Systems and Methods for Location-Aware Imaging Devices

• US 20150092226A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, John Douglas, Steely, Forrest Lane
• Granted Patent: US 9,225,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

Methods and systems fir tracking locations of a plurality of devices includes initializing a server with a site floor plan, receiving ranging information transmitted by one or more devices of the plurality of devices at the server, creating a multi-dimensional map of locations of the plurality of devices based on ranging information using a location engine, and calibrating the multi-dimensional map of locations to the site floor plan calibrated with geospatial coordinates. Upon movement of a device from a first to a second location, ranging information changes between devices and maps relative locations and absolute locations are updated.

Claims

1. A method for tracking location of a plurality of imaging devices in a computing system environment, comprising:

receiving, at a first imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices, at least one broadcast signal from at least one other imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices;

generating position data associated with the at least one other imaging device using the received at least one broadcast signal;

transmitting the position data from the first imaging device, to a server, wherein the server creates a multi-dimensional map of initial locations of each of the at least one other imaging device relative to the first imaging device based on the position data;

upon movement of the at least one other imaging device from the initial location to a second location, receiving at the first imaging device another broadcast signal from the at least one other imaging device at the second location;

generating second position data associated with the at least one other imaging device;

transmitting the second position data from the first imaging device to the server; and

redrawing the multi-dimensional map to show the new location of the at least one other imaging device at the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server calibrates the multi-dimensional map of locations with geospatial coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the position data and the second position data includes calculating respective distance of the at least one other imaging device from the first imaging device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is initialized with a floor plan calibrated with the geospatial coordinates and calibrates the multi-dimensional map of initial locations with geospatial coordinates by superimposing the multi-dimensional map of initial locations with the floor plan.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first imaging device is calibrated to the floor plan such that the server is initially aware of the location of the first imaging device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-dimensional nap of initial locations includes a two-dimensional model of imaging device locations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-dimensional map of initial locations includes a three-dimensional model of imaging device locations.

8. A method for tracking location of a plurality of imaging devices, comprising:

initializing a server with a site floor plan;

receiving, at the server, ranging information transmitted by one or more imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices;

creating a multi-dimensional map of initial locations of the plurality of imaging devices based on ranging information;

calibrating the multi-dimensional map of initial locations to the site floor plan;

upon movement of one of the imaging devices from an initial location to a second location, receiving second ranging information at the server from the one or more imaging devices; and

updating the multi-dimensional map to show the second location of the one of the imaging devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the initializing the server with the site floor plan includes calibrating the floor plan with geospatial coordinates.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the ranging information and the second ranging information includes distance estimations of the plurality of imaging devices with respect to each other.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the calibrating the multi-dimensional map to the site floor plan includes overlaying the multi-dimensional map on the site floor plan.

12. The method of claim 8, further including, by the server, determining an absolute location for each of the imaging devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further including transmitting a respective said absolute location from the server to said each of the imaging devices, said each of the imaging devices storing in memory the respective said absolute location sent from the server and being responsive to queries over a network to provide the respective said absolute location.

14. A system for self-locating imaging devices in an imaging environment, comprising:

a plurality of imaging devices equipped with radio transceivers to allow each of the plurality of imaging devices to communicate with each other via radio signals and calculate distance estimations relative to each other based on the radio signals exchanged with each other; and

a server connected to the plurality of imaging devices, the server operative to receive the distance estimations from the plurality of imaging devices, and create a multi-dimensional map of locations of the plurality of imaging devices based on the calculated distance estimations, including being operative to receive second or more distance estimations from the plurality of imaging devices to update the multi-dimensional map to show movement of locations of at least one imaging device from an initial to a second location.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is initialized with a site floor plan calibrated with geospatial coordinates.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices is calibrated to the site floor plan such that the server is initially aware of the location of the at least one imaging device prior to creating the multi-dimensional map.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the server is further operative to calibrate the multi-dimensional map to the site floor plan and the geospatial coordinates.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the server calibrates the multi-dimensional map to the site floor plan by overlaying the multi-dimensional map on the site floor plan.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the multi-dimensional map includes a two-dimensional model showing locations the plurality of imaging devices relative to each other.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the multi-dimensional map includes a three-dimensional model showing locations of the plurality of imaging devices relative to each other.