Building Fixture Beacon Transmission for Indoor Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beacon-based indoor positioning systems lack the accuracy needed for effective communication and control of proximate resources in buildings, as they do not incorporate sensed information from building fixtures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating sensors, communication circuitry, and controllers in building fixtures to generate and transmit beacons that include sensed information, such as motion or light data, allowing for more accurate location estimation of mobile devices and adaptive management of beacon transmission power and timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beacon-based indoor positioning is used without sensed information, then the system is simple and energy-consuming devices are minimized, but location accuracy is insufficient for effective communication and control of proximate resources
Solution Approach 1:
Building fixtures (lights, sensors) are made multi-functional by enabling them to serve both their primary function (lighting, sensing) and beacon transmission for positioning. The controller in existing fixtures manages both fixture operation and beacon generation, eliminating the need for separate positioning hardware and reducing overall system complexity while improving location accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Building fixtures autonomously generate and transmit beacons containing sensed information (occupancy, environmental data) without requiring external positioning infrastructure. The fixtures self-manage beacon transmission based on their sensor data, providing accurate location information while maintaining system simplicity
2Measurement precision
If beacons are transmitted continuously to maintain location tracking, then location estimation accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Beacon transmission is implemented as periodic rather than continuous, with the controller managing transmission timing based on location accuracy requirements and energy constraints. This allows the system to maintain adequate location estimation accuracy while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The beacon transmission system is made dynamic by adjusting transmission parameters (timing, power, frequency) based on current location accuracy requirements and energy availability. The controller dynamically manages beacon transmission to optimize the balance between location estimation accuracy and energy consumption
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatuses, methods and systems for beacon transmission of a fixture that includes sensed information are disclosed. For an embodiment, the fixture includes a sensor operative to generate a sense signal, communication circuitry operative to maintain a link with a network, a wireless transmitter, and a controller. The controller is operative to receive the sensed signal, manage communication with the network, and manage transmission of beacons through the wireless transmitter, wherein the beacons include information associated with the fixture, wherein the information includes at least information of the sense signal.