Beacon Tracking System Ghost Signal Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tracking systems for items within buildings, such as hotels or manufacturing plants, face challenges in accurately locating and managing movable items due to issues like multipath propagation of wireless signals, which can lead to inaccurate location determination and ghost signals, resulting in inefficient inventory management and maintenance prediction.
Innovation Solution
An item management system utilizing a network of wireless communication hubs and beacons that filter out ghost signals, allowing for accurate tracking of items by determining the strongest signal path, and includes a computing system to process data from these beacons, providing real-time location updates and usage history.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wireless signals are used for tracking items in buildings, then real-time location tracking is enabled, but multipath propagation causes ghost signals and inaccurate location determination
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful ghost signals from multipath propagation into useful information by analyzing signal characteristics. The computing system processes signals from multiple hubs to identify and filter ghost signals, transforming the previously harmful multipath effects into a mechanism for improving location accuracy through comparative analysis of signal patterns and timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The computing system acts as an intermediary between the wireless beacons and the tracking application. It receives raw signals from multiple hubs, processes and filters out ghost signals through computational algorithms, and provides cleaned location data to the tracking application, thereby mediating the harmful effects of multipath propagation.
2Reliability
If a network of hubs and beacons is deployed for tracking, then comprehensive item location data is obtained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs universal beacon devices that can be attached to any item type and universal hub devices that can detect signals from multiple beacon types. The computing system provides a unified processing platform that handles data from the entire network, enabling multi-functionality that reduces the need for specialized components and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the functions of multiple hubs into a coordinated network managed by a central computing system. Instead of treating each hub as an independent tracking system, the hubs are combined into a unified network that collectively provides comprehensive item location data, reducing redundancy and simplifying the infrastructure through integrated processing.
3Measurement precision
If multiple hubs are used to track beacons, then location accuracy can be improved through signal comparison, but the system requires more processing resources
Solution Approach 1:
The computing system processes signals from multiple hubs but applies selective filtering rather than analyzing every signal in exhaustive detail. By using algorithms that identify ghost signals based on characteristic patterns and processing only the necessary signal comparisons needed for accurate location determination, the system achieves high precision while avoiding excessive energy consumption from complete signal analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
An example system includes a first beacon configured to communicate a first wireless signal. A first hub is in communication with the first beacon. The first hub is configured to detect a first signal strength of the first wireless signal. The example system further includes a second hub in communication with the first beacon. The second hub is configured to detect a second signal strength of the first wireless signal. The example system further includes a computing system in communication with the first hub and the second hub. The computing system includes a noise filter and a beacon assignor. The noise filter includes a quadratic estimator configured to output a first estimated distance between the first beacon and the first hub, output a second estimated distance between the first beacon and the second hub, and disregard a third estimated distance between the first beacon and the first hub if the third estimated distance is derived from a ghost signal. The beacon assignor is configured to assign the first beacon to the first hub if the first estimated distance is less than the second estimated distance.