Wireless Position Location And Tracking System

• US 20100052991A1
• Filed: 11/08/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centrak Incorporated (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Awarepoint Corporation
• Inventors: Nierenberg, Nicolas C., Smith, Derek M., Baker, Joseph C., Adams, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,031,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for accurate position location and tracking suitable for a wide range of facilities in variable environments are disclosed. In one aspect, a system for position location comprises a plurality of sensors (e.g. a network monitor, an environment sensor) for generating measurements of a plurality of sources, a plurality of objects or tags, each object generating measurements of the plurality of sources, and a processor for receiving the measurements and generating a position location for one or more objects in accordance with the received measurements. In another aspect, a position engine comprises a mapped space of a physical environment, and a processor for updating the mapped space in response to received measurements. The position engine may receive second measurements from an object within the physical environment, and generate a position location estimate for the object from the received second measurements and the mapped space.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of positioning engines, each of the plurality of positioning engines producing a location hypothesis for an object; and

a processor for receiving the plurality of location hypotheses from each of the plurality of positioning engines and generating a location estimate for the object therefrom.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein:

a first one of the plurality of positioning engines determines a single-dimension location estimate for the object; and

a second one or more of the plurality of positioning engines determines a two-dimensional location estimate for the object in response to the determined single-dimension location estimate and one or more measurements received from the object.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the object comprises a tag and the system further comprises a plurality of beacon emitters, the tag generating a plurality of measurements comprising data including signal strength from each of the plurality of beacon emitters received by the tag.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of location hypotheses are selected based on a probability associated respectively therewith.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the probability is computed in association with known barriers in a facility.

6. The system according to claim 4 wherein the probability is computed according to a received displacement vector.

7. The system according to claim 4 wherein the probability is computed according to one or more previous location hypotheses for the object.

8. The system according to claim 4 wherein the probability is computed based on deviation from one or more hypotheses.

9. A system for locating and tracking at least one object within an indoor facility, the indoor facility including a plurality of beacon emitters positioned therein, a plurality of network monitors, and a tag associated with the at least one object, each beacon emitter generating a radiofrequency signal, each network monitor attached to a wall outlet at a known location of the indoor facility and generating a first plurality of measurements comprising data including signal strength from each of the plurality of beacon emitters received by the network monitor, the tag generating a second plurality of measurements comprising data including signal strength from each of the plurality of beacon emitters received by the tag, the system comprising:

a plurality of positioning engines, each positioning engine producing a location hypothesis for the at least one object; and

a processor for receiving the plurality of location hypotheses and generating a location estimate for the at least one object in the indoor facility.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the plurality of positioning engines comprises:

a first positioning engine for determining a single-dimension location estimate for the at least one object; and

a second positioning engine for determining a two-dimensional location estimate for the at least one object in response to the determined single-dimension location estimate and one or more of the second plurality of measurements received from the tag associated with the at least one object.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein one or more of the plurality of location hypotheses are selected based on a probability associated respectively therewith.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the probability is computed in association with known barriers in a facility.

13. The system according to claim 11 wherein the probability is computed according to a received displacement vector.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein the probability is computed according to one or more previous location hypotheses for the object.

15. The system according to claim 11 wherein the probability is computed based on deviation from one or more hypotheses.

16. A method for locating and tracking at least one object within an indoor facility, the indoor facility including a plurality of beacon emitters positioned therein, a plurality of network monitors, and a tag associated with the at least one object, each beacon emitter generating a radiofrequency signal, each network monitor attached to a wall outlet at a known location of the indoor facility and generating a first plurality of measurements comprising data including signal strength from each of the plurality of beacon emitters received by the network monitor, the tag generating a second plurality of measurements comprising data including signal strength from each of the plurality of beacon emitters received by the tag, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of location hypotheses for the at least one object within the indoor facility, each of the plurality of location hypotheses generated by a positioning engine of a plurality of positioning engines; and

generating a location estimate based on one or more of the plurality of location hypotheses.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein one or more of the plurality of location hypotheses are selected based on a probability associated respectively therewith.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the probability is computed in association with known barriers in a facility.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the probability is computed according to a received displacement Vector.

20. The method according to claim 17 wherein the probability is computed according to one or more previous location hypotheses for the object.