Cooperative Positioning via Peer Discovery Signal Bits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate mobile device location determination in indoor environments is challenging due to insufficient permanent fixed location anchor points, incomplete signal reference maps, and changing environmental conditions, which require resource-efficient cooperative positioning methods without excessive overhead.
Innovation Solution
Mobile devices use peer discovery signals with dedicated bits to indicate their willingness and ability to participate in cooperative location determination operations, allowing them to serve as temporary location anchor points and assist in determining the positions of other devices with minimal signaling overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If permanent fixed location anchor points are installed throughout a building to provide full coverage, then location determination accuracy is improved, but infrastructure cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Mobile devices serve themselves as temporary anchor points by broadcasting their known locations and allowing other devices to use them for positioning. This eliminates the need for permanent fixed infrastructure while maintaining location determination capability through device-to-device cooperation.
Solution Approach 2:
Mobile devices perform multiple functions: they are both location seekers and location providers (anchor points). This multi-functionality allows the same device type to fulfill different roles in the positioning system, reducing the need for specialized permanent infrastructure.
2Measurement precision
If mobile devices cooperate in location determination operations, then location accuracy is improved, but signaling overhead and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Devices participate in cooperative positioning only partially or selectively based on their current state, capabilities, and needs. Not all devices engage in all positioning operations, which reduces overall signaling overhead while still achieving accurate location determination when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooperative positioning operations are performed periodically or on-demand rather than continuously. Devices can opt in or out of cooperative modes based on current requirements, reducing unnecessary signaling and energy consumption while maintaining accuracy when cooperation is active.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a complete set of permanent fixed location anchor points is installed, then full coverage is achieved, but physical construction and financial cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning infrastructure becomes dynamic with mobile devices that can move to different locations and serve as temporary anchor points. This dynamic approach provides flexible coverage adaptation without the need for static permanent installations in every location.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of installing unique permanent anchor points throughout a building, the system uses copies of mobile devices that can each serve as temporary anchor points. These device copies provide equivalent positioning functionality without requiring physical construction of permanent infrastructure.
4Measurement precision
If signal reference maps are created with extensive measurements, then location accuracy is improved, but survey time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Signal reference maps are created in advance during initial surveys, and then mobile devices use these pre-created maps for positioning without requiring additional extensive measurements. The preliminary survey work is reused by multiple devices, reducing repeated survey time and resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recycles and reuses signal reference map data across multiple positioning operations and devices. Instead of creating new extensive surveys for each positioning task, the system recovers and applies existing reference map information, significantly reducing survey time and resources.
Data Source
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AI summary
One or more bits are used in peer discovery signals to signal a device's ability and/or willingness to participate in a cooperative manner with regard to one or more mobile device location determination related operations. In some embodiments, the one or more bits are located at predetermined locations within a header portion of a peer discovery signal. Different bits, in some embodiments, are associated with different specific cooperative location determination related operations. The peer discovery signal is transmitted, e.g., broadcast, periodically or on some predetermined basis by a mobile wireless communications device. In this manner, a device listening to the peer discovery signals can determine other devices' willingness to perform particular location discovery related operations with very little signaling overhead.