Single Wireless Terminal Positioning for Player Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional position location systems for determining a player's position within a playing area require multiple base stations, which are costly to set up and prone to errors due to inaccurate positioning, and alternative solutions using single base stations suffer from inaccuracies due to reflections from unwanted objects and surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A position location system utilizing a single wireless terminal, a wireless-enabled projectile with omni-directional wireless radiation, and a computing arrangement that processes data from sensors to determine the player's position within the playing area, eliminating the need for multiple base stations and reducing setup costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple base stations are used for position determination, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position determination function from multiple base stations and concentrates it into a single base station that processes signals from multiple wireless-enabled objects. This allows the system to determine positions of multiple players simultaneously using one base station, reducing complexity while maintaining accuracy through signal processing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The single base station is designed to serve multiple functions by simultaneously tracking multiple wireless-enabled objects (players) within the playing area. The base station processes signals from all objects and determines positions for all players, making the single device universal for multiple positioning tasks that would traditionally require multiple base stations.
2Measurement precision
If multiple base stations are deployed, then measurement precision improves, but loss of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates the energy-consuming function of multiple base stations into a single base station. By extracting the position determination capability from multiple distributed units and concentrating it in one location, the system reduces total energy consumption while maintaining the ability to accurately track multiple players through enhanced signal processing.
3Measurement precision
If base stations are positioned precisely, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the requirement for precise base station positioning from the system architecture. By using a single base station with advanced signal processing capabilities, the system can determine player positions accurately without requiring the base station itself to be precisely positioned, thereby simplifying deployment and operation.
4Device complexity
If single base station analyzes ultrasonic signal reflections, then device complexity reduces, but measurement precision deteriorates due to reflections from unwanted objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wireless-enabled objects (players) as intermediaries that actively participate in the position determination process. These objects emit wireless signals that are received and processed by the single base station. The intermediaries help the system distinguish between desired and unwanted signal reflections, enabling accurate position determination despite the presence of other objects in the playing area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces ultrasonic signal analysis with wireless signal processing. Instead of relying on acoustic wave reflections that are prone to interference from unwanted objects, the system uses wireless signals from the players themselves, processed electronically by the single base station. This substitution eliminates the harmful reflections problem while maintaining simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate determination of player positions within a playing area using a single wireless terminal, reducing setup costs and minimizing errors, while maintaining accuracy by processing data from sensors and ignoring computations outside the playing area.
Implementation Method 1
the wireless interface of the wireless-enabled projectile may be operable to emit wireless radiation in an omni-directional manner
Implementation Method 2
The wireless-enabled projectile also includes a sensing arrangement for sensing a first distance travelled by the wireless-enabled projectile relative to the playing area
Implementation Method 3
The computing arrangement is operable to process the wireless signal to determine a second distance of the wireless-enabled projectile from the wireless terminal
Implementation Method 4
The second distance may, for example, be determined by a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement
Data Source
AI summary
A position location system for determining a position of a player within a playing area includes a wireless communication arrangement, a wireless-enabled projectile, a target region, and a computing arrangement. The projectile includes a wireless interface for communicating with the wireless terminal to exchange data, and a sensing arrangement for sensing a first distance travelled by the projectile relative to the playing area. The computing arrangement receives a wireless signal from the projectile, and processes the wireless signal to determine a second distance of the projectile from the wireless terminal. The computing arrangement receives data from the projectile indicative of a start and end time of a trajectory of the projectile, the first distance travelled by the projectile as sensed by the sensing arrangement and processes the data as a function of the start and end time to determine the position of the player within the playing area.