Indoor Positioning via Vector Map Motion Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current indoor navigation systems require costly and time-consuming infrastructure setup and manual calibration, leading to inaccurate and uncertain positioning within buildings due to reliance on signal strength maps and two-dimensional calculations, which are prone to errors and storage issues.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a vector map format for indoor navigation that restricts possible motion paths, allowing for one-dimensional position estimation, eliminating the need for additional infrastructure and manual calibration, and incorporating existing sensors and property maps to enhance accuracy and reduce storage requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If signal strength maps and two-dimensional calculations are used for indoor positioning, then positioning can be achieved without additional infrastructure, but positioning accuracy deteriorates and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional parameter from two-dimensional signal strength maps to one-dimensional motion tracks. By representing user movement as sequential positions along a path rather than across a 2D area, the system reduces computational complexity and improves accuracy while maintaining ease of implementation with existing sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the continuous movement space into discrete motion tracks composed of sequential position points. This segmentation allows the system to process movement as a series of discrete, manageable position estimates rather than attempting to calculate continuous 2D coordinates, thereby improving precision without requiring additional infrastructure.
2Ease of manufacture
If building maps are represented as bit-mapped images to show building structure, then the map can be stored and processed, but storage space requirements increase and map processing becomes less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential movement-related information from complete building maps, creating simplified one-dimensional motion tracks that contain only the positions and paths relevant to user navigation. This extraction eliminates unnecessary map data, significantly reducing storage requirements while preserving the functionality needed for positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of representing the building structure and excluding impossible paths (as in traditional maps), the patent inverts the approach by directly representing only the possible motion paths. This inversion creates a minimal data structure that contains only the information needed for positioning, reducing storage needs while improving processing efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If dead reckoning is used with building maps to calculate position, then positioning can be performed without external signals, but position estimates drift and get stuck in corners due to heading errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic correction to the dead reckoning process by continuously adjusting position estimates based on the constraints of the one-dimensional motion track. Rather than allowing uncorrected drift, the system dynamically adapts the position calculation to remain consistent with the predefined valid movement paths, preventing accumulation of errors and avoiding getting stuck in corners.
4Measurement precision
If manual calibration of transmitters and signal strength maps is performed to achieve accurate positioning, then positioning precision can be improved, but the process becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the positioning system to self-calibrate by using the predefined one-dimensional motion tracks derived from building geometry. The system automatically adjusts position estimates based on these tracks without requiring manual transmitter calibration or signal strength mapping, thereby achieving accurate positioning while eliminating time-consuming calibration processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for positioning a user inside a building, wherein the user has a user carried device (100) and the user carried device (100) is provided with a direction sensor (110) and a movement sensor (110). The method comprises the steps of providing the user carried device with a vector map (220) of the building, wherein the vector map (220) comprises vectors and nodes representing possible movement paths for the user in the building; determining a starting point in the vector map representing a first position of the user; receiving movement information from the movement sensor (110) regarding movement of the user in the building; receiving direction information from the direction sensor (110) regarding the direction of the movement of the user; and estimating a new position of the user based on the vector map, the movement information and the direction information.