Anchor Point Assignment for Indoor Navigation Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation systems, such as Strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems (SINS) and Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR), face challenges in providing seamless positioning in indoor environments due to sensor drifts and accumulated errors, and lack robustness in determining user trajectories without GNSS signals, especially in retail venues where precise location information is needed for navigation and analytics.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for assigning a set of anchor points derived from point of sale data to a trajectory of a portable device, using scoring techniques to match anchor point sets with trajectories, allowing for improved navigation and analytics by integrating motion sensor data with known locations within retail venues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor-based navigation (SINS/PDR) is used for indoor positioning, then the system can operate without GNSS signals, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to accumulated sensor drifts and bias
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses point of sale data as feedback anchor points to correct accumulated sensor drifts. The system periodically compares sensor-derived positions with known anchor point locations from purchase transactions, using this feedback to reset and correct the inertial navigation solution, thereby maintaining long-term positioning accuracy without requiring continuous external signals
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces point of sale data as an intermediary element that bridges sensor-based navigation and absolute positioning. These anchor points derived from purchase transactions serve as intermediate reference markers that allow the system to transfer from relative sensor measurements to absolute position corrections, solving the accuracy drift problem
2Measurement precision
If conventional trilateration methods using WiFi access points or dedicated beacons are used to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and deployment overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the retail venue's existing point of sale system to serve dual purposes: traditional sales transactions and providing positioning anchor points. The same transaction data that records purchases also automatically generates location references for navigation, eliminating the need for separate positioning infrastructure and allowing the system to serve itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the point of sale system universal by enabling it to perform both its traditional function of processing sales transactions and its new function of providing positioning anchor points. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated positioning beacons or WiFi infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
One or more sets of anchor points may be assigned to one or more trajectories of a portable device by scoring each anchor point set with respect to each trajectory. The score for an anchor point set may be determined by cumulating the differences between each anchor point in the set with its closest trajectory segment.