Method and apparatus for performing a passive indoor localization of a mobile endpoint device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723586-B2
Application number	US-201514923067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2015
Priority date	Dec 2, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A method, computer readable storage device and an apparatus for locating a mobile endpoint device in an indoor environment are disclosed. For example, the method generates a location map having a predicted signal strength for each respective location on the location map, receives a signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device within the indoor environment, compares the signal strength to the location map having the predicted signal strength for each respective location on the location map and locates the mobile endpoint device as being at a particular location within the indoor environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for locating a mobile endpoint device in an indoor environment, the method comprising:
generating, by a processor, a location map of the indoor environment having a predicted signal strength for a respective location on the location map, wherein the generating the location map comprises applying a ray-tracing based model, wherein the ray-tracing based model is based upon location features of the indoor environment, wherein the location features comprise a location of a piece of furniture in the indoor environment;
receiving, by the processor, a signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device within the indoor environment;
comparing, by the processor, the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device to the location map having the predicted signal strength for the respective location on the location map; and
locating, by the processor, the mobile endpoint device as being at a particular location within the indoor environment based on the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating the location map having the predicted signal strength further comprises:
obtaining, by the processor, a plurality of locations of a plurality of access points deployed in the indoor environment; and
obtaining, by the processor, details of a plurality of transmitters of the plurality of access points, wherein the applying the ray-tracing based model comprises applying the ray-tracing based model to the plurality of access points based upon the location features of the indoor environment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device comprises a relative signal strength indicator measurement.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device is received from the mobile endpoint device and comprises a measured signal strength received from at least one access point.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the measured signal strength is received from each one of the at least one access point that comprises a plurality of access points.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device is received from at least one access point and comprises a measured signal strength of a signal received from the mobile endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device is received from the at least one access point that comprises a plurality of access points.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating, by the processor, the location map.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the updating comprises:
receiving, by the processor, an external data point related to an actual location of the mobile endpoint device; and
calculating, by the processor, an error based upon the particular location of the mobile endpoint device as compared to the actual location of the mobile endpoint device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
updating, by the processor, the location map by propagating the error to the respective location on the location map.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying, by the processor, a location feature of the indoor environment that has changed based upon a plurality of errors within a second location of the location map; and
updating, by the processor, the location map and the predicted signal strength for the respective location within the location map based upon the location feature of the indoor environment that has changed.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for locating a mobile endpoint device in an indoor environment, the operations comprising:
generating a location map having a predicted signal strength for a respective location on the location map, wherein the generating the location map comprises applying a ray-tracing based model, wherein the ray-tracing based model is based upon location features of the indoor environment, wherein the location features comprise a location of a piece of furniture in the indoor environment;
receiving a signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device within the indoor environment;
comparing the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device to the location map having the predicted signal strength for the respective location on the location map; and
locating the mobile endpoint device as being at a particular location within the indoor environment based on the comparing.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , wherein the generating the location map having the predicted signal strength comprises:
obtaining a plurality of locations of a plurality of access points deployed in the indoor environment; and
obtaining details of a plurality of transmitters of the plurality of access points, wherein the applying the ray-tracing based model comprises applying the ray-tracing based model to the plurality of access points based upon the location features of the indoor environment.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device is received from the mobile endpoint device and comprises a measured signal strength received from at least one access point.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , wherein the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device is received from at least one access point and comprises a measured signal strength of a signal received from the mobile endpoint device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , further comprising:
updating the location map.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16 , wherein the updating comprises:
receiving an external data point related to an actual location of the mobile endpoint device; and
calculating an error based upon the particular location of the mobile endpoint device as compared to the actual location of the mobile endpoint device.

18. An apparatus for locating a mobile endpoint device in an indoor environment, comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable storage device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
generating a location map having a predicted signal strength for a respective location on the location map, wherein the generating the location map comprises applying a ray-tracing based model, wherein the ray-tracing based model is based upon location features of the indoor environment, wherein the location features comprise a location of a piece of furniture in the indoor environment;
receiving a signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device within the indoor environment;
comparing the signal strength associated with the mobile endpoint device to the location map having the predicted signal strength for the respective location on the location map; and
locating the mobile endpoint device as being at a particular location within the indoor environment based on the comparing.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the generating the location map having the predicted signal strength comprises:
obtaining a plurality of locations of a plurality of access points deployed in the indoor environment; and
obtaining details of a plurality of tra

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Aggarwal Vaneet
• Jana Rittwik
• Puthenpura Sarat
• Shankaranarayanan Nemmara K

Classifications

• H04W4/30

  Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes · CPC title

• H04W64/00 Primary

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W4/33

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

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W64/006

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