Autonomous tracking of construction vehicles using short range wireless beacons

• US 10,419,882 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Incorporated
• Inventors: Bordelon, Michael, McDonald, Joshua Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US15/985,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20190182620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/0428 Signal details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/03 Construction sites
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• 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 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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

Abstract

Described examples include a system for tracking a construction vehicle at a construction site. The system includes a Bluetooth receiver located at the construction site for receiving a unique identifier code transmitted by a Bluetooth beacon mounted on a construction vehicle, and the Bluetooth receiver is further configured to communicate the unique identifier code to a remote computer over a communications interface.

Claims

1. A system for tracking a construction vehicle at a construction site, comprising:

a Bluetooth receiver located at the construction site for receiving a unique identifier code that is autonomously and repeatedly transmitted as a radio frequency signal by a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) transmit only beacon mounted on the construction vehicle, the Bluetooth receiver further configured to communicate the received BLE unique identifier code to a remote computer over a communications interface, the remote computer locating the construction vehicle using a known location of the Bluetooth receiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver is a smartphone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver is a tablet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver is a laptop.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver is a battery powered portable device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver is a battery powered unmanned receiver device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth receiver further comprises:

a battery coupled to the Bluetooth receiver;

an antenna for receiving Bluetooth signals;

a Bluetooth receiver circuit coupled to the antenna and outputting data corresponding to identification codes received at the antenna;

a processor coupled to the Bluetooth receiver circuit configured to receive the data and to transmit the data over the communications interface; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and coupled to a communications antenna different from the antenna to transmit over the communications interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications antenna is a cellular data antenna.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications antenna is a Wi-Fi antenna.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to add a date stamp and a time stamp to the unique identification code.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the data and time stamp and the unique identification code to a computer hosting a web based application.

12. A method, comprising;

receiving at a Bluetooth enabled user device located in a construction site a unique identification code as a radio frequency signal that is repeatedly and autonomously transmitted from a transmit only Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon installed in a construction vehicle by receiving signals over a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) radio frequency communications interface;

determining whether the received unique identification code corresponds to a known construction vehicle;

responsive to determining the received unique identification code does not correspond to a known construction vehicle, prompting a user for an input indicating the BLE unique identification code corresponds to a new construction vehicle; and

responsive to the user input, forwarding the received unique identification code to a remote computer, the remote computer locating the construction vehicle using a location of the Bluetooth receiver.

13. The method of claim 12, and further comprising:

responsive to determining the unique identification code corresponds to a known construction vehicle, displaying to the user a construction vehicle identifier; and

prompting the user to take further actions in response to the determining.

14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:

prompting the user to log the construction vehicle into a job site.

15. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:

prompting the user to add a date and time stamp to a status record of the construction vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein forwarding the unique identification code to a remote computer for storage further comprises communicating over a second communications interface different from the Bluetooth communications interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second communications interface includes a cellular data interface.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a Bluetooth enabled receiver located in a construction site coupled to an antenna for receiving Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signals that are autonomously and repeatedly transmitted from transmit only Bluetooth low energy beacons placed within construction vehicles;

a programmable processor coupled to the Bluetooth enabled receiver and configured to receive a unique identification code associated with a construction vehicle from a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signal received by the Bluetooth enabled receiver; and

a transmitter coupled to a communications interface different from the Bluetooth low energy signals;

wherein the programmable processor is further configured to transmit the received unique identification code using the transmitter.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, and further comprising:

a battery coupled to power the Bluetooth enabled receiver, the programmable processor, and the transmitter.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, and further comprising a solar panel coupled to the battery for charging and recharging the battery.