Self-Assisted Location Determination for Indoor Positioning Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radio access technologies face challenges in accurately determining the location of electronic devices, especially indoors, due to signal disruptions from obstacles and the reliance on distant base stations, leading to high positioning estimation errors.
Innovation Solution
The system employs self-assisted location determination of reference radios, such as WiFi access points, which register their locations with a server and use signals from primary and secondary reference radios to estimate the location of other devices, cascading positioning information through layers of devices for more accurate geolocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional radio access technologies use distant base stations for location determination, then the system coverage area is large, but the positioning estimation error increases due to signal disruption from obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reference radio network into multiple hierarchical levels (e.g., macro-cell base stations and micro-cell access points). This allows the system to use distant base stations for broad coverage while incorporating nearby micro-cell access points to provide precise local positioning, thereby resolving the contradiction between large coverage area and high positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate reference radios (such as micro-cell access points or relay nodes) that act as mediators between distant base stations and the electronic device. These intermediaries receive signals from base stations and transmit processed positioning signals to the device, improving signal quality and positioning accuracy while maintaining system coverage.
2Loss of information
If manual location determination of reference radios is used, then the location data can be obtained, but the process requires significant human intervention and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables reference radios to automatically determine their own locations using self-assisted positioning techniques. Each reference radio uses signals from other reference radios and algorithms to autonomously calculate its position, eliminating the need for manual surveying and reducing both time and human intervention while ensuring location data availability.
3Device complexity
If signals from distant base stations are used for indoor location determination, then the system can operate without additional infrastructure, but signal disruption from buildings and obstacles degrades received signal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality enhancement by deploying additional reference radios (such as micro-cell access points or femto cells) in specific indoor locations where signal quality needs improvement. These local reference points provide strong, reliable signals for indoor positioning without requiring complete infrastructure replacement, thus maintaining simplicity while enhancing reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Location of an electronic device is determined using signals received from a first set of reference radios. The first set of reference radios include at least one secondary reference radio, each secondary reference radio established as a secondary reference radio by registering a corresponding location with a server. The corresponding location of the secondary reference radio is determined as a function of signals received by the secondary reference radio from a second set of reference radios. The second set of reference radios include radios qualified as reference radios in a database of primary reference radios and secondary reference radios, each primary reference radio being a fixed-location radio device.