Crowdsourced Indoor Geolocation via Landmark Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional geolocation systems, such as GPS, are ineffective in indoor environments due to signal blocking by physical barriers, and existing methods require hardware installation and known layouts to function accurately.
Innovation Solution
A mobile-based crowdsourcing platform that uses remote mobile devices to communicate with a cloud-based service, collecting and analyzing user data from sensors like GPS, IMU, and RF signals to determine location and movement within environments, including indoor spaces, and prompts users for direct input to enhance positioning accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signals are used for geolocation, then outdoor location accuracy is improved, but indoor location determination fails due to signal blocking by physical barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediate reference points (landmarks) within the indoor environment that serve as mediators between the user's mobile device and the outdoor GPS system. These landmarks are detected by the mobile device's sensors (camera, barcode scanner, RFID reader) to triangulate and determine indoor position, effectively bridging the gap between outdoor GPS capability and indoor positioning need without requiring specialized indoor hardware infrastructure.
2Reliability
If multiple signal sources and hardware devices are deployed for indoor geolocation, then indoor positioning capability is improved, but device complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables mobile devices to perform self-service indoor positioning by utilizing existing sensors (camera, accelerometer, GPS receiver) already present in consumer smartphones and tablets. The system allows these devices to autonomously detect landmarks, process sensor data, and determine their own positions without requiring external hardware installation or complex infrastructure deployment, thereby eliminating the need for specialized indoor positioning hardware while maintaining positioning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes mobile devices universal by enabling them to perform multiple functions: outdoor GPS positioning, indoor landmark detection, sensor data processing, and position triangulation. This multi-functionality allows a single consumer mobile device to replace multiple specialized hardware systems (GPS receivers, indoor beacons, RFID readers) that would otherwise be needed for comprehensive positioning coverage across both indoor and outdoor environments.
3Measurement precision
If known layout or floor plan data is required for indoor geolocation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but system adaptability to new environments decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having users manually input or verify landmark positions and characteristics before actual positioning operations begin. This pre-establishment of landmark data creates a reference framework that enables accurate positioning without requiring pre-existing digital floor plans or layout information. The system prepares the environment for positioning by first populating it with detectable landmarks whose positions are recorded in the database, allowing subsequent positioning to proceed autonomously without needing comprehensive prior environmental knowledge.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate geolocation and tracking of users within indoor environments, such as parking lots and airports, reducing the need for hardware installation and improving user navigation and alert systems, while also allowing for real-time monitoring and alerting.
Implementation Method 1
user data as captured by one or more sensors on the mobile device, wherein such data includes, but is not limited to, user movement (e.g., GPS measurements, IMU measurements, etc.)
Implementation Method 2
signals from the mobile device (e.g., received signal strength (RSS) measurements, RF measurements, etc.)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a system for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform. The system includes a plurality of remote mobile devices configured to communicate and exchange data with a geolocation service based on the crowdsourcing, or polling, of users of such mobile devices to determine location and movement of the users within a specific environment. For example, in an outdoor environment such as a parking lot, the system can track the location of a user's vehicle within the lot and provide the user with an exact position of their vehicle upon the user returning to the parking lot. In the instance of an indoor environment, such as an airport, the system provides a messaging/location alert service for persons within the airport, where any given person's location within the airport can be determined and correlated with an impending departure of a flight for which they are associated.