SYSTEM AND METHOD OF LOCATING USERS INDOORS

• US 20130249672A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhargava, Saurabh, Joshi, Avinash, Suryanarayanan, Radhakrishnan
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks

Abstract

Indoor locationing using radio frequency based tags includes distributing a plurality of radio frequency based tags at mapped locations within the indoor environment. The radio frequency based tags periodically transmit their identity information in a message. A mobile device in proximity to at least one of the radio frequency based tags receives the message. A location of the mobile device is associating to the mapped location of the radio frequency based tag identified in the received message.

Claims

1. A method for locationing using radio frequency based tags within an indoor environment, comprising:

distributing a plurality of radio frequency based tags at mapped locations within the indoor environment;

the radio frequency based tags periodically transmitting their identity information in a message;

receiving the message by a mobile device in proximity to at least one of the radio frequency based tags; and

associating a location of the mobile device to the mapped location of the radio frequency based tag identified in the received message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of relaying the message by the mobile device to a central/distributed server, and wherein the associating step is performed by the central/distributed server to determine the location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of the central/distributed server validating the location of the mobile device with the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises the mobile device receiving other messages from other radio frequency based tags of the plurality of radio frequency based tags as the mobile device moves in proximity to the other radio frequency based tags, and further wherein the associating step comprises using the other messages to note the movement of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

scanning each of the plurality of radio frequency based tags by a scanning device at a physical location of the each of the radio frequency based tags to obtain an identification of each of the radio frequency based tags; and

associating the physical location of each of the plurality of radio frequency based tags with the identification of the corresponding radio frequency based tag.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting the physical location of each of the plurality of radio frequency based tags and the corresponding identification of the radio frequency based tag associated with the physical location by the scanning device to a central/distributed server.

7. A system for locationing using radio frequency based tags within an indoor environment, comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency based tags operable at distributed mapped locations within the indoor environment, the radio frequency based tags periodically transmitting their identity information in a message; and

a mobile device operable to receive the message when in proximity to at least one of the radio frequency based tags,

wherein a location of the mobile device is associated with the mapped location of the radio frequency based tag identified in the received message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the message is relayed by the mobile device to the central/distributed server, which determines a the location of the mobile device by associating the location of the mobile device to the mapped location of the radio frequency based tag identified in the received message.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile device includes an application installed therein, operable within the indoor environment and operable to relay the message.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the central/distributed server is also operable to validate the location of the mobile device with the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is further operable to receive other messages from other radio frequency based tags of the plurality of radio frequency based tags as the mobile device moves in proximity to the other radio frequency based tags, wherein the other messages to note the movement of the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the radio frequency based tags are initially installed at mapped physical locations within the indoor environment, wherein each installed radio frequency based tag is scanned by a scanning device at a physical location of the each radio frequency based tag to obtain the identity information of the radio frequency based tag, wherein the physical location of each radio frequency based tag is associated with a corresponding identity information of the each radio frequency based tag.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the scanning device is further operable to transmit the physical location of each radio frequency based tag and the corresponding identity information of the each radio frequency based tag associated with that the physical location to a central/distributed server.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the radio frequency based tags are operable to transmit their message at a limited power level such that a transmit range of neighboring radio tags of the plurality of radio frequency based tags that can be received by the mobile device does not significantly overlap.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is mounted on a cart usable within the indoor environment.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the radio frequency based tags transmit their message every second.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device includes a display, which is operable to display identities of detected proximal radio frequency based tags.