Indoor Navigation via LED Light Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation systems using GPS are ineffective indoors due to signal loss when pedestrians enter buildings or underground areas, and RF-based solutions suffer from significant measurement errors and require numerous access points, making them inconvenient to use.
Innovation Solution
An indoor navigation system utilizing visible light communication through LED lamps, where each lamp has a unique ID and serves as both a lighting source and information transmitter, allowing mobile terminals to determine their position and calculate optimal paths to destinations using map information and ID data received from LED spots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signal is used for navigation, then outdoor position accuracy is improved, but indoor navigation capability deteriorates due to signal loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces LED illumination lamps as intermediary devices that transmit position information and identification data. These lamps serve as mediators between the navigation system and the indoor environment, enabling position determination without direct GPS signal access by using visible light communication to convey spatial information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the radio frequency (RF) based GPS system with an optical communication system using visible light from LED lamps. This substitution enables navigation functionality indoors by using light waves instead of radio waves, which can penetrate building structures and provide continuous position awareness.
2Reliability
If RF signal based navigation system is implemented indoors, then indoor navigation capability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates with errors exceeding 10 meters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the RF signal based navigation system with an optical communication system using visible light from LED lamps. This substitution enables navigation functionality indoors by using light waves instead of radio waves, which can penetrate building structures and provide continuous position awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the visible light spectrum and color properties of LED lamps to encode position information. By detecting the specific wavelength or color characteristics of light from different LED lamps, the system can precisely determine the user's location, achieving measurement precision far superior to RF-based systems.
3Reliability
If RF based navigation system is used, then indoor position tracking is enabled, but device complexity increases due to requirement of numerous access points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes LED illumination lamps serve multiple functions: providing lighting and transmitting navigation information. By utilizing existing infrastructure elements (illumination lamps) for dual purposes, the system eliminates the need for separate access points or specialized navigation hardware, thereby reducing overall device and infrastructure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the lighting function and navigation information transmission function into a single integrated system using LED lamps. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate access points required by RF-based systems, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining reliable indoor position tracking.
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 reliable and accurate indoor navigation by providing continuous position awareness and path guidance within buildings or underground areas, reducing measurement errors and eliminating the need for extensive RF infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
Visible light communication for delivering information by using a visible ray is safe in use, uses a wide band, and can be freely used without any restriction
Implementation Method 2
a light arriving place or a light progressing direction can be seen
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for performing a navigation service in a mobile terminal is provided. Map information and an IDentification (ID) of an information spot, which is connected to a map server, are received from the information spot. A current position is determined. The map information and the current position are displayed A destination input by a user is received. An optimal path from the current position to the destination is calculated and displayed by using the map information. When the mobile terminal receives an ID of a general spot from the general spot, a current position of the mobile terminal is re-determined. When the re-determined current position is on the optimal path, the optimal path is updated and the updated optimal path from the re-determined current position to the destination is displayed.