Multi-stage Dead Reckoning for Mobile Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increased demand for location-based functionality in cellular phones leads to significant processing power consumption and battery drain due to calculations required to determine device position, resulting in a frustrating user experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing multi-stage dead reckoning, where a device uses inertial sensors to determine movement data, which is then processed in a second stage by a crowd sourcing data service using filters and maps, alleviating the device of complex calculations and conserving energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If dead reckoning calculations are performed on the device to determine position, then location-based functionality is provided, but processing power consumption increases and battery drains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a crowd-sourcing data service as an intermediary between the device and the dead reckoning calculation process. The service receives sensor data from the device, performs the computationally intensive position determination calculations on its servers, and returns the position results to the device. This mediator approach allows the device to obtain accurate position information without performing the heavy calculations locally, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and energy consumption.
2Measurement precision
If complex dead reckoning calculations are performed on the device, then accurate position is determined, but device processing burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex dead reckoning calculation functions from the device and relocates them to the crowd-sourcing data service infrastructure. The device only needs to collect sensor data and send it to the service, while the service handles the complex mathematical computations involving sensor fusion, map matching, and position calculation. This extraction of computational complexity resolves the contradiction between achieving accurate position determination and maintaining simple device processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A device identifies signals it receives at a particular point in time, such as Wi-Fi signals and cell tower signals. The device records data indicating these identified signals, as well as data used to determine the position of the device at that particular point in time. The position of the device is determined using dead reckoning, which is separated into two stages. In the first stage, a distance and direction of movement is determined at the device based on data from various inertial sensors of the device. In the second stage, various filters, maps, and/or other techniques are used at another device (e.g., a crowd sourcing data service) thus alleviating the device of the burden of performing the second stage.