QR device 2501 . Mobile device 102 may be configured to receive and use such information (eg, as part of eLBS operations) to determine a current and/or future estimated location of mobile device 102 .

In some embodiments, the RFID/QR device 2501 may be configured to transmit the location of the RFID/QR device 2501 in response to receiving the location query message 2503 from the mobile device 102 . Mobile device 102 may be configured to scan a QR code to initiate the process of generating and sending location query message 2503 to RFID/QR device 2501 . The location query message 2503 may include a tag (eg, RFID tag) value/field that may be used as a message ID in some embodiments. The location query message 2503 may include a time value that may be used to calculate a time of propagation (TOF) and/or other similar information (eg, determining when the message started, etc.).

In response to receiving the location query message 2503 , the RFID/QR device 2501 may generate and transmit a transponded tag message 2505 to the mobile device 102 . The transpondered tag message 2505 may include a time value, a timestamp, a device ID, and location information (eg, latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) identifying the location of the QR/RFID device 2501 . . The device ID may be a name, a street address, a store number, or the like. The time value may include a delay value associated with the RFID/QR device 2501 or the distance between the RFID/QR device 2501 and the mobile device 102 .

In general, four known points in space (eg, four sets of coordinates) can be used to generate accurate three-dimensional location/place information via trilateration. For example, mobile device 102 may be configured to use the known/relative locations of four different mobile devices to generate three-dimensional location/place information. However, in a mobile environment, it is often difficult to identify, request, and receive location information for four wireless devices that are within the same proximity (ie, sufficiently close to each other). Thus, the following examples (eg, discussed with reference to FIGS. 26-29 ) are used to generate more accurate three-dimensional location/place information with or without the availability of location information from four independent devices. It illustrates various techniques that may be implemented and used by mobile device 102 .

26 shows an example system 2600 including two mobile devices 102 , 2601 that are configured to work cooperatively or cooperatively to determine a respective location of the two mobile devices 102 , 2601 with a high degree of accuracy. ) is shown. In the example shown in FIG. 26 , the system connects a first mobile device 2601 (mobile (A) or (“A”)) and a second mobile device 102 (mobile (B) or (“B”)). include The second mobile device 102 is configured to perform eLBS operations (eg, generate accurate three-dimensional location/place information, generate more precise location information, and improve a location fix of the second mobile device 102 ) etc.) may be a target wireless device configured to receive and use location information from the first mobile device 2601 .

The first mobile device 2601 determines/computes the location of the first mobile device 2601 multiple times (eg, t = t - 1; t = 0; t = t + 1, etc.), and may be configured to provide information INFO A to the second mobile device 102 . The second mobile device 102 determines the location of the second mobile device 102 multiple times (eg, t = t - 1; t = 0; t = t + 1, etc.) and uses more precise location information (INFO). B') may be generated, computed, or generated location information INFO B, and the received location information INFO A may be used. The more precise location information INFO B′ may be a waypoint or other information structure including latitude values, longitude values, altitude values, timestamps, confidence values, precision values, and the like. The second mobile device 102 may use the more precise location information INFO B′ to provide an enhanced location-based service to the user of the second mobile device 102 .

In some embodiments, the second mobile device 102 may be further configured to transmit the generated more precise location information INFO B′ to the first mobile device 2601 . The first mobile device 2601 receives and uses this information INFO B' to compute the different more precise location information INFO A', and uses it to compute the much more precise location information INFO B''. to transmit this information INFO A' back to the second mobile device 102 for These operations are repeated by the mobile devices 102 , 2601 until a desired level of accuracy is reached (eg, a trust or precision value associated with the generated location information exceeds a threshold, etc.) or continuously.

In general, the accuracy of three-dimensional location information means that a device has access to four data points (eg, four known/relative positions, four sets of coordinate values, four points in space or space-time, etc.). When you have it, it is significantly improved. The mobile device may be configured to generate one or more of those data points based on the location of the mobile device in time, including past locations and/or estimated future locations of the mobile device. Accordingly, the mobile devices 102 , 2601 can retrieve previously computed location information from memory, thereby allowing the mobile devices 102 , 2601 to locate past locations (eg, at time (t = t - 1), etc.). ) can be determined. Mobile devices 102 , 2601 can be accessed via any combination of methods/techniques discussed herein at their current locations (eg, at time t=0). location) can be determined or estimated. Mobile devices 102 , 2601 may be located at future locations of mobile devices 102 , 2601 (eg, time (t = t + 1), etc.) can be determined or estimated.

In the example shown in FIG. 26 , communication between mobile devices 102 , 2601 occurs at time t = 0 (which includes ranging), and at time t = 0 the device's The position can be represented as (0,0). The past positions of the device may be expressed as (-1,0) versus time (t = t - 1), (-2,0) versus time (t = t - 2), and so on. Likewise, the estimated future location for the device at time (t = t + 1) may be represented as (1,0), and so on. The vector (“A L0”) represents the distance 2603 that the first mobile device 2601 moves or moves between times t=t−1 and t=0. A vector (“A L1 ”) represents a distance 2605 by which the first mobile device 2601 is moving forward or likely to move between times t = 0 and t = t + 1 . Likewise, the vectors “B L0” and “B L1” indicate that the second mobile device 102 is between times (t = t - 1 and t = 0) and times (t = 0 and t = t). + 1) represents the distances 2607 and 2609 move or move between, respectively.

The vector AB(-1,0) represents the survey data (ie, ranging) established between mobile devices at time t=t−1. The vector AB(0,0) represents the survey data over time (t = 0). These two vectors are based on dead reckoning information (or information generated via other techniques discussed herein) and either of the first mobile device 2601 (A), the second mobile device 102 (B). may be adjusted to account for relative differences in values for one or both devices. In some embodiments, an additional vector, denoted as vector AB(1,0) in FIG. 26 , may be generated over time (t=t+1). These additional vectors can be used as replacement values and/or check values.

Due to the ranging information between A and B at both t = -1 and t = 0, points B(t - 1), B(t = 0), A(t - 1) and A(t) = 0)) is recognized by the mobile device 102 after the communication exchange at time t = 0). In some embodiments, mobile device 102 may be configured to also compute, determine, and/or estimate point A(t + 1) and point B(t + 1). Based on the confidence values associated with these points, the mobile device determines a three-dimensional location of the mobile device and/or selects four points used to perform location-based operations (eg, eLBS operations, etc.) can

There are a number of small variations of the method discussed above, two of which are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.

2 device pseudo positions mobile time (t) One B 0 2 A -One 3 A 0 4 A +1

Two Device Pseudo Positions (Example 2) mobile time (t) One B -One 2 B 0 3 A 0 4 A +1

27 shows an example system in which two mobile devices 2701 , 102 are used to obtain four data points based on the motion of one or both of the devices. The first mobile device 2701 (mobile A) is the second mobile device 102 (mobile B) its position at times (t = t - 1, t = 0 and t = t + 1) provide information. The position value at time (t = t + 1) may be provided at t = 0 as the actual position (eg, for a check) or as a calculated/estimated future position value. The second mobile device 102 may use the current location/location of the second mobile device 102 and two previous locations of the first mobile device 2701 to determine the current location/location of the second mobile device 102 at t = +1. have. These locations may be used as a check for dead reckoning and/or location validity.

In some embodiments, the first mobile device 2701 (mobile A) is the future of the first mobile device 2701 (mobile A) (at t = t + 1 , t = t + 2 ) estimate positions and transmit these estimates to the second mobile device 102 (mobile B). In addition, the survey data for AB at t = t - 1 and AB at t = 0 can provide two vectors that can be used to determine the positions of mobile devices 2701 , 102 . In some embodiments, these vectors may be adjusted based on the DR information to account for relative differences in the first mobile device 2701 , the second mobile device 102 , or both. The third vector may be computed, determined, computed, and used as a substitute and/or check value for AB at t=t+1. In the example shown, the vector to AB at t = t - 1 is AB (-1, 1), the vector to AB at t = 0 is AB (0, 1), and at t = t + 1 The vector for AB of is AB (+1, 1). The second mobile device 102 (mobile B) determines one or more of these vectors (for use in generating more precise three-dimensional location information, etc.) based on the confidence interval associated with the initial calculation (which may be inferred). can be configured to intelligently select

28 shows an example system in which three mobile devices 2801 , 102 , and 2803 are used to obtain four data points based on the motion of one or more of the devices. Mobile device 102 obtains information from mobile device 2801 and mobile device 2803 . The probabilities needed for geolocation are closer without needing to estimate two points. With three mobile devices, certain positions and certain vectors at t = t - 1, t = 0 and t = t + 1 selected and used as part of the trilateration operations (AB(-1,1), 26, except that AB(0,1), AB(1,1), CB(-1,2), CB(0,2) and CB(1,2)) can also be determined based on confidence intervals. and by using similar concepts discussed above with reference to FIG. 27 , it is possible to extract this information.

29 shows an example system in which four mobile devices 2901 , 102 , 2903 , and 2905 are used to obtain four data points based on the motion of one or more of the devices. In this illustrated example, one of the other mobiles 2901 , 2903 , 2905 at t = 0 has a low confidence interval and/or does not report location information of one of the other mobiles 2901 , 2903 , 2905 . not (such as unable to obtain a suitable position fix). The mobile device performs the same or similar operations as those discussed above with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27 , but with one or more confidence values (or approximate or less precise location information) that would otherwise be optimal or desirable. Data points can be used. For the four mobile devices 2901 , 102 , 2803 and 2805 , any or all locations such as at t = t - 1 , t = 0 and t = t + 1 are intelligently based on one or more confidence values. Movements (A L0, A L1, B L0, BL 1, C L0, C L1, D L0 and D L1) or associated vectors of the four mobile devices 2901 , 102 , 2803 and 2805 that can be selected AB(-1,1), AB(0,1), AB(1,1), CB(-1,1), CB(0,1), CB(1,1), DB(-1,1) ), DB(0,1), DB(1,1)).

Some embodiments may include mobile computing device(s) configured to perform enhanced location-based trilateration operations. Trilateration for enhanced location-based locations may require the mobile device to perform sensor fusion operations. As discussed further below, the manner in which sensor fusion operations are performed by the wireless/mobile device becomes even more important when information from multiple devices is used to generate accurate three-dimensional information.

30A illustrates various components, information flow, and operation in an example mobile device system 3000 that is configured to perform enhanced location based services (eLBS) trilateration operations in accordance with one embodiment. 30B shows that in another embodiment, the mobile device system 3000 may be configured to perform single device eLBS trilateration operations that do not require receiving information from other devices in the communication group. In the examples shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B , the system 3000 includes a location information component 3002 , a trilateration component 3004 , and an output/storage component 3006 .

At block 3012 , the processor of the mobile device is suitable for use as location information, such as GPS data, cell ID, WiFi ID, beacon data, RFID, Loran C data, OS library function, etc. or changes to any of these values. or may be used to generate it, or receive information containing it. In some embodiments, the mobile device may receive location information from active or passive external devices/systems. For example, the mobile device may communicate with an active external device, such as a location based server from a fleet management company, to receive location information. As part of these operations, the mobile device may perform various operations (eg, query, etc.) to establish communication links and receive information from active external devices. Alternatively or additionally, the mobile device may receive location information from a passive external device, such as an RFID chip that scans for the device's presence and/or periodically broadcasts location information. In addition, the mobile device may generate location information locally (at the device) based on information received from an external system at block 3012 . For example, the mobile device may generate GPS data (eg, GPS coordinates or GPS determined location information) at a local GPS receiver based on GPS information received from an external GPS system. As another example, the mobile device may use the received Wi-Fi ID information to determine or compute proximity of the mobile device to known networks and generate location information based on the determined proximity to such known networks.

At block 3014 , the mobile device may generate and/or receive updated dead reckoning (DR) location information (or dead reckoning location estimate). As mentioned above, the mobile device estimates the distance the mobile device has moved or moved through a period of time in any dimension (eg, x, y or z; latitude, longitude, or altitude, etc.) sensors (eg, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetic compasses, altimeters, odometers, etc.) The mobile device may use the information collected from these sensors at block 3014 to perform any or all of the dead reckoning operations discussed herein and to generate DR location information. For example, from the last time the mobile device was able to locate the mobile device with a sufficiently high degree of confidence (eg, C _x , C _y and C _z are all greater than .95), Determine the distance the mobile device has moved (or moved), determine the current location of the mobile device based on the determined distance (eg, the distance the mobile device has moved, etc.), and determine the current location of the mobile device. Information from sensors (eg, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetic compasses, altimeters, odometers, etc.) may be used to generate updated DR position information identifying the position. In some embodiments, the mobile device may compute confidence values and/or precision values for the generated DR location information at block 3014 .

At block 3016 , the mobile device may receive and process location based service information (LBS information) from other devices, such as from a transceiver or other mobile devices in a communication group. Since LBS information may be received from devices that are moving and/or not stationary, the LBS information may include multiple waypoints at separate times and/or for distinct durations or periods, It can be used to create or establish. In some embodiments, the LBS information may include estimated distances between multiple (eg, three or more) device/transceiver and the mobile device. Each waypoint may be an information structure including one or more information fields, component vectors, location information, location information, coordinate information, and the like.

Accordingly, the location information component 3002 of the mobile device includes the standard location information (or first data set, estimate, etc.) at block 3012 , the updated DR location information at block 3014 (or the second data set). , estimate, etc.), and LBS information (third data set, estimate, etc.) at block 3016 , and/or process and/or generate. In operation 3040 , the location information component 3002 uses any or all such information (eg, first, second and third values/sets) as input data to the trilateration component 3004 . can be sent to

At blocks 3018-3022, the mobile device/trilateration component 3004 performs trilateration operations (eg, trilateration API location tracking operations, etc.) and Determine coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and elevation coordinates), generate a trilateration location estimate, generate a final location set (e.g., a final location estimate), and Use the received input data to generate (eg, x, y, and z coordinates, updated position estimates, more precise information, etc.) and transmit the updated final set of positions to the output/storage component 3006 . can Trilateration operations may include operations implementing any or all of the techniques discussed herein, including time of arrival, angle of arrival, trilateration between two mobiles, surveying, multilateration, triangulation, and the like. can

In the example shown in FIG. 30A , at block 3018 , the mobile device performs trilateration position values (X, Y, Z), time values, from which the combination can be stored or used as a waypoint (or data set or estimate). , generate/compute/receive trilateration position delta values (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ), confidence values (C _X , C _Y , C _Z ) and one or more precision values. At block 3020 , the mobile device may rank the weights or assign them to current or historical waypoints (ie, previously computed waypoints). At block 3022 , the mobile device may generate two- or three-dimensional vectors using the (current and/or historical) waypoints. In one embodiment, the mobile device may generate vectors based on the ranks/weights of the vectors (eg, by including/using only waypoints with ranks that exceed a threshold).

As mentioned above, the trilateration component 3004 may send the computed updated final set of positions to the output/storage component 3006 . The output/storage component 3006 may store the updated final location set in a location buffer or the illustrated updated last location data store 3024 . At block 3026, the output/storage component 3006 may use the updated final set of locations (more precise location information) to provide location-based services. At block 3028 , the output/storage component 3006 may transmit the updated final location set to other devices, such as to other mobile devices in a network server or communication group.

To accurately compute/determine the updated final set of locations, the mobile device system 3000 may be required to communicate with other devices in the communication group (eg, at block 3016 ). However, mobile devices do not always have access to robust data that may be needed to accurately determine the location of a communication group (but alone, a sufficiently large communication group) and/or the device. Accordingly, in the example shown in FIG. 30B , at block 3044 , the mobile device may receive LBS information from a server computing device (eg, a network provided location service). At operation 3042 , the mobile device performs standard location information (or first data set, estimate, etc.), updated DR location information (or second data set, estimate, etc.), and LBS information received from the server (or third data sets, estimates, etc.) can be sent to the trilateration component 3004 as input data. The trilateration component 3004 receives and uses input data to compute/generate a final set of positions and/or an updated final set of positions, and output/store the generated set of positions for storage and/or use. to component 3006 .

30C illustrates various additional components, information flows, and operations in an example mobile device system 3000 that is configured to perform enhanced location based services (eLBS) trilateration operations in accordance with various embodiments. At block 3052 , the mobile device generates a first data set (eg, x, y and z coordinates, a first estimate, etc.) information received from active and/or passive external devices or systems. can be used At block 3054 , the mobile device performs dead reckoning operations and is collected from internal sensors and systems to generate a second data set (eg, x, y and z coordinates, a second estimate, etc.). information is available. At block 3056 , the mobile device may receive location based service (LBS) information (eg, x, y and z coordinates, LBS estimate, etc.) from a server. At block 3056 , the mobile device may pass the received LBS information through a first Kalman filter (Kalman filter 1 ) to generate filtered LBS data (eg, a filtered LBS estimate, etc.). A Kalman filter may be a procedure, algorithm, method, technique, or sequence of operations for achieving the function of a Kalman filter.

At block 3060 , the mobile device performs trilateration operations (eg, trilateration API location tracking operations, etc.), determines geographic coordinates of the mobile device, and based on the determined geographic coordinates. to generate a third data set (eg, x, y and z coordinates, a third estimate, etc.). At block 3062 , the mobile device sets first, second, and third data sets (or estimates) to generate a location set (eg, final location set, final location estimate, updated final location estimate, etc.) etc.) may be passed through a second Kalman filter (Kalman filter 2). At block 3064 , the mobile device may use the location set to determine/compute the current location of the device. As part of these operations, the mobile device performs trilateration position values (X, Y, Z), time value, trilateration position delta values (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ), confidence values (C _X , C _Y ). , C _Z ) and one or more precision values, create a waypoint information structure (or estimate), and use the generated waypoint to set the current position of the device. In one embodiment, the mobile device may be configured to store a waypoint in a list (or other information structure) along with a timestamp.

30C shows three types of position calculations that are fused to produce one reported position for the device.

The eLBS trilateration process at a high level is shown in FIG. 30C . Not only is the Kalman filter approach used in a trilateration process involving external devices in which the anchor mobile device AD determines the position of the anchor mobile device AD, the external trilateration position is also used as inputs via dead reckoning. Using internal location tracking, and available external stationary devices and systems collectively abbreviated as External Devices (ED) reporting what the current devices location is, and external mobile devices and systems It is also supplied with other Kalman filter processes.

Several decisions are made regarding the need to obtain previous waypoints based on the measurements received as well as the amount of devices reporting to the anchor mobile device. A waypoint is location information that has been determined to be valid location information and has a confidence value associated with the waypoint. Waypoints generally have an overall rank and also a device specific rank associated with the waypoints. The waypoints may be based on dead reckoning location information, external trilateration location information, or location information based on location information received from external devices.

31 shows communications and information in a system configured to determine a range between two devices 3101 , 3103 when there is no external time source (eg, a common time value, etc.) to which all devices can be synchronized. shows the flows. The two devices shown in FIG. 31 are an anchor mobile device (AD) 3103 and an external device (ED) 3101 . Such devices can achieve pseudo-synchronization of measurements taking into account communication path time delays and delays associated with processing a request.

Specifically in the illustrated example of FIG. 31 , AD 3103 sends a location query request 3107 for location updates to Ed(x) 3101 . ED(x) 3101 and AD 3103 do not share a common clock. The location query request 3107 may include any or all of the information discussed above with reference to FIG. 25 , such as the time the query was transmitted, and the like. ED(x) 3101 identifies the time difference between when ED(x) 3101 received location query request 3107 and when ED(x) 3101 sent location query response 3109 It is possible to transmit a location query response 3109 including information about

The location query response 3109 may include the time the location query request 3107 was received, the time the location query response 3109 was transmitted, or both. Location query response 3109 may include a delay value that identifies when ED(x) received location query request 3107 through when ED(x) transmitted location query response 3109 . Location query response 3109 may include location information and/or any other information requested via location query request 3107 . Similarly, AD 3103 records the time at which AD 3103 sent a location query request 3107, and records the time AD 3103 received a location query response 3109 from ED(x) 3101 This information can be recorded and used to determine the total time delay. Recognizing the delay in processing the request and the communication paths makes it possible to synchronize the timing to the clock of the AD 3103 and the location information provided.

32 and 33 show methods of receiving and using location information of an external device (of an ED) at an anchor mobile device (AD) to prove an enhanced location based service. The AD may be configured to determine a relative position of the ED (eg, to the AD itself) and compare the determined relative position to a range value provided by the ED. The range value may be a value calculated from the ED that identifies the distance between the ED and AD. For ease of readability, the method shown in FIG. 32 represents an example of receiving data from a single mobile device. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the same or similar operations may be performed based on information received from multiple mobile devices.

At block 3201 , the AD may receive location information (eg, LBS information, etc.) from the ED 1 . The location information may include a latitude value, a longitude value, an altitude value, range information, and a time value. In one embodiment, the location information may be a waypoint. At block 3203, the AD may normalize the location information timing to some time (eg, t = 0). In other words, the AD is the measured position of the AD in a common time (e.g., based on processor cycles) such that the ad hoc positions reported by all EDs and other sensors are normalized (or synchronized) to the uniform time and / or normalize the received location information. In some embodiments, at block 3203, the AD may perform a pseudo-synchronization method discussed in further detail below. In some embodiments, after normalizing/synchronizing the location information timing, the AD determines a confidence value and assigns it to each unit of location information provided by each ED (eg, each waypoint, etc.) can do.

At decision block 3205, the AD may determine whether the received location information is valid. The validity may be determined from the amount of variation between the expected relative position and the actual relative position. For example, the AD computes or determines an expected position (or expected relative position) based on previous trilateration results, previous dead reckoning results, or data received from other external sensors or devices. can be configured to In some embodiments, the location may be calculated based on location information provided by the ED to the AD.

In response to determining that the location information is invalid (ie, decision block 3205 = “no”), the AD may discard the measurement at block 3209 . If the location value is determined to be invalid and/or has too low confidence (ie, does not exceed a threshold), the location value may be temporarily stored and marked for discard. If the AD receives location information from several EDs with low confidence values associated with the location information that were initially determined to be invalid, but the EDs report that the location information has high precision, then the AD can convert those low confidence measures to be valid. can be taken as In this case, the measurements are stored for use in block 3207 with the marker for discard being removed. In response to determining that the location information is valid (ie, decision block 3205 = “yes”), the AD may use the information at block 3207 .

Specifically at block 3207 , the AD may calculate a rank for the location information provided by the ED 1 with respect to the AD based on the range calculation and the confidence value of the location information provided by the ED 1 . At decision block 3211 , the AD may determine whether the location information provided by the ED 1 has a sufficiently high confidence value. In response to determining that the location information provided by ED 1 does not have a sufficiently high confidence value (ie, decision block 3211 = “no”), the AD blocks the location information provided by ED 1 . (3209) may be marked as obsolete. This is similar to the AD making the judgment that the information is invalid and that the location information has a confidence value and range value/calculation associated with the AD. In response to determining that the location information has a sufficiently high confidence value, the AD enters the location information in block 3213 in the AD's location database as a waypoint for the ED 1 (eg, the current location waypoint). can be saved.

FIG. 33 shows process 3300 as an extension and continuation of process 3200 for FIG. 32 . At decision block 3301, the AD may determine whether the ED previously reported the location (or transmitted a valid waypoint, etc.). In response to determining that the ED has not previously reported a location (ie, decision block 3301 = “no”), at decision block 3311 , the AD determines that the AD exceeds a distance or percentage value in any axis or direction. It can be determined whether it has moved by as much as (or changed the reported position of AD).

In response to determining that AD has not changed the position of AD by a percentage set on any axis (ie, decision block 3311 = “yes”), at block 3313 , AD is t relative to the current position of AD Select and use the highest ranked waypoint, which may be a previously computed and stored waypoint for an AD with a range of AD corrected to = 0 (eg, for t = t - 1 or t = t - 2, etc.) can At block 3325, AD is a sorted list of coordinates X, Y and Z and orientation components reported from ED1 for t = 0, t = t - 1, or possibly correspondingly t = t - 2 waypoints can be inserted.

In response to determining that AD has not moved (or has not changed the reported position of AD) in any axis or direction by more than the distance or percentage value (ie, decision block 3311 = “No”), AD is At block 3305 it can be determined that AD has stopped (and thus indicates AD itself).

In response to determining that the ED did not report a location (ie, decision block 3301 = “yes”), or in response to determining that the AD has stopped at block 3305 , the AD determines at decision block 3303 four or more It can be determined whether the ED is currently reporting location information (or whether waypoints have been received from 4 or more devices). In response to determining that four or more EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3303 = “Yes”), the AD is associated with the location information (or reported waypoint) reported at decision block 3307 . It may be determined whether the rank value exceeds (eg, is greater than, etc.) ranks of other stored or received location information (or received waypoints).

In response to determining that the rank of the reported waypoint exceeds the ranks of other stored or received waypoints (ie, decision block 3307 = “yes”), at block 3309, the AD transmits the location information (or receives waypoint) in memory and/or mark the information as appropriate for use as current location waypoint or location information for t = 0. On the other hand, in response to determining that the rank of the reported waypoint does not exceed the ranks of other stored or received waypoints (ie, decision block 3307 = “no”), the AD at block 3313 You can select and use the highest ranked waypoint/location information.

In response to determining that four or more EDs are not reporting location information (ie, decision block 3303 = “No”), at decision block 3315, the AD determines whether three EDs are currently reporting location information. can determine whether In response to determining that the three EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3315 = “yes”), at block 3317, the AD retrieves the highest ranked location information or the highest ranked stored waypoint from memory. can be recovered The highest ranked stored waypoint may be the previously reported waypoint (received from any of the reporting EDs) with the highest rank. The recovered waypoints may be added to the existing three reported waypoints (ie, waypoints received from each of the three reporting EDs) to obtain a total of four waypoints. The waypoints may be time normalized to a range corrected for t = 0 and t = 0, and at block 3325, AD is t = 0, t = t - 1, or possibly correspondingly t = t - Can insert waypoints into a sorted list of coordinates X, Y and Z and azimuth components reported from ED1 for 2;

In response to determining that the three EDs are not reporting location information (ie, decision block 3315 = “No”), at decision block 3319, the AD determines whether the two EDs are currently reporting location information. can be judged In response to determining that two EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3319 = “yes”), at block 3321 , the AD 2 (received from any of the reporting EDs) It is possible to retrieve the previously reported highest ranked waypoints. AD may add the recovered waypoints to the existing two reported waypoints to obtain a total of four waypoints. The previously reported waypoints may be time normalized to a range corrected for t = 0 and t = 0. At block 3325, AD is a sorted list of coordinates X, Y and Z and orientation components reported from ED1 for t = 0, t = t - 1, or possibly correspondingly t = t - 2 waypoints can be inserted.

In response to determining that the two EDs are not reporting location information (ie, decision block 3319 = “no”), at block 3323 , the AD is the highest rank stored in memory to obtain a total of four waypoints. 3 of the previously reported waypoints can be retrieved. The previously reported waypoints may be time normalized to a range corrected for t = 0 and t = 0. At block 3325, AD is a sorted list of coordinates X, Y and Z and orientation components reported from ED1 for t = 0, t = t - 1, or possibly correspondingly t = t - 2 waypoints can be inserted.

Block 3325 uses the waypoints in the sorted list as input to the trilateration, and continues with Figures 34 and 35, where Figures 34 and 35 trilateration for multiple devices reporting locations. Processes for determining geolocation accuracy using methods are shown. The output of the reported positions, trilateration of AD for each ED, can be ranked relative to each other based on accuracy and confidence. Using these values, possibly discarding or ignoring those values considered to be inferior or invalid, provides for achieving the highest place location accuracy to be achieved. The output of the eLBS trilateration operations is a place/location (or waypoint) used by the device to report the device's current location (or for other functions, eg, to provide an enhanced location-based service). ) can be

In particular, FIG. 34 shows the output of FIG. 33 that can be used as a trilateration input (for each reporting ED). Block 3401 shows the trilateration input for ED 1 , the first ED being process 3300 for ED 1 . Block 3402 shows a trilateration input for ED 2 , a second ED that is process 3300 for ED 2 . 3420 shows one or more EDs providing trilateration input. Block 3430 shows the trilateration input for ED(N), which is the Nth ED, which is process 3300 for ED(N). All of the trilateration inputs may be combined at block 3410 as reporting ED waypoints. All of the waypoints of a separate ED can be normalized to a constant time, t = 0.

At decision block 3501, the AD may determine whether four or more EDs are reporting location information. In response to determining that four or more EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3501 = “yes”), at block 3502, the AD determines the highest ranked waypoint reported for each ED. You can choose. The AD may provide the selected waypoints as inputs to the Kalman filter at block 3510 .

In response to determining that less than four EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3501 = “No”), at decision block 3503 , the AD determines whether three EDs are reporting location information can be judged In response to determining that the three EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3503 = “yes”), at block 3504 , the AD may use the waypoints reported from all three EDs and access the database Choose the highest ranked previously reported waypoint for t = t - 1 and/or t = t - 2 for any ED in (and thus get a total of 4 waypoints). The AD may then provide the four waypoints to the Kalman filter at block 3510 .

In response to determining that less than three EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3503 = “no”), at decision block 3505 , the AD determines whether two EDs are reporting location information. can be judged In response to determining that the two EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3505 = “yes”), at block 3506, the AD determines the location information for both EDs to obtain a total of four waypoints. You can use the reported waypoints and select the two highest ranked previously reported waypoints for t = t - 1 and/or t = t - 2 (for any reporting ED in the database). AD may provide these four waypoints to the Kalman filter at block 3510 .

In response to determining that less than two EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3505 = “No”), at decision block 3507 the AD determines whether one ED is reporting location information. can be judged In response to determining that one ED is reporting location information (ie, decision block 3507 = “yes”), at block 3508 , the AD determines the reported waypoints and database to obtain a total of four waypoints. One can use the three highest ranked previously reported waypoints for t = t - 1 and/or t = t - 2 for any ED in . AD may provide these four waypoints to the Kalman filter at block 3510 .

In response to determining that no EDs are reporting location information (ie, decision block 3505 = “no”), at block 3509 , the AD may retrieve the four highest ranked waypoints, These four waypoints are provided to the Kalman filter at block 3510 .

The Kalman filter at block 3510 may be used to generate an outer trilateration determined position 3511 for period 0 (t = 0). These values may be fed as input to the fused trilateration process 3512 to generate filtered LBS data (eg, filtered LBS estimates, etc.). The Kalman filter 3510 may be a procedure, algorithm, method, technique, or sequence of operations to achieve the functionality of the Kalman filter.

All reporting EDs can be compared to each other and ranked before being sent to the Kalman filter with the appropriate matrix and weight factors.

The trilateration operations discussed above with reference to FIGS. 32-35 can be performed/made for a variety of sources. The fused trilateration operations discussed above enable the device to generate more robust location/location information with high confidence values (eg, for accuracy, precision, etc.).

36 shows a method 3600 of performing fused trilateration operations using information from external and internal sources. At block 3601 , the anchor mobile device AD may receive information from external sources including GPS data, cell ID, WiFiID, beacon/RFID, and other data from external location sources. At block 3602, the AD may determine whether the waypoint or location information was reported by a particular device having a source type. In response to determining that at least one waypoint or location information has been reported (ie, decision block 3603 = “yes”), at block 3604, the AD may select the received information (for t = 0). have. In response to determining that no waypoint or location information has been reported (ie, decision block 3603 = “no”), at block 3605 , the AD (as with operations discussed above with reference to block 3313 ) ) can retrieve and use previously reported locations from memory. If more than the required number of waypoints have been reported (and stored in memory), the AD may select and use the waypoints/location information with the highest ranks in block 3606 as location information. Alternatively, if no valid prior locations have been reported, the AD does not use data from such a device, but rather dead reckoning location information and/or external 3 to select location information at block 3606 . You can choose to use lateral survey localization information.

If the ED is reporting valid location information to the AD, the valid location information is ranked according to previously received location information for that device. If no previous location information has been received, the most current valid location information received is used. If the current reported location information is ranked highest, the current reported location information is used as the location information and stored in the location information database. If the previous location information has been received and the ranking of the current received location information is lower than the previous information, the highest ranked previously reported location information is used.

If any external trilateration location information has been received when the location reporting devices from external devices have been received, all location information is sent to any means discussed above or below with respect to the time values in block 3607 . , it is synchronized with dead reckoning data from AD. At block 3608, if only one valid location is available, then that location information is stored by the AD as a location to the AD. If more than one valid position is reported, then the more than one valid position is ranked from highest to lowest as described above with respect to confidence values, and the four highest positions are used for input to the Kalman filter. The output from the Kalman filter is stored as the location of AD. If more than one but less than four locations are reported (eg, as discussed above with reference to Figure 35, blocks 3503 and 3504, 3505 and 3506, 3507 and 3508, as appropriate), block In 3609, the remaining positions are determined to obtain a total of four positions, in block 3610, the total four positions are input to the Kalman filter, and in block 3611, the highest position (the output of the Kalman filter) is stored.

At decision block 3612 , the AD may determine whether the new location of the AD has changed (relative to the previously computed location of the AD) greater than a given distance or percentage value in any axis, or greater than a location information value. In response to determining that the new position of AD has changed more than a given distance or percentage value in any axis (relative to the previously computed position of AD) (ie, decision block 3612 = “yes”), the trilateration process may continue or repeat at block 2614 to obtain more precise location information. If there is no change or the change is less than a certain percentage (i.e., decision block 3612 = “No”), the AD may wait for a set amount of time T to obtain any change of position at block 3613 . have. The procedure may mark the AD as stopped and wait until the change is reported by any reporting device, external trilateration information, or internal sensors or components that may be used for dead reckoning.

As part of a process involving external device trilateration, the use of previous positions can be used to achieve the required set of points from which a three-dimensional position can be computed.

37 shows a high level diagram showing only two devices for ease of reading, but the concept can be easily deduced to have multiple devices. In FIG. 37 , ED(x)(t0) 3701 , the position of ED(x) 3701 at t=0, is reported to AD (mobile device 102 ). At t = 0, the position of AD is AD(t0). The range or distance between two devices is also determined using both RSSI as well as surveying methods. The range may be used to determine the confidence of the reported location to be added to the trust that the ED(x) 3701 is reporting about the location of the ED(x) 3701 itself. The vector between two units is 1X (0,0). Moving back to t = t - 1, the previous positions were ED(x)(t - 1) (3701) and AD(t - 1). The positions moved by the ED(x) 3701 are L 0,1 and in the case of AD (mobile device 102 ), the positions moved are A 0,1 . Continuing back again with t = t - 2, the positions are ED(x)(t - 2) 3701 and AD(t - 2) 102 . The shift from t = t - 2 to t = t - 1 is L -1,-2 for ED(x) 3701 and A -1,-2 for AD (mobile device 102 ). Ranging vectors may be calculated between each location and time. The vector between AD(t = 0)(102) and ED(x)(t - 1)(3701) is denoted by 1X (-1,0), AD(t = 0) and ED(x)(t) The vector between - 2) (3701) is 1X (-1,1). Vectors may be computed from AD(t - 1) 102 to ED(x)(t - 1) 3701 and denoted as 1X (-1,-1) and likewise AD(t - 1) 102 ) to ED(x)(t - 2) 3701, which is expressed as 1X (-2,-1). For AD(t - 2) 102 and ED(x)(t - 2) 3701, the vector is 1X (-2,-2). Each location information computed and having a confidence value associated with each location information is now a waypoint. WP(0) at t = 0, WP(-1) at t = t - 1, and WP(-2) at t = t - 2. It is understood that other vectors not shown may be computed, such as from AD(t - 1) 102 to ED(x)(t0) 3701 and other such combinations.

38 illustrates a method 3800 of determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration. Method 3800 may include receiving location information from one or more external devices via a processor of the mobile device. The received location information may include waypoints from each of one or more external devices.

At optional block 3802, the processor of the mobile device may request location information from internal and external devices, which may be accomplished by generating and sending a location request message to internal/external devices. In some embodiments, the location request message may request location information including coordinate values (eg, latitude and longitude, etc.), an altitude value, and/or a range value. The range value may include information identifying a distance between the mobile device and an external device (eg, an external device that transmits location information in response to receiving a location request message, etc.). In an accept-only mode or for beaconing devices, the mobile device may skip the operations at block 3802 as the operations at block 3802 may not be necessary to receive location information.

At block 3804 , the processor may receive location information from one or more external devices. The received location information may include a waypoint from each of a plurality of devices (eg, internal and/or external devices) or another unit of information (a location information unit). Each waypoint may include a coordinate value (eg, a latitude value, a longitude value, etc.), an altitude value, and a range value. The range value may identify a distance from the external device to the mobile device. In some embodiments, as part of the operations at block 3804 , if no location information is received for a first period of time (eg, within a predetermined period, etc.) or before a timer expires, the mobile device At optional block 3802, trilateration operations may be initiated or resumed by requesting location information from the same or different external devices and/or resetting a timer and waiting for a response or other set period of time for location information.

At block 3806, the processor may perform normalization operations to determine the validity of each of the received waypoints and/or to normalize the received valid waypoints (or to normalize the received location information timing). Also at block 3806, the processor may obtain a time value and assign it to each unit of information received (ie, location information received from each external device, each waypoint, etc.), as discussed herein. may be accomplished through, or as part of, a processor performing any or all of the normalization or synchronization operations.

At block 3808 , the processor determines, computes, or determines a range value for each external device reporting location information (eg, for each external device, each waypoint, etc. from which location information was received). , can be updated. For example, at block 3808 , the processor determines or computes a first range value for the first external device based on the waypoint from the first external device, and a second waypoint provided by the second external device. may determine or compute a second range value for the second external device based on . In one embodiment, the processor may associate the range value with a waypoint used to determine the range value, and store the range value for the waypoint in memory and/or in the waypoint as a data field value.

At block 3810, the processor may determine, compute, or compute a confidence value for each location information unit (or waypoint) that is received. In some embodiments, the processor may associate the confidence value with a location information unit (or waypoint) for which the confidence value was calculated and determine the validity of each of the one or more location information at block 3812 . At block 3812 , the processor may assign a global rank and/or a device specific rank to each of the normalized waypoints (eg, each location information unit or waypoint received from an external device, etc.). At block 3814, the processor may determine the validity of each of the received waypoints. At block 3816, the processor may store valid location information (eg, as one or more waypoints, current location waypoints, etc.) in a location information database.

As noted above, for valid location information (eg, waypoints determined to be valid), the processor may assign an overall ranking and a device specific ranking. The overall ranking is based on a combination of dead reckoning location information (for example, DR data, etc.), valid location information (for example, location information included in waypoints, etc.) All valid and invalid location information (e.g., valid waypoints, etc.), including external trilateration location information, reported by external devices (e.g., all locations received for such a general location or device) information, etc.), and a ranking of information/waypoints stored in a location database for external devices reporting valid and invalid location information. A device-specific ranking is a ranking of location information received by a mobile device for one type of location information from an external device reporting the type of location information, and a calculated range for valid location information and confidence associated with the location information. It may be a ranking based on values and storing location information and associated data in a location database as waypoints.

At block 3818, the processor may determine whether the location database contains at least four valid waypoints (or four valid location information units identifying four locations, etc.). In one embodiment, if less than four waypoints are stored in the location database, the mobile device may repeat the location determination operations discussed above until the mobile device determines that the location database stores at least four valid waypoints. have. In response to determining that there are fewer than four valid waypoints (ie, decision block 3818 “No”), at block 3802, the processor may initiate another request for location information from internal and external devices. can

If there are four waypoints in the location database (ie, decision block 3818 “Yes”), then at block 3820, the processor associates with each waypoint (eg, the four highest overall ranked waypoints). Select 4 of the highest ranked waypoints from memory based on a combination of overall ranking, device specific ranking, confidence value, precision value, range value, etc. The selected waypoints can be applied to the Kalman filter to produce an output. In one embodiment, the processor may store the output of the Kalman filter as the current location of the mobile device. At block 3822, the processor may assign a confidence value (and/or rank or precision values) to the output of the Kalman filter. At block 3824 , the processor may report the location output from the Kalman filter as the location of the mobile device.

The foregoing method descriptions and process flow diagrams are provided as illustrative examples only and are not intended to require or suggest that the blocks of various embodiments be performed in the order in which they are presented. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the order of blocks in the above-described embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of blocks; These words are used simply to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, for example, any reference to claim elements in the singular using the articles "a," "an," or "the" limits the element to the singular. should not be interpreted.

The various illustrative logical blocks, components, circuits, and algorithm blocks described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, components, circuits, and blocks have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logic, logic blocks, components, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may include general purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gates, etc. It may be implemented or performed in an array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, eg, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some blocks or methods may be performed by circuitry specific to a given function.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a non-transitory processor-readable medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software component that may reside on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium may be any storage medium that can be accessed by a computer or processor. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or instructions or It can include any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Discs and discs as used herein are compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs) where discs typically reproduce data magnetically, whereas discs reproduce data optically with lasers. , including floppy disks and Blu-ray disks. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media. Furthermore, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (21)

A method for determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration comprising:
Receiving location information from one or more external devices through a processor of the mobile device, wherein the received location information includes waypoints from each of the one or more external devices, each waypoint having a coordinate value, an altitude value and a range value, wherein the range value identifies a distance from an external device to the mobile device;
determining the validity of each of the received waypoints;
performing normalization operations to normalize the received valid waypoints, assigning an overall ranking to each of the normalized waypoints, assigning a device specific rank to each of the normalized waypoints, the normalized waypoint storing them in a memory;
selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint;
applying the four selected waypoints to a Kalman filter to generate a final location waypoint; and
and using the generated final location waypoint to provide a location-based service. According to claim 1,
Receiving the location information from one or more external devices may include location information from one or more of a mobile device, a device having a cell ID, a Wi-Fi device, a Bluetooth device, an RFID device, a GPS device, a location beacon transmitting device, and external trilateration location information. A method of determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration, comprising receiving a. The method of claim 1,
Determining the validity of each of the received waypoints comprises:
determining an updated range value for each waypoint included in the received location information; and
and determining the validity of each of the received waypoints based on the updated range value of each waypoint. 4. The method of claim 3,
Determining the validity of each of the received waypoints comprises:
determining a confidence value for each waypoint included in the received location information; and
and determining the validity of each of the received waypoints based on a corresponding confidence value of each waypoint. According to claim 1,
Receiving location information from one or more external devices may include:
establishing communication links to each of a plurality of external devices in the communication group; and
and receiving location information only from the external devices in the communication group. According to claim 1,
Selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises:
Determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration comprising selecting one of the waypoints included in the received location information and three previously generated waypoints from the memory Way. According to claim 1,
Selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises:
Determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration comprising selecting two of the waypoints included in the received location information and two previously generated waypoints from the memory How to. According to claim 1,
Selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint comprises:
Determining a location of a mobile device via enhanced location-based trilateration comprising selecting three of the waypoints included in the received location information and one previously generated waypoint from the memory How to. Receiving location information from one or more external devices, the received location information comprising waypoints from each of the one or more external devices, each waypoint comprising a coordinate value, an elevation value, and a range value, the The range value is to receive identifying a distance from the external device to the mobile device;
determining the validity of each of the received waypoints;
performing normalization operations to normalize the received valid waypoints, assigning an overall ranking to each of the normalized waypoints, assigning a device specific rank to each of the normalized waypoints, the normalized waypoint storing them in memory;
selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint;
applying the four selected waypoints to a Kalman filter to generate a final location waypoint; and
A mobile device comprising a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising using the generated final location waypoint to provide a location-based service. 10. The method of claim 9,
The processor may be configured to receive location information from one or more external devices from one or more of a mobile device, a device with a cell ID, a Wi-Fi device, a Bluetooth device, an RFID device, a GPS device, a location beacon transmitting device, and external trilateration location information. A mobile device configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include receiving location information. 10. The method of claim 9,
The processor determines the validity of each of the received waypoints:
determining an updated range value for each waypoint included in the received location information; and
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include determining the validity of each of the received waypoints based on the updated range value of each waypoint. 12. The method of claim 11,
The processor determines the validity of each of the received waypoints:
determining a confidence value for each waypoint included in the received location information; and
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising determining the validity of each of the received waypoints based on a corresponding confidence value of each waypoint. 10. The method of claim 9,
The processor receives location information from one or more external devices:
establishing communication links to each of a plurality of external devices in the communication group; and
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include receiving location information only from the external devices in the communication group. 10. The method of claim 9,
wherein the processor selects four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall ranking and the device specific ranking associated with each waypoint:
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include selecting one of the waypoints included in the received location information and three previously generated waypoints from the memory. 10. The method of claim 9,
wherein the processor selects four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall ranking and the device specific ranking associated with each waypoint:
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include selecting two of the waypoints included in the received location information and two previously generated waypoints from the memory. 10. The method of claim 9,
wherein the processor selects four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall ranking and the device specific ranking associated with each waypoint:
and processor-executable instructions to perform operations to include selecting three of the waypoints included in the received location information and one previously generated waypoint from the memory. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of the mobile device to perform operations of determining a location of a mobile device through enhanced location-based trilateration, the operations comprising: :
Receiving location information from one or more external devices, the received location information comprising waypoints from each of the one or more external devices, each waypoint comprising a coordinate value, an elevation value, and a range value, the receiving a range value identifying a distance from an external device to the mobile device;
determining the validity of each of the received waypoints;
performing normalization operations to normalize the received valid waypoints, assigning an overall ranking to each of the normalized waypoints, assigning a device specific rank to each of the normalized waypoints, the normalized waypoint storing them in memory;
selecting four waypoints from a memory based on a combination of the device specific ranking and the overall ranking associated with each waypoint;
applying the four selected waypoints to a Kalman filter to generate a final location waypoint; and
and using the generated final location waypoint to provide a location-based service. 18. The method of claim 17,
The stored processor-executable software instructions enable determining the validity of each of the received waypoints:
determining an updated range value for each waypoint included in the received location information;
determining a confidence value for each waypoint included in the received location information; and
configured to cause the processor to perform operations to include determining the validity of each of the received waypoints based on a corresponding updated range value of each waypoint and a corresponding confidence value of each waypoint. A temporary computer-readable storage medium. 18. The method of claim 17,
The stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to select four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall rank and the device specific rank associated with each waypoint:
and cause a processor to perform operations to include selecting one of the waypoints included in the received location information and three previously generated waypoints from the memory. 18. The method of claim 17,
The stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to select four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall rank and the device specific rank associated with each waypoint:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to cause a processor to perform operations to include selecting two of the waypoints included in the received location information and two previously generated waypoints from the memory. . 18. The method of claim 17,
The stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to select four waypoints from memory based on a combination of the overall rank and the device specific rank associated with each waypoint:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to cause a processor to perform operations to include selecting three of the waypoints included in the received location information and one previously generated waypoint from the memory. .

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