Hybrid Positioning System for Mobile Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location services in mobile devices face challenges in balancing accuracy and coverage with power consumption, as absolute positioning techniques like GPS consume significant power and may not provide full coverage, while relative positioning techniques like pedestrian dead reckoning suffer from cumulative errors.
Innovation Solution
The integration of absolute and relative positioning techniques using a hybrid positioning method, which includes a sensor hub, absolute positioning circuitry, and relative positioning circuitry, dynamically adjusts sampling rates and enters sleep mode to minimize power consumption while maintaining accurate location tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If absolute positioning techniques (GPS, Wi-Fi) are used to provide reliable and accurate location information, then location accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines absolute positioning techniques (GPS, Wi-Fi) with relative positioning techniques (PDR using inertial sensors) into a hybrid positioning system. The sensor hub integrates data from both approaches, allowing the device to maintain accurate location tracking while reducing reliance on power-intensive absolute positioning methods alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the sampling rate of absolute positioning updates based on location stability. When the device determines that location has stabilized, it reduces the update rate to conserve power. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain accuracy when needed while reducing power consumption during stable periods.
2Measurement precision
If absolute positioning techniques update location information at maximum rate, then location tracking accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases and coverage may be incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic updates of absolute positioning information at variable rates. Instead of continuous maximum-rate updates, the sensor hub periodically requests location information from absolute positioning circuitry based on whether location stability criteria are met. This periodic approach maintains tracking accuracy while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous maximum-rate updates.
3Use of energy by moving object
If relative positioning techniques (PDR) are used to estimate current position, then power consumption is reduced and coverage is improved, but cumulative errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor hub continuously monitors the quality and stability of location information from both absolute and relative positioning sources. When absolute positioning data becomes available and indicates location stability, the system uses this feedback to correct and reset the cumulative errors in PDR-based relative positioning estimates. This feedback mechanism allows the system to benefit from low-power relative positioning while periodically correcting drift errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for cumulative error accumulation in relative positioning by having absolute positioning capabilities ready to correct these errors. The sensor hub monitors when absolute positioning data is available and uses it to reset the PDR error accumulation before it becomes significant, effectively cushioning against the buildup of positioning errors.
4Reliability
If the CPU constantly receives and analyzes sensor samples for relative positioning, then location tracking coverage is improved, but battery life is shortened due to extended full operation mode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processing responsibilities by introducing a sensor hub that handles initial sensor data processing and positioning calculations. This separates the low-power sensor data acquisition and basic processing from the more intensive CPU operations. The CPU only needs to process results from the sensor hub rather than continuously analyzing raw sensor samples, significantly reducing its active time and extending battery life while maintaining tracking coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic devices and methods for providing location information are provided, of which a representative method includes: generating sensor readings corresponding to sensed motion of the electronic device; determining a reference location information; computing a GPS-fused location information based on the reference location information and the sensor readings; generating a GPS-required event based on a change of the GPS-fused location information; generating a GPS-not-required event responsive to the reference location information being determined; receiving the GPS-fused location information and one of either the GPS-required event or the GPS-not-required event; responsive to the GPS-required event being received, operating the GPS receiver in a location information-acquiring mode during which the GPS receiver generates geographical location readings; and responsive to the GPS-not-required event being received, operating the GPS receiver in a power-saving mode during which the GPS receiver is deactivated.