Mobile Device Parking Navigation via Relative Position Acoustic Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers often face difficulty in locating their parked vehicles, especially in parking lots or structures where GPS signals are unavailable, leading to challenges in navigation upon returning.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device system that determines the relative position of the vehicle and emits sounds based on this position, using GPS signals when available, or recording relative movement to guide the driver back to the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signals are used to determine vehicle location, then location accuracy is improved, but the system fails in environments where GPS signals are unavailable (indoor parking structures)
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the location determination process into two independent segments: GPS-based absolute location determination for outdoor environments, and relative position tracking for indoor environments. This segmentation allows each method to operate optimally within its suitable environment without interfering with the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary approach by using the mobile device's motion sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) as a mediator between the vehicle and the driver. These sensors track relative movement and orientation changes, enabling location determination in GPS-denied environments through inertial navigation principles.
2Ease of operation
If visual displays are used to show vehicle location, then navigation information is provided, but resource consumption increases and user attention is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the visual display mechanism with an acoustic feedback mechanism. Instead of requiring the driver to look at a screen, the system uses audio cues (beeps, tones, or voice guidance) to indicate direction and distance to the vehicle, substituting visual information processing with auditory information processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides autonomous navigation guidance through audio cues that automatically adjust based on the driver's position relative to the vehicle. The audio feedback adapts in real-time without requiring user intervention or interpretation, guiding the driver naturally toward the vehicle location.
3Reliability
If extensive hardware is deployed for parking location tracking, then navigation capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the mobile device universal by utilizing its existing multi-functional capabilities (GPS receiver, motion sensors, audio output) for parking location navigation. No dedicated hardware is added; instead, existing components are repurposed and coordinated to achieve reliable navigation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple existing functions of the mobile device (location services, sensor data processing, audio output) into a unified parking navigation system. By combining these functions rather than adding separate dedicated systems, the solution achieves reliable navigation while minimizing hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises determining a relative position between a mobile device and a parked vehicle and causing one or more sounds to be emitted, wherein a volume or a pattern of the one or more sounds is based on the relative position between the mobile device and the parked vehicle.