PROVIDING A LOCATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL

• US 20120197518A1
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Huseth, Steve, Plocher, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for providing a location of an individual are described herein. One or more device embodiments include a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to concurrently provide a location of an individual at least two different points in time, a time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time to a user.

Claims

1. A computing device for providing a location of an individual, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to;

concurrently provide a location of an individual at least two different points in time, a time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time to a user.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to concurrently display the location of the individual at the at least two different points in time, the time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time on a user interface of the computing device.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

display a topology of a building in which the individual is located on the user interface; and

concurrently display the location of the individual in the building at the at least two different points in time, the time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual in the building at each of the at least two different points in time in the displayed topology.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein each time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time provided to the user includes a different amount of time elapsed since an initial point in time.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the initial point in time is a point in time at which an uncertainty associated with a location of the individual is equal to or less than a pre-defined uncertainty threshold.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to provide the location of the individual at the at least two different points in time, the time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time only if the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time is equal to or less than a pre-defined uncertainty threshold.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to provide the location of the individual at the at least two different points in time, the time identifier for each of the at least two different points in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time regardless of the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

represent the location of the individual at the at least two different points in time as a continuous location stream; and

represent the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at each of the at least two different points in time as a thickness of the continuous location stream.

9. A method for providing a location of an individual, comprising:

receiving a location of an individual at a first point in time;

providing the location of the individual at the first point in time and a time identifier for the first point in time to a user;

receiving a location of the individual at a second point in time that is after the first point in time; and

providing the location of the individual at the second point in time and a time identifier for the second point in time to the user while providing the location of the individual at the first point in time and the time identifier for the first point in time to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method includes:

providing an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time to the user; and

providing an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time to the user while providing the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time to the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method includes:

receiving a location of the individual at a third point in time that is after the second point in time; and

providing the location of the individual at the third point in time and a time identifier for the third point in time to the user while providing the location of the individual at the first point in time, the time identifier for the first point in time, the location of the individual at the second point in time, and the time identifier for the second point in time to the user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the method includes:

receiving a location of the individual at a third point in time that is after the second point in time; and

providing the location of the individual at the third point in time and a time identifier for the third point in time to the user while no longer providing the location of the individual at the first point in time, the time identifier for the first point in time, the location of the individual at the second point in time, or the time identifier for the second point in time to the user if an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the third point in time is equal to or less than an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time and an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method includes:

receiving the location of the individual at the first point in time from an inertial sensor on the person of the individual or from a radio signal from a radio transmitter on the person of the individual; and

receiving the location of the individual at the second point in time from the inertial sensor on the person of the individual or from a radio signal from the radio transmitter on the person of the individual.

14. A computing device for providing a location of an individual, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to;

provide a location of an individual at a first point in time, a time identifier for the first point in time, and an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time to a user; and

provide a location of the individual at a second point in time, a time identifier for the second point in time, and an uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time to the user, wherein;

the second point in time is after the first point in time; and

the location of the individual at the first point in time, the time identifier for the first point in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time are provided to the user while the location of the individual at the second point in time, the time identifier for the second point in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time are provided to the user.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

represent the location of the individual at the first point in time as a first dot; and

represent the location of the individual at the second point in time as a second dot.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

represent the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time or the time identifier for the first point in time as a color or shading of the first dot; and

represent the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time or the time identifier for the second point in time as a color or shading of the second dot.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

represent the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time as a circle around the first dot, wherein;

a size of the circle around the first dot represents an amount of uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time; and

the greater the amount of uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time, the greater the size of the circle around the first dot; and

represent the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time as a circle around the second dot, wherein;

a size of the circle around the second dot represents an amount of uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time; and

the greater the amount of uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time, the greater the size of the circle around the second dot.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time is different than the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein:

the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time is a number of standard deviations of error associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time; and

the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time is a number of standard deviations of error associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time.

20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to provide the location of an individual at the first point in time, the time identifier for the first point in time, and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time to the user if the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the first point in time is equal to or less than a pre-defined uncertainty threshold and the uncertainty associated with the location of the individual at the second point in time.