Context-Aware Navigation Engine for Mobile Location Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation systems in mobile devices often suffer from inaccuracies due to factors like insufficient satellite availability, poor satellite geometry, and multi-path signals, leading to poor user experience with navigation solutions.
Innovation Solution
A location aware device is equipped with environment sensors whose outputs are aggregated to determine context data, which is then used by a navigation engine to compute more accurate navigation solutions, potentially through the integration with GPS and inertial navigation systems using a Kalman filter, to modify or directly compute navigation states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If satellite based navigation systems are used, then location accuracy is improved, but navigation errors such as position overshoots and hovering occur due to algorithm limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines satellite based navigation systems with inertial navigation systems and environment sensors to create a hybrid navigation solution. The inertial navigation system provides continuous position, velocity, and orientation data independent of satellite signals, while environment sensors detect contextual information about the device's surroundings. This merging of multiple navigation approaches compensates for the weaknesses of satellite based systems alone, reducing position overshoots and hovering errors by providing redundant and complementary measurement sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the navigation engine continuously processes data from satellite receivers, inertial sensors, and environment sensors to adjust and refine navigation solutions. The context data generated from sensor aggregation feeds back into the navigation algorithm to correct errors in real-time, such as detecting when the device is stationary versus moving to prevent position overshoots, and identifying hovering conditions to stabilize the navigation solution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications are integrated in mobile devices, then device functionality is improved, but device size increases due to space limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a unified navigation engine that serves multiple applications and functions within the mobile device. The same navigation system processes data from satellite receivers, inertial sensors, and environment sensors to provide location-based services for navigation, mapping, location awareness, and other applications. This multi-functional approach allows diverse applications to share common hardware resources and processing capabilities, increasing device versatility without proportionally increasing device size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple sensor types and navigation approaches into a single integrated navigation solution. By combining satellite based navigation, inertial navigation, and environment sensing in one unified system, the patent enables multiple applications to access location services without requiring separate dedicated hardware for each function, thus maintaining compact device dimensions while providing enhanced functionality.
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 approach results in more accurate navigation solutions, reducing errors such as position overshoots and improving the overall user experience by integrating sensor data with GPS data for enhanced location determination.
Implementation Method 1
Sensor output(s) are aggregated and used to determine a context for the location aware device. Based on the determined context, context data is generated and provided to a navigation engine where it can be used to determine a navigation solution.
Data Source
AI summary
A location aware device includes a navigation system and one or more environment sensors. Sensor output(s) are aggregated and used to determine a context for the location aware device. Based on the determined context, context data is generated and provided to a navigation engine where it can be used to determine a navigation solution.