Method of and apparatus for actuating an operation

• US 20030025609A1
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT & T Investments UK Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT & T Investments UK Inc.
• Inventors: Steggles, Peter Joseph, Curwen, Rupert William Meldrum, Hague, Robert Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 6,867,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

A technique is provided for providing total flexibility of control of any desired operation within an environment where personnel work, such as an office suite. The location of transponders is determined by a location system. A user arbitrarily selects a convenient region for controlling an operation and the location system registers this in a memory. The location system then determines the position of each transducer and, when a transducer is within one of the selected regions, the location system responds by controlling the operation. For example, a region may be selected entirely arbitrarily so as to control room lighting.

Claims

1. A method of actuating an operation of a system, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting, within a continuous three dimensional space constituting an environment for personnel within which said personnel are able to move substantially freely, at least one arbitrary region having no association with said operation at a time of selection;

(b) storing in a memory said at least one selected region;

(c) determining a position of at least one transponder anywhere within said space; and

(d) actuating said operation when said position of said at least one transponder is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said space is enclosed.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said at least one selected region is partially delimited by a solid surface within said space.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said operation is actuated solely in response to said position of said at least one transponder being determined to be within said at least one selected region.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said operation is actuated in response to:

said position of said at least one transponder being determined to be within said at least one selected region; and

a user-actuated signal from said at least one transponder.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said at least one transponder comprises a plurality of transponders constituting a set and said step (c) comprises determining positions of said set of transponders.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, in which said operation is actuated when said position of any of said transponders of said set is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, in which said operation is actuated only when said position of any transponder of a proper subset of said set of transponders is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, comprising identifying which of said transponders of said set is responsible for actuating said operation.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, in which at least one aspect of a performance of said operation is determined by the identity of said transponder responsible for actuating said operation.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said step (c) comprises periodically polling said at least one transponder to determine said position thereof.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, comprising increasing a rate of polling of any of said at least one transponder one whose position is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said step (c) comprises determining a relative position of said at least one transponder with respect to a reference position in said at least one selected region and said step (d) comprises controlling a value of a parameter of said operation in accordance with said relative position.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which said relative position is a one-dimensional position and said parameter is a scalar parameter.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which said relative position is a two-dimensional position adjacent a surface and said parameter is a two dimensional vector parameter.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, in which said surface is a solid surface within said space.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 for use with a plurality of spatially distributed indicators for providing a user-perceivable indication, said method comprising selecting, in response to an actuation of said operation, one of said indicators nearest said at least one transponder whose position is determined to be within said at least one selected region to produce an indication of acknowledgement of said actuation of said operation.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising disposing at said at least one selected region a label identifying said operation.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which said step (a) comprises:

disposing said at least one transponder at a location within said at least one selected region;

detecting a position of said at least one transponder;

providing a user actuated signal to cause said detected position to be stored in said memory; and

defining a boundary of said at least one selected region.

20. A method as claimed claim 1, comprising actuating at least one further operation of said system by:

selecting within said space, for said at least one further operation, at least one further arbitrary region having no association with said at least one further operation at a time of selection;

storing in said memory said at least one further selected region; and

actuating said at least one further operation when said position of said at least one transponder is determined to be within said at least one selected further region.

21. An apparatus for actuating an operation, comprising:

at least one transponder;

a transponder location system for determining a location of said at least one transponder anywhere within a continuous three dimensional space constituting an environment for personnel within which said personnel are able to move substantially freely, said system including a memory for storing data identifying at least one arbitrarily selected region having no association with said operation at a time of selection; and

a comparator for comparing said location of said at least one transponder with said at least one selected region and for actuating said operation when said location of said at least one transponder is within said at least one selected region.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said comparator actuates said operation solely in response to said location of said at least transponder being determined to be within said at least one selected region.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said at least one transponder comprises a manually actuated transmitter for transmitting an actuation signal to said location system and said comparator actuates said operation only when said actuation signal is received while said location of said at least one transponder is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said at least one transponder comprises a plurality of transponders forming a set.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, in which said comparator actuates said operation when said location of any of said transponders of said set is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, in which said comparator actuates said operation when said location of any transponder of a proper subset of said set of transponders is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, in which said location system identifies said transponder responsible for actuating said operation.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, in which said comparator determines at least one aspect of a performance of said operation in accordance with an identity of said transponder responsible for actuating said operation.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said location system polls periodically said at least one transponder to determine said location thereof.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, in which said location system increases a rate of polling of any of said at least one transponder whose location is determined to be within said at least one selected region.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said location system determines a relative position of said at least one transponder with respect to a reference position in said at least one selected region and said comparator controls a value of a parameter of said operation in accordance with said relative position.

32. An apparatus as claimed in claim 31, in which said relative position is a one-dimensional position and said parameter is a scalar parameter.

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 31, in which said relative position is a two-dimensional position adjacent a surface and said parameter is a two-dimensional vector parameter.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, comprising a plurality of spatially distributed indicators for providing a user-perceivable indication, each of said indicators having a respective transponder, said location system determining a distance between said transponder of each of said indicators perceivable by a user and said at least one transponder and actuating said indicator whose transponder is nearest said at least one transponder to produce an indication of acknowledgement of said actuation of said operation.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said location system comprises a user interface for actuating a storage of a determined location of said at least one transponder for defining said at least one selected region.

36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which said memory stores data identifying at least one further arbitrarily selected region having no association with a further operation at a time of selection and said comparator actuates said further operation when said location of said at least one transponder is within said at least one further selected region.