Indoor Navigation Mesh Network Signal Penetration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation and tracking systems are ineffective indoors due to signal obstruction by large buildings, limiting their ability to provide accurate location information and navigation within enclosed spaces.
Innovation Solution
A mesh network system utilizing nodes that emit locational signals, allowing navigation devices to calculate their position and determine routing instructions, and tracking devices to identify their location through beacon signals, without relying on external systems or central routing units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS or mobile network signals are used for navigation and tracking, then location information can be provided outdoors, but the signals are blocked by large buildings making indoor navigation impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mesh network system consisting of multiple nodes distributed throughout the indoor space. These nodes act as mediators that relay location information between the navigation device and external systems, enabling indoor navigation without requiring direct penetration of building structures by external signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the navigation system into multiple distributed nodes rather than relying on a single centralized signal source. Each node in the mesh network independently provides location services, and the system aggregates information from multiple segments to determine accurate indoor positions.
2Measurement precision
If a mesh network with multiple nodes is deployed throughout the physical space, then accurate indoor location tracking is enabled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the mesh network nodes to perform multiple functions: they serve as both infrastructure elements (lights, sensors, communication devices) and navigation components (signal transmitters, location reference points). This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated navigation hardware while maintaining high location accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh network nodes automatically establish and maintain their own positioning within the network without requiring manual configuration or external intervention. The nodes self-organize the mesh topology and provide location services autonomously, reducing operational complexity despite the increased number of components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional navigation systems are used, then simple implementation is maintained, but they fail to provide accurate tracking in enclosed spaces like malls and airports
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the navigation system by transitioning from external signal-based positioning (GPS, cellular towers) to internal signal-based positioning using mesh network nodes. This parameter change enables the system to adapt to enclosed spaces while maintaining measurement precision through localized signal propagation characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
This application discloses systems, devices, and methods for indoor navigation and tracking with a mesh network. In one aspect, a navigation device includes a receiver configured to receive a locational signal from a node network. The locational signal identifies a respective node of the node network, and the node network is distributed throughout a physical space. The navigation device includes a memory storing a program and a processor in communication with the receiver and configured to execute the program to calculate a position of the navigation device from the identity of the respective node, determine a routing instruction from the position of the navigation device to a destination based on the position of the navigation device and a known mapping of the node network in the physical space, and update the position of the navigation device and the routing instruction as the navigation device moves through the physical space.