Indoor Positioning via Radio Environment Path Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Satellite signal-based positioning technologies are inadequate for indoor navigation due to poor signal penetration through walls and roofs, leading to inaccurate and seamless navigation experiences indoors.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize radio signal characteristics and user-defined path sections on indoor maps to adjust location estimates, providing improved positioning assistance data for mobile devices, allowing for more accurate and user-friendly indoor navigation by specifying path sections and adjusting location estimates based on radio environment data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If satellite signal-based positioning technologies are used outdoors, then positioning accuracy is improved, but positioning performance deteriorates indoors due to poor signal penetration through walls and roofs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces terrestrial transmitters (pseudolites, WLAN access points, Bluetooth beacons) as intermediary positioning infrastructure to replace satellite signals in indoor environments. These intermediaries transmit radio signals that can penetrate building structures, enabling continuous positioning both outdoors and indoors without relying on satellite signal penetration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from satellite-based radio frequency signals to terrestrial-based radio signals with different propagation characteristics. By changing the positioning signal source and its physical parameters (transmitter location, signal strength, frequency), the system achieves reliable indoor positioning where satellite signals fail.
2Reliability
If WLAN-based positioning solutions are deployed, then indoor positioning capability is improved, but system complexity increases due to training stage and positioning stage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a training stage before the positioning stage, where radio environment data (fingerprints) are collected and stored in advance at various locations. This preliminary action creates a reference database that simplifies the actual positioning process, as mobile devices only need to compare current signal measurements against the pre-collected data without performing complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables mobile devices to autonomously determine their location by comparing their own radio signal measurements against the stored fingerprint database. Each device performs its own positioning calculation using the assistance data, eliminating the need for continuous server-side processing and reducing overall system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If location estimates are adjusted based on path sections, then navigation accuracy is improved, but computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the indoor environment into discrete path sections with associated influence areas and target areas. Instead of performing complex global optimization, the system applies localized adjustments only in relevant areas. When a location estimate falls within an influence area, a simple geometric transformation moves it to the corresponding target area, reducing computational burden while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the navigation space into multiple path sections, each with defined influence and target areas. This segmentation allows the system to process location estimates in discrete, manageable units rather than treating the entire environment as a single complex calculation problem, thereby reducing overall computational requirements.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
In a system a map of a site is presented on a display (201). A user input specifying at least one path section in the map on the display is detected (202). A definition of the at least one path section is stored (203). A representation of a radio environment stored for the site is provided as positioning assistance data. The representation of the radio environment enables a determination of a location estimate for a mobile device at the site based on at least one characteristic of at least one radio signal detected by the mobile device at the site. The definition of the at least one specified path section is provided for enabling an adjustment of a determined location estimate (204).