Indoor Positioning via Bluetooth Advertising Mesh

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional GPS and AGPS systems struggle with indoor positioning due to satellite signal blocking by buildings, making it difficult to track positions accurately indoors.

Innovation Solution

An indoor positioning system using Bluetooth nodes that broadcast advertising messages with identity, timestamp, and transmission power, allowing nearby nodes to calculate reception strength, decay magnitude, and determine distance, which is then sent to a positioning server to calculate the location of the advertiser.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If GPS or AGPS is used for positioning, then outdoor position can be tracked, but indoor positioning becomes difficult due to satellite signal blocking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition tracking reliabilityVSAvoidindoor positioning capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces Bluetooth advertising messages as an intermediary carrier to transmit positioning information indoors. Instead of relying on satellite signals that are blocked by buildings, the system uses local Bluetooth advertisements from surrounding devices as mediators to determine position, enabling indoor positioning where GPS fails

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the satellite-based electromagnetic signal system with a local wireless communication system using Bluetooth advertising messages. This substitution allows positioning to function in indoor environments by using nearby devices rather than distant satellites

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If advertising messages are broadcast periodically to enable positioning, then indoor position can be determined, but connection overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition calculation accuracyVSAvoidconnection state management

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic broadcasting of advertising messages by surrounding devices and periodic scanning by the target device. This periodic action ensures continuous positioning capability without requiring constant connection establishment, reducing complexity while maintaining measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of the target device actively connecting to surrounding devices for positioning, the system inverts the approach by having surrounding devices broadcast advertising messages and the target device passively scan and receive them. This inversion eliminates connection overhead while enabling position calculation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9635498B2Methods and apparatuses for indoor positioning

Publication Date: 2017.04.25 QUANTA COMPUTER INC

AI summary

The invention introduces an apparatus for indoor positioning, which contains at least a communications interface and a processing unit. The processing unit, coupled to the communications interface, sets the apparatus to a connection-disallowed state when an indoor positioning is activated, and broadcasts an advertising message periodically in an advertising state via the communications interface, where the advertising message contains at least the identity of the apparatus, a timestamp at which the advertising message is sent, and the transmission power.