Indoor navigation system and method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indoor navigation system and method thereof. The system includes signal transmitters installed at corresponding positions at multiple indoor intersections. The signal ranges of the multiple signal transmitters do not intersect with each other. The signal transmitters update and store first navigation data from the current position to the next target position. The signal transmitters are connected to a backend, and the signal transmitters can be connected to a user terminal via a Bluetooth signal to connect to the user terminal to send the first navigation data to the user terminal. In addition, fault-tolerant transmitters are also installed corresponding to intersections. The signal ranges of the signal transmitter corresponding to the intersection and the fault-tolerant transmitter do not intersect with each other. The fault-tolerant transmitters update and store second navigation data from the current position to the position of the corresponding signal transmitter at the same intersection. Compared with the existing technology, the present invention can perform accurate navigation in indoor environments with complex terrain structures and poor network signals, and can reduce deployment and maintenance costs and facilitate use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of indoor navigation, and in particular to an indoor navigation system and method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Map navigation is a commonly used auxiliary means in daily travel. Through map navigation, you can quickly and accurately know the route plan to your destination. Existing map navigation is mostly achieved with the help of GPS satellite positioning. However, in indoor environments with poor satellite signals (such as shopping malls, train stations, airports, underground garages, etc.), on the one hand, it is impossible to accurately obtain positioning data, and on the other hand, it is difficult to obtain map information, resulting in the inability to implement indoor navigation based on GPS satellite positioning.

[0003] Existing indoor navigation solutions mainly include two types: one is to deploy a large number of dedicated hardware facilities (ultrasonic and infrared sensors) in designated indoor areas, and users are required to wear corresponding equipment to achieve positioning. The deployment and maintenance costs of this method are high, and it is not conducive to user convenience. The other is based on Wi-Fi signals for positioning and navigation. It mainly determines the approximate location of the mobile device through wireless signal attenuation models and triangulation positioning methods. However, due to the complexity of the indoor environment, Wi-Fi signals are easily affected by environmental changes. Therefore, the maintenance cost is still very high, and the accuracy is also constrained by the deployment density of Wi-Fi routers, environmental stability, and training time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art and provide an indoor navigation system and method thereof, so as to achieve the purpose of accurate navigation in indoor environments with complex terrain structures and poor network signals, reduce deployment and maintenance costs, and facilitate use.

[0005] The objectives of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: an indoor navigation system, comprising signal transmitters installed at corresponding positions of multiple indoor intersections, the signal ranges of the multiple signal transmitters do not overlap with each other, the signal transmitters update and store first navigation data from the current position to the next target position, the signal transmitters are connected to the background, the signal transmitters can be connected to the user end, and the signal transmitters are connected to the user end via Bluetooth signals to send the first navigation data to the user end.

[0006] Furthermore, the first navigation data includes a direction node, a voice file, and an identifier of a signal transmitter.

[0007] Furthermore, the signal transmitter is installed at a position with a set distance from the corresponding intersection.

[0008] Furthermore, the set distance between the signal transmitter and the corresponding intersection is specifically:

[0009] M>=(a+b)*(N*1000 / 3600)-X

[0010] Where M is the set distance, a is the user-side reaction time, b is the voice file playback time, N is the user-side vehicle speed, and X is the signal radius of the signal transmitter.

[0011] Furthermore, the intersection includes a single-turn intersection and an intersection. The single-turn intersection only corresponds to the installation of a signal transmitter, and the intersection corresponds to the installation of a signal transmitter and a fault-tolerant transmitter. The signal ranges of the signal transmitter corresponding to the intersection and the fault-tolerant transmitter do not overlap with each other, and the fault-tolerant transmitter is updated and stored with the second navigation data from the current position to the position of the signal transmitter corresponding to the same intersection.

[0012] Furthermore, the fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the background, and the fault-tolerant transmitter and the user terminal can be connected and disconnected. The fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the user terminal through a Bluetooth signal to send the second navigation data to the user terminal.

[0013] Furthermore, the distance between the fault-tolerant transmitter and the intersection is less than or equal to the distance between the same intersection and the signal transmitter.

[0014] Furthermore, the second navigation data includes a direction node, a voice file, and an identifier of a fault-tolerant transmitter.

[0015] An indoor navigation method comprises the following steps:

[0016] A1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue;

[0017] A2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0018] A3. The vehicle drives into the signal range of the next signal transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter. The next signal transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user terminal and sends it to the backend.

[0019] The backend processes and obtains the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter, and sends it to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0020] A4. Repeat step A3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

[0021] An indoor navigation method comprises the following steps:

[0022] B1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue;

[0023] B2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0024] B3. The vehicle moves to the signal range of the next signal transmitter or the fault-tolerant transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter;

[0025] The next signal transmitter or fault-tolerant transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user end and sends it to the backend;

[0026] The backend processes the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter or the second navigation data corresponding to the current fault-tolerant transmitter, and sends the data to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter or the current fault-tolerant transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0027] B4. Repeat step B3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

[0028] Compared with the existing technology, the present invention installs a signal transmitter at the intersection of an indoor venue and uses Bluetooth communication connection between the signal transmitter and the user terminal. When the user terminal enters the signal range of the signal transmitter, the signal transmitter obtains navigation data from the background and sends it to the user terminal, so that the user terminal can know the subsequent driving path in advance at each intersection indoors, thereby achieving the purpose of accurate navigation in indoor environments with complex terrain structures and poor network signals, and can reduce deployment and maintenance costs and facilitate use.

[0029] The present invention installs a signal transmitter at a set distance from an intersection and comprehensively considers vehicle speed, user reaction time, voice file playback time, and the signal range radius of the signal transmitter to determine a reasonable set distance. This can effectively prevent users from making driving errors during driving due to the signal transmitter being installed too close to the intersection and insufficient user reaction time, thereby avoiding deviations from navigation.

[0030] The present invention takes into account the application scenario of intersections and sets a fault-tolerant transmitter at the intersection. When an error occurs in the user's driving path, the fault-tolerant transmitter can be used to guide the vehicle to travel on the correct path in time, further ensuring the reliability of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the corresponding signal transmitter and fault-tolerant transmitter at the intersection;

[0032] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the navigation effect of the underground garage in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Example

[0035] An indoor navigation system includes signal transmitters installed at corresponding locations of multiple indoor intersections. The signal ranges of the multiple signal transmitters do not overlap. The signal transmitters update and store first navigation data from the current location to the next target location. The signal transmitters are connected to the backend, and the signal transmitters can be connected and disconnected to the user end. The signal transmitters connect to the user end via Bluetooth signals to send the first navigation data to the user end. The first navigation data includes a direction node, a voice file, and an identifier of the signal transmitter. The signal transmitter is installed at a set distance from the corresponding intersection. The technical solution designs the set distance between the signal transmitter and the corresponding intersection as:

[0036] M>=(a+b)*(N*1000 / 3600)-X

[0037] Where M is the set distance, a is the user-side reaction time, b is the voice file playback time, N is the user-side vehicle speed, and X is the signal radius of the signal transmitter.

[0038] Assuming the vehicle speed is 20 mph, the signal radius is 8 meters, the response time is 1 second, and the voice broadcast time is 3 seconds, we can get:

[0039] M>=(1+3)*(20*1000 / 3600)-8

[0040] M>=22-8

[0041] That is, M>=14

[0042] Therefore, the reasonable placement of the signal transmitter should be greater than or equal to 14 meters away from the intersection. The purpose of this design is to avoid driving errors and deviations from navigation caused by the signal transmitter being placed too close to the intersection and insufficient user reaction time.

[0043] In addition, this technical solution also takes into account the two situations of single-turn intersections and intersections. Single-turn intersections only correspond to the installation of signal transmitters, while intersections correspond to the installation of signal transmitters and fault-tolerant transmitters. The signal ranges of the signal transmitter corresponding to the intersection and the fault-tolerant transmitter do not intersect with each other. The fault-tolerant transmitter updates and stores the second navigation data from the current position to the position of the signal transmitter corresponding to the same intersection (the second navigation data includes the direction node, voice file, and the identifier of the fault-tolerant transmitter). The fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the background, and the connection between the fault-tolerant transmitter and the user end can be on and off. The fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the user end via a Bluetooth signal to send the second navigation data to the user end. The distance between the fault-tolerant transmitter and the intersection is less than or equal to the distance between the same intersection and the signal transmitter.

[0044] The purpose of setting up a fault-tolerant transmitter is to further avoid the risk of user driving errors, such as Figure 1 As shown (the beacon in the figure is a signal transmitter), taking the intersection behind beacon 1 as an example, the normal driving path is to turn left at the intersection. If the user's driving path is incorrect for various reasons, the user will carry the identification of beacon 1 and touch the reserved fault-tolerant beacon a, thereby determining that the vehicle has deviated from the correct driving direction. By invoking background logic, the user is notified of abnormal situations such as U-turns, guiding them back to the correct driving path.

[0045] The above system is applied in practice to realize an indoor navigation method, which is divided into two cases. If only a signal transmitter is set, the following steps are included:

[0046] A1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue;

[0047] A2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0048] A3. The vehicle drives into the signal range of the next signal transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter. The next signal transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user terminal and sends it to the backend.

[0049] The backend processes and obtains the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter, and sends it to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0050] A4. Repeat step A3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

[0051] If a signal transmitter and a fault-tolerant transmitter are provided, the following steps are included:

[0052] B1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue;

[0053] B2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0054] B3. The vehicle moves to the signal range of the next signal transmitter or the fault-tolerant transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter;

[0055] The next signal transmitter or fault-tolerant transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user end and sends it to the backend;

[0056] The backend processes the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter or the second navigation data corresponding to the current fault-tolerant transmitter, and sends the data to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter or the current fault-tolerant transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle;

[0057] B4. Repeat step B3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

[0058] In this embodiment, the above technical solution is applied in an indoor underground garage, and the specific navigation effect is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, with the charging station in the underground garage as the destination, after field survey, the optimal path from the entrance to the station is selected. This serves as the signal transmitter installation path. If there are multiple entrances, multiple routes are planned until the station is reached or the planned route overlaps. First, the first beacon is installed 20 meters before the entrance, with the maximum range modulation (50 meters). This is used to display the user's startup page and the first direction. Before the first beacon reaches the next turning intersection, a second beacon is installed at any location no less than 14 meters before the intersection, based on the following variables: vehicle speed of 20 mph, signal radius of 8 meters, response time of 1 second, and voice broadcast time of 3 seconds. The backend program sets the next direction for the second beacon (for example, "go left at the next intersection"). This process is repeated, with the remaining beacons placed in front of the corresponding intersections until the underground charging station is reached. For multiple entrances, the beacons are installed sequentially according to the above method.

[0059] In summary, this technical solution uses a Bluetooth signal transmitter as a medium, and writes direction nodes and voice files to the signal transmitter through the background. When the user touches the Bluetooth signal range of the signal transmitter through Bluetooth while driving. When the two intersect, the user end can receive the direction guidance of the intersection issued by the signal transmitter, so as to predict the specific driving direction of the next step to the destination in advance. In addition, the content of a single signal transmitter is not fixed, but the direction of the oncoming vehicle is determined by connecting two signal transmitters. When the vehicle touches the start beacon at the indoor entrance, it will carry the information of this beacon to touch the next beacon in the driving path, thereby calculating the direction of the oncoming vehicle and then broadcasting the correct direction of travel for the next step.

[0060] This technical solution utilizes Bluetooth signal communication, enabling indoor navigation even without a network connection. In practical applications, it can also be designed with real-time visualization of intersections, combining visual guidance with more precise guidance. This technical solution can be used to consider slightly more remote but relatively low-cost locations when selecting a station, thereby increasing site diversity. In indoor environments with poor signal quality and complex terrain, this technical solution can effectively address the shortcomings of users reaching their final destination.

Claims

1. An indoor navigation system, characterized in that: The system includes signal transmitters installed at corresponding positions of multiple indoor intersections, wherein the signal ranges of the multiple signal transmitters do not overlap with each other, wherein the signal transmitters update and store first navigation data from the current position to the next target position, wherein the signal transmitters are connected to a backend, wherein the signal transmitters can be connected to a user terminal via a Bluetooth signal to transmit the first navigation data to the user terminal; The intersection includes a single-turn intersection and an intersection. The single-turn intersection only corresponds to the installation of a signal transmitter, and the intersection corresponds to the installation of a signal transmitter and a fault-tolerant transmitter. The signal ranges of the signal transmitter corresponding to the intersection and the fault-tolerant transmitter do not overlap with each other, and the fault-tolerant transmitter is updated and stored with the second navigation data from the current position to the position of the signal transmitter corresponding to the same intersection.

2. An indoor navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first navigation data includes a direction node, a voice file, and an identifier of a signal transmitter.

3. An indoor navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal transmitter is installed at a position with a set distance from the corresponding intersection.

4. An indoor navigation system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The set distance between the signal transmitter and the corresponding intersection is specifically: M>=(a+b)*(N*1000 / 3600)-X Where M is the set distance, a is the user-side reaction time, b is the voice file playback time, N is the user-side vehicle speed, and X is the signal radius of the signal transmitter.

5. The indoor navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the background, and the fault-tolerant transmitter and the user terminal can be connected and disconnected. The fault-tolerant transmitter is connected to the user terminal through a Bluetooth signal to send the second navigation data to the user terminal.

6. The indoor navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the fault-tolerant transmitter and the intersection is less than or equal to the distance between the same intersection and the signal transmitter.

7. The indoor navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second navigation data includes a direction node, a voice file, and an identifier of a fault-tolerant transmitter.

8. An indoor navigation method using the indoor navigation system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: A1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue; A2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the vehicle's subsequent driving path; A3. The vehicle drives into the signal range of the next signal transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter. The next signal transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user terminal and sends it to the backend. The backend processes the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter and sends it to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle; A4. Repeat step A3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

9. An indoor navigation method using the indoor navigation system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: B1. The user activates Bluetooth and follows the vehicle into the indoor venue; B2. The vehicle enters the signal range of the signal transmitter at the entrance of the indoor venue, and the signal transmitter sends the first navigation data to the user terminal to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle; B3. The vehicle moves to the signal range of the next signal transmitter or the fault-tolerant transmitter according to the first navigation data of the previous signal transmitter; The next signal transmitter or fault-tolerant transmitter first obtains the identifier of the previous signal transmitter from the user end and sends it to the backend; The backend processes the first navigation data corresponding to the current signal transmitter or the second navigation data corresponding to the current fault-tolerant transmitter, and sends the data to the user terminal via the current signal transmitter or the current fault-tolerant transmitter to guide the subsequent driving path of the vehicle; B4. Repeat step B3 until the vehicle reaches the destination.

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