Indoor Positioning via Visible Light Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional positioning systems, such as GPS, are ineffective indoors due to the inability to receive GPS signals, necessitating a technology that can accurately determine the position of a mobile terminal in indoor environments.

Innovation Solution

The use of visible light communication, where a lighting device outputs a visible light signal containing its position information, allowing a terminal to calculate an error distance and correct its position based on this data, thereby providing accurate indoor positioning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If GPS positioning is used, then positioning service is available outdoors, but positioning cannot be performed indoors due to inability to receive GPS signals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning availabilityVSAvoidindoor positioning capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces visible light signals from lighting devices as an intermediary medium for indoor positioning. Instead of relying on GPS satellites that cannot penetrate buildings, the system uses local lighting devices as reference points that emit visible light containing position information, enabling the terminal to determine its location indoors through light reception and position calculation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If visible light communication is used for positioning, then indoor positioning accuracy is improved, but position correction complexity increases due to error distance calculation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindoor positioning accuracyVSAvoidposition correction processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the terminal calculates the error distance between its estimated position (based on received light signal position) and its actual position (determined through other means or iterative refinement). This error information is fed back to correct the position estimation, continuously improving positioning accuracy while managing computational complexity through iterative refinement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables accurate positioning of a terminal indoors by using visible light communication, overcoming the limitations of GPS systems in indoor environments through precise calculation of error distances and corrected positions.

Implementation Method 1

a transmitter outputs visible light by using a Light Emitting Diode (LED), a Laser Diode (LD), or the like as a light source

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight Emitting Diode: Light Emitting Diode

Implementation Method 2

a receiver processes the output visible light by using a Photo Detector (PD) and the like to perform visible light communication

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotoelectric Effect: Photoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentEP2778706B1Position correction device using visible light communication and method thereof
Publication Date: 2023.02.22 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP2778706B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2778706B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2778706B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The present invention relates to a position compensation device using visible light communication and a method thereof. To this end, the present invention receives a visible light signal which includes lighting position information from a lighting device to extract the lighting position information from the received visible light signal, and calculates a compensated position of a position compensation device by using the extracted lighting position information if a request for position compensation exists, thereby providing an exact position of a user indoors.