Method for determining the approximate location of a device from ambient signals

• Main Authors: MILLER EDWARD C, HORVITZ ERIC J, CERMAK GERALD F, KRUMM JOHN C, YOUSSEF ADEL AMIN ABDEL AZIM
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 13.10.2010
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; NAVIGATION; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SIGNALLING; SURVEYING; TESTING; TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS; TRANSMISSION; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

The present invention leverages changes in the sensed strength of radio signals at different locations to determine a device's location. In one instance of the present invention, inference procedures are used to process ambient commercial radio signals, to estimate a location or a probability distribution over the locations of a device. In another instance of the present invention, a system utilizes learning and inference methods that are applied to rank vector of signal strength vectors. Moving to such rank orderings leads to systems that bypass consideration of absolute signal strengths in location calculations. The present invention facilitates approximations for locating a device by providing a system that does not require a substantial number of available ambient signal strengths while still providing useful location inferences in determining locations.