Indoor positioning system based on motion sensing augmented with beacons

• US 10,057,727 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Maricic, Danijel, Hartman, Michael James
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Leslie C
• Application Number:
  US15/332,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20180115876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/02 Indoor positioning, e.g. in covered car-parks, mining facilities, warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/03 Construction sites
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A position tracking system includes one or more beacons and one or more sensor pairs. Each of the one or more sensor pairs is configured to be disposed on equipment that moves within a facility. Each of the one or more sensor pairs includes a motion sensor and a beacon sensor configured to receive signals from the one or more beacons. The position tracking system also include a control system, which include a processor configured to receive a first signal collected by the motion sensor, receive a second signal collected by the beacon sensor, compute a first location and/or orientation based on the first signal, and determine a second location and/or orientation based on the second signal.

Claims

1. A position tracking system, comprising:

one or more beacons;

one or more sensor pairs, wherein each of the one or more sensor pairs is configured to be disposed on equipment that moves within a facility, and wherein each of the one or more sensor pairs comprises a motion sensor and a beacon sensor configured to receive signals from the one or more beacons; and

a control system, comprising a processor configured to;

receive a first signal collected by the motion sensor;

receive a second signal collected by the beacon sensor;

compute a first location of the equipment based on the first signal;

determine a second location of the equipment based on the second signal;

calibrate the motion sensor based on the determined second location; and

wherein one or more beacons transmit their location coordinates via a transmitter to the beacon sensor as the equipment comes into a receiving field-of-view of the respective beacon and the second signal received by the processor includes the location coordinates.

2. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacons each emits modulated visible light.

3. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacons and the beacon sensor of each sensor pair communicate based on visible light communication (VLC).

4. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the facility is a global positioning system (GPS) denied environment or an indoor environment.

5. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the control system is integrated with the equipment that moves within the facility.

6. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or accelerometer.

7. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the beacon sensor comprises a visible light sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, or a radio frequency (RF) sensor.

8. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calibrate the motion sensor every time the equipment comes into the receiving field-of-view of the respective beacon.

9. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a difference between the first location and the second location and calibrate the motion sensor based on the difference between the first location and the second location.

10. A position tracking system, comprising:

one or more beacons disposed within a facility;

one or more sensor pairs, wherein each of the one or more sensor pairs is disposed on equipment that moves within the facility, and wherein each of the one or more sensor pairs comprises a motion sensor and a beacon sensor configured to receive signals from the one or more beacons; and

a control system, comprising;

a memory; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory comprising instructions for;

receiving a first signal collected by the motion sensor;

receiving a second signal collected by the beacon sensor;

computing a first location of the equipment based on the first signal;

determining a second location of the equipment based on the second signal;

calibrating the motion sensor based on the determined second location; and

wherein one or more beacons transmit their location coordinates via a transmitter to the beacon sensor as the equipment comes into a receiving field-of-view of the respective beacon and the second signal received by the processor includes the location coordinates.

11. The position tracking system of claim 10, wherein the one or more beacons and the beacon sensor of the each sensor pair communicate based on visible light communication (VLC).

12. The position tracking system of claim 10, wherein the control system is integrated with the equipment that moves within the facility.

13. The position tracking system of claim 10, wherein the motion sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or accelerometer.

14. The position tracking system of claim 10, wherein the beacon sensor comprises a visible light sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, or a radio frequency (RF) sensor.

15. A method for providing positioning of equipment comprising:

receiving a first signal collected by a motion sensor coupled to the equipment;

receiving a second signal collected by a beacon sensor coupled to the equipment, wherein the second signal is collected when the beacon sensor is within a field-of-view of a beacon and the second signal includes location coordinate of the respective beacon transmitted by a transmitter of the beacon;

computing a first location of the equipment based on the first signal;

determining a second location of the equipment based on the second signal;

calibrating the motion sensor based on the determined second location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the beacon and the beacon sensor communicate based on visible light communication (VLC).