Crowdsourced Visual Landmark POI Updates for Indoor Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In indoor environments, mobile communication devices face challenges in accurately determining their location due to the attenuation of satellite signals, leading to unreliable positioning, and existing methods like radio heatmap positioning are resource-intensive, while visual landmark-type positioning becomes inaccurate when POIs change over time.
Innovation Solution
A method involving crowdsourced digital media from mobile devices, where images of visual landmarks are captured and transmitted to a server to determine matches with stored POI data, updating the presence or absence of POIs based on matching frequency over time, ensuring accurate and efficient indoor positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If satellite positioning signals are used in indoor environments, then positioning can be provided, but signal attenuation causes unreliable positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual landmarks as an intermediary between the mobile device and the positioning system. Instead of relying directly on attenuated satellite signals, the system uses images of visual landmarks captured by the device to determine location. This intermediary approach bypasses the signal attenuation problem by using optical information that can penetrate indoor environments better than satellite signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the radio frequency-based satellite positioning system with a visual-based positioning system. By substituting the electromagnetic wave detection (radio signals) with optical detection (visual landmark recognition), the system overcomes the limitations of signal attenuation in indoor environments while maintaining positioning functionality.
2Reliability
If radio heatmap positioning is used for indoor positioning, then positioning can be achieved, but it is resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential visual features from the environment (landmark images) rather than processing complete radio heatmap data. By taking out and focusing on specific discriminative features (visual landmarks) rather than analyzing the entire environmental signal landscape, the system reduces processing requirements and energy consumption while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses captured images of visual landmarks as copies or representations of the physical environment for positioning purposes. Instead of continuously measuring and processing radio signal characteristics, the system creates visual copies (images) of landmarks that can be processed more efficiently, reducing the computational burden and energy consumption on mobile devices.
3Measurement precision
If visual landmark positioning is used with static POI data, then positioning accuracy is maintained, but accuracy decreases when POIs change over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously compares newly captured landmark images with the database of known POI images. When mismatches are detected (indicating POI changes), the system feeds this information back to update the database. This closed-loop feedback ensures that the positioning system adapts to changes in the physical environment, maintaining accuracy even as POIs are added, removed, or modified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static POI database into a dynamic system that can adapt to environmental changes. By implementing mechanisms to detect, verify, and incorporate POI changes, the system evolves over time to match the current physical environment. This dynamic approach allows the positioning system to maintain accuracy despite changes in the indoor landscape, such as store relocations or new business openings.
Data Source
AI summary
Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, to facilitate or support one or more operations or techniques for updating points of interest (POIs), such as for use in or with a mobile communication device, for example.