Fixed Node Position Tracking via Mobile Packet Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless network technologies require additional hardware and incur high costs for tracking node positions, as they rely on distance prediction schemes like TOA and RSSI, which are inaccurate due to environmental changes and need multiple reference nodes with known positions.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that analyze the position of a mobile node and received signal strength using packet data to track a fixed node's position, reducing the need for additional hardware and reference node installation by employing a processor to extract and analyze packet data from a database, inducing trend lines based on mobile node motion patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If TOA or TDOA schemes are used for distance measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical distance measurement hardware (ultrasonic sensors, high-performance sight measurement apparatus) with a software-based packet data analysis system. The processor analyzes packet data containing mobile node position and signal strength information to calculate fixed node position, eliminating the need for specialized measurement hardware while maintaining tracking functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces packet data as an intermediary carrier that conveys position and signal strength information between mobile nodes and the fixed node. This intermediary mechanism allows distance and position information to be transmitted through standard communication channels rather than requiring dedicated measurement hardware
2Device complexity
If RSSI scheme is used for distance prediction, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to environmental changes and signal strength variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent collects and stores packet data from multiple mobile nodes before performing fixed node position calculation. By accumulating position and signal strength information from multiple sources in advance, the system compensates for environmental variations and improves measurement reliability without requiring additional hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses signal strength information from packet data as feedback to refine distance calculation. By analyzing the relationship between signal strength and known mobile node positions, the processor can compensate for environmental factors and improve the accuracy of fixed node position determination
3Measurement precision
If multiple reference nodes with known positions are deployed, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of substance increases due to installation costs and time
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using multiple fixed reference nodes with known positions to determine mobile node location, the patent inverts the approach by using mobile nodes with known positions to determine the fixed node's location. This inversion eliminates the need for deploying multiple reference nodes while achieving the same position tracking objective
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the mobile nodes themselves to provide the reference information needed for tracking. Mobile nodes transmit their position and signal strength data, which the fixed node processor uses to calculate its own position, making the system self-sufficient without requiring external reference node infrastructure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus and method for tracking a position of a fixed node. The position tracking apparatus of the fixed node may include: an interface to extract, from a database in response to the occurrence of an event about tracking the position of the fixed node, packet data corresponding to a mobile node associated with the event; and a processor to analyze a received signal strength of the packet data and a position of the mobile node from the packet data, and to track the position of the fixed node using the analysis result.