IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,622,233

Granted Patent B2

US 11,622,233 · App. 16/822,217 · Granted Apr 4, 2023

Federated system for mobile device localization

Inventor: Kunal Tyagi (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.

H04W4/029 G01C21/005 G01S5/0252 G01C21/04 G01C21/08 G01C21/16 G01S5/14 G01S19/42 G01S19/52

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,622,233
App. No.: 16/822,217
Granted: Apr 4, 2023
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

A method, computer program, and computer system of a base station is provided for determining a location of a mobile device by receiving data from a mobile device associated with a location of the mobile device and generating a world model database corresponding to a physical location of the base station. The received data is constrained based on the generated world model database, and an updated location of the mobile device is determined based on the constrained data.

Claims (127)

1. A method of determining a location of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a base station, GPS data and signal strength data from a mobile device, wherein the GPS data and the signal strength data are associated with a location of the mobile device;

obtaining a world model database corresponding to a physical location of the base station, the base station being among a plurality of base stations each of which stores a different world model database respectively corresponding to a vicinity thereof;

obtaining a geographic information system (GIS) layer of the world model database including information one or more of a building, a road, a bridge, a tunnel, a landform, and a body of water;

obtaining one or more signal strength layers of the world model database corresponding to one or more signals from one or more sources having a known position and a known signal transmission strength;

constraining the GPS data and the signal strength data based on the world model database and on a minimum number of anchors;

updating the world model database based on the GPS data and the signal strength data received from the mobile device,

determining a conflict with at least one anchor included in the world model database based on the at least one anchor not being detected within the signal strength data,

reducing the minimum number of anchors based on the determined conflict;

producing a constrained location of the mobile device by applying the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers of the world model database to an initial location of the mobile device, based on a probability value associated with the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers exceeding a first threshold value; and

sending the constrained location to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the world model database further includes one or more layers, the one or more layers comprising at least one of:

a magnetic field deviation layer; and

a weather layer; and

wherein the one or more signals comprise one or more of a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, a Bluetooth signal, a global positioning system (GPS) signal, and a cellular network signal.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more signal strength layers are configured to:

provide a signal strength at a position, using data from the GIS, for the one or more sources having the known position and the known signal transmission strength; and

model the one or more signals for signal strength propagation loss for one or more sources having uncertainty in either the position or signal transmission strength.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the constraining the GPS data and the signal strength data comprises:

setting the initial location of the mobile device based on the GPS data from the mobile device; and

applying the one or more layers of the world model database to the set initial location based on the probability value associated with the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers exceeding the first threshold value.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising optimizing the world model database.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the optimizing the world model database comprises:

updating the one or more layers based on the GPS data and the signal strength data or data received from one or more additional mobile devices;

determining a probability of position and transmission characteristics for the updated one or more layers; and

whitelisting one or more anchors with position and transmission characteristics having a probability greater than a second threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GPS data and the signal strength data comprises at least one of:

a time associated with the mobile device;

a position of the mobile device based on one or more GPS signals;

a velocity of the mobile device based on the one or more GPS signals;

a signal strength value of the one or more GPS signals;

a list of one or more Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) access points available to the mobile device;

a signal strength value of the one or more available Wi-Fi access points;

a list of one or more Bluetooth beacons available to the mobile device;

a signal strength value of the one or more available Bluetooth beacons;

a list of one or more cellular network base stations available to the mobile device;

a signal strength value for one or more channels of the one or more available cellular network base stations;

a magnetic field vector based on a strength value and a direction at the position of the mobile device;

inertial measurement unit data associated with the mobile device;

ambient temperature data associated with the location of the mobile device;

atmospheric humidity data associated with the location of the mobile device; and

atmospheric pressure data associated with the location of the mobile device.

8. A computer system of a base station for determining a location of a mobile device, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media configured to store computer program code; and

one or more computer processors configured to access said computer program code and operate as instructed by said computer program code, said computer program code comprising:

receiving code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to receive GPS data and signal strength data from a mobile device, wherein the GPS data and the signal strength data are associated with a location of the mobile device;

first obtaining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to obtain a world model database corresponding to a physical location of the base station, the base station being among a plurality of base stations each of which stores a different world model database respectively corresponding to a vicinity thereof;

second obtaining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to obtain a geographic information system (GIS) layer of the world model database including information one or more of a building, a road, a bridge, a tunnel, a landform, and a body of water;

third obtaining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to obtain one or more signal strength layers of the world model database corresponding to one or more signals from one or more sources having a known position and a known signal transmission strength;

constraining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to constrain the GPS data and the signal strength data based on the world model database and on a minimum number of anchors; and

first updating code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to update the world model database based on the GPS data and the signal strength data received from the mobile device,

first determining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to determine a conflict with at least one anchor included in the world model database based on the at least one anchor not being detected within the signal strength data;

reducing code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to reduce the minimum number of anchors based on the determined conflict;

producing code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to produce a constrained location of the mobile device by applying the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers of the world model database to an initial location of the mobile device, based on a probability value associated with the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers exceeding a first threshold value; and

sending code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to send the constrained location to the mobile device.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the world model database further includes one or more layers, the one or more layers comprising at least one of:

a magnetic field deviation layer; and

a weather layer; and

wherein the one or more signals comprises one or more of a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, a Bluetooth signal, a global positioning system (GPS) signal, and a cellular network signal.

10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more signal strength layers are configured to:

provide a signal strength at a position, using data from the GIS, for the one or more sources having the known position and the known signal transmission strength; and

model the one or more signals for signal strength propagation loss for one or more sources having uncertainty in either the position or signal transmission strength.

11. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the constraining code comprises:

setting code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to set the initial location of the mobile device based on the GPS data from the mobile device; and

applying code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to apply the one or more layers of the world model database to the set initial location based on the probability value associated with the GIS layer and the one or more signal strength layers exceeding the first threshold value.

12. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein said computer program code further comprises optimizing code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to optimize the world model database.

13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein the optimizing code comprises:

second updating code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to update the one or more layers based on the GPS data and the signal strength data or data received from one or more additional mobile devices;

second determining code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to determine a probability of position and transmission characteristics for the updated one or more layers; and

whitelisting code configured to cause the one or more computer processors to whitelist one or more anchors with position and transmission characteristics having a probability greater than a second threshold value.

14. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the GPS data and the signal strength data comprises at least one of: