Encoded Beacon Tracking for Indoor Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracking technologies face challenges in achieving real-time, multi-dimensional spatial and orientation tracking with centimeter or millimeter-level accuracy, particularly indoors, due to limitations in GPS, magnetic field sensing, optical tracking systems, time of flight radio systems, and SLAM systems regarding accuracy, interference, cost, and sensitivity to environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A tracking system utilizing multiple beacons with unique cyclic equivalence classes broadcasting repeating code-words and a mobile tracking unit with a detector and processor to identify beacons in real-time, allowing for determination of spatial position and orientation without shared clock synchronization, and capable of robust error correction, including bit insertion, deletion, and flip errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If GPS is used for tracking, then coverage area is large, but positioning accuracy deteriorates to only a few meters and it becomes ineffective indoors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual beacons as intermediary objects that mediate between the tracking camera and the environment. These beacons emit encoded visual signals that the camera can detect, enabling accurate indoor positioning without relying on satellite signals. The beacons act as local reference points that bridge the gap between global coverage needs and local precision requirements.
2Measurement precision
If magnetic field sensing is used, then positioning accuracy is improved, but susceptibility to interference increases and practical range is limited to a few meters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces magnetic field sensing with optical sensing. Instead of detecting magnetic fields that are prone to interference from electrical equipment and have limited range, the system uses visual beacons that emit light signals detectable by cameras. This substitution eliminates susceptibility to magnetic interference while extending the practical tracking range beyond a few meters.
3Measurement precision
If external optical tracking systems are used, then positioning accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases due to tethering multiple synchronized cameras and calibration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using multiple cameras to track passive markers in the environment, the patent inverts the approach by using a single active tracking camera that detects active visual beacons. The beacons actively emit encoded identification signals, eliminating the need for complex multi-camera synchronization and frequent calibration. This single-camera active detection system achieves comparable accuracy with significantly reduced complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If SLAM systems are used, then cost is reduced and speed is improved, but drift and sensitivity to lighting variation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where visual beacons provide known reference points with encoded identification information. The tracking system continuously detects these beacons and uses their known positions to correct drift in the SLAM system. The beacons serve as periodic feedback anchors that reset accumulated errors, maintaining long-term positioning accuracy while preserving the cost-effectiveness of commodity camera sensors.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracking system, comprising: multiple beacons, each associated with a different cyclic equivalence class of code-word length n, and each configured to broadcast a bit-stream comprising a repeating code-word, where the code-word belongs to the associated cyclic equivalence class; and a mobile tracking unit, comprising: a sensor, and a processor, wherein the sensor is configured to simultaneously detects at least some of the bit streams, and provide each sensed bit stream in real-time to the processor, wherein for each bit-stream received by the processor from the sensor, the processor is configured to identify the beacon that broadcasted the bit-stream using the first n received bits.