RELAY TAG, LOCATION COMPUTATION READER, CONTINUOUS INDOOR AND OUTDOOR REAL-TIME LOCATION TRACKING METHOD AND SYSTEM USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) SIGNAL AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

• US 20120032843A1
• Filed: 08/03/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Heyung Sub, Lee, Kang Bok
• Application Number:
  US13/197,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032843A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters

Abstract

Disclosed is a relay tag, a location computation reader, and a continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking method and system, which tracks locations of a plurality of target objects of location tracking with a plurality of relay tags, in real time, wherein a GPS satellite transmits a location information signal outdoors, a similar GPS signaler generates a location information signal indoors, and transfers the generated location information signal, the plurality of relay tags, attached to the plurality of target objects of location tracking, relay the location information signals by receiving the location information signals transferred from the GPS satellite and the similar GPS signaler, and a location computation reader receives the location information signals from each of the plurality of relay tags, and computes locations of the plurality of target objects of location tracking.

Claims

1. A continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking system, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite to transmit a location information signal outdoors;

a similar GPS signaler to generate a location information signal indoors in a form similar to the GPS satellite, and to transfer the generated location information signal;

a plurality of relay tags, attached to a plurality of target objects of location tracking, to relay the location information signals by receiving the location information signals transferred from the GPS satellite and the similar GPS signaler; and

a location computation reader to receive the location information signals from each of the plurality of relay tags, and to compute locations of the plurality of target objects of location tracking.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of relay tags, positioned indoors and outdoors, generates a signal frame including a tag identification (ID) and information received from each GPS satellite, in the transferred location information signals, and transmits the generated signal frame to the location computation reader.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the location computation reader receives the transmitted signal frame using a wireless communication scheme, identifies each of the plurality of relay tags respectively using the tag ID included in the received signal frame, and computes locations of the plurality of target objects of location tracking based on information received from the relay tags.

4. A similar Global Positioning System (GPS) signaler, comprising:

a location information generation module to configure a data frame of the similar GPS signaler including an identification (ID) of the signaler, in order to provide information regarding a current location in relation to an indoor location for installing the similar GPS signaler;

a synchronization processing module to receive time information from a GPS satellite, or to synchronize time between similar GPS signalers using other different schemes; and

a signal transmission module to transfer a received location information signal to a relay tag.

5. A relay tag, comprising:

a signal reception module to receive a location information signal from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, or a similar GPS signaler;

a frame generation module to generate a signal frame including a tag identification (ID), and information received from the GPS satellite or the similar GPS signaler, in the received location information signal; and

a wireless communication transmission module to transmit the generated signal frame to a location computation reader.

6. The relay tag of claim 5, wherein the frame generation module generates the signal frame including a satellite time, a GPS satellite ID, a similar GPS signaler ID, location information, and a tag ID, using the location information signal.

7. The relay tag of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication transmission module transmits a carrier frequency to the location computation reader, by incorporating the generated signal frame into the carrier frequency.

8. A location computation reader, comprising:

a wireless communication reception radio frequency (RF) module to receive a location information signal from each of a plurality of relay tags;

a baseband module to demodulate the received location information signal; and

a location computation processing module to compute locations of the plurality of relay tags based on the demodulated location information signal.

9. The location computation reader of claim 8, further comprising:

a network interface module to transmit the computed locations to a central server,

wherein the baseband module demodulates a signal frame received as the location information signal, and

the location computation processing module computes the locations of the plurality of relay tags based on a location and a tag identification (ID) of each relay tag, included in the demodulated signal frame.

10. The location computation reader of claim 8, further comprising:

a GPS receiver function module for increasing efficiency and accuracy in location computation according to a GPS signal.

11. A continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking method, comprising:

receiving, by a plurality of relay tags respectively attached to a plurality of target objects of location tracking, location information signals from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a similar GPS signaler;

reconfiguring the received location information signals as a signal frame to transmit the location information signals to a location computation reader;

transmitting the reconfigured location information signals to the location computation reader; and

computing locations of the plurality of target objects of location tracking, based on the transferred location information signals.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the computing comprises:

receiving the transmitted signal frame using a wireless communication scheme;

respectively identifying the plurality of relay tags that transmits the signal frame using a tag identification (ID) included in the received signal frame; and

computing locations of the target objects of location tracking, by computing locations of the identified relay tags.

12. The method of claim 12, wherein the reconfiguring comprises reconfiguring, by the plurality of relay tags, positioned indoors and outdoors, the received location information signals as the signal frame, including a tag identification (ID), and information received from each GPS satellite, in order to transmit the location information signals to the location computation reader.

14. A continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking method, comprising:

setting a current location in relation to a location for installing a similar GPS signaler;

receiving a location information signal from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite; and

synchronizing time between similar GPS signalers.

15. A continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking method, comprising:

receiving a location information signal from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite or a similar GPS signaler;

generating a signal frame using the received location information signal; and

transmitting the generated signal frame to a location computation reader.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises generating the signal frame including a satellite time, a GPS satellite identification (ID), a similar GPS signaler ID, location information, and a tag ID, using the location information signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting a carrier frequency to the location computation reader, by incorporating the generated signal frame into the carrier frequency, using a wireless communication scheme.

18. A continuous indoor and outdoor real-time location tracking method, comprising:

receiving a location information signal from each of a plurality of relay tags;

demodulating the received location information signal; and

computing locations of the plurality of relay tags based on the demodulated location information signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein

the demodulating comprises demodulating a signal frame received as the location information signal, and

the computing comprises:

computing the locations of the plurality of relay tags based on a location and a tag identification (ID) of each relay tag, included in the demodulated signal frame; and

transmitting the computed location to a central server.