Indoor Location Detection Using Ceiling Pattern Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location detection methods for mobile devices within buildings, such as GPS and WiFi location detection, are often inaccurate or unreliable when out of GPS range, particularly indoors.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing an image capture device to capture images of indoor ceiling patterns, generate a key matrix based on identified objects, and match it against a known key matrix to determine the device's location within a building, leveraging the unique patterns of ceiling tiles and objects to provide accurate location identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS or cellular tower triangulation is used for location detection, then the method is simple and widely available, but the accuracy deteriorates when indoors or underground where GPS signals are unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ceiling patterns as an intermediary reference system that mediates between the mobile device and the building structure. These patterns serve as visual landmarks that can be captured by the device camera and matched against a pre-stored database of ceiling patterns for different locations, enabling reliable indoor positioning without requiring GPS signals
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the physical ceiling pattern environment in the form of a digital database containing images or representations of ceiling patterns from various locations. The mobile device captures a live image of the ceiling and compares it against this digital copy database to determine location, effectively using a copied representation of the physical environment for positioning
2Measurement precision
If WiFi location detection is used as a potential solution, then it can work indoors, but the accuracy and trustworthiness are insufficient compared to what is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes visual characteristics of ceiling patterns including color variations, tile patterns, lighting fixtures, and architectural features as unique identifiers for different locations. By analyzing these visual properties captured in ceiling images, the system achieves high measurement precision in determining device location within a building
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the indoor environment into discrete location zones, each characterized by a unique ceiling pattern. The system divides the building into multiple positionable areas by creating a database of distinct ceiling pattern segments from different locations, allowing the device to determine which segment it is currently in by matching its captured ceiling image against the segmented database
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a method for location detection using an indoor ceiling pattern within a building, the method including: utilizing at least one processor to execute computer code that performs the steps of: capturing, using an image capture device, an image of the indoor ceiling pattern; identifying, within the image, at least one object; generating, based on the at least one object, a key matrix; determining if the key matrix matches a subset of a known key matrix; and responsive to the determining, identifying, based on the known key matrix, a location of the image capture device within the building. Other aspects are described and claimed.