Portable Device Location Identification via Environmental Signatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current location detection methods for portable electronic devices rely on physical location coordinates, which are less useful than descriptive labels like 'Office' or 'Home' for many applications, and struggle to accurately identify specific locations when geographical coordinates are not precise enough.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates a signature vector from various operating environment characteristics, such as sensor values and visible Wi-Fi and cellular transmitters, to determine a location label by comparing it to previously captured signatures associated with specific labels, using a compressed sensing technique to reduce dimensionality and improve identification efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If location information is determined using GPS coordinates, then the location can be provided in terms of geographical coordinates, but the functionality is limited because services must be defined against a location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the location representation from geographical coordinates to contextual labels by changing the parameters used for location identification. Instead of relying on latitude/longitude coordinates, the system uses environmental characteristics (Wi-Fi signals, cellular towers, sensors) to generate contextual labels that better represent the actual location context, thereby improving service adaptability while maintaining identification accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces environmental characteristics (Wi-Fi networks, cellular towers, sensor data) as intermediary elements between the device and the location identification system. These intermediaries provide richer contextual information that enables more accurate and versatile location-based services without being constrained by coordinate-based definitions
2Reliability
If geographical coordinates are used for location identification, then positioning can be achieved, but accurate identification of specific locations is difficult when coordinates are not precise enough
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical GPS coordinate-based positioning system with an environmental fingerprinting system. Instead of relying on satellite-based mechanical positioning, the system uses electromagnetic signals (Wi-Fi, cellular) and sensor data to create contextual location identifiers, achieving more reliable identification of specific locations even when GPS precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple environmental characteristics (Wi-Fi signal strengths, cellular tower identifiers, accelerometer data, barometer readings) into a composite location signature. This composite approach creates a more reliable and precise location identification mechanism that overcomes the limitations of any single measurement source
Data Source
AI summary
A location label may be determined for a portable electronic device. The location label may provide a textual indication of the particular location of a user of the portable electronic device, such as a restaurant name, or more generally a type of location of the user, such as simply a restaurant. The location label is determined based on a signature vector of operating environment characteristics of the portable electronic device. The operating environment characteristics may include sensor values, visible transmitters, radio connection information, executing applications or other operating environment characteristics that can have a value associated with them.