Systems and methods for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform. More specifically, the system of the present invention includes a plurality of remote mobile devices and a visible light communication (VLC) enabled lighting system configured to communicate and exchange data with a cloud-based service, such as a crowdsourcing platform. The crowdsourcing platform generally provides a geolocation service based on the crowdsourcing, or polling, of users of the mobile devices, in addition to VLC data captured by the VLC-enabled lighting system, so as to determine location and movement of the users within a specific environment. The system is further configured to automatically render a floor plan or layout of a location based on the user data and VLC data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform, the system comprising:
 a mobile device for user input and interaction;   a lighting system configured to transmit data via a visible light communication (VLC) protocol; and   a server configured to communicate with and exchange data with the mobile device and the lighting system, the server comprising a processor coupled to a memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the server to:
 receive user data from the mobile device and VLC data from the lighting system, the user data and the VLC data associated with at least one of a location of a user and movement of the user within an environment over a period of time; and 
 render a layout of the environment based on the user data and the VLC data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, a smart phone, and a cellular telephone. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the lighting system comprises a set of interconnected illumination sources positioned within the environment. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the illumination sources comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs). 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein one or more of the LEDs are configured to provide illumination of the environment. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein one or more of the LEDs are configured for the transmission of binary data in the form of light pulses having visible light emission between 400 and 800 THz. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the binary data transmitted from one or more of the LEDs is associated with the VLC data. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server and at least one of the mobile device and the lighting system are configured to wirelessly communicate and exchange data with one another over a network. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi wireless data communication technology, the internet, private networks, virtual private networks (VPN), public switch telephone networks (PSTN), integrated services digital networks (ISDN), digital subscriber link networks (DSL), various second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) cellular-based data communication technologies, Bluetooth radio, and Near Field Communication (NFC). 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication and exchange of data between the server and at least one of the mobile device and lighting system is provided via a cloud-based service. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user data associated with at least one of user location and user movement is data captured by one or more sensors of the mobile device. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sensors are configured to capture data related to at least one of motion or position of the mobile device, signals transmitted from or to the mobile device, and direct user input with the mobile device. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors are selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a received signal strength (RSS) sensor, a global positioning satellite (GPS) sensor, and a touch sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the motion sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, an altimeter, one or more gyroscopes, other motion or movement sensor to produce sensory signals corresponding to motion or movement of the mobile device, and a magnetometer to produce sensory signals from which direction of travel or orientation can be determined. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the motion sensor is coupled to an inertial measurement unit (IMU). 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein user data comprises at least one of GPS measurements and IMU measurements. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein user data comprises RSS measurements. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein user data comprises direct user input with a user interface (UI) provided on the mobile device, wherein the direct user input comprises active user verification of at least one of the user's location, movement, and specific landmarks or objects within the user's vicinity. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the rendered layout of the environment comprises a floorplan of an office space. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor to further cause the server to:
 continually update and refine the layout of the environment based on subsequent VLC data received from the lighting system or user data received from the mobile device or from one or more other mobile devices associated with separate and different users within the given environment.