Visual Attribute Positioning for Indoor Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current positioning systems, such as GPS, struggle to provide high accuracy indoors or in obstructed areas, making it difficult for Location-Based Mobile Applications to function effectively, especially in environments like supermarkets where precise location determination is required.
Innovation Solution
A Position Identification Solution using a Mobile Device with a Camera and Scanning and Image Recognition Mobile Application that captures images of shapes or colors associated with predefined positions, allowing the device to determine its location by matching the image with a Shape-Position or Color-Position Database, enhancing positioning accuracy without requiring special equipment installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS or traditional positioning systems are used, then positioning coverage is provided, but positioning accuracy deteriorates indoors or in obstructed areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual attributes (shapes, colors, patterns) as intermediary markers placed in the environment that serve as mediators between the mobile device and the positioning system. These markers are captured by the device camera and used to determine position, effectively mediating the positioning function in environments where traditional satellite-based positioning fails due to signal obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the radio frequency-based positioning mechanism (GPS, Wi-Fi) with an optical-based mechanism using the device camera. By substituting the electromagnetic wave detection system with an optical image capture system, the solution overcomes the limitation of signal obstruction since visual markers can be detected through line-of-sight camera viewing even in indoor environments.
2Measurement precision
If visual attribute markers are deployed throughout an area, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to image processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the positioning task into distinct components: (1) capturing images of visual attributes using the camera, (2) recognizing and identifying the captured attributes through image processing, (3) mapping the identified attributes to known positions in a database, and (4) determining the device position. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual copies (images) of physical markers as the basis for positioning. Instead of directly measuring physical distances or signal strengths, the system captures optical copies of known markers and processes these images to determine position. This copying approach simplifies the measurement process by converting complex physical measurements into image analysis tasks.
3Reliability
If multiple positioning systems are integrated, then positioning reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple positioning approaches into a unified hybrid system that combines traditional positioning methods (GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular triangulation) with the visual attribute recognition method. The system integrates these different positioning sources to provide continuous and reliable positioning across both outdoor and indoor environments, leveraging the strengths of each method while compensating for their individual weaknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal positioning solution that can operate in multiple environments (outdoor, indoor, obstructed, open) using a single integrated system. The visual attribute recognition component serves as a universal marker-based positioning method that can be deployed across various locations and conditions, making the overall system adaptable and multi-functional rather than requiring environment-specific solutions.
Data Source
AI summary
A Position Identification Solution offers a way to determine the position of a Mobile Device by defining a set of known positions and an associated set of objects, shapes, or attributes. A Mobile Device determines its position by scanning an object, shape, or attribute using an included camera, and a Mobile Application running on the Mobile Device recognizes a specific object, shape, or attribute, and determines a corresponding position, which is used to compute the position of the Mobile Device. The Position Identification Solution may use shapes, colors, or combinations of shape and colors. The Position Identification Solution may be used together with other positioning systems in a Hybrid Positioning System to compute the position of the Mobile Device with increased accuracy.