Music-Based Positioning Aided By Dead Reckoning

Abstract

Music-based positioning (MP) provides positioning service only sporadically and therefore is not suitable for indoor positioning. The present invention discloses system and method for music-based positioning aided by dead reckoning (MP-DR). At each signature burst (i.e. a highly unique short musical segment suitable for positioning), musical sounds are used for positioning. Between signature bursts, positioning is performed by dead reckoning (DR). MP-DR is an ideal combination of MP and DR: DR extends temporal coverage for MP, while MP provides the much needed periodic calibrations for DR.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile device, comprising:
 an acoustic positioning (AP) module for positioning said mobile device using a signature burst, wherein said signature burst includes human consumable sounds suitable for positioning;   a dead-reckoning (DR) module for localizing said mobile device during an interval without signature burst.   
     
     
         2 . The mobile device according to  claim 1 , wherein said human consumable sounds are sounds of an audio content. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile device according to  claim 2 , wherein said audio content is music or human speech. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile device according to  claim 2 , further comprising a memory for storing said audio content. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile device according to  claim 2 , further comprising a memory for storing a signature-burst meta-data associated with said audio content. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile device according to  claim 1 , wherein said human consumable sounds are simultaneously generated by at least two sound-transmitting devices. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile device according to  claim 1 , wherein said signature burst has a correlativity higher than a pre-determined value. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile device according to  claim 7 , wherein the correlativity of a burst is the ratio of the peak value and the root-mean-square (rms) value of the auto-correlation function of said burst. 
     
     
         9 . The mobile device according to  claim 1 , wherein said AP module further comprises a correlating element for calculating a correlation function between received audio signals and transmitted audio signals. 
     
     
         10 . The mobile device according to  claim 9 , wherein said AP module further comprises a sound-receiving element for converting said human consumable sounds into said received audio signals. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile device according to  claim 9 , wherein said AP module further comprises a radio-receiving element for converting a radio signal into a replica of said transmitted audio signals. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile device according  claim 9 , wherein said AP module further comprises an audio-synthesizing element for converting an audio content into a replica of said transmitted audio signals. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile device according  claim 9 , wherein said AP module measures the time-of-flight or time-difference-of-flight of said received audio signals with respect to said transmitted audio signals. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile device according to  claim 1 , wherein said DR module comprises at least an accelerometer, a compass and/or a gyroscope. 
     
     
         15 . A mobile device, comprising:
 a memory for storing a signature-burst meta-data associated with an audio content, wherein signature bursts include human consumable sounds suitable for positioning;   an acoustic positioning module for positioning said mobile device using a signature burst of said audio content.   
     
     
         16 . The mobile device according to  claim 15 , wherein said audio content is music or human speech. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile device according to  claim 15 , wherein said human consumable sounds are simultaneously generated by at least two sound-transmitting devices. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile device according to  claim 15 , wherein said signature bursts have a correlativity higher than a pre-determined value. 
     
     
         19 . The mobile device according to  claim 18 , wherein the correlativity of a burst is the ratio between the peak value and the root-mean-square (rms) value of the auto-correlation function of said burst. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile device according to  claim 15 , further comprising a dead-reckoning module for localizing said mobile device during an interval without signature burst.