Methods and systems for locating subjects and providing event notification within a tracking environment and badge for use therein
First Claim
1. A method for locating subjects within a tracking environment, the method comprising the steps of:
- for each subject, providing a badge capable of transmitting a shorter interval, lower power, local area signal including a unique badge ID and a longer interval, higher power, wide area signal also including the unique badge ID;
providing an array of receivers distributed within the tracking environment, wherein the array of receivers includes at least one receiver for receiving the shorter interval, lower power, local area signal and the longer interval, higher power, wide area signal;
generating a wide area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received wide area signal;
generating a local area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received local area signal; and
determining the location of each badge and its associated subject based on the identity of the at least one receiver for the badge as represented by its local area or wide area detection packets.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system and a badge utilized therein utilize both the radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to locate subjects (i.e. objects and persons) within a tracking environment. The system includes a battery-operated, microprocessor-based badge for each subject to be located. Each badge automatically transmits: (1) shorter interval, digitized, infrared light signals to identify a delimited area zone of its subject'"'"'s location; (2) shorter interval, digitized, lower power RF signals to provide a local area zone of its subject'"'"'s location; and (3) longer interval, digitized, higher power RF signals to provide a wide area zone of its subject'"'"'s location. Each badge transmits uniquely identifiable IR and higher power RF signals upon actuation of one or more push button switches integrated on the badge or a change of state of one or more external switch connections. Each higher power, longer interval, RF signal is a “supervisory” pulse. This pulse informs a host computer that the badge is in range of an RF receiver and is functional.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for locating subjects within a tracking environment, the method comprising the steps of:
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for each subject, providing a badge capable of transmitting a shorter interval, lower power, local area signal including a unique badge ID and a longer interval, higher power, wide area signal also including the unique badge ID;
providing an array of receivers distributed within the tracking environment, wherein the array of receivers includes at least one receiver for receiving the shorter interval, lower power, local area signal and the longer interval, higher power, wide area signal;
generating a wide area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received wide area signal;
generating a local area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received local area signal; and
determining the location of each badge and its associated subject based on the identity of the at least one receiver for the badge as represented by its local area or wide area detection packets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A system for locating subjects within a tracking environment, the system including:
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for each subject, a badge capable of transmitting a shorter interval, lower power, local area signal including a unique badge ID and a longer interval, higher power, wide area signal also including the unique badge ID;
a receiver assembly including an array of receivers distributed within the tracking environment, wherein the array of receivers includes at least one receiver for receiving a plurality of the local area and wide area signals, the receiver assembly generating a wide area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received wide area signal and a local area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received local area signal;
a data communications controller coupled to the receiver assembly for collecting the wide area and local area detection packets; and
a location processor coupled to the controller for receiving the collected detection packets and for determining the location of each badge and its associated subject based on the identity of the at least one receiver for the badge as represented by its wide area and local area detection packets. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for locating subjects within a tracking environment, the method comprising the steps of:
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for each subject, providing a badge capable of transmitting substantially line-of-sight signals including a unique badge ID and substantially non-line-of-sight signals also including the unique badge ID;
providing an array of receivers distributed within the tracking environment, wherein the array of receivers includes;
a first set of receivers for receiving both shorter interval, lower power, local area, substantially non-line-of-sight signals and longer interval, higher power, wide area, substantially non-line-of-sight signals; and
a second set of receivers, each of the second set of receivers receiving substantially line-of-sight signals;
generating a wide area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received higher power, substantially non-line-of-sight signal;
generating a local area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received lower power, substantially non-line-of-sight signal;
generating a delimited area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received substantially line-of-sight signal; and
determining the location of each badge and its associated subject based on the identity of the first and second sets of receivers for the badge as represented by its delimited area, local area or wide area detection packets. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for locating subjects within a tracking environment, the system including:
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for each subject, a badge capable of transmitting substantially line-of-sight signals including a unique badge ID and substantially non-line-of-sight signals also including the unique badge ID;
a receiver assembly including an array of receivers distributed within the tracking environment, wherein the array of receivers includes;
a first set of receivers for receiving a plurality of substantially non-line-of-sight signals, the receiver assembly generating a wide area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received higher power, substantially non-line-of-sight signal and a local area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received lower power, substantially line-of-sight signal;
the array of receivers also including a second set of receivers, each of the second set of receivers receiving substantially line-of-sight signals, the receiver assembly generating a delimited area detection packet including the unique badge ID in response to each received substantially line-of-sight signal;
a data communications controller coupled to the receiver assembly for collecting the wide area, local area and delimited area detection packets; and
a location processor coupled to the controller for receiving the collected detection packets and for determining the location of each badge and its associated subject based on the identity of the first and second sets of receivers for the badge as represented by its wide area, local area or delimited area detection packets. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A badge capable of transmitting substantially line-of-sight signals including a unique badge ID and substantially non-line-of-sight signals also including the unique badge ID, the badge comprising:
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a first transmitter for transmitting a plurality of substantially non-line-of-sight signals including a longer interval, higher power, wide area, substantially non-line-of-sight signal and a shorter interval, lower power, local area, substantially non-line-of-sight signal; and
a second transmitter for transmitting a plurality of substantially line-of-sight signals. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification