Vehicle Location via BLE Beacon Proximity Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large multi-story parking garages, drivers often face difficulties in locating their vehicles if they forget where they parked, as existing methods lack reliability, especially when drivers fail to record or remember the parking space, and existing electronic solutions require special beacons and receivers.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle locating system utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons installed at various locations within the parking garage, which receive and calculate proximity signals from vehicles equipped with BLE transceivers, sending this information to a server to determine the closest beacon and communicate the vehicle's location to the driver via a mobile app.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drivers use paper tickets or manual recording methods to remember parking spaces, then the system complexity remains low, but the reliability of vehicle location is poor when drivers forget to record
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's existing transceiver to automatically perform the location recording function that previously required driver action. The transceiver autonomously communicates with beacons to track and report vehicle location, eliminating the need for driver intervention while ensuring reliable location data is always captured.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention repurposes the vehicle's existing transceiver, originally designed for other communication functions, to perform vehicle location tracking. This multi-functional use of the transceiver improves reliability without adding dedicated new hardware specifically for location recording.
2Measurement precision
If special beacons and receivers are installed by vehicle owners to locate vehicles, then the vehicle location accuracy improves, but the ease of operation and accessibility deteriorates due to additional purchase and installation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs vehicle location tracking without requiring owner installation or configuration. The infrastructure beacons are installed by the parking facility, and the vehicle's existing transceiver automatically communicates with them, eliminating all setup steps for the vehicle owner.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention makes the vehicle location system universally compatible with any vehicle that has a standard transceiver. By using existing vehicle hardware for multiple purposes including location tracking, the system achieves wide accessibility without requiring special owner-installed receivers.
3Device complexity
If the vehicle's existing transceiver is used for location purposes, then the device complexity and cost are reduced, but the transceiver's original functionality may be compromised or insufficient for precise location tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The system design leverages the vehicle's existing transceiver for dual purposes: its original communication function and new vehicle location tracking function. This approach reduces hardware complexity while maintaining reliable location tracking through the transceiver's ability to communicate with infrastructure beacons.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrastructure beacons serve as intermediaries that enable the existing transceiver to perform location tracking. The beacons provide the necessary signaling and coordination that allows the transceiver to accurately determine and report vehicle location without requiring modifications to the transceiver itself.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively helps drivers locate their vehicles by providing accurate proximity information, reducing the complexity of remembering or recording parking spaces and eliminating the need for special owner-installed beacons, enhancing user experience and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
The first BLE beacon may be configured to receive a first radio frequency signal from a vehicle, the first radio frequency signal being coded with vehicle identification information
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments include vehicle locating systems and vehicles locatable by vehicle locating systems. An illustrative vehicle locating system includes a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon having a first location associated therewith and configured to receive a first radio frequency signal from a vehicle and coded with vehicle identification information. The first BLE beacon may be further configured to calculate a first proximity of the vehicle to the first BLE beacon and send to a server a first proximity signal indicative of the first proximity. A second BLE beacon has a second location associated therewith and is configured to receive a second radio frequency signal from the vehicle and coded with the vehicle identification information. The second BLE beacon may be further configured to calculate a second proximity of the vehicle to the second BLE beacon and send to the server a second proximity signal representative of the second proximity.