Adaptive Mobile Location Mapping for Indoor and Semantic Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional location determination technologies face challenges such as the inability to provide comprehensive location information, including elevation, and suffer from availability issues, especially indoors, and lack integration between locational and temporal data.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a server, mobile computers, and an administrator computer, where mobile computers transmit multiple forms of location information to the server, which determines locations using various routines, resolves conflicts, and presents maps with icons corresponding to mobile computers, integrating semantic and reference maps for accurate location tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If GPS receiver or similar device is used to determine location, then latitude and longitude can be obtained, but elevation information and other relevant location data cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple location determination methods (GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular tower triangulation) into a unified location determination system. The server aggregates data from various sources and applies multiple routines to determine comprehensive location information including latitude, longitude, elevation, and semantic location data, thereby resolving the information loss while managing system complexity through centralized processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The location determination system is designed to perform multiple functions through a single framework. It can determine physical location (GPS coordinates), semantic location (building, room, floor), and temporal information all through the same server-based routine selection and data aggregation mechanism, making the system universally applicable to different location needs without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function.
2Reliability
If conventional localization technologies are used, then outdoor location can be determined, but location signal cannot be obtained inside buildings
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between different location determination routines based on the operational environment. When GPS signals are unavailable (indoor environments), the server automatically selects alternative routines such as Wi-Fi-based location determination, Bluetooth beacon triangulation, or cellular tower-based positioning. This dynamic adaptation ensures continuous location determination capability across diverse environments including indoors, outdoors, and transitional spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that mediates between different location determination methods. It receives location data from multiple sources (GPS, Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth devices, cellular towers) and processes this information through various routines to produce accurate location results. The intermediary server coordinates and reconciles data from different methodologies, enabling reliable location determination in environments where any single method would fail.
3Measurement precision
If location data is determined using standard methods, then physical location can be obtained, but semantic map does not match user's semantic map
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different levels of semantic mapping at different locations based on availability and relevance. At locations where detailed semantic information is available (such as buildings with structured data), the system provides rich semantic context (room names, floor levels, functional areas). At locations where detailed semantic data is unavailable, the system falls back to general geographic information. This localized quality approach ensures that semantic mapping enhances user experience where possible without creating mismatches or confusion where data is insufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where user interactions and observations are used to refine and update semantic maps over time. When users provide location data or interact with location-based services, this information feeds back into the system to improve the accuracy and relevance of semantic mappings. This continuous feedback loop ensures that the semantic map evolves to better match user needs and actual usage patterns, resolving the mismatch between standard maps and user-specific semantic understanding.
4Loss of information
If multiple location determination routines are implemented, then comprehensive location information can be obtained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The location determination system is segmented into separate, independent routines that can be selectively executed. Each routine handles a specific aspect of location determination (GPS-based, Wi-Fi-based, Bluetooth-based, cellular-based). The server manages these segmented routines through a structured selection process that evaluates available data sources and activates appropriate routines, thereby achieving comprehensive location information while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Locations for mobile computers may be adaptively determined in a system which includes a server, a set of mobile computers, and an administrator computer. In such a system, the set of mobile computers may each be programmed with instructions operable to, when executed, transmit multiple forms of location information to the server. Additionally, the server may be programmed with a set of location determination routines and these routines may be used in determining a location for each of the mobile computers from the set of mobile computers. These locations may then be used to populate an interface of the administrator computer with icons at positions corresponding to the mobile computers' locations.