Mobile Device Beaconing for Location Sharing in Crowds
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Solution Overview
Problem
In crowded events or situations where last-minute changes occur, individuals face difficulties in locating each other or finding their parked vehicles due to large crowds, and existing technologies lack effective solutions for real-time location sharing and identification using mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing mobile devices and servers to provide beaconing sequences for location sharing, where mobile devices communicate with servers to determine directions and distances, and remember locations, enabling users to share their locations and be located by others using unique beaconing sequences in crowded environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mobile devices are used for location sharing in crowded events, then users can locate each other and find parked vehicles, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces beaconing sequences as an intermediary mechanism that enables location sharing without requiring complex continuous communication infrastructure. Mobile devices transmit periodic beacon signals containing location information, allowing other devices to detect and locate them. This intermediary approach simplifies the system by using simple periodic signals rather than complex real-time communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic beaconing where mobile devices transmit location information at regular intervals rather than continuously. This periodic action reduces system complexity and energy consumption while still enabling effective location sharing. The beaconing sequences are transmitted periodically, allowing receiving devices to track location changes over time without requiring constant communication.
2Measurement precision
If beaconing sequences are transmitted continuously, then location accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic beaconing where mobile devices transmit location information at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. This approach maintains location accuracy sufficient for crowd navigation while dramatically reducing energy consumption compared to continuous transmission. The periodic nature allows the device to enter low-power states between transmissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by transmitting beaconing sequences only when necessary for location tracking rather than continuously. The beaconing interval is optimized to provide sufficient location updates for the application needs while minimizing energy expenditure. This partial transmission approach achieves adequate location precision without the excessive energy cost of continuous broadcasting.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple mobile devices transmit location data simultaneously, then location sharing coverage is improved, but signal interference and detection difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns unique characteristics to beaconing sequences transmitted by different mobile devices, such as unique identifiers or coded patterns. This local differentiation allows receiving devices to distinguish between multiple simultaneous transmissions in the same area. Each device's beacon has distinctive local quality that enables reliable detection and identification even in crowded environments with many concurrent transmitters.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, computer readable storage medium, and systems for mobile devices to locate persons or places are described. In a feature, the invention is a method implemented in a server for providing beaconing sequences to the mobile devices for location sharing. In a feature, the invention is a server executing a method of locating a user using a beaconing mobile device. In a feature, the invention is a non-transitory computer readable medium on a server that encodes a program to execute a method on a first mobile device that determine directions and/or distance between the first mobile device and a second mobile device. In a feature, the invention is a server executing a method to remember a place on a mobile device.