Hybrid Positioning Engine Fusing GNSS and Short-Range Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hybrid positioning systems face challenges in efficiently and reliably estimating the position of mobile devices due to limitations in battery power and processing capacity, especially when combining different positioning systems like GNSS, BLE, UWB, or WiFi, which have varying availability and accuracy indoors.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid positioning system that integrates a GNSS system with a short-range positioning system like BLE, UWB, or WiFi, utilizing a hybrid positioning engine to obtain and combine positioning information from both systems over a single wireless network, reducing power consumption and enhancing reliability through time synchronization and response mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mobile device transmits positioning information over multiple wireless networks (one for each positioning system), then positioning information from multiple systems can be provided, but power consumption increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple positioning system transmissions into a single wireless network transmission. The mobile device transmits positioning information from both GNSS and short-range positioning systems (BLE, UWB, or WiFi) over the same wireless network infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate transmissions for each positioning system and thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable positioning estimation
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless network is designed to serve multiple positioning systems simultaneously. The same wireless network infrastructure handles transmissions for both GNSS-assisted positioning and short-range positioning systems, making the network multi-functional and eliminating redundant transmission channels that would consume additional mobile device power
2Measurement precision
If the mobile device uses multiple positioning systems simultaneously, then positioning accuracy and coverage are improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a positioning server as an intermediary that performs the complex fusion of positioning data from multiple systems. The mobile device simply collects positioning information from GNSS and short-range positioning systems and transmits it over a single wireless network to the server, which then performs the computationally intensive tasks of data fusion and position calculation, thereby reducing the processing complexity burden on the mobile device
3Duration of action of stationary object
If GNSS positioning information is used indoors, then continuous tracking can be maintained, but signal reception quality and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite positioning solution by fusing data from multiple positioning systems (GNSS and short-range positioning systems like BLE, UWB, or WiFi). This composite approach allows the system to maintain continuous tracking availability by switching between or combining data sources, while compensating for the poor GNSS signal quality indoors through the use of complementary short-range positioning data
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for positioning estimation in a hybrid positioning system comprising a first positioning system, which is based on global navigation satellite system, GNSS, a second positioning system, which includes a plurality of locator devices, and a hybrid positioning engine. The method comprises obtaining, by a mobile device, first positioning information based on first positioning signals received from the first positioning system; transmitting, by the mobile device, second positioning signals to the plurality of locator devices via a first wireless network; generating, by the plurality of locator devices, second positioning information based on the second positioning signals, and retrieving the first positioning information from the second positioning signals; providing, by the plurality of locator devices, the first positioning information and the second positioning information to the hybrid positioning engine; and determining, by the hybrid positioning engine, an estimated position of the mobile device based on the first positioning information and the second positioning information.