Monitoring system

• US 10,026,287 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connect
• Original Assignee: Connect
• Inventors: Sarkar, Prithviraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US14/423,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 34087001, 34087016
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2465 Aspects related to the EAS system, e.g. system components other than tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength

Abstract

A monitoring system for deriving a measurement of a separation distance between a monitor and one or more tags, where each tag is adapted to be attached to or contained within an object to be monitored, comprises a monitor that is operable to trigger an event if the separation distance exceeds a set separation limit. A frequency of packet exchange between a tag and monitor is dynamically altered based on a comparison of one or more monitored parameters with a mode transition threshold.

Claims

1. A monitoring system, comprising:

at least one monitor including a first radio receiver or transceiver;

at least one tag, said at least one tag being adapted to be attached to or contained within an object to be monitored, and including a second radio receiver or transceiver adapted to transmit periodic signals;

a user interface, wherein the at least one tag is declared lost by a user via the user interface and by decision logic hosted by the at least one monitor, wherein said decision logic triggers an event by which the at least one tag is outside a proximity zone relative to the at least one monitor; and

a power manager module which is operable to switch between different power management modes, and which the power manager module is adapted to detect an interrupt, and to responsively operate in a low power mode when the at least one tag is still discoverable,

wherein the at least one monitor is arranged to, upon triggering of said event and upon said declaration by the user, communicate details regarding the at least one tag via a remote server to other similar monitors, and the at least one monitor and the at least one tag are to communicate with each other via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) network,

wherein, when within a proximity zone of the at least one tag which has been declared lost, one of the other similar monitors are to receive the details regarding the at least one tag and thereby respond by sending, via the remote server, its geo-location information to the at least one monitor which triggered said event and said declaration, or to a user device that includes the at least one monitor which triggered said event and said declaration,

wherein the at least one monitor, when connected to the at least one tag, is switchable between an activity monitor mode in which the at least one tag is within the proximity zone and a frequency of packet exchange between the at least one monitor and the at least one tag is set at a first value, and a critical activity monitor mode in which the at least one tag is out of the proximity zone and the frequency of packet exchange between the at least one monitor and the at least one tag is set at a second value which is greater than said first value, where the at least one monitor and the at least one tag will conserve more power in the activity monitor mode.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the event is triggered by hardware, software or periodic event(s).

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein an event is triggered based on monitored parameters which comprise one or more radio signal strength parameters selected from a group comprising:

received signal strength indication, link quality index; and

any parameters derived from a combination of one or more of these items.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein an event is triggered based on monitored parameters which comprise one or more non-radio parameters selected from a group comprising:

accelerometer data, positional system data; and

any parameters derived from a combination of one or more of these items.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor is configured to make a decision to trigger a second event when an event trigger threshold is reached or exceeded, and said decision involves evaluating environmental conditions.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the decision to trigger the second event is determined by a fuzzy logic component, a neural network, or a neural fuzzy inference engine.

7. The monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the second event is a locking of an electronic device acting as the at least one monitor.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor further comprises one of:

a self-contained, user-portable device in a form of a smartphone or tablet running a suitable software application;

or

a computer running a suitable software application;

or

a computer peripheral running a suitable software application.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor and/or the at least one tag further includes an orientation/movements detector, and is arranged to filter out periods of changes in orientation and/or movement over a given threshold.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary user interface device.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the frequency of packet exchange between the at least one tag and the at least one monitor is dynamically altered based on a comparison of one or more monitored parameters with a mode transition threshold.

12. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a button press, other hardware input on the at least one tag used to trigger corresponding events remotely on the at least one monitor.

13. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a computer program product encoded with instructions that when run on a computer or self-contained user portable device, enable the computer or self-contained user portable device to perform functions of the at least one monitor and/or the at least one tag.

14. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein an interrupt generated by the at least one monitor and the at least one tag is communicated via radio.

15. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the user interface enables the user to define zone boundaries for the proximity zone.

16. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor is further arranged to derive a measurement of a separation distance between the at least one monitor and a given tag and to trigger said event if that distance exceeds a set separation limit.

17. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor that triggers said event said declaration receives geo-location details of one of said other similar monitors if the at least one tag is located by the one of said other similar monitors.

18. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the details regarding the at least one tag comprise details of a lost object associated with the at least one tag.

19. The monitoring system of claim 1, the power manager module includes a software component in a form of an algorithm, and supported by a hardware component to detect external interrupt(s), or an external hardware clock with dedicated utility, to improve battery life of the at least one tag and/or the at least one monitor.

20. A method of monitoring an object comprising:

attaching or containing a tag within the object to be monitored;

declaring the tag as lost by a user through a user interface and by an event triggered when the tag is outside a proximity zone relative to a monitor;

communicating, via the monitor, details regarding the tag via a remote server to other similar monitors, upon triggering of said event and upon said declaration; and

detecting an interrupt, via a power manager module which is operable to switch between different power management modes, and responsively operating in a low power mode of the tag in which the tag is still discoverable, wherein;

the monitor and the tag are to communicate with each other via a BLE network,

when within a proximity zone of the tag which has been declared lost, one of the other similar monitors are to receive the details regarding the tag and thereby respond by sending, via the remote server, its geo-location information to the monitor which triggered said event and said declaration, or to a user device that includes the monitor which triggered said event and said declaration,

wherein the monitor, when connected to the tag, is switchable between an activity monitor mode in which the tag is within the proximity zone and a frequency of packet exchange between the monitor and the tag is set at a first value, and a critical activity monitor mode in which the tag is out of the proximity zone and the frequency of packet exchange between the monitor and the tag is set at a second value which is greater than said first value, where the monitor and tag will conserve more power in the activity mode.

21. A monitoring system, comprising:

at least one monitor;

at least one tag for an object to be monitored;

a user interface; and

a power manager module which is operable to switch between different power management modes, and which is adapted to detect an interrupt, and to responsively operate in a low power mode of the at least one tag in which the at least one tag is discoverable, wherein;

a user makes a declaration that the at least one tag is lost via the user interface and by decision logic hosted by the at least one monitor, thereby said decision logic is to trigger an event by which the at least one tag is outside a proximity zone relative to the at least one monitor,

the at least one monitor is arranged to, upon triggering of said event and upon said declaration by the user, communicate details regarding the at least one tag via a remote server to other similar monitors, and the at least one monitor and the at least one tag are to wirelessly communicate with each other, and

when within a proximity zone of the at least one tag which has been declared lost, each of the other similar monitors are to receive the details regarding the at least one tag and thereby respond by sending, via the remote server, its geo-location information to the at least one monitor which triggered said event and said declaration, or to a user device that includes the at least one monitor which triggered said event and said declaration,

wherein the at least one monitor, when connected to the at least one tag, is switchable between an activity monitor mode in which the at least one tag is within the proximity zone and a frequency of packet exchange between the at least one monitor and the at least one tag is set at a first value, and a critical activity monitor mode in which the at least one tag is out of the proximity zone and the frequency of packet exchange between the at least one monitor and the at least one tag is set at a second value which is greater than said first value, where the at least one monitor and the at least one tag will conserve more power in the activity monitor mode.