Cooperative peer-assisted indoor positioning engine
This technology estimates where a mobile device or person is located inside a building or area where GPS doesn't work well, by combining two types of information: the known positions of fixed reference points (like Wi-Fi routers or base stations) and signal measurements between the unknown device and other devices whose locations are also unknown. By pooling these cooperative measurements across multiple devices simultaneously, the system can triangulate positions more accurately than traditional methods that rely only on fixed anchors. The approach is particularly useful in dense or complex environments — such as office buildings, warehouses, or emergency response scenarios — where having many reference points is impractical.
What you could build
A software-based indoor positioning engine licensable to enterprise Wi-Fi vendors, first-responder communication platforms, or warehouse management system providers that need accurate asset or personnel tracking without deploying dense fixed infrastructure. Large logistics operators and public safety agencies would be the primary buyers.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and federal contractors in the Northern Virginia corridor — particularly those supporting first-responder interoperability or indoor situational awareness for DoD and DHS — would find this relevant.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- —
- Granted
- January 7, 2020
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 102808
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.