Indoor Mapping via Wireless Signal Strength and User Path Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable electronic devices struggle with indoor navigation due to the lack of direct line-of-sight required by global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), limiting their ability to provide accurate location information in indoor environments.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for mapping indoor environments using a client device that gathers location information such as wireless signal strength data and associates it with a floor plan, allowing for the generation of an indoor map, which can be completed by user input and verified through multiple paths, enabling accurate indoor navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GNSS satellites are used for location tracking, then location accuracy is improved, but the system becomes unsuitable for indoor environments due to lack of line-of-sight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wireless access points and cellular towers as intermediary objects to mediate location determination indoors. Instead of directly using GNSS satellites which require line-of-sight, the system uses signal strength measurements from these intermediary infrastructure elements to infer position, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining location accuracy and adapting to indoor environments where satellite signals are blocked
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical line-of-sight requirement of GNSS with an electromagnetic field-based approach using wireless signal strength measurements. By substituting the physical line-of-sight mechanism with signal propagation-based positioning, the system achieves indoor adaptability while maintaining measurement precision through alternative physical principles
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive location data is gathered to improve map accuracy, then location resolution is improved, but data gathering time and redundancy increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by gathering location data only along specific paths rather than comprehensively covering the entire indoor environment. The system collects signal strength measurements at discrete locations along user-defined paths, which is sufficient to create accurate maps without the time cost of exhaustive data collection across all possible locations
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by having users define paths of interest before data collection begins. By pre-specifying the areas and routes that need mapping, the system can focus data gathering efforts only where needed, reducing redundant data collection while maintaining location resolution accuracy for the areas of interest
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (100) and method (900) for mapping an indoor environment. A client device may receive an indication of a starting point on a floor plan (904). The client device may prompt the user to travel in a particular direction and indicate when the user can no longer travel in that direction (906). As the user travels from the starting point in the designated direction, the client device may gather information about the indoor environment (910). The client device may gather wireless or cellular strength data, or video image data while the user travels in the designated direction (912). The client device may associate the gathered information with the path the user traveled from the starting point to the ending point (916). The client device may indicate the area for which valid location information is available based on the path the user traveled and the information the user collected (920).