Mixed Reality Airport Navigation Using Machine-Readable Marks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passengers face difficulty in navigating large airports to reach desired locations such as security checkpoints, boarding gates, and connecting flights due to lack of efficient guidance and time estimation, especially for infrequent travelers.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes machine-readable marks to receive environmental data, determine the user's location, and generate a mixed reality route to the desired location, including virtual paths and directions, which can be updated based on user input and activity monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If passengers navigate airports using traditional methods (signs, maps, asking staff), then they can reach their destinations, but the process is time-consuming and confusing especially for infrequent travelers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the passenger and the airport environment. The mobile device captures images of machine-readable marks, processes them to determine location, and provides navigation guidance through the device's display and processing capabilities, thereby reducing navigation time and confusion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical navigation methods (physical signs, maps, and staff guidance) with an electronic system using mobile devices, machine-readable marks, and automated image processing to provide location information and routing guidance
2Measurement precision
If detailed navigation information is provided to passengers, then they can reach destinations more accurately, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts navigation functionality from complex centralized systems and places it in simple mobile devices that passengers already possess. The mobile device performs local image capture, processing, and display functions, requiring minimal additional infrastructure beyond machine-readable marks placed in the environment
3Reliability
If real-time location tracking and route updates are implemented, then navigation accuracy improves, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements location tracking and route updates only when necessary - triggered by capturing images of machine-readable marks at specific locations. Rather than continuous tracking, the system performs discrete location updates based on environmental cues, reducing computational overhead while maintaining navigation reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A method for guiding a user to desired locations within an environment is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data corresponding to the environment from a machine-readable mark in response to scanning the machine-readable mark. The data corresponding to the environment includes geographical information associated with the environment. The method further includes receiving a user input for a desired location within the environment. The method further includes iteratively determining a current location of a user within the environment in response to receiving the user input and extracting spatial data of the desired location within the environment from the geographical information. The method further includes dynamically and iteratively generating a mixed reality route to the desired location overlaid over the environment.