Wearable Location Recognition via Wi-Fi Signal Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable personal emergency response system (PERS) devices face challenges in efficiently determining location due to high power consumption and reliance on GPS signals, which are often unavailable in indoor environments, leading to frequent battery recharging and inaccurate location tracking.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained apparatus that detects and records wireless signals from external devices to determine relative location without using power-hungry GPS functionality, using a processor to perform wireless scans and associate detected devices with a home location, thereby reducing power consumption and improving location determination accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS functionality is used to determine location, then location accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the location determination process into two parts: (1) initial GPS-based location fixing to establish baseline accuracy, and (2) subsequent Wi-Fi signal-based relative location tracking for power-efficient continuous monitoring. This segmentation allows the system to use GPS only when necessary while maintaining acceptable location accuracy through cheaper Wi-Fi-based relative position calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs periodic GPS location fixes at intervals rather than continuously, combining these periodic absolute position updates with continuous relative position tracking using Wi-Fi signals. This periodic action reduces power consumption by keeping the high-power GPS receiver dormant between updates while maintaining location awareness through lower-power Wi-Fi scanning.
2Measurement precision
If GPS signal is used for location determination, then location accuracy is improved, but reliability deteriorates in indoor environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces Wi-Fi signals as an intermediary mechanism for location determination in environments where GPS signals are unavailable (such as indoors). The system uses Wi-Fi access point signals as intermediate reference points to calculate relative position, bridging the gap when direct GPS satellite communication is blocked by building structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the location determination parameter based on environment: using GPS satellite-based absolute positioning when available, and switching to Wi-Fi signal-based relative positioning when GPS is unavailable. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to different environmental conditions and maintain reliability across both outdoor and indoor settings.
3Measurement precision
If hybrid location functionality (Wi-Fi + GPS + cell tower) is used, then location accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex cell tower-based location determination and external database access components from the device, retaining only the essential Wi-Fi scanning and GPS functionality. By taking out the unnecessary complex elements, the system achieves adequate location accuracy with reduced device complexity and lower power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses self-service by storing Wi-Fi access point information locally in the device's memory rather than requiring external database access. This self-contained approach eliminates the need for continuous network connectivity and external server interactions, reducing system complexity while maintaining location determination capability through local comparison of Wi-Fi signal signatures.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an apparatus (12) is presented that detects wireless signals from external devices (18) that uniquely identify each of the external devices, records, in memory (30), information about the external devices without access to an external database, and compares information from the external devices to determine a relative location of the wearable device without using additional, power-hungry position location functionality if there is a threshold match in the compared information. In some embodiments, the invention uses the determined relative location to trigger an action at another device. The invention, using self-contained functionality, enables improvements in same location or home location determination accuracy, memory conservation, and power consumption.