Acoustic Beacon Multilateration for Indoor Position Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are obstructed by roofs or ceilings indoors, leading to inadequate accuracy for indoor positioning applications.

Innovation Solution

A system and method utilizing beacon devices that transmit unique acoustic frequency signals with distinct information components and patterns, enabling a receiver to determine its position within a space through multilateration based on time-delay information from multiple beacon devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If GPS signals are used for positioning, then positioning can be achieved outdoors with sufficient accuracy, but the signals are obstructed by roofs or ceilings making them unsuitable for indoor use

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning reliabilityVSAvoidsignal obstruction

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces electromagnetic wave-based GPS signals with acoustic wave-based beacon signals. Acoustic waves can propagate through air and penetrate building structures better than electromagnetic waves in this context, allowing indoor positioning without being blocked by roofs or ceilings. The receiver uses acoustic transducers to detect these beacon signals and determine position through multilateration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Area of stationary object

If multiple beacon signals are transmitted simultaneously, then positioning coverage can be expanded, but signal differentiation and identification become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning coverage areaVSAvoidsignal differentiation difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the beacon signals into distinct identifiable components by assigning unique identification codes and frequency patterns to each beacon device. This segmentation allows the receiver to differentiate between multiple simultaneous beacon signals, identify which signal comes from which beacon device, and accurately determine the receiver's position through multilateration based on the differentiated signals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables accurate indoor positioning by distinguishing beacon signals and determining the receiver's location using acoustic frequency patterns, without relying on electromagnetic waves for positioning determination.

Implementation Method 1

a transducer configured to receive acoustic frequency signals

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectTransduction:

Implementation Method 2

a filtering module configured for, for each of a plurality of beacon signals, filtering the received acoustic signals by the frequencies of a frequency pattern of the beacon signal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFrequency filtering: Filter (electronic)

Implementation Method 3

a correlation module configured for, for each of the plurality of beacon signals, carrying out a rolling correlation in time of the filtered signal of the beacon signal with a version of the information component of the beacon signal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCorrelation:

Implementation Method 4

a peak detector module configured for, for each of the plurality of beacon signals, identifying a correlation peak from the rolling correlation for the beacon signal, the correlation peak providing time-delay information for the beacon signal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPeak detection:

Implementation Method 5

a multilateration module configured for determining a position of the receiver based on the locations of each of a plurality of beacon devices associated to the beacon signals and the time-delay information determined for the beacon signals

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMultilateration:

Data Source

PatentUS20260029499A1System and method for enabling determination of a position of a receiver within a space

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 TAKEMETUIT

AI summary

A method and system for enabling the determination of a position of a receiver within a space includes transmitting a beacon signal from each of a plurality of beacon devices located at different locations within the space. The beacon signal transmitted from each beacon device has a unique information component and may have a unique frequency pattern of multiple frequencies. Each beacon signal can be distinguishable from the beacon signals transmitted from any other of the beacon devices based on the combination of its unique information component and its unique frequency pattern. The beacon signals are received at a receiver. At the receiver, for each beacon signal of a working subset, time-delay information of the received beacon signal is determined and multilateration is applied to determine the position of the receiver based on the location of each beacon device of the working subset.