Apple Granted a Patent for an Accurate 3D Navigation System that Assists Users in Urban Canyons

Today the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published one of Apple's granted patents for an invention involving a sophisticated 3D mapping and positioning technology. In urban environments where tall buildings surround a mobile device, the signals that the mobile device detects from various satellites might not be direct line-of-sight signals. In such an environment, at least some of the signals that the mobile device detects might actually be signals that have reflected off of building surfaces. This reflection can distort the mobile device's estimation of each satellite's distance from the mobile device. As a result, the mobile device might estimate its geographical coordinates with less accuracy than if the detected signals had not been reflected in this manner. Apple's invention provides a solution to this problem.

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2016/08/apple-granted-a-patent-for-an-accurate-3d-navigation-system-that-assists-users-in-urban-canyons.html