Indoor Wayfinding Using Layered Map Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor wayfinding systems often lack sufficient detail for navigating within buildings, as they rely on publicly available maps that cannot be zoomed in enough to identify specific features, and generating detailed maps is computationally complex, potentially compromising user privacy and security.
Innovation Solution
The system generates a route between locations in a building using multiple map layers, including a static site layer, a static floor plan layer, a dynamic features layer, and a dynamic route layer, without relying on public maps, allowing for improved detail and security by using raster and vector images, and avoiding the complexity of rendering multiple dynamic images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If public maps are used for indoor wayfinding, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the map into multiple layers (base map layer, indoor floor plan layer, route layer, feature layer) that can be independently controlled. This allows the base map to provide general context while the indoor layers provide precise navigation details, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional public maps to a multi-layered dimensional structure where each layer serves a specific function. The overlay of detailed indoor floor plans on top of base maps adds a new dimension of precision without sacrificing the operational simplicity of using a smartphone application.
2Manufacturing precision
If detailed maps are generated, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the mapping system into separate layers (base map, floor plan, route, features), the system achieves detailed precision without requiring a single complex rendering engine. Each layer can be processed and rendered independently, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layered structure between the simple public map and the required detailed navigation. This intermediary layering approach allows detailed information to be presented without the full computational complexity of generating and rendering a single highly detailed map, as each layer can be optimized separately.
3Ease of operation
If public maps are used, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of information worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation into multiple layers ensures that no information is lost from the public map, as it is preserved in the base map layer. Additional indoor-specific information is added in separate layers, maintaining the完整性 of the original data while enriching it with necessary details for indoor navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges public map data with private indoor floor plan data in a unified multi-layered structure. This combination preserves all information from the public map while adding critical indoor navigation information, eliminating information loss without sacrificing the ease of using a standardized mapping application interface.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices are described. Indoor wayfinding may be performed using a set of layers overlayed on a map, such as a site map of the surrounding environment of a building, using a combination of static and dynamic images. For example, a user device may transmit a request to a server for a route to a desired location of a floor of a building. In some cases, the server may, in response to the request, generate the route using a set of map layers that includes a static image of the site, a static image of a floor plan of the floor housing the location, a vector image of features such as rooms and offices of the floor that includes the desired location, and a vector image of a route from a starting location of the floor, such as an entrance or elevator, and the desired location.