Mapping positions of devices using audio
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsGeoffrey Allen Borggaard, Daniel George Koulomzin, Christopher Richard Wren
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are methods and systems for determining distance between two or more mobile devices utilizing a sound emitted from each device such as a chirp. Each device may determine or receive an indication of a time reference for each instance the device emits or detects a chirp. Utilizing the time reference data, the distance between the two or more devices may be determined assuming the sound travels at a constant speed of 340.29 m/s. Techniques for disambiguating orientation of the devices relative to one another rare also disclosed.
Claims33
A system, comprising:
- a first mobile device configured to:
- emit a first chirp from the first mobile device;
- receive, by a first one or more microphones, a first indication of the first chirp at a first time reference to be recorded within a first audio signal;
- receive, by the first one or more microphones, a second indication of a second chirp from a second mobile device at a second time reference to be recorded within the first audio signal;
- extract, from the first audio signal, the first indication of the first chip and the second indication of the second chirp;
- obtain an indication of a first distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device based on the first time reference, the second time reference, a third time reference, and a fourth time reference, wherein the third time reference corresponds to a time at which the second mobile device emits the second chirp and the fourth time reference corresponds to a time at which the second mobile device receives the first chirp, the third time reference and the fourth time reference being within a second audio signal received by a second one or more microphones of the second mobile device, an information about the second audio signal received by the first mobile device from the second mobile device, a clock of the first mobile device that controls emission of the first chirp not being synchronized with a clock of the second mobile device that controls emission of the second chirp;
- and
- determine, from the first audio signal and the information about the second audio signal, a location of the second mobile device relative to a location of the first mobile device.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer code for controlling a processor of a first mobile device, the computer code including instructions to cause the processor to:
- emit a first chirp from the first mobile device;
- receive, by a first one or more microphones, a first indication of the first chirp at a first time reference to be recorded within a first audio signal;
- receive, by the first one or more microphones, a second indication of a second chirp from a second mobile device at a second time reference to be recorded within the first audio signal;
- extract, from the first audio signal, the first indication of the first chip and the second indication of the second chirp;
- obtain an indication of a first distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device based on the first time reference, the second time reference, a third time reference, and a fourth time reference, wherein the third time reference corresponds to a time at which the second mobile device emits the second chirp and the fourth time reference corresponds to a time at which the second mobile device receives the first chirp, the third time reference and the fourth time reference being within a second audio signal received by a second one or more microphones of the second mobile device, an information about the second audio signal received by the first mobile device from the second mobile device, a clock of the first mobile device that controls emission of the first chirp not being synchronized with a clock of the second mobile device that controls emission of the second chirp;
- and
- determine, from the first audio signal and the information about the second audio signal, a location of the second mobile device relative to a location of the first mobile device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.