Localization system

• US 10,495,745 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2018
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cristache, Lucian
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C
• Application Number:
  US15/940,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20180217250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101, 340 81, 3405391
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/876 Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/20 characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A localization system includes a plurality of radio frequency readers having transceivers and antennas. Adjustable configuration settings allow for configuration adjustments including signal strength, antenna gain, antenna polarization, and antenna orientation. A computer system is coupled with the radio frequency readers and is configured to determine a first location of an object based on data from the readers and compare it with a second location of the object based on data from a global positioning system device. The computer system is configured to perform an action based upon the determination that the first location and the second location are within a range, including that they are at the same location.

Claims

1. A localization system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) readers, each of the plurality of RF readers including a transceiver coupled to an antenna and having at least one adjustable configuration setting selected from RF signal strength, antenna gain, antenna polarization, and antenna orientation;

a computer system coupled with the plurality of RF readers;

the computer system being configured to determine first location of an object based on data from the RF readers, wherein the RF readers are configured with a first plurality of RF configuration settings;

the computer system further being configured to receive global location information from a GPS device associated with the object, the location information conveying a second location of the object;

the computer system further being configured to compare the first location with the second location;

the computer system being configured to perform an action based on the comparison that the first location and the second location are within a predetermined range, and further based on a validation that the object is at a first endpoint

the computer system further being configured to apply access control rules, wherein the access control rules are associated with a network model comprising a plurality of oriented links between endpoints, and further the computer system includes an indication of one or more of the oriented links through which the object is authorized to pass at one or more times, and further includes one or more of the oriented links through which the object is not authorized to pass at one or more times.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer system is distributed among a plurality of computers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to learn a semantic rule by:

mapping the first endpoint in a semantic network model to a first location;

mapping a second endpoint in the semantic network model to a second location;

determining that the object is at the first endpoint and receiving an input from the object;

determining that the object is present at the second endpoint;

determining an additional oriented link based on the determined presence of the object at the first endpoint and the second endpoint; and

associating a semantic attribute to the additional oriented link based on the object input.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the semantic network model is further associated with at least one device and the computer is configured to send a signal to the at least one device based on the action.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the semantic network model is further associated with at least one device and the computer is configured to control the at least one device based on at least one of the access control rules.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the semantic network model is further associated with at least one device and the computer is configured to control the at least one device based on at least one of the access control rules.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the semantic network model is further associated with at least one device and the computer is configured to send a signal to the at least one device based on the action.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the object is a network user and the GPS device comprises a GPS enabled mobile unit.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the object is associated with an identity in the radio frequency network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the object includes an assigned RFID tag.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer controls at least one device based on the action.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises raising an alarm when the first location coordinates and the second location coordinates are not within the predetermined range.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the oriented links is associated with semantic attributes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer system determines a semantic attribute for the object based on a validation of the object at the first endpoint and at a second endpoint.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the semantic network model is hierarchical.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the semantic network model is further associated with at least a first and a second semantic attribute and the computer system infers the first semantic attribute at a first level of hierarchy of a semantic network graph and further the computer system infers the second semantic attribute at a second level of hierarchy of the semantic network graph, wherein the first and second semantic attributes are determined based on the same event in relation to the object.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is configured to accept time intervals from a user, and wherein the computer system adjusts the at least one configuration setting based on the time intervals and values associated with the time intervals.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is configured to accept security levels from a user, and wherein the computer system adjusts the at least one configuration setting based on their associated levels.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the action is associated with an access control rule.

20. A localization system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) readers, each of the plurality of RF readers including a transceiver coupled to an antenna and having at least one adjustable configuration setting selected from RF signal strength, antenna gain, antenna polarization, and antenna orientation;

a computer system coupled with the plurality of RF readers;

the computer system being configured to determine first location coordinates of an object based on data from the RF readers, wherein the RF readers are configured with a first plurality of RF configuration settings;

the computer system further being configured to receive second location coordinates from a GPS device associated with the object;

the computer system further being configured to validate the presence of the object at a first endpoint;

the computer system further being configured to compare the first location coordinates with the second location coordinates;

the computer system being configured to perform an action based on the comparison that the first location coordinates and the second location coordinates are within a predetermined range, and further based on the validated presence of the object at the first endpoint;

the computer system further being configured to apply access control rules, wherein the access control rules are associated with a network model comprising a plurality of oriented links between endpoints, and further the computer system includes an indication of one or more of the oriented links through which the object is authorized to pass at one or more times, and further includes one or more of the oriented links through which the object is not authorized to pass at one or more times.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the object is a network user and the GPS device comprises a GPS enabled mobile unit.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the object is associated with an identity in the radio frequency network.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer is configured to send a signal to at least one device based on the action.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the action comprises raising an alarm when the first location coordinates and the second location coordinates are not within the predetermined range.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer system further stores a semantic network model comprising endpoints and oriented links between the endpoints, and wherein at least a subset of the oriented links is associated with semantic attributes.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer system determines a semantic attribute for the object based on a validation of the object at the first endpoint and at a second endpoint.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer system further stores a semantic network model having endpoints and oriented links, wherein the semantic network model is hierarchical.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer system further stores a semantic network model having elements including endpoints and oriented links between the endpoints and wherein at least one element is associated with an access control rule.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the action is associated with an access control rule.