Reverse-Beacon Indoor Positioning Using Existing Wireless Signals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor positioning systems require numerous specialized beacons for triangulation, making them costly and inconvenient for consumers, especially in residential settings, as they need to be installed and reconfigured when moving to a new location.
Innovation Solution
A reverse-beacon system that estimates its position relative to a set of nodes in a detection field by analyzing wireless signals without direct protocol-based communication, using existing infrastructure and pre-existing wireless communication devices, allowing for cost-effective and adaptable location determination and presence sensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If specialized beacons are installed for triangulation, then location determination accuracy is improved, but system cost and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling existing wireless communication devices (Wi-Fi routers, Bluetooth devices, smartphones) to serve dual purposes: their original communication functions plus location determination functions. These existing devices emit signals that the reverse-beacon can analyze for positioning, eliminating the need for specialized beacons while maintaining location accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The reverse-beacon creates a virtual copy of the beacon functionality by analyzing signals from existing devices. Instead of requiring physical specialized beacons, the system uses signal analysis to replicate the positioning capability, allowing the mobile device to determine its location relative to known positions of common wireless devices.
2Reliability
If specialized beacons are installed at every facility, then location tracking reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to reinstallation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies self-service by allowing the reverse-beacon to automatically discover and utilize existing wireless devices in the environment for positioning. When moving to a new location, the device automatically detects available Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, or other wireless signals and uses them for location determination without requiring manual installation or configuration of new beacons.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by making the mobile device the active analyzer rather than the fixed infrastructure. Instead of installing specialized beacons that emit location signals, the system reverses the role: existing communication devices emit signals, and the mobile reverse-beacon analyzes these signals to determine its position, eliminating the need for facility-specific installations.
3Area of stationary object
If numerous specialized beacons are deployed, then detection coverage is improved, but loss of substance increases due to hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables existing wireless devices to serve multiple functions simultaneously. Wi-Fi routers, Bluetooth devices, and smartphones continue their primary communication roles while also providing signals for location determination. This eliminates the need for additional specialized beacon hardware, reducing material consumption while maintaining comprehensive detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses existing wireless communication signals as intermediaries for location determination. Rather than deploying new hardware, the system leverages the signal emissions already present in the environment from common devices, using these signals as a medium to enable positioning functionality without additional physical infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Indoor positioning systems and methods including a reverse-beacon for location determination and presence sensing technology. The reverse-beacon is any device comprising a transceiver and a computer operating with system nodes and will generally be in the form of a smartphone or other mobile computer. The systems and methods utilize wireless signals of any device that adheres to a general-purpose communication protocol, such as Bluetooth™ and Wi-Fi, to provide location-based services such as location determination and acting as a ground-truth field for presence sensing systems. The systems and methods operate by passively licensing to wireless communications that take place during the ordinarily course of operation of a wireless network irrespective of the presence of the reverse-beacon.