System and method for automated tracking of assets using location measurements and AD-HOC routing algorithms

• US 20070077943A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamilla, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system and method for automated visual tracking of assets (302), such as personnel or vehicles, using location measurements and ad-hoc routing algorithms employed in a wireless multihopping communication network (100). The system and method comprise a plurality of imaging devices (300) that are deployed about an area and provide image information to at least one workstation (304) that displays the images based on the image information. In particular, as an asset (302) moves, the workstation (304) switches from displaying an image of the asset (302) captured by an imaging device (300) away from which the asset (302) is moving to displaying an image of the asset (302) captured by an imaging device (300) toward which the asset (302) is moving.

Claims

1. A method for tracking at least one asset using a multihopping communication network comprising a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:

assigning at least one mobile node in the network to at least one asset;

assigning at least one stationary node in the network to at least one visual monitoring device;

tracking movement of the mobile node assigned to the asset in the network based on information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node; and

operating the visual monitoring device to capture image data of the asset based on the exchanged information.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the exchanged information comprises ranging information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

operating the stationary node assigned to the visual monitoring device to send the image data to a monitoring station for display.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

operating the monitoring station to display an image of the asset based on the image data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

operating the stationary node assigned to the visual monitoring device to send to the monitoring station location information indicating a location of the asset; and

wherein the monitoring station operating step comprises operating the monitoring station to display the image of the asset based on the image data and the location information.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the monitoring station operating step comprises operating the monitoring station to display the image of the asset when the location information indicates that the asset is within a desired distance of the stationary node.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the exchanged information comprises ranging information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node; and

the method further comprises adjusting an orientation of the visual monitoring device based on the ranging information.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the mobile node assigning step assigns each of a plurality of respective mobile nodes to a respective asset;

the stationary node assigning step assigns each of a plurality of stationary nodes to a respective visual monitoring device;

the tracking step tracks movement of the mobile nodes assigned to the assets in the network based on information exchanged between the mobile nodes and the stationary nodes; and

the operating step comprises operating the visual monitoring devices to capture respective image data of the respective assets based on the exchanged information.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

operating each of the stationary nodes assigned to the visual monitoring devices to send their respective image data to a monitoring station for display.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

operating the stationary nodes assigned to the visual monitoring devices to send to the monitoring station respective location information indicating respective locations of the respective assets; and

wherein the monitoring station operating step comprises operating the monitoring station to display the respective images of the respective assets based on the respective image data and the respective location information.

11. A system for tracking at least one asset using a multihopping communication network comprising a plurality of nodes, the system comprising:

at least one mobile node, adapted to communicate in the network and assigned to at least one asset;

at least one stationary node, adapted to communicate in the network and assigned to at least one visual monitoring device, the stationary node being further adapted to track movement of the mobile node assigned to the asset in the network based on information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node, and to send the exchanged information to the visual monitoring device based on which the visual monitoring device is adapted to capture image data of the asset.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the exchanged information comprises ranging information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node.

13. A system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a monitoring station; and

wherein the stationary node assigned to the visual monitoring device is further adapted to send the image data to the monitoring station.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the monitoring station is adapted to display an image of the asset based on the image data.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the stationary node assigned to the visual monitoring device is further adapted to send to the monitoring station location information indicating a location of the asset; and

wherein the monitoring station is further adapted to display the image of the asset based on the image data and the location information.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the monitoring station is further adapted to display the image of the asset when the location information indicates that the asset is within a desired distance of the stationary node.

17. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the exchanged information comprises ranging information exchanged between the mobile node and the stationary node; and

the stationary node assigned to the asset is further adapted to provide the ranging information to the visual monitoring device such that the visual monitoring device is adapted to adjust its orientation based on the ranging information.

18. A system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of mobile nodes, each assigned to a respective asset; and

a plurality of stationary nodes, each assigned to a respective visual monitoring device, and each respective stationary node being adapted to track movement of the mobile nodes assigned to the assets based on information exchanged between itself and the mobile nodes and to send the exchanged information to its visual monitoring device based on which the visual monitoring device is adapted to capture image data of the assets being tracked.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a monitoring station; and

wherein the stationary nodes assigned to the visual monitoring devices are further adapted to send their respective image data to the monitoring station.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein:

the stationary nodes assigned to the visual monitoring devices are further adapted to send to the monitoring station respective location information indicating respective locations of the respective assets; and

wherein the monitoring station is adapted to operate to display the respective images of the respective assets based on the respective image data and the respective location information.