Indoor Commodity Guidance via Image Recognition and Database Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional GPS systems are ineffective in indoor environments due to signal blocking by structures, making it difficult to accurately specify a user's position and guide them to a desired commodity within a building.
Innovation Solution
A guiding method and system that uses a smartphone camera to photograph the indoor environment, performs image recognition to match commodity lists with the photographed image, and provides guidance information to the user about the location of registered commodities, including their positions and directions, using pre-stored commodity arrangement information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS is used to specify position, then outdoor position can be specified in the order of several meters, but GPS signal is blocked by roof or wall in indoor environment and detection accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of ceiling-mounted markers and camera-based recognition to bridge the gap between GPS and indoor positioning. The markers serve as intermediate reference points that cameras can detect and use to calculate precise indoor positions, effectively mediating between outdoor GPS coordinates and indoor location data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the GPS satellite-based electromagnetic signal system with an optical recognition system using cameras to detect ceiling markers. This substitution eliminates dependence on GPS signals that cannot penetrate buildings, using instead a local optical field-based positioning mechanism that works reliably indoors.
2Measurement precision
If GPS signal arrives bypassing the building, then position can be specified, but detection accuracy deteriorates due to influence of bypassing signal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the positioning function from the GPS system entirely for indoor environments. Instead of relying on GPS signals that may bypass buildings and cause accuracy deterioration, the system uses a dedicated indoor marker-recognition positioning mechanism that is independent of GPS and immune to its interfering signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the positioning system into distinct outdoor (GPS) and indoor (marker recognition) components. This segmentation allows each subsystem to operate optimally in its designated environment without interference from the other, preventing GPS signal issues from affecting indoor positioning accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If conventional GPS is used, then outdoor navigation is effective, but indoor position specification in the order of 10 centimeters to 1 meter cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal positioning system that functions across both outdoor and indoor environments by combining GPS with marker-based optical recognition. The system adapts its methodology based on environment detection, providing high-precision positioning (10 cm to 1 meter level) indoors while maintaining outdoor navigation capabilities through GPS integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic positioning system that automatically switches between GPS-based outdoor positioning and marker-based indoor positioning based on environmental conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high precision across varying environments, achieving 10 cm to 1 meter accuracy indoors while preserving outdoor navigational functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A commodity layout database retains commodity arrangement information in which a plurality of kinds of commodity identification information for identifying a plurality of commodities arranged indoors and indoor arrangement positions of the plurality of commodities are associated with each other. A photographing unit photographs the periphery of an indoor. A commodity specifying unit analyzes a photographed image and specifies commodity identification information included in the photographed image. A guidance information creating unit specifies an indoor arrangement position of a registered commodity registered in advance by the user on the basis of the specified commodity identification information, the commodity arrangement information, and registered commodity identification information for identifying the registered commodity, and creates guidance information for guiding the user to the specified arrangement position of the registered commodity. A display unit presents the created guidance information.