Add-on module for a device, server unit, localization method, computer program, and corresponding storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11774568-B2
Application number	US-202016863248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2020
Priority date	May 6, 2019
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus or an add-on module for a, in particular mobile, device, is disclosed. In an embodiment, the device to be localized or the add-on module uses a measuring unit to measure, via suitable sensors, a local electromagnetic field distribution generated by a given infrastructure. An instantaneous position of the add-on module or of the device equipped therewith is then determined by comparing the measured field distribution with a specified map. In order to facilitate tracking of the add-on module or of the device, the measured field distribution and/or the determined position can be sent via a wireless data connection to a server unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An add-on module that, when integrated in a device, is configured to equip the device with a localization functionality, the add-on module comprising:
a measuring unit configured to passively measure a local electromagnetic field distribution generated by an infrastructure without any data being exchanged with the infrastructure; and
a localization unit configured to determine an instantaneous spatial position of the add-on module by comparing the local electromagnetic field distribution with a specified map, the specified map defining a spatially resolved reference field distribution of a local electromagnetic field-generating infrastructure.

2. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the add-on module is implemented in hardware and further comprises a connection interface, the add-on module being physically connectable to the device via a connection between the connection interface and a corresponding device-based interface.

3. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the add-on module is implemented in software stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium in the device, and the software causes at least one processor of the device to implement the measuring unit and the localization unit when the software is executed by the at least one processor.

4. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the add-on module is configured to:
emit at least one ping signal and detect response signals from the infrastructure, or cause the device to emit the at least one ping signal and detect the response signals; and
perform a transit-time analysis based on at least one of the response signals or times at which the response signals were detected, and
determine the instantaneous spatial position of the add-on module based on the transit-time analysis and the specified map.

5. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the add-on module is configured to determine the instantaneous spatial position based on a signal from a satellite-based positioning system.

6. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the add-on module is configured to:
determine whether the add-on module is in an emission-sensitive zone based on at least one of the local electromagnetic field distribution or the instantaneous spatial position; and
delay transmission of a first signal by at least one of the add-on module or the device when the add-on module is in the emission-sensitive zone.

7. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein
the spatially resolved reference field distribution includes a plurality of reference field distribution values assigned to a plurality of corresponding positions; and
the localization unit is configured to determine the instantaneous spatial position based on the local electromagnetic field distribution, the plurality of reference field distribution values and the plurality of corresponding positions.

8. The add-on module of claim 1 , wherein the measuring unit is configured to passively measure the local electromagnetic field distribution generated by the infrastructure including measuring a field strength and a frequency spectrum such that the local electromagnetic field distribution is frequency-resolved.

9. A server, comprising:
a communication module;
a data storage medium to store a specified map and a position database, the specified map defining a spatially resolved reference field distribution of a field-generating infrastructure; and
at least one processor, connected to the communication module and the data storage medium, the at least one processor being configured to,
obtain, via the communication module, respective measurement data from each respective device among a plurality of devices, the respective measurement data indicating an electromagnetic field distribution measured locally at the respective device,
compare the respective measurement data with the specified map to determine a respective position at which the respective device measured the respective measurement data, and
store or update the respective position in the position database.

10. A method for localizing at least one device equipped with an add-on module, the method comprising:
creating a map by mapping a reference field distribution of a field-emitting stationary infrastructure in a monitoring region;
measuring a local field distribution via the at least one device when the at least one device is in the monitoring region; and
localizing, by the at least one device or a server to which the at least one device has transferred to local field distribution, the at least one device by comparing the local field distribution measured with the map.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the creating the map creates the map by performing a simulation using a field propagation model, the field propagation model being provided with positions, device types and operating profiles of field-emitting components of the field-emitting stationary infrastructure as input data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reference field distribution and the local field distribution are frequency-resolved for each of a plurality of frequency ranges, the plurality of frequency ranges corresponding to different communication methods.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the reference field distribution and the local field distribution are frequency-resolved for each of a plurality of frequency ranges, the plurality of frequency ranges corresponding to different communication methods.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
obtaining the reference field distribution by measuring a variation in electromagnetic field distribution in the monitoring region over at least a specified time period.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the obtaining the reference field distribution includes inputting the variation in electromagnetic field distribution to a specified machine learning component.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the specified machine learning component is a deep-learning based artificial neural network, the deep-learning based artificial neural network being trained to reduce noise in the variation in electromagnetic field distribution over time, the noise being caused by time-varying sources not included in the field-emitting stationary infrastructure.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the specified time period is at least one day or at least one week.

18. A memory storing a computer program including commands which, upon execution of the computer program by at least one processor, cause the method of claim 10 to be performed by the at least one processor.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program including commands which, upon execution of the computer program by at least one processor, cause the method of claim 10 to be performed by the at least one processor.

20. An apparatus for integrating to a device to equip the device with a localization functionality, comprising:
at least one processor configured to,
passively measure a local electromagnetic field distribution generated by an infrastructure without any data being exchanged with the infrastructure, and
determine an instantaneous spatial position of the apparatus by comparing the local electromagnetic field distribution with a specified map, the specified map defining a spatially resolved reference field distribution of a local electromagnetic field-generating infrastructure.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising:
a connection interface, the apparatus being physically connectable to the devi

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Nguyen Quoc-Viet

Classifications

• G01S11/02 Primary

  using radio waves (G01S19/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R29/0807

  characterised by the application · CPC title

• G06F16/29 Primary

  Geographical information databases · CPC title

• G01S5/0221 Primary

  Receivers · CPC title

• G06F16/9537

  Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries · CPC title