PRINTED TAG REAL-TIME TRACKING

• US 20140274139A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Bilal, Rana M., Farooqui, Muhammad F., Cheema, Hammad M., Shamim, Atif
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for monitoring tracking devices capable of seamless indoor and outdoor tracking transitions. A tracking device may comprise, for example, printable circuitry and antennas combined with one or more receivers/transceivers on a substrate. The tracking device may be configured, for example, to localize the tracking device via GPS or an alternative localization strategy based on a determination of whether GPS communication is available. A modified RSSI fingerprinting methodology may be used to accurately determine a location of the tracking device using Wi-Fi access points. A device monitoring service may communicate with internal and/or external mapping API'"'"'s to render a device monitoring user interface comprising a visual representation of the location of the tracking device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device in communication with at least one tracking device, the at least one tracking device comprising;

a printed circuit on a substrate comprising a localization system and a communication system, the localization system configured to obtain location data to localize the tracking device via a global positioning system (GPS), the communication system configured to obtain the location data to localize the tracking device via an alternative localization strategy responsive to the localization system being unable to obtain the location data via GPS, the localization system and the communication system configured to communicate via an antenna; and

at least one application executable in the at least one computing device, the application comprising;

logic that determines a location of the tracking device based at least in part on the location data;

logic that encodes the location of the tracking device in a user interface; and

logic that transmits the user to a client device for rendering.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Radiofrequency (RF), Ultrasonic, Z-Wave, or ZigBee is used as the alternative localization strategy to obtain the location data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location data is measured via received signal strength indication (RSSI), time of arrival (TOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), or up-link time difference of arrival (U-TDOA).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna further comprises a printed antenna on a paper substrate, the printed antenna comprising an L-shaped absence in a rectangular monopole structure.

5. The system of claim 1, the application further comprising:

logic that communicates with a mapping application programming interface (API) to generate a map comprising the location of the tracking device; and

logic that encodes the map comprising the location of the tracking device in the user interface.

6. The system of claim 1, the application further comprising:

logic that transmits the location data to the client device to be rendered in a mapping application on the client device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic that determines the location of the tracking device based at least in part on the location data further comprises:

logic that determines at least three estimated locations of the tracking device against at least three access points; and

logic that determines a final location of the tracking device based at least in part on the three estimated locations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit comprises nanoparticle ink printed on the substrate.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is paper.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is plastic.

16. The system of claim 1, the application further comprising:

logic that transmits the location data to the client device to be rendered in a mapping application on the client device.

11. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, in a computing device, location data from a tracking device, the tracking device comprising;

a printed circuit on a substrate in communication with a localization system and a communication system, the localization system configured to obtain the location data to localize the tracking device via a global positioning system (GPS), the communication system configured to obtain the location data via an alternative localization strategy responsive the localization system being unable obtain the location data via GPS, the localization system and the communication system configured to communicate via an antenna;

determining, in the computing device, a location of the tracking device based at least in part on the location data;

rendering the location of the tracking device in a user interface; and

transmitting the user interface to a client device for rendering.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Radiofrequency (RF), Ultrasonic, Z-wave, or ZigBee is used as the alternative localization strategy to obtain the location data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the location data is measured via received signal strength indication (RSSI), time of arrival (TOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), or up-link time difference of arrival (U-TDOA).

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the antenna further comprises a printed antenna on a paper substrate, the printed antenna comprising an L-shaped absence in a rectangular monopole structure.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

communicating, in the computing device, with a mapping application programming interface (API) to generate a map comprising the location of the tracking device; and

encoding, in the computing device, the map comprising the location of the tracking device in the user interface.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein determining, in the computing device, the location of the tracking device based at least in part on the location data further comprises:

determining at least three estimated locations of the tracking device against at least three access points; and

determining a final location of the tracking device based at least in part on the three estimated locations.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the printed circuit comprises nanoparticle ink printed on the substrate.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is paper.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is plastic.