Wireless bridge hardware system for active RFID identification and location tracking

• US 10,117,059 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Theurer, Charles, Good, Brandon, Liu, Shaopeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US15/464,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 455 411
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In various example embodiments, a system and method for facilitating proximity detection and location tracking using a mobile wireless bridge are provided. The system includes a beacon badge, a beacon tag, and a real-time location services (“RTLS”) server communicatively coupled to the beacon badge, such as via a wireless network or the like. The beacon tag broadcasts a beacon message receivable by the beacon badge. The beacon badge determines whether it is proximate to the beacon badge based on the signal strength of the received beacon message. The beacon badge further communicates identifying information contained with the received beacon message to the RTLS server. The RTLS server uses the identifying information to determine the proximate location of the beacon badge.

Claims

1. A beacon badge comprising:

a motion sensor to transition a state of the beacon badge from a low power utilization state to a normal power utilization state when motion of the beacon badge is determined;

a wireless transceiver to, when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, receive a beacon message; and

a proximity engine to manage, when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, the beacon message, wherein the proximity engine instructs the wireless transceiver to transmit the beacon message to a real time location (RTLS) server when a received signal strength indication (RSSI) value of the beacon message satisfies a proximity threshold and to discard the beacon message when the RSSI value of the beacon message does not satisfy the proximity threshold.

2. The beacon badge of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a Bluetooth Low Energy transceiver.

3. The beacon badge of claim 1, wherein the proximity engine is to append the RSSI value to the beacon message.

4. The beacon badge of claim 3, wherein the proximity engine is to append a timestamp to the beacon message.

5. The beacon badge of claim 1, wherein the proximity engine is to aggregate beacon messages obtained over a period of time for transmission to the RTLS server.

6. The beacon badge of claim 1, further including a light emitting diode to indicate the state of the beacon badge.

7. A method comprising:

transitioning a state of a beacon badge from a low power utilization state to a normal power utilization state when motion of the beacon badge is determined by a motion sensor;

receiving, when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, a beacon message at a wireless transceiver; and

managing, via a proximity engine when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, the beacon message, wherein the proximity engine instructs the wireless transceiver to transmit the beacon message to a real time location (RTLS) server when a received signal strength indication (RSSI) value of the beacon message satisfies a proximity threshold and to discard the beacon message when the RSSI value of the beacon message does not satisfy the proximity threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a Bluetooth Low Energy transceiver.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the beacon badge includes a light emitting diode to indicate the state of the beacon badge.

10. The method of claim 7, further including appending the RSSI value to the beacon message.

11. The method of claim 10, further including appending a timestamp to the beacon message.

12. The method of claim 7, further including aggregating beacon messages obtained over a period of time for transmission to the RTLS server.

13. A machine-readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method, the method comprising:

transitioning a state of a beacon badge from a low power utilization state to a normal power utilization state when motion of the beacon badge is determined by a motion sensor;

receiving, when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, a beacon message at a wireless transceiver; and

managing, via a proximity engine when activated by the motion sensor in the normal power utilization state, the beacon message, wherein the proximity engine instructs the wireless transceiver to transmit the beacon message to a real time location (RTLS) server when a received signal strength indication (RSSI) value of the beacon message satisfies a proximity threshold and to discard the beacon message when the RSSI value of the beacon message does not satisfy the proximity threshold.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the wireless transceiver includes a Bluetooth Low Energy transceiver.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the beacon badge includes a light emitting diode to indicate the state of the beacon badge.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further includes appending the RSSI value to the beacon message.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further includes appending a timestamp to the beacon message.