Multifunctional Beacon Mesh for Urban Service Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current urban management systems lack integration of services such as communication, security, environmental data gathering, and user interaction, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for revenue, particularly in advertising and crowd management, with separate systems requiring manual activation and lacking visibility and accuracy in user location sensing.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional beacon system that provides information and communication, gathers data, and intelligently responds to surroundings and connected mobile devices, using a mesh wireless network, facial and voice recognition, and environmental sensors to manage and adapt services, including crowd control and advertising, within a unified platform.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate systems are used for surveillance, environmental data gathering, emergency services, and advertising displays, then each system can be independently managed and deployed, but the overall system complexity increases, power consumption increases, and integration efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate urban management systems (surveillance, environmental monitoring, emergency services, advertising displays) into a single integrated beacon platform. The beacon device consolidates these previously separate functions into one unified system, reducing overall system complexity while improving adaptability and service integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The beacon is designed as a universal platform capable of performing multiple functions simultaneously - surveillance, environmental data gathering, emergency service activation, and advertising display. This multi-functional approach allows a single device to replace multiple specialized systems, improving versatility without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate systems are deployed for each service function, then deployment flexibility is maintained, but power consumption increases due to multiple independent systems operating simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple service functions into a single beacon platform with shared hardware resources (processors, sensors, communication modules, displays), the system eliminates redundant power consumption that would occur if separate systems operated independently. The shared infrastructure reduces overall power requirements while maintaining service integration.
3Measurement precision
If GPS-based location services are used for interactive applications, then user location can be tracked, but coverage gaps and inaccuracy occur especially indoors, and user acceptance decreases due to battery drainage and privacy concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces beacon-based proximity detection as an intermediary system between GPS and the application layer. Instead of relying solely on GPS, the system uses beacons deployed throughout the environment to provide local position sensing. This intermediary layer fills coverage gaps indoors and improves accuracy without requiring continuous GPS operation, thereby reducing battery consumption and improving reliability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional advertising displays are used, then advertising content can be displayed, but the displays cannot be repurposed for user interaction, announcements, or crowd management, and revenue opportunities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon's display component is designed as a universal interface that can serve multiple purposes: advertising content display, user interaction touchscreen, emergency announcements, and crowd management information. This multi-functional display capability allows the same hardware to generate revenue through advertising while simultaneously providing public service functions, thereby increasing overall productivity and revenue generation potential.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for adapting the behavior of an interactive presence based application on a mobile computing device associated with a user; comprising: providing a plurality of multifunctional beacons; wherein the plurality of beacons provide a mesh wireless network; wherein each of the plurality of beacons provides a local wireless connection; providing an OMS backend for management of the plurality of beacons; wherein the OMS backend runs on a server; connecting by the mobile device to one or both of the mesh network and a local network; wherein the plurality of beacons report the connecting to the OMS backend; determining by the OMS backend the proximity of the mobile device to one or more of the plurality of beacons based on the reported connections; and adapting the behavior of the application and/or the beacons based on the determined proximity.