Techniques for determining a position fix of an object using one or more mobile devices co-located with the object
阅读说明:本技术 用于使用与对象处于相同位置的一或多个移动装置确定对象的位置固定的技术 (Techniques for determining a position fix of an object using one or more mobile devices co-located with the object ) 是由 高伟华 赛·普拉迪普·文卡特拉曼 本杰明·A·沃纳 于 2015-10-26 设计创作,主要内容包括:本申请涉及用于使用与对象处于相同位置的一或多个移动装置确定对象的位置固定的技术。本申请公开用于组合在附接到人类用户(200)的两个不同移动装置(104-1t1、104-1t2、104-1t3)处获得的观察结果以用于执行导航操作的装置、系统及方法。举例来说,可至少部分地基于与在第一移动装置处获取的信号的观察结果相关联的实用性指示符选择所述观察结果以用于计算位置固定。(The present application relates to techniques for determining a position fix of an object using one or more mobile devices co-located with the object. Devices, systems, and methods for combining observations obtained at two different mobile devices (104-1t1, 104-1t2, 104-1t3) attached to a human user (200) for performing navigation operations. For example, observations of signals acquired at a first mobile device may be selected for computing a position fix based at least in part on a utility indicator associated with the observations.)
1. A method comprising, at a first mobile device, comprising:
identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being in a same location as a human body;
identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device and a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and
in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning, the determination that only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning is based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition:
obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device, the only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device classified as usable for wireless signal-based positioning, the one or more positioning measurements usable to determine a positional fix of the human body and comprising one or more measurements indicative of at least one or more distances/ranges, one or more identifiable spaces or one or more movements, or a combination thereof;
determining a position fix of the human body based, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurements; and
in response to the determination to classify the first mobile device as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, transmitting a signal to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a lower usage power state to a higher power usage state,
wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based at least in part on a sensed proximity corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising identifying said first operating condition and said second operating condition based, at least in part, on an observed signaling condition corresponding to said first mobile device or said second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
3. The method of claim 1, and wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is further based, at least in part, on a sensed motion corresponding to at least the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is further based, at least in part, on a sensed light condition or a sensed sound condition, or a combination thereof, corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is further based, at least in part, on a current operating mode corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is further based, at least in part, on one or more user inputs corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more positioning measurements is based, at least in part, on at least one wireless signal previously received by said one of said first mobile device and said second mobile device.
8. The method as recited in claim 1, and wherein obtaining said one or more positioning measurements further comprises initiating, by said one of said first mobile device and said second mobile device, a search for at least one of said one or more wireless signals.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the presence of the second mobile device further comprises: exchange one or more signals over a wireless communication link, receive one or more user inputs, or receive a signal indicating the presence from another device, or some combination thereof.
10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising: in response to determining that the second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition, or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, transmitting a signal to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a higher usage power state to a lower usage power state.
11. The method of claim 1, and further comprising: transmitting one or more signals indicative of updated data for wireless signal based positioning to the second mobile device after determining, based at least in part on the first operating condition, the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, that the second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal based positioning.
12. The method of claim 1, and further comprising: after determining, based at least in part on the first operating condition or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, that the first mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning, receiving one or more signals from the second mobile device indicating updated data for wireless signal-based positioning.
13. The method of claim 1, and further comprising: in response to determining that both the first mobile device and the second mobile device are classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition and the second operating condition:
obtaining one or more first positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the first mobile device, and obtaining one or more second positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the second mobile device; and
determining the position fix of the human body based, at least in part, on at least one positioning measurement selected from the one or more first positioning measurements or the one or more second positioning measurements.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device comprises a wearable computing device.
15. A first mobile device, comprising:
a communication interface; and
a processing unit configured to:
identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being in a same location as a human body;
identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device;
identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device;
in response to determining that only the second mobile device of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning, obtaining one or more positioning measurements via the communication interface, the one or more positioning measurements based at least in part on one or more wireless signals received by the second mobile device, the determination that only the second mobile device of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning is based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition, the one or more positioning measurements may be used to determine a position fix of the human body and comprise one or more measurements indicative of at least one or more distances/ranges, one or more identifiable spaces, or one or more movements, or a combination thereof;
determining a position fix of the object based, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurements; and
in response to the determination to classify the first mobile device as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, initiate transmission of a signal to the second mobile device via the communication interface indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a lower usage state to a higher power usage state,
wherein the first operating condition and the second operating condition are identified based at least in part on a sensed proximity corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
16. The first mobile device of claim 15, and wherein said processing unit is further configured to identify said first operating condition and said second operating condition further based, at least in part, on a sensed motion corresponding to at least said first mobile device or said second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
17. The first mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to identify the first operating condition and the second operating condition further based, at least in part, on a sensed light condition or a sensed sound condition, or a combination thereof, corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device.
18. The first mobile device as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of said one or more positioning measurements is based, at least in part, on at least one wireless signal previously received by said second mobile device.
19. The first mobile device as recited in claim 15, wherein said processing unit is further configured to initiate a search by said second mobile device for at least one of said one or more wireless signals to obtain said one or more positioning measurements.
20. The first mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to exchange one or more signals over a wireless communication link, receive one or more user inputs, or receive a signal indicative of the presence from another device, or some combination thereof, to identify the presence of the second mobile device.
21. The first mobile device of claim 15, wherein said processing unit is further configured to, in response to said determination that said second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based, at least in part, on said first operating condition or said second operating condition, or a combination thereof, initiate transmission of a signal to said second mobile device via said communication interface indicating consent for said second mobile device to change from a higher usage power state to a lower usage power state.
22. The first mobile device as recited in claim 15, wherein said processing unit is further configured to initiate transmission of one or more signals indicative of updated data for wireless signal-based positioning to said second mobile device via said communication interface after determining, based, at least in part, on said first operating condition or said second operating condition, or a combination thereof, that said second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning.
23. The first mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to: in response to determining that both the first mobile device and the second mobile device are classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition and the second operating condition:
obtaining one or more first positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the first mobile device, and obtaining one or more second positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the second mobile device; and
determining the position fix of the human body based, at least in part, on at least one positioning measurement selected from the one or more first positioning measurements or the one or more second positioning measurements.
24. An apparatus for use in a first mobile device, the apparatus comprising:
means for identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-located with a human body;
means for identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device;
means for identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device;
means for obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning, the determination that only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition, the one or more positioning measurements being available for determining a position fix of the human body and comprising one or more measurements indicative of at least one or more distances/ranges, one or more identifiable spaces or one or more movements, or a combination thereof;
means for determining a position fix of the object based, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurements; and
means for transmitting, to the second mobile device, a signal indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a lower power usage state to a higher power usage state in response to the determination to classify the first mobile device as unavailable for wireless signal based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof,
wherein identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based at least in part on a sensed proximity corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
25. A non-transitory storage medium comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-implementable instructions stored therein, the computer-implementable instructions being executable by a processing unit of a first mobile device to:
identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being in a same location as a human body;
identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device;
identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and
in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning, the determination that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning is based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition, obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by only one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device, the one or more positioning measurements usable to determine a position fix of the human body and comprising one or more measurements indicative of at least one or more distances/ranges, one or more identifiable spaces, or one or more movements, or a combination thereof;
determining a position fix of the human body based, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurements; and
in response to the determination to classify the first mobile device as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition or the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, initiate transmission of a signal to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a lower power usage state to a higher power usage state,
wherein the first operating condition and the second operating condition are identified based at least in part on a sensed proximity corresponding to the first mobile device or the second mobile device, or a combination thereof.
26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more measurements of received signal strength of said one or more received wireless signals or one or more measurements of time of arrival of said one or more received wireless signals, or a combination thereof.
27. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more measurements of received signal strength of said one or more received wireless signals or one or more measurements of time of arrival of said one or more received wireless signals, or a combination thereof.
28. The first mobile device of claim 15, wherein said one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more measurements of received signal strength of said one or more received wireless signals or one or more measurements of time of arrival of said one or more received wireless signals, or a combination thereof.
Technical Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electronic devices, and more particularly, to methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for use by and/or in a first mobile device to determine a position fix for an object co-located with the first mobile device and at least one other mobile device.
Background
As its name implies, a mobile device may be moved around, such as typically carried by or otherwise co-located with an object, such as a person, animal, machine, etc. By way of some non-limiting examples, the mobile device may take the form of a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computer, a navigation and/or tracking device, and the like.
Certain mobile devices may be enabled to provide, support, and/or otherwise utilize certain wireless signal-based positioning technologies/services, such as applying various Satellite Positioning System (SPS) technologies, various cellular technologies, various wireless indoor positioning technologies, and/or the like, or some combination thereof. In certain instances, a mobile device may be provided with positioning assistance data that may enable the mobile device to estimate its position (e.g., relative to a map, etc.) using one or more positioning techniques. As such, a mobile device, which may be co-located with an object, may be able to indicate, at least in part, a reasonable location and/or other similar information regarding the movement or positioning of the object. However, in some cases, certain wireless signals used for positioning may become unavailable to the mobile device (e.g., due to attenuation, scattering, absorption, reflection, interference, etc.).
Disclosure of Invention
Briefly, a particular implementation relates to a method comprising, at a first mobile device: detecting a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being located on different locations of a human body; acquiring, by the first mobile device, a first signal from a first fixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations of the first signal; acquiring, by the first mobile device, a second signal from a second fixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations of the second signal; receiving one or more messages from the second mobile device, the messages comprising one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted from the first fixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; and one or more second observations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter, wherein the one or more second observations of the second signal transmitted by the second fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; selecting at least one of the one or more first observations of the first signal for use in calculating a position fix of the human body based at least in part on a first indicator relative to a second indicator, the first indicator indicating utility of the one or more first observations of the first signal, the second indicator indicating utility of the one or more second observations of the first signal; selecting at least one of the one or more second observations of the second signal for use in calculating the position fix of the human body based at least in part on a third indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more first observations of the second signal, relative to a fourth indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more second observations of the second signal.
Another particular implementation relates to a first mobile device, comprising: transceiver means for transmitting and receiving messages to and from a wireless communication network; and one or more processors to: detecting a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being located on different locations of a human body; obtaining one or more observations of a first signal transmitted by a first fixed transmitter device and acquired at the transceiver device; obtaining one or more observations of a second signal transmitted from a second fixed transmitter device and acquired at the transceiver device; obtaining, from one or more messages received at the transceiver device from the second mobile device: one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted from the first fixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; and one or more second observations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter, wherein the one or more second observations of the second signal transmitted by the second fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; selecting at least one of the one or more first observations of the first signal for use in calculating a position fix of the human body based at least in part on a first indicator relative to a second indicator, the first indicator indicating utility of the one or more first observations of the first signal, the second indicator indicating utility of the one or more second observations of the first signal; selecting at least one of the one or more second observations of the second signal for use in calculating the position fix of the human body based at least in part on a third indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more first observations of the second signal, relative to a fourth indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more second observations of the second signal.
Another particular implementation relates to a non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by one or more processors of a first mobile device to: detecting a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being located on different locations of a human body; obtaining one or more observations of a first signal transmitted by a first fixed transmitter device and acquired at the first mobile device; obtaining one or more observations of a second signal transmitted from a second fixed transmitter device and acquired at the first mobile device; obtaining, from one or more messages received at the first mobile device from the second mobile device: one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted from the first fixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; and one or more second observations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter, wherein the one or more second observations of the second signal transmitted by the second fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; selecting at least one of the one or more first observations of the first signal for use in calculating a position fix of the human body based at least in part on a first indicator relative to a second indicator, the first indicator indicating utility of the one or more first observations of the first signal, the second indicator indicating utility of the one or more second observations of the first signal; selecting at least one of the one or more second observations of the second signal for use in calculating the position fix of the human body based at least in part on a third indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more first observations of the second signal, relative to a fourth indicator, which indicates utility of the one or more second observations of the second signal.
Another particular implementation relates to a first mobile device, comprising: means for detecting a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being located on different locations of a human body; means for obtaining, by the first mobile device, a first signal from a first fixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations of the first signal; means for obtaining, by the first mobile device, a second signal from a second fixed transmitter device to obtain one or more first observations of the second signal; means for receiving one or more messages from the second mobile device, the messages comprising: one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted from the first fixed transmitter device, wherein the one or more second observations of the first signal transmitted by the first fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; and one or more second observations of the second signal from the second fixed transmitter, wherein the one or more second observations of the second signal transmitted by the second fixed transmitter device were obtained by the second mobile device; means for selecting at least one of the one or more first observations of the first signal for use in calculating a position fix of the human body based at least in part on a first indicator relative to a second indicator, the first indicator indicating utility of the one or more first observations of the first signal, the second indicator indicating utility of the one or more second observations of the first signal; and means for selecting at least one of the one or more second observations of the second signal for use in calculating the position fix of the human body based, at least in part, on a third indicator relative to a fourth indicator, the third indicator indicating a utility of the one or more first observations of the second signal, the fourth indicator indicating a utility of the one or more second observations of the second signal.
Another particular implementation relates to a method comprising, at a first mobile device: identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-located with an object; identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device and a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition: obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and determining a position fix of the object based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements. In one alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on an observed signaling condition corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on a sensed motion corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on a sensed proximity corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on a sensed light condition, a sensed sound condition, or a combination thereof corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on a current operating mode corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, identifying the first operating condition and the second operating condition is based, at least in part, on one or more user inputs corresponding to at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device. In another alternative example, at least one of the one or more positioning measurements is based, at least in part, on at least one wireless signal previously received by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device. In another alternative example, obtaining the one or more positioning measurements further comprises initiating, by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device, a search for at least one of the one or more wireless signals. In another alternative example, identifying the presence of a second mobile device further comprises: exchange one or more signals via a wireless communication link, receive one or more user inputs, receive a signal indicating the presence from another device, or some combination thereof. In another alternative example, the method may further comprise, at the first mobile device: in response to determining that the second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition, the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, transmitting a signal to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a higher usage power state to a lower usage power state. In another alternative example, the method may further comprise, at the first mobile device: in response to determining that the first mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition, the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, transmitting a signal to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to change from a lower usage power state to a higher usage power state. In another alternative example, the method may further comprise, at the first mobile device: transmitting one or more signals indicative of updated data for wireless signal based positioning to the second mobile device after determining, based at least in part on the first operating condition, the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, that the second mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal based positioning. In another alternative example, the method may further comprise, at the first mobile device: after determining, based at least in part on the first operating condition, the second operating condition, or a combination thereof, that the first mobile device is classified as unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning, receiving one or more signals from the second mobile device indicating updated data for wireless signal-based positioning. In another alternative example, the method may further comprise, at the first mobile device, in response to determining that both the first mobile device and the second mobile device are classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based at least in part on the first operating condition and the second operating condition: obtaining one or more first positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the first mobile device, and one or more second positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the second mobile device; and determining the position fix of the object based, at least in part, on at least one positioning measurement selected from the one or more first positioning measurements or the one or more second positioning measurements. In another alternative example, the object comprises a person and at least one of the first mobile device or the second mobile device comprises a wearable computing device.
Another particular embodiment relates to an apparatus for use in a first mobile device, the apparatus comprising: means for identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-located with an object; means for identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device; means for identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and means for obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition; and means for determining a position fix of the object based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.
Another particular implementation relates to a first mobile device, comprising: a communication interface; and a processing unit to: identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-located with an object; identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device; identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and in response to determining, based at least in part on the first operating condition and the second operating condition, that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning, obtaining, via the communication interface, one or more positioning measurements based at least in part on one or more wireless signals received by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and determining a position fix of the object based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.
Another particular implementation relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-implementable instructions stored therein that are executable by a processing unit of a first mobile device to: identifying a presence of a second mobile device, the first mobile device and the second mobile device being co-located with an object; identifying a first operating condition of the first mobile device; identifying a second operating condition of the second mobile device; and in response to determining that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device is classified as available for wireless signal-based positioning based, at least in part, on the first operating condition and the second operating condition: obtaining one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and determining a position fix of the object based, at least in part, on the one or more positioning measurements. It should be understood that the foregoing implementations are merely example implementations, and claimed subject matter is not necessarily limited to any particular aspect of these example implementations.
Drawings
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive aspects are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.
Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example arrangement of a representative electronic device including an example first mobile device that may determine a position fix for an object co-located with the first mobile device and at least one other mobile device, according to some example implementations.
Fig. 2 is an illustrative diagram depicting an example arrangement of a representative electronic device including a number of example mobile devices, which may be in the same location relative to an object, including a person, in accordance with certain example implementations.
Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus that may be implemented in a first mobile device (e.g., as in fig. 1) to determine a position fix for an object co-located with the first mobile device and at least one other mobile device, according to an illustration of certain example implementations.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating certain features of an example computing platform that may be deployed, in whole or in part, within a mobile device (e.g., as in fig. 1), according to certain example implementations.
Fig. 5A and 5B are flow diagrams illustrating some example processes that may be implemented in a first mobile device (e.g., as in fig. 1) to determine a position fix for an object co-located with the first mobile device and at least one other mobile device, according to some example implementations.
Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a process of selecting an observation result from among a plurality of apparatuses for performing operations according to an embodiment.
Detailed Description
Various example techniques are provided herein that may be implemented at a mobile device to determine a position fix for an object co-located with a first mobile device and at least one other mobile device.
As may be appreciated, in certain instances, a person holding or carrying a first mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) may also wear or carry a second mobile device (e.g., a wearable computing device and/or the like), which may be attachable so as to be in the same location as a particular part of the person. For example, in addition to carrying a smartphone in its pocket, purse, or the like, a person may wear a smart watch on their wrist. In a particular implementation, a wireless communication link (e.g., a bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC) link, and/or the like) may be established between a first mobile device (e.g., a handheld communication/computing device) and one or more other mobile devices (e.g., a second mobile device, which may be in the form of a wearable computing device). In some cases, such communication capabilities may be used to exchange (e.g., transmit and/or receive) various signals (e.g., representing data, measurements, instructions, messages, etc.). In some cases, one or more exchange signals may be used to discover, verify, and/or otherwise identify the presence, capabilities, and/or other similar information about one or more mobile devices that may be co-located with an object in some manner. In another example, certain exchange signals may support techniques for coordinating the collection, processing, storage, and/or the like of information that may be used for positioning and navigation capabilities (e.g., related to objects). Here, it may sometimes be useful, for example, to share wireless signal-based positioning-related measurements and/or other similar data and/or instructions between mobile devices, e.g., to possibly support various coordination, and/or other similar processing schemes in some manner related to an object.
While various example types of mobile devices are illustrated herein by way of example, it should be appreciated that the various example techniques provided herein may be applied to a wide variety of mobile devices that may be co-located with an object. Furthermore, claimed subject matter is not intended to be necessarily limited by any of these examples.
According to certain example implementations, a first mobile device may identify the presence of one or more other mobile devices (e.g., a second mobile device, etc.). Several examples are provided herein in greater detail that illustrate various techniques by which a mobile device may identify the presence of one or more other devices. For example, a first mobile device may identify the presence of another mobile device (e.g., a second mobile device) based, at least in part, on one or more signals (e.g., one or more signals may be exchanged with the second mobile device via a wireless communication link as previously mentioned), receiving one or more user inputs, receiving one or more signals indicative of such presence from one or more other devices (e.g., a server, etc.), and/or other similar techniques or some combination thereof.
With this in mind, a first mobile device may identify the presence of another mobile device (e.g., a second mobile device), for example, based at least in part on a decision that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are co-located with an object. By way of an initial example, in some cases where the object may comprise a person, the first mobile device may comprise a smartphone or the like, and the second mobile device may comprise a smartwatch or the like, each of which may each be carried by the person in some manner. For example, a smartphone or the like may sometimes be held in a person's hand, while at other times may be placed in a holder, pocket, purse, bag, backpack, or the like. For example, a smart watch or the like may sometimes be secured around a person's wrist, arm, ankle, etc., or may be worn on their head (e.g., perhaps in some form of headband, hat, glasses, headset, etc.), or may be provided as part of some particular piece of clothing, jewelry, etc., that may sometimes be worn by the person. Of course, such a smart watch or the like may sometimes be placed in a stand, pocket, purse, bag, backpack, or the like. In other example implementations, an object may comprise an animal or machine that may "carry" two or more mobile devices in the same location as the object.
In certain example implementations, the first mobile device may further identify operating conditions of one or more of the mobile devices co-located with the object. For example, a first operating condition may be identified for a first mobile device and a second operating condition may be identified for a second mobile device. The operating condition of the mobile device may, for example, indicate, at least in part, whether the mobile device may be classified as "available" (or conversely/alternatively as "unavailable") for wireless signal-based positioning. For brevity, the terms "may be available" and "may not be available" are used herein to represent two example classifications with respect to a mobile device.
By way of example, in certain instances, operating conditions of a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on signaling conditions observed by the mobile device. Here, for example, observed changes in signal strength, phase, travel time, and/or other measurements of one or more wireless signals may indicate that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. Thus, for example, if a signal strength measurement decreases, as may occur due to signal attenuation/interference (e.g., when a mobile device is moved from a person's hand to inside a backpack, etc.), such a mobile device may be deemed unlikely, and even potentially unavailable, for wireless signal-based positioning in some cases. In the opposite example, if the signal strength measurement increases, as may occur due to reduced signal attenuation/interference (e.g., when the mobile device moves into its hand from inside a person's backpack or the like), such a mobile device may be considered more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning in some cases.
By way of example, in certain instances, an operating condition of a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on motion (e.g., inertia) sensed by the mobile device. Here, for example, the one or more sensed motions may indicate that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. For example, if sensed motion of a smartphone or the like (e.g., based on one or more electrical signals from an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc.) indicates that the smartphone is moving according to some object movement model, it may be inferred that the smartphone may be positioned at or near a particular part of an object (e.g., here a person). For example, a walking model may correspond to a person walking. Thus, if a person carries a smartphone in his clothing pocket, in a backpack, etc. while walking, the smartphone may sense the motion corresponding to this motion model. In some cases, a mobile device carried within a pocket, backpack, or the like may be deemed unlikely to be usable for wireless signal-based positioning, and may even be unusable for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., due to a relatively high level of signal attenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some cases, motion sensed by a mobile device carried in the open air (e.g., in a person's hand, attached to a wrist or arm, etc.) may be considered more likely to be useful for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., due to relatively low signal attenuation/interference, etc.).
By way of example, in certain instances, an operating condition of a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on a sensed proximity of the mobile device to a certain surface/substance, e.g., as may be indicated by one or more proximity sensors of the mobile device. The presence or absence of the sensed proximity may, for example, indicate, at least in part, that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. For example, if the sensed proximity of a smartphone or the like indicates that the smartphone may be adjacent to or near some form of surface/substance (e.g., as may be the case when the smartphone is carried in a pocket, backpack, etc.), the smartphone may be deemed unlikely to be usable for wireless signal-based positioning, and may even be unusable for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., again due to relatively high levels of signal attenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some cases, a smartphone may be considered more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning if there is no sensed proximity (e.g., at least a portion of the smartphone may be in an open environment, perhaps carried in a person's hand).
In another example, in certain instances, operating conditions of a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on light conditions sensed by one or more sensors, cameras, and/or the like of the mobile device. The presence, absence, or some other corresponding measure of sensed light conditions may, for example, indicate, at least in part, that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. For example, certain sensed light conditions may indicate that the smartphone may be in a pocket, backpack, or the like, and thus the smartphone may be deemed unlikely to be, and may even not be, usable for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., again due to relatively higher levels of signal attenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some cases, certain other sensed light conditions may indicate that at least a portion of the smartphone may be in an open environment (e.g., perhaps carried in a person's hand), and thus the smartphone may be deemed more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning.
In some cases, the operating condition of the mobile device may be based, for example, at least in part on a sound condition sensed by one or more sensors, microphones, and/or the like of the mobile device. The presence, absence, or some other corresponding measure of the sensed sound condition may, for example, indicate, at least in part, that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. For example, certain sensed sound conditions may indicate that the smartphone may be in a pocket, backpack, or the like, and thus the smartphone may be deemed less likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning, and may even be unavailable for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., again due to relatively high levels of signal attenuation/interference, etc.). Conversely, in some cases, certain other sensed sound conditions may indicate that at least a portion of the smartphone may be in an open environment (e.g., perhaps carried in a person's hand), and thus the smartphone may be deemed more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning.
In still other example implementations, operating conditions of a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on one or more operating modes of the mobile device and/or the like. For example, a current operating mode of the mobile device corresponding to certain functions/capabilities may indicate, at least in part, that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. Thus, for example, if a current mode of operation might utilize a user input device and/or a user output device (e.g., a display, a touchscreen, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, a projector, etc.) of a smartphone or the like, and/or some other input/output device (e.g., a wired interface, a wireless interface, etc.), such mode(s) of operation might indicate that the smartphone might not be in a pocket, backpack, etc., but in a person's hand or in some other manner in a location for use rather than storage; and thus, such a smartphone may be considered more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning. Conversely, in some cases, certain other operating modes may indicate that such a smartphone may not be in an open environment or some location for use, but rather is in a storage state (e.g., may be carried in a purse, etc.), and thus the smartphone may be deemed less likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., due to a relatively higher level of signal attenuation/interference, etc.).
In some cases, the operating condition of the mobile device may be based, at least in part, on one or more user inputs received by the mobile device. For example, the presence or absence of user input may indicate, at least in part, that the mobile device may be more or less likely to be "available" for wireless signal-based positioning. For example, receiving user input (e.g., via a keypad, button, switch, touch screen, microphone, camera, etc.) and/or via some other input/output device of a smartphone or the like (e.g., bluetooth or other similar wireless interface, etc.) may indicate that the smartphone may not be in a pocket, backpack, etc., but rather in a person's hand or in some other manner in a location for use rather than storage; and thus, such a smartphone may be considered more likely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning. Alternatively, in some cases, the lack of user input may indicate that such a smartphone may not be in an open environment or some location for use, but rather in a storage state (e.g., perhaps carried in a cradle, etc.), and thus the smartphone may be deemed unlikely to be available for wireless signal-based positioning (e.g., due to a relatively high level of signal attenuation/interference, etc.).
The examples provided herein, and particularly the examples described above, are intended to represent only a few examples of identifiable operating conditions. Further, it should be understood that different mobile devices may have different operating conditions. Also, it should be understood that in some cases, operating conditions may be independently identified by the corresponding mobile device and possibly shared with other devices. For example, the second mobile device may identify one or more operating conditions and transmit this information to the first mobile device and/or possibly some other device (e.g., a server, etc.). In certain other example implementations, operating conditions of a particular mobile device may be identified by another device, e.g., based at least in part on applicable information about and/or from the particular mobile device. For example, a first mobile device may (independently or with support) identify one or more operating conditions of a second mobile device (e.g., based on applicable information about and/or from the second mobile device). In another example, a server or other similar computing device may (independently or with support) identify one or more operating conditions of the second mobile device (e.g., based on applicable information about and/or from the second mobile device) and transmit one or more signals indicative of such operating condition(s) to the first mobile device.
With this in mind, in certain example implementations, a first mobile device may determine whether a particular mobile device is likely to be available for wireless signal based positioning, e.g., based at least in part on one or more identified operating conditions.
By way of example, given the presence of two mobile devices (first and second) identified as present and co-located with an object, the first mobile device may sometimes determine that only one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device may be available for wireless signal-based positioning. In such cases, for example, the first mobile device may obtain one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the (potentially available) mobile device, and attempt to determine a position fix for the object based, at least in part, on such positioning measurements.
In another example, also assuming the presence of two mobile devices (first and second) identified as present and co-located with the object, the first mobile device may sometimes determine that both the first mobile device and the second mobile device may be available for wireless signal-based positioning. In such cases, for example, a first mobile device may obtain one or more first positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the first mobile device, and one or more second positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by a second mobile device, and may attempt to determine a position fix for an object based, at least in part, on at least one positioning measurement selected from the first positioning measurements and/or the second positioning measurements.
Likewise, it should be understood that such techniques may be extended to three or more mobile devices. For example, given the presence of at least three mobile devices (first, second, third) identified as present and co-located with an object, a first mobile device may sometimes determine that only a subset of the three mobile devices may be available for wireless signal-based positioning. In such a case, for example, the first mobile device may obtain one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by the (potentially available) mobile devices of the subset, and attempt to determine a position fix for the object based, at least in part, on such positioning measurements.
In certain instances, one or more positioning measurements for a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on at least one wireless signal received by the mobile device after determining that the mobile device may be available for wireless signal-based positioning. In some cases, one or more positioning measurements for a mobile device may be based, at least in part, on at least one wireless signal received by the mobile device prior to determining that the mobile device is likely available for wireless signal-based positioning.
In certain example implementations, a first mobile device may attempt to obtain one or more positioning measurements by initiating a search for one or more wireless signals by one of the possibly available mobile devices. Thus, for example, the first movement may transmit a signal to the mobile device that indicates that such a search is desired. For example, it may be useful for a mobile device that may be exposed in the environment to search for (e.g., attempt to acquire) one or more SPS signals and/or the like.
In certain example implementations, if it is determined that a particular mobile device (e.g., a second mobile device) may not be available for wireless signal-based positioning, the first mobile device may transmit one or more signals (e.g., one or more messages) to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to consider changing (e.g., transitioning) from a higher usage power state to a lower usage power state, e.g., to conserve power.
In certain instances, if it is determined that the first mobile device may not be available for wireless signal-based positioning, the first mobile device may transmit one or more signals to the second mobile device indicating consent for the second mobile device to consider changing (transitioning) from a lower usage power state to a higher usage power state, e.g., to provide/support wireless signal-based positioning at the second mobile device, for example.
In certain instances, upon determining that the second mobile device may not be available for wireless signal-based positioning, the first mobile device may, for example, transmit one or more signals indicative of updated data for wireless signal-based positioning to the second mobile device, e.g., to implant the second mobile device with useful information for later use, improve and/or accelerate the time required for the second mobile device to determine a position fix, etc.
In certain instances, upon determining that the first mobile device may not be available for wireless signal-based positioning, the first mobile device may receive one or more signals indicative of updated data for wireless signal-based positioning, e.g., from the second mobile device, to, e.g., implant the first mobile device with useful information for later use, improve and/or accelerate the time required for the first mobile device to determine a position fix, etc.
Attention is next drawn to fig. 1, which is a schematic diagram illustrating an
Although many of the examples presented herein are based on technologies applied using the first mobile device 104-1 and the second mobile device 104-2, it is not intended that the technologies or claimed subject matter must be limited to only two mobile devices. Thus, as illustrated in fig. 1, the techniques and claimed subject matter may be applicable to multiple mobile devices (e.g., further represented by nth mobile device 104-N) that may be individually identified as initially being in the same location as a particular part of object 102 (represented by nth part 106-N). Although not shown, it should be understood that the nth mobile device 104-N may be capable of uni-directional or bi-directional wireless communication with one or more other mobile devices, such as mobile device 104-1.
As further illustrated and represented by
As further illustrated in fig. 1, in certain example implementations, one or more
In another example, one or more
Attention is next drawn to fig. 2, which is an illustrative diagram showing a person 200 (e.g., one example type of object) relative to some example mobile devices. In this example, it is assumed that the person is ambulatory and is moving on foot from time to time (e.g., walking, running, standing, and/or the like or some combination thereof). As shown, in some instances and/or at some times (e.g., time t1),
As further illustrated in the simple diagram of fig. 2, it should be understood that the potential availability of the first mobile device for wireless signal-based positioning at time t1 or t2 may be reduced, for example, due to being carried in a pocket or cradle that may degrade signal reception in some manner in certain situations. However, the potential availability of the first mobile device for wireless signal-based positioning at time t3 (e.g., held in the hand) may increase, for example, due to exposure to environments that may improve signal reception in certain situations.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example second mobile device 104-2 in the form of a wearable computing device (here, e.g., a wrist band, wristwatch, etc.) that may be identified as being initially near the same location of the wrist of the person's right arm as represented by
FIG. 2 also illustrates an example Nth mobile device 104-N in the form of a wearable computing device (here, such as a headband, hat, headset, headphones, glasses, etc.) that may be identified as being initially near the same location on a person's head or face as represented by
Attention is next drawn to fig. 3, which is a schematic diagram of an
As shown, at
At
By way of example, some possible types of information are represented by possible inputs illustrated in FIG. 3 as to block 308. For example, in certain instances, an operating condition is identified at
In some example embodiments, the
As illustrated by the double-headed arrows in fig. 3, in some implementations, example blocks 308 and 310 may be operably coupled (or possibly combined) in some manner that is conducive to their respective procedures. For example, in some cases, block 308 may identify one or more mobile devices (e.g., co-located) to be considered at
At
It should be noted that as used herein, a mobile device determined to be "potentially available" or "potentially unavailable" (e.g., at block 326) may or may not actually be available for wireless signal-based positioning, or may not otherwise be able to provide/support wireless signal-based positioning in some manner. In other words, in this example, the determination at
While the examples presented herein illustrate determinations that a given mobile device may be determined to classify it as "potentially available" or "potentially unavailable," it should be understood that there may be a plurality of identifiable classification items. For example, additional (possibly a subset) or different (possibly new) classifications may be generated by certain determinations at
Thus, the terms "may be available" or "may not be available" are merely intended to indicate two resulting classifications based on a decision process (e.g., at block 326) that is capable of having two or more resulting classifications. Thus, in some cases, it may be beneficial to consider this decision process as leading to a "first classification" (e.g., "may be available," etc.) and a "second classification" (e.g., "may not be available," etc.), and in some cases, it may be beneficial to consider as leading to a "third classification", "fourth classification" … … "kth classification".
As previously mentioned, the operating conditions may be based on a variety of factors (e.g., see example information that may be considered at block 310) that may indicate in some manner whether the mobile device is more or less likely to be used to provide/support certain wireless signal-based positioning.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a variety of decision techniques may be applied at example blocks 310, 312, and/or 326. For example, in certain instances, one or more of the decisions at
At
In certain example implementations, the positioning measurements may be indicative, at least in part, of any information in the form of data that may be used, at least in part, at
In certain instances, the one or more positioning measurements may be further based, at least in part, on detected motion from one or more inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, pedometers, etc.), one or more environmental sensors (e.g., magnetometers, compasses, barometers, light sensors, sound/audio sensors, proximity sensors, thermometers, strain gauges, etc.) on the reporting mobile device, and/or the like.
At
At
In some cases, a positional fix may indicate, at least in part, a motion or movement of an object, e.g., determined with respect to a coordinate system, an electronic map, another object, a point in space, a structure, and/or the like, or some combination thereof.
It should be noted that the dashed boxes appearing in the figures, such as example reference items 106-n (fig. 1), 104-n (fig. 2), 330 (fig. 3), 418 (fig. 4), and 510 (fig. 5B), are intended to illustrate additional/alternative devices, information/data, instructions/processes, and/or the like that may be provided/applied in certain example implementations. However, it should also be understood that example reference items illustrated in solid line blocks in the figures may be considered additional/alternative devices, information/data, instructions/processes, and/or the like that may be provided/applied in certain example implementations. Thus, claimed subject matter is not intended to be necessarily so limited.
At
In certain example implementations, such various forms of information may include various types of positioning assistance data (e.g., electronic maps, signal heatmaps, routing information, SPS almanac information, etc.) that may be used in
At
In another example, a higher usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include maintaining power to operate one or more sensors, and conversely, a lower usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include reducing/removing power to one or more such sensors or some portion thereof.
In yet another example, a higher usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include maintaining power to operate one or more user input and/or output units, and conversely, a lower usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include reducing/removing power to one or more such input and/or output units, or some portion thereof.
In yet another example, a higher usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include maintaining power to operate one or more communication interfaces, and conversely, a lower usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include reducing/removing power to one or more such communication interfaces or some portion thereof.
In some examples, the higher usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include operating all or some of the one or more processing units in accordance with a first instruction/code, and conversely, the lower usage power state and/or other similar operating mode may include operating all or some portion of the one or more processing units in accordance with a (different) second instruction/code.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating certain features of an example special
As illustrated, the special
Memory 404 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 404 may include, for example, primary memory 404-1 and/or secondary memory 404-2. Primary memory 404-1 may include, for example, random access memory, read only memory, and the like. Although illustrated in this example as being separate from the processing unit, it is to be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within or co-located with and coupled to the
For example, the special
According to certain example implementations, the communication interface 408 may, for example, be enabled for use with various wired communication networks, such as a telephone system, a local area network, a wide area network, a personal area network, an intranet, the internet, and so forth.
According to certain example implementations, the communication interface 408 may, for example, be enabled for use with various wireless communication networks, such as a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), and so on. The terms "network" and "system" are used interchangeably herein. The WWAN may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, and so on. A CDMA network may implement one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as CDMA2000, wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), to name a few radio technologies. Here, cdma2000 may include technologies implemented in accordance with IS-95, IS-2000, and IS-856 standards. The TDMA network may implement global system for mobile communications (GSM), digital advanced mobile phone system (D-AMBP capability), or some other RAT. GSM and W-CDMA are described in documents from an association known as the third generation partnership project (3 GPP). cdma2000 is described in a document from an association entitled "3 rd generation partnership project 2" (3GPP 2). The 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. The WLAN may include an IEEE802.11x network, and the WPAN may include, for example, a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15 x. The wireless communication network may include so-called next generation technologies (e.g., "4G"), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced, WiMAX, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and/or the like. Additionally, communication interface 408 may further provide infrared-based communication with one or more other devices. The WLAN may, for example, comprise an IEEE802.11x network, and the WPAN may comprise, for example, a bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15 x. The wireless communication implementations described herein may also be used in connection with any combination of WWAN, WLAN or WPAN.
The representative
The representative
In certain instances, some mobile devices may include a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receiver 418 for acquiring SPS signals 134 via one or more antennas (not shown). SPS receiver 418 may also process, in whole or in part, acquired SPS signals 134 for estimating a position and/or motion of a mobile device. In certain instances, SPS receiver 418 may include one or more processing units (not shown), such as one or more general purpose processors, one or more digital signal processors, DSPs, one or more specialized processors, which may also be utilized to fully or partially process acquired SPS signals and/or calculate an estimated position of a mobile device. In certain implementations, all or part of such processing of acquired SPS signals may be performed by other processing capabilities in the mobile device (e.g., processing
In certain instances, the
Attention is next drawn to fig. 5A, which is a flow diagram illustrating an
At
At
At
At
Attention is next drawn to fig. 5B, which is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 500' that may be implemented, in whole or in part, by the example first mobile device 104-1 (fig. 1), the example apparatus 300 (fig. 3), the example special purpose computing platform 400 (fig. 4), and/or other similar electronic devices/circuits, according to some example implementations.
In certain implementations, the
In certain implementations,
At example block 502', a presence of a second mobile device may be identified at a first mobile device. In certain instances, at
At example block 506', the first mobile device may obtain one or more positioning measurements based, at least in part, on one or more wireless signals received by ("available") one of the first or second mobile devices. In certain instances, at
At
At
At
At
To facilitate
In a particular implementation, measurements or observations obtained from different mobile devices attached to the user may be used for navigation operations. In the particular implementation shown in fig. 1 and 2, for example, both the first mobile device 104-1 and the second mobile device 104-2 may receive signals transmitted by a transmitter (e.g., an IEEE std.802.11 access point, a cellular base station, a femtocell transceiver device, etc.). For example, a first mobile device and a second mobile device may each observe signals transmitted by two or more transmitters. In an embodiment, observations obtained from a first mobile device may be fused with observations obtained by a second mobile device in a navigation operation, such as computing a position fix.
Depending on any of several factors as discussed above (e.g., the receiver is obscured relative to the signal paths transmitted by two or more transmitters), to perform a navigation operation, observing a signal obtained at a first mobile device may have greater utility than observing a signal obtained at a second mobile device. Likewise, observing different signals obtained by the second mobile device may have greater utility than observing different signals obtained by the first mobile device. In this context, "utility" of a signal observation may indicate the usefulness of that observation of a signal (e.g., obtained by a different device) relative to a different observation. For example, the utility of the observations may be indicated by, for example, the degree of shadowing or covering of the signal being observed by the receiver obtaining the observations, the measured received signal strength, the measured signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of the presence of multipath, a measure of the presence of signal interference (to provide just a few examples).
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process performed by a first mobile device to select from among multiple observations from multiple devices, such as a first mobile device (e.g., first mobile device 104-1) and a second mobile device (e.g., second mobile device 104-2 or Nth mobile device 104-N) (FIG. 1). For example, aspects of the process shown in fig. 6 may be implemented, in whole or in part, by an example first mobile device 104-1, an example apparatus 300 (fig. 3), an example special purpose computing platform 400 (fig. 4), and/or other similar electronic devices/circuits, in accordance with certain example implementations. The first and second mobile devices may be attached to different locations of the human body. While the particular example embodiment of fig. 6 involves selecting between two mobile devices to provide an observation, other embodiments may involve selecting from among three or more mobile devices that are co-located with a human user. At
At
Similar to the first mobile device at
At
At
In a similar manner, at
The techniques described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application according to particular features and/or examples. For example, such methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or combinations thereof, along with software. In a hardware implementation, for example, a processing unit may be implemented within one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other device units designed to perform the functions described herein, and/or combinations thereof.
In the previous detailed description, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods and apparatus that would be known by one of ordinary skill have not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subject matter.
Some portions of the preceding detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital electronic signals stored within a memory of a particular apparatus or special purpose computing device or platform. In the context of this particular specification, the term specific apparatus or the like includes a general purpose computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from program software. Algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the signal processing or related arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar signal processing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations or processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated as electronic signals representing information. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerals, information, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "generating," "obtaining," "modifying," "selecting," "identifying," and/or the like, refer to the actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this particular patent application, the term "particular apparatus" may include a general purpose computer (once programmed to perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from program software).
As used herein, the terms "and," "or," and/or "may include a variety of meanings that are also intended to depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, an "or" if used to associate a list (e.g., A, B or C) specifies representation A, B and C (used herein in an inclusive sense), and A, B or C (used herein in an exclusive sense). Further, as used herein, the term "one or more" may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe a plurality or some other combination of features, structures, or characteristics. It should be noted, however, that this is merely an illustrative example and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example.
While there has been illustrated and described what are presently considered to be example features, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from claimed subject matter. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the teachings of claimed subject matter without departing from the central concept described herein.
Therefore, it is intended that claimed subject matter not be limited to the particular examples disclosed, but that such claimed subject matter may also include all aspects falling within the scope of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.