Mobile Station Route Navigation Delay Zone Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems, particularly in indoor environments, fail to accurately account for 'delay zones' such as ticketing/baggage counters or security checkpoints, leading to inaccurate travel time estimates and route optimization, as they do not consider barriers or bottlenecks effectively.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for mobile stations to identify and transmit delay zone information, allowing computing devices to process this data and provide navigation information that includes expected delay times for known delay zones, enabling more accurate route planning and travel time estimation by accounting for specific locations and time periods.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If graphical techniques (e.g., Dijkstra's algorithm) are used to determine optimal navigation routes, then the route calculation is efficient and simple, but the travel time estimation is inaccurate because barriers and bottlenecks are not considered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute calculation efficiencyVSAvoidtravel time estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The navigation route is segmented into multiple path segments, with each segment evaluated individually for delay zone characteristics. This allows the system to maintain efficient route calculation while incorporating detailed delay information at specific locations along the route.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Delay zone information is collected and stored in advance before navigation occurs. By pre-identifying and cataloging delay zones with their characteristics, the system can quickly retrieve this information during route planning without performing complex real-time analysis, thus maintaining calculation efficiency while improving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If delay zone information is collected and analyzed from multiple mobile stations, then the navigation accuracy is improved, but the system complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Delay zone information from multiple mobile stations is merged and consolidated into a centralized database. By combining observations from multiple sources, the system builds a comprehensive delay zone profile that improves navigation accuracy while distributing the data collection burden across multiple devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Mobile stations automatically collect and report their own delay zone experiences without requiring manual input or complex coordination. Each device independently contributes to the collective knowledge base, simplifying the overall system architecture while gathering comprehensive data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of time

If delay zones are identified and accounted for in route planning, then the travel time estimation is more accurate, but the route determination process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetravel time estimation accuracyVSAvoidroute determination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The route determination process incorporates delay zone parameters as additional weighting factors in the path selection algorithm. By modifying the cost function to include delay zone characteristics, the system achieves more accurate travel time estimation while maintaining a familiar algorithmic structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2604976B1Methods and apparatuses for use in route navigation involving a mobile station
Publication Date: 2019.05.22 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP2604976B1 patent drawingFigure 1~6
  • EP2604976B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2604976B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Techniques are provided which may be implemented using various methods and/or apparatuses to allow for delay zone information to be gathered by one or more mobile stations used in route navigation, provided to one or more computing devices and processed in some manner to establish navigation information that may be of use by mobile stations involved in route navigation. For example, in certain instances navigation information may be indicative of an expected delay with regard to at least one known delay zone that may affect a user of the mobile station attempting to adhere to a route.