Indoor/outdoor coverage detection based on sensor inputs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10506372-B2
Application number	US-201715584261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for determining whether a mobile device is located indoors or outdoors. In some embodiments, a mobile device may utilize a fusion of the information from multiple sensors, such as a RGB sensor, a proximity sensor, a light intensity sensor, and a WiFi radio, to determine whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining whether a mobile device is located indoors or outdoors, comprising:
determining whether a time of day for the mobile device corresponds to day time or night time; and
in response to determining that the time of day for the mobile device corresponds to day time,
determining whether the mobile device has an image sensor that is accessible;
determining whether the mobile device has a proximity sensor that is accessible;
in response to determining that the mobile device has the image sensor that is accessible and the proximity sensor that is accessible, determining whether the proximity sensor indicates that a distance between the mobile device and an object observable by the proximity sensor is above a predetermined threshold distance; and
in response to determining that the proximity sensor indicates that the distance between the mobile device and the object observable by the proximity sensor is above the predetermined threshold distance, determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on the image sensor of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on the image sensor of the mobile device comprises:
determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on a light intensity determined from the image sensor, a red color temperature determined from the image sensor, a blue color temperature determined from the image sensor, and a green color temperature determined from the image sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the time of day for the mobile device corresponds to night time,
determining whether the mobile device is connected to a WiFi network;
determining whether the mobile device can identify a nonzero amount of light intensity in a physical environment of the mobile device; and
in response to determining that the mobile device is connected to the WiFi network, and to determining that the mobile device can identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the mobile device, determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on the mobile device being connected to the WiFi network, and to the nonzero amount of light intensity of the physical environment of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the mobile device is not connected to the WiFi network, and to determining that the mobile device can identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the mobile device, determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on the nonzero amount of light intensity of the physical environment of the mobile device, and independently of information from the WiFi network.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the mobile device cannot identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the mobile device, determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on being connected to the WiFi network, and independently of a zero amount of light intensity of the physical environment of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the mobile device cannot identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the mobile device, and to determining that the mobile device is not connected to the WiFi network, emitting an audio signal from the mobile device;
receiving, by a microphone the mobile device, a reflection of the audio signal; and
determining whether the mobile device is located indoors or outdoors based on the reflection of the audio signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
before emitting the audio signal from the mobile device, using a structured machine on a plurality of reflected audio signals and corresponding indications of whether each of the plurality of reflected audio signals corresponds to indoors or outdoors.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the time of day corresponds to day time or night time comprises:
determining whether the time of day for the mobile device corresponds to day time or night time based on a system clock of the mobile device.

9. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor when the system is operational, the at least one memory bearing processor-executable instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to:
determine whether a time of day for the system corresponds to day time or night time;
in response to determining that the time of day for the system corresponds to day time, and in response to determining that the system has an image sensor that is accessible, determine whether a proximity sensor of the system indicates that the image sensor of the system is covered; and
in response to determining that the proximity sensor of the system indicates that the image sensor of the system is covered:
emit an audio signal from the system;
receive, by a microphone of the system, a reflection of an audio signal; and
determine whether the system is located indoors or outdoors based on the reflection of the audio signal.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, further cause the system at least to:
in response to determining that the proximity sensor of the system indicates that the image sensor of the system is uncovered, determine whether the system is located indoors or outdoors based on a light intensity determined from the image sensor of the system.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, further cause the system at least to:
in response to determining that the time of day for the system corresponds to night time, determine whether the system is located indoors or outdoors based on the system being connected to a WiFi network, and to a nonzero amount of light intensity of a physical environment of the system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, further cause the system at least to:
in response to determining that the system is not connected to the WiFi network, determine whether the system is located indoors or outdoors based on the nonzero amount of light intensity of the physical environment of the system, and independently of information from the WiFi network.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, further cause the system at least to:
in response to determining that the system cannot identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the system, determine whether the system is located indoors or outdoors based on being connected to the WiFi network, and independently of a zero amount of light intensity of the physical environment of the system.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, further cause the system at least to:
in response to determining that the system cannot identify the nonzero amount of light intensity in the physical environment of the system, and to determining that the system is not connected to the WiFi network, emit an audio signal from the system;
receive, by a microphone of the system, a reflection

Assignees

• T Mobile Usa Inc
• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Yoon Jong Sung
• Hui Jie
• Mitchell Michael
• Mao Zhuoqing Morley
• Jia Yunhan
• Kong Chao

Classifications

• H04W4/025

  using location based information parameters · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W64/006

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• H04M2250/52

  including functional features of a camera · CPC title