Personnel and resource tracking method and system for enclosed spaces

• US 20040021569A1
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Angel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digital Angel Corporation
• Inventors: Pang, Dexing, Mizzi, John V., Zhou, Peter Y., Lepkofker, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/432,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20040021569A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0263 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the direction in which child or item is located
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

A system for tracking persons or things. One or more tracking units are associated with persons or things to be tracked. Each tracking unit includes one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes to provide distance and heading or directional information. A master control station (MCS) receives the distance and heading information or location information based thereon. MCS may also display for displaying the location of at least one of the tracking units. The MCS programmed to determine the location based on: determination of a reference point and heading for the at least one tracking unit; data from the accelerometers and gyroscope, which provides distance and direction information; and aggregation of the distance and direction information.

Claims

1. A system for tracking persons or things, the system comprising:

one or more tracking units, each tracking unit associated with a person or thing and including one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes;

a master control station (MCS) including a display for displaying a location of at least one of the tracking units, the MCS programmed to determine the location based on;

determination of a reference point and heading for the at least one tracking unit;

data from the accelerometers and gyroscope, which provides distance and direction information; and

aggregation of the distance and direction information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS displays the location and path of the at least one tracking unit over a period of time.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS displays the location of multiple tracking units simultaneously, each of the displayed locations including an indication of the person or thing associated with the associated tracking unit.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS is programmed to determine the reference point and heading by manually positioning the tracking unit at a known location and in a known heading.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS is programmed to determine the reference point and heading by using GPS and a compass.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS includes a master heading and is programmed to determine the reference point and heading by triangulating multiple positions of the tracking unit and back-fitting a vector, based on the multiple positions and directed along the master heading, to the multiple positions.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the tracking unit includes one or more sensors for collecting sensor data and generating an alarm condition based on collected sensor data.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the MCS displays an indication of sensor data with location.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the MCS is integral with an emergency vehicle and the tracking unit is worn by emergency personnel.

10. A method for tracking persons or things in an enclosed space, the method comprising:

associating each of multiple tracking units to a person or thing being tracked;

establishing a reference location and reference heading for the tracking unit based on a master reference location and master reference heading;

repeatedly acquiring data indicative of distance traveled by each tracking unit;

repeatedly acquiring data indicative of heading traveled by each tracking unit;

determining location of each tracking unit based on the data indicative of distance and the data indicative of heading; and

providing an indication of location of each tracking unit.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the MCS has a master heading and wherein establishing a reference location and heading includes:

determining a first position fix;

determining a second position fix; and

back-fitting a path along the master heading, the path having a distance defined by the first and second position fixes, to the position fixes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein determining the position fixes is based on triangulation.

13. The method of claim 10 further including constructing a representation of the enclosed space based on the location of each tracking unit.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the enclosed space is a building and constructing a representation of the building includes identifying floors in the building.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the enclosed space is a building and constructing a representation of the building includes identifying stairwells in the building.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein providing an indication of location of each tracking unit includes providing the indication relative to the representation of the building.