Map Tile Segmentation for Indoor Location Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile devices struggle to determine location accurately indoors due to weak or absent GPS signals, leading to inefficiencies in memory usage, network bandwidth, and processor load.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where a mobile device downloads and uses map tiles on an as-needed basis, utilizing location data and sensor readings to estimate its position, with each tile covering a portion of a venue, allowing for efficient memory management and rapid location determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the mobile device stores complete map data for the entire venue, then location determination accuracy is improved, but memory footprint and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the complete map data into multiple smaller tiles, each representing a specific portion of the venue. The mobile device downloads and stores only the relevant tiles based on its current location and movement constraints, rather than storing the entire map. This segmentation approach maintains location determination accuracy for the active area while significantly reducing overall memory footprint.
2Speed
If the mobile device downloads complete map data upfront, then location determination speed is improved, but network bandwidth usage and time requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-dividing the map data into tiles and pre-determining which tiles are needed based on the mobile device's current location and movement constraints. The system can then quickly retrieve only the necessary tiles from the server rather than downloading the complete map data, significantly reducing network bandwidth usage and initial location estimation time.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the map data into smaller tiles, the system enables selective downloading of only the necessary portions based on current location and movement constraints. This segmentation allows for rapid retrieval and processing of relevant map data without the overhead of transferring and processing the complete map dataset.
3Measurement precision
If the mobile device processes location data for the entire venue, then location determination accuracy is improved, but processor load and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the venue into multiple spatial tiles, each with its own location data. The mobile device processor only needs to process and match sensor readings against the relevant tiles corresponding to the current location and movement constraints, rather than processing the entire venue map. This segmentation dramatically reduces computational complexity and processor load while maintaining location determination accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device can send a request to a server having a plurality of tiles of location data associated with a venue, each tile having location data associated with a portion of the venue, the request including data representing an estimated location of the mobile device. The mobile device can receive a first tile of location data sent from the server, the first tile being associated with a first portion of the venue that includes the estimated location. The mobile device can receive a first sensor reading and determine a first location of the mobile device at the venue using the first sensor reading and the first tile of location data. The mobile device may receive a second tile of location data sent from the server, the second tile being associated with a second portion of the venue. The mobile device may receive a second sensor reading and determine a second location of the mobile device at the venue using the second sensor reading and the second tile of location data.