Autonomous tracking wireless imaging sensor network

• US 20030154262A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Borgia/Cummins LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kaiser, William J., Pottie, Gregory J., Newberg, Lars Fredric
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/72 for two-dimensional tracking, e.g. combination of angle and range tracking, track-while-scan radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A wireless integrated network sensor (WINS) system is provided that integrates articulating tracking systems with WINS network components including visual or infrared sensors and imaging devices to enable precise tracking and targeting of objects moving through a sensor field or past a single integrated sensing and targeting unit. Further, arrays of sensors together with local signal processing are used to trigger cameras and tracking systems, and to provide an alternative location capability for improved robustness. The system is self-configuring and remotely controllable, and enables remote systems and operators to query for collected data, including sensory and image data, and control the system in response to the collected data.

Claims

1. A sensor network comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes are coupled to communicate with at least one remote system via at least one coupling with components of a wide area network, wherein the nodes automatically organize to form the sensor network in response to information communicated among the nodes, wherein the automatic organizing comprises automatically controlling data transfer, processing, and storage within the sensor network, wherein functions of the nodes are remotely controllable and programmable via internetworking among the nodes, wherein at least one of the nodes includes an articulating sensor.

2. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the articulating sensor is at least one of a tracking system, an imaging system, and an antenna.

3. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes further includes at least one passive sensor.

4. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes include two or more node types, wherein a first node type includes at least one passive sensor and a second node type includes the articulating sensor.

5. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes is a gateway that communicates with the components of the wide area network.

6. A node comprising:

at least one processor coupled to at least one communication device, wherein the processor automatically organizes the node among a plurality of network elements and automatically controls communication with and control of a flow of information among the network elements, wherein the network elements couple among an environment and at least one remote client system to support remote controllability of the sensor node via the remote client system; and

at least one articulating sensor coupled to the processor to track detected targets.

7. The node of claim 6, further comprising at least one sensor coupled to the processor to detect at least one target.

8. The node of claim 6, further comprising a photographic system.

9. The node of claim 6, wherein the articulating sensor is at least one of tracking system, a laser tracking system, and an optical tracking system.

10. The node of claim 6, wherein the plurality of network elements includes at least one gateway, at least one server, and components of at least one wide area network.

11. A method of collecting data in a sensor network, comprising:

automatically organizing a plurality of network elements including at least one node among an environment and at least one remote client system, wherein the organizing includes coupling and controlling a flow of information among the network elements;

remotely controlling at least one function of the at least one node;

detecting at least one target in the environment using at least one sensor of the at least one node;

tracking the target using the at least one articulating sensor of the at least one node;

and

collecting and transferring data of the tracked target to the remote client system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising manipulating the collected data, wherein manipulating includes at least one of routing, fusing, processing, evaluating, and storing the collected data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein fusing comprises a first node collecting and processing data from at least one other node.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor is an acoustic sensor.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the articulating sensor is at least one of a tracking system, an antenna, and an active sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tracking system is at least one of a laser tracking system, an optical tracking system, and an imaging system.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the optical tracking system is a camera system.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

collecting optical data of the detected target using at least one optical sensor of the at least one node; and

identifying and designating the target using the optical data.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor is on a first node of the at least one node and the articulating sensor is on a second node of the at least one node.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of network elements includes at least one gateway, at least one server, and components of at least one communication network.