Building Floor Estimation via Barometric Pressure Differences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless telecommunications systems face challenges in accurately determining the vertical location of a wireless terminal within a building, particularly in tall structures, as public databases often lack building-floor configurations, and existing methods rely on inaccurate pressure measurements due to measurement bias.
Innovation Solution
A wireless terminal capable of measuring barometric pressure is used to estimate building floors by calculating differences in pressure measurements, which cancels out consistent measurement bias, allowing for precise determination of height changes and identification of individual building floors through histogram analysis, enabling the provision of vertical location in terms of building floors rather than elevation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If barometric pressure measurements are used to estimate building floors, then vertical location can be determined, but measurement bias makes the estimates inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful measurement bias into a beneficial feature by using the consistent bias across multiple measurements to identify and select reliable pressure references. The bias, which would normally degrade accuracy, is instead exploited to distinguish between accurate and inaccurate measurements through statistical analysis and histogram clustering of pressure differences.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where pressure measurements from multiple wireless terminals are collected, analyzed, and used to refine the identification of accurate pressure references. The feedback loop involves continuously monitoring pressure differences, comparing them against established patterns, and adjusting the reference selection to maximize estimation accuracy.
2Loss of information
If public databases are used to obtain building-floor configurations, then building information can be retrieved, but the databases typically do not exist for most buildings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the system to self-determine building floor configurations by analyzing pressure measurements from wireless terminals within the building itself. Instead of relying on external databases that rarely contain this information, the system uses the physical pressure differential data collected from multiple terminals to automatically identify and map building floors, effectively making the system self-sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting and analyzing pressure measurements from multiple wireless terminals before attempting to determine building floor configurations. This preliminary data collection and analysis enables the system to establish accurate pressure references and floor mappings independently, without requiring pre-existing database entries.
3Measurement precision
If calibrated barometers are used to eliminate measurement bias, then pressure measurement accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses multiple uncalibrated barometers (wireless terminals) to collectively provide the information that would require a single calibrated barometer. By copying the measurement function across multiple devices and using statistical analysis to identify accurate references, the system achieves calibration-level accuracy without the complexity and cost of individually calibrating each barometer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the data from multiple uncalibrated barometers to create a collectively reliable measurement system. By combining measurements from multiple wireless terminals and using group-based statistical analysis to identify accurate pressure references, the patent achieves the accuracy of calibrated instruments while avoiding the complexity of individual calibration processes.
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
This method provides accurate and precise estimation of building floors, allowing emergency services to locate users within buildings, without requiring calibrated barometers or compensating for pressure measurement bias, and can identify multiple floors within a building.
Implementation Method 1
A wireless terminal that is capable of measuring barometric pressure can be used to provide pressure measurements for determining barometrically the terminal's elevation
Implementation Method 2
the relationship between atmospheric pressure, PA, and elevation, ZA, in which PA decreases logarithmically with ZA
Data Source
AI summary
A data-processing system that estimates the particular building floors that are present in a particular building based on differences in barometric pressure measurements provided by wireless terminals. A wireless terminal can report one or more barometric pressure measurements at the ground floor of a building and one or more pressure measurements at one or more above- or below-ground floors, or “non-ground” floors. The data-processing system receives the pressure measurements and uses the difference in the pressure measurements to determine a change in height between the ground floor and a non-ground floor. When the system collects enough data from many wireless terminals, it is able to identify the floors that are present in a particular building and their non-ground heights. Then, when an estimate of the vertical location of a wireless terminal is provided to a location application, the system is able to provide the estimate in terms of building floor.