Wireless Guest Sensing for Low-Power Indoor Location Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless devices struggle to accurately track the location of persons and assets within low-power wireless networks, particularly in resource-constrained environments like cruise ships, leading to inefficiencies in guest engagement and contact tracing.
Innovation Solution
A guest engagement system utilizing wireless sensing technologies, including medallions and sensor networks, that securely identify guests and provide automated services by maintaining a database of guest locations and experiences, using low-power communication protocols like BLE and NFC, and sensor network peripherals to relay data across the network without requiring on-board processing power in sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional wireless devices are used for location tracking in low-power wireless networks, then energy consumption is reduced, but location tracking accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensor network peripherals as intermediary devices that relay data between sensors and the network. These peripherals perform the complex signal processing and location calculation functions, allowing sensors to operate in low-power mode while maintaining accurate location tracking through the intermediary's processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the processing functions into separate components: sensors responsible for data collection and sensor network peripherals responsible for signal processing and location calculation. This segmentation allows sensors to consume minimal energy while the peripherals handle the computationally intensive tasks required for accurate location tracking.
2Measurement precision
If sensors include on-board processing power, then location tracking accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensor network peripherals serve as intermediary devices that externalize the processing functions from the sensors themselves. This allows sensors to remain simple data collection devices while the peripherals provide the necessary signal processing and location calculation capabilities, reducing sensor complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the processing functions from the sensor devices and places them in separate sensor network peripheral devices. This extraction removes the complexity of on-board processing from the sensors while maintaining the accuracy benefits of processed location data.
3Measurement precision
If distributed sensor networks are deployed throughout the facility, then location tracking coverage improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor network peripherals are designed as universal devices that can serve multiple functions: relaying sensor data, performing signal processing, calculating locations, and maintaining database records. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized devices, managing system complexity while providing comprehensive location tracking coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the sensor network peripheral devices, including data relaying, signal processing, location calculation, and database management. This merging of functions into unified peripheral devices simplifies the overall system architecture compared to having separate dedicated devices for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A guest engagement system and associated methods provide seamless engagement with guests of facilities through the use of wireless sensing technologies. The system makes use of individual guest devices which are carried by guests and used to automatically identify and authenticate the guests throughout the facility. Services can thereby be seamlessly provided to the guests throughout the facility. The services include contact tracing, automatic unlocking of doors, including hotel or state room doors, based on the guests' immediate proximity to their assigned room's door. The services also include automated payment services provided at checkout or vending terminals, and automated log-on to interactive displays and portals, among others, based on secure wireless authentication of the guest devices.