AR Location Tracking via UWB ToF in Crowded Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location sharing technologies struggle to accurately pinpoint a target device or person in crowded settings, as they rely on navigational sensors and geolocation services that are inaccurate beyond a few meters, making it difficult to locate individuals or objects in dense environments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of collaborative location tracking and sharing using augmented reality, which leverages network geolocation services and device-to-device communication with Bluetooth 5.1 or UWB radios to provide precise distance and directionality measurements, generating an augmented reality view that overlays the exact location of the target device within a real-world view, even in crowded settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional navigational sensors and geolocation services are used for location tracking, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the measurement precision deteriorates in crowded settings beyond a few meters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the location tracking process into two distinct phases: coarse location tracking using traditional GPS/navigational sensors for general area identification, and fine-grained location tracking using device-to-device Bluetooth/UWB measurements for precise positioning within crowded areas. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high precision without requiring complex high-precision technology to be active continuously throughout all tracking scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that uses Bluetooth and UWB device-to-device communications as a bridge between the coarse GPS location system and the fine-grained positioning requirement. This intermediary layer enables precise relative positioning between devices by measuring distance and directionality through radio signals, effectively mediating between the simple GPS system and the need for crowd-level precision.
2Measurement precision
If device-to-device communication with Bluetooth 5.1 or UWB radios is implemented for precise measurements, then the measurement precision improves in crowded settings, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic activation of device-to-device communication capabilities, where Bluetooth and UWB radios are engaged only when needed for precise positioning in crowded areas, rather than being continuously active. The system dynamically switches between coarse GPS tracking and fine-grained device-to-device measurement modes based on environmental context and precision requirements, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high precision when necessary.
3Ease of operation
If augmented reality view is generated to overlay exact location, then the ease of operation improves for locating individuals, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified virtual representation (copy) of the physical environment through augmented reality overlays that display directional arrows and distance indicators to the target device. Rather than requiring complex full-scale virtual reality systems, the implementation uses simple AR copies of location data overlaid on the camera viewfinder, providing intuitive visual guidance that greatly enhances ease of operation while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a location tracking system and associated methods for precisely locating a target device with a recipient device via different forms of location tracking and augmented reality. The recipient device receives a first position of the target device over a data network. The recipient device is moved according to the first position until the target device is in Ultra-WideBand (“UWB”) signaling range of the recipient device. The recipient device then measures a distance and direction of the target device relative to the recipient device based on Time-of-Flight (“ToF”) measurements generated from the UWB signaling. The recipient device determines a second position of the target device based on the distance and direction of the target device, and generates an augmented reality view with a visual reference at a particular position in images of a captured scene that corresponds to the second position of the target device.