Indoor Navigation Map Extraction Without Wi-Fi Beacons
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional indoor location-based services rely heavily on infrastructure, such as Wi-Fi hotspots and Bluetooth beacons, which are costly to deploy and maintain at scale, and infrastructure-independent solutions require a reference route, limiting their applicability.
Innovation Solution
A method to convert a floor plan into a generic indoor map representation using geometrical structure extraction, enabling infrastructure-independent real-time navigation by combining this representation with environment data and third-party applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional indoor positioning solutions use infrastructure such as Wi-Fi hotspots and Bluetooth beacons, then positioning accuracy can be achieved, but deployment cost and maintenance overhead increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential navigation functionality from infrastructure-dependent systems by using map matching algorithms that work with standard navigation maps. The system extracts route information and positioning capabilities without requiring Wi-Fi hotspots, Bluetooth beacons, or other specialized infrastructure, thereby eliminating deployment and maintenance costs associated with such infrastructure while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical environment by using standard navigation maps (such as OpenStreetMap) as a digital representation. This map copy contains all necessary route and location information needed for indoor positioning and navigation, eliminating the need for physical infrastructure installations while providing equivalent or superior positioning capabilities.
2Device complexity
If infrastructure-independent solutions use leader-follower model, then deployment cost is reduced, but the solution requires existing reference routes which limits applicability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the navigation system universal by using standard navigation maps that can represent any indoor or outdoor environment. The map matching algorithm works with any map format and can handle various navigation scenarios including indoor buildings, outdoor cities, and complex multi-level structures. This eliminates the need for reference routes and enables the system to adapt to any location without requiring pre-established navigation data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary map processing and route extraction during the map matching process itself, rather than requiring pre-existing reference routes. The system proactively generates navigation routes and positioning information by analyzing the map structure and user location, enabling it to handle new and unknown locations without prior preparation or reference data.
3Measurement precision
If conventional solutions combine maps with Wi-Fi signals and geomagnetic signals, then positioning can be achieved, but external dependencies increase making scaling difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts positioning capability from external signal dependencies by using map matching algorithms that operate independently of Wi-Fi signals, geomagnetic signals, or other environmental sensors. The system achieves positioning by matching user location data with digital map representations, eliminating all external signal dependencies and enabling seamless scaling across different environments without requiring additional infrastructure or signal calibration.
Data Source
AI summary
In implementations of the subject matter described herein, a solution for providing an indoor location-based service is provided. In this solution, a floor plan about a first floor of a first building comprising at least one floor is obtained. A first map for the first floor is generated based on the floor plan. The first map includes a plurality of vertices and edges, where one vertex corresponds to a position on the first floor, an edge connecting two vertices represents a physical object or a passable path on the first floor, and two positions corresponding to the two vertices are located at the physical object or on the passable path. Moreover, a location-based service is provided to a user at least based on the first map.