US 7,321,849 B2 | ||
Geometric model database for use in ubiquitous computing | ||
Barrett Brumitt, Redmond, Wash. (US); Steven Shafer, Seattle, Wash. (US); and Brian Meyers, Bellevue, Wash. (US) | ||
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash. (US) | ||
Filed on Jul. 08, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/177,256. | ||
Application 11/177256 is a continuation of application No. 09/657871, filed on Sep. 08, 2000, granted, now 6,957,177. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0246155 A1, Nov. 03, 2005 | ||
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
Int. Cl. G06F 17/50 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 703—13 [705/1; 345/419; 382/103; 382/284; 382/154; 382/203] | 7 Claims |
1. A computer-implemented process for providing a geometric model database for use in a ubiquitous computing environment to
respond to queries about the environment's geometric state, comprising:
an accepting step for accepting information about the geometric state of the environment;
a building step for building a geometric model database of the environment based on an initial input of said information,
said building step comprising,
an establishing step for establishing a set of entities that are of interest in the environment, each entity of which is represented
by at least a coordinate frame unique to that entity and an extent, wherein said extent defines one of (i) the physical size
of the entity, or (ii) the service region of the entity,
a characterizing step for characterizing the location of each entity in the environment in terms of the coordinate frame of
at least one other entity, rather than in terms of a coordinate frame common to all entities, using a measurement defining
the entity's relationship to at least one of said other entities, wherein said measurement comprises the position and orientation
of each other entity's coordinate frame origin in terms of the coordinate frame of the entity under consideration and a spatial
uncertainty estimate which is indicative of the accuracy of the method used to obtain the measurement, and wherein each measurement
is provided to the geometric model database by an external source and more than one measurement defining an entity's relationship
to another entity may be provided by separate external sources, and
a combining step for combining said measurements using their relative uncertainties as weights whenever more than one measurement
defining an entity's relationship to another entity is received;
a maintaining step for maintaining the geometric model database by modifying it based on the input of updated information
about the geometric state of the environment; and
a responding step for responding to queries concerning the geometric relationships between entities in the environment using
the geometric model database.
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