Low accuracy positional data by detecting improbable samples

{
  "publication_number": "US9832749B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Low accuracy positional data by detecting improbable samples",
  "abstract": "An embodiment of the invention provides a method of determining a location of a mobile target that processes locations for the target provided by a wireless location technology tracker system to determine moving averages of velocity of the target, determines if the locations are outliers responsive to the moving averages, discards locations that are determined to be outliers, and uses locations determined not to be outliers as locations for the target.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An apparatus for determining a location of a mobile target, comprising: a wireless location technology tracker that provides locations of the target; and a processor operative to: generate moving averages for a velocity that characterizes motion of the moving target responsive to the locations; utilize the moving averages to determine whether a given location provided by the wireless location technology tracker is an outlier when compared to previously received locations; and utilize the given location as a location for the target if it is determined not to be an outlier.",
    "2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor determines a variance for the moving average velocity responsive to the locations.",
    "3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further operative to utilize the moving average velocity and its variance to determine an expected region of uncertainty for an expected location.",
    "4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operative to determine whether the given location is an outlier based, at least in part, on whether the given location is not consistent with the expected location and the expected region of uncertainty.",
    "5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operative to generate moving averages of an acceleration that characterizes motion of the moving target responsive to the locations provided by the wireless location technology tracker and utilize the moving average acceleration to determine whether the given location is an outlier.",
    "6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a target database comprising data defining features of the target.",
    "7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein if the given location is determined to be an outlier responsive to a moving average of the moving averages, the processor is further operative to utilize data defining features of the target comprised in the target database to determine whether the given location is not an outlier location.",
    "8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the data features of the target comprises data defining habitual motion patterns of the target.",
    "9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the target is a vehicle and the data defining features comprises data defining features of the vehicle.",
    "10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the data defining features of the vehicle comprises at least one or any combination of more than one of data specifying the vehicle, data specifying records of trips made by the vehicle, data specifying condition of the vehicle, and data specifying service record of the vehicle.",
    "11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an environment database comprising data defining features of an environment in which the target moves.",
    "12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the location is determined to be an outlier responsive to a moving average of the moving averages, the processor is further operative to utilize data defining features of the environment comprised in the environment database to determine whether the given location is not an outlier location.",
    "13. A method for determining a location of a mobile target, comprising: determining one or more locations of a moving target over a given time period; generating moving averages for a velocity that characterizes a motion of the moving target responsive to the locations; determining a variance of the moving averages for the velocity; using the moving averages and the variance of the moving averages to determine whether at least one location of the one or more locations is an outlier location; and using the at least one location of the one or more locations as a location for the target when it is determined that the at least one location of the one or more locations is not an outlier location.",
    "14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: generating averages for an acceleration of the moving target; and using the averages of the acceleration of the moving target to determine whether the at least one location of the one more locations is an outlier location.",
    "15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining one or more environmental factors associated with the at least one location of the one or more locations; and using the one or more environmental factors to determine whether the at least one location of the one or more locations is an outlier location.",
    "16. A method for determining a location of a target, comprising: receiving, two or more locations of the target from a wireless location technology tracker; generating moving averages for a velocity that characterizes motion of the target responsive to the two or more locations; determining an expected location of the target, based, at least in part, on the two or more locations and the moving averages; determining whether the expected location is within a threshold distance of at least one location of the two or more locations; and validating the at least one location of the two or more locations when the expected location is within the threshold distance of the at least one location.",
    "17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining an acceleration of the target and a direction of travel of the target.",
    "18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining one or more environmental conditions associated with the target; and determining whether the at least one location is compatible with the one or more environmental conditions.",
    "19. The method of claim 18, further comprising discarding the at least one location when the at least one location is not compatible with the one or more environmental conditions.",
    "20. The method of claim 16, further comprising utilizing the at least one location in a subsequent location determination when the at least one location is validated."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Various systems, hereinafter referred to as “tracker systems”, and methods, hereinafter “wireless location technologies” (WILOTs), for wireless determination of a location of a mobile transmitter and/or receiver terminal and a person or object, a “bearer”, carrying or mounted with the mobile terminal, are known. Common transmitter and/or receiver terminals that incorporate and/or are located by WILOT tracker systems are mobile phones, global positioning satellite (GPS) receivers, computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), and workbooks. Among common wireless location technologies employed by tracker systems to determine a location of a mobile transmitter and/or receiver and thereby its bearer, are technologies referred to as trilateration and multilateration. Hereinafter, a transmitter and/or receiver, and/or a device in which it is housed, and/or its bearer, that are located by a tracker system are distinguished as being a “target”, used as a modifier or noun, of the tracker system.\n\nIn some WILOT tracker systems using trilateration location technologies and apparatus, signals from three or four transmitters having known locations are received by a target receiver and used to determine a transit time from each transmitter to the target receiver. Each transit time defines a spherical surface having its center at the transmitter for which the transit time was determined and a radius equal to the speed of light times the transit time.",
  "cpc": [
    "H04W 64/00",
    "G01S 19/42",
    "H04W 4/027"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H04W 4/02",
    "G01S 19/42",
    "G01S 3/02",
    "H04W 64/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Benny Schlesinger",
    "Vadim KUPER"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-10-02",
  "publication_date": "2017-11-28",
  "grant_date": "2017-11-28",
  "priority_date": "2011-06-03",
  "application_number": "US-201414504451-A",
  "family_id": "47260305",
  "cited_by_count": 3,
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