WIRELESS TRACKING DEVICE

• US 20150334524A1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Fetzer, Dudley, Doyle, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/807,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a tracking device to inconspicuously track a person to be monitored (such as a child or at-risk adult) are presented. Some embodiments of the present invention combine a positioning receiver (e.g., a GPS receiver) and a locking mechanism to act as a tracking device, which attaches to an article of clothing or fabric wearable by the person to be monitored. Some embodiments of the present invention keep a positioning receiver and a radio frequency identification tag (RFID tag) or other RF tag, which are physically separate but in RF proximity of each other.

Claims

1. A tracking system for wirelessly tracking a person, the tracking system comprising:

a radio frequency tag (RF tag) fixable to the person; and

electronic circuitry physically unattached to the RF tag, the electronic circuitry comprising

a positioning receiver;

a wireless transmitter;

a personal area network receiver (PAN receiver) coupled to the RF tag with PAN communication; and

a processor with memory, coupled to the positioning receiver, wireless transmitter and the PAN receiver to report a determined position.

2. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is a wide area network (WAN) transmitter.

3. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the RF tag fixable to the person comprises one of a bracelet or an anklet.

4. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the RF tag fixable to the person comprises an passive radio frequency identification tag (passive RFID tag).

5. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the positioning receiver comprises Global Positioning System receiver (GPS receiver).

6. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a mobile radio transceiver.

7. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the PAN receiver comprises a radio frequency identification transceiver (RFID transceiver) and the RF tag comprise a passive RF device.

8. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the PAN receiver comprises a Bluetooth-type transceiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry further comprises at least one of:

a tamper detection circuit;

an inertial sensor;

a panic button;

at least one auxiliary button; and

a display.

10. A method for wirelessly tracking, the method comprising:

attaching a radio frequency tag (RF tag) to a person to be monitored;

placing a tracking device into a pocket in proximity to the RF tag, wherein the tracking device including electronic circuitry, and wherein the tracking device and RF tag form a personal area network (PAN);

receiving positioning signals at the electronic circuitry;

estimating a position estimate from the positioning signals; and

reporting the position estimate over a wireless network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless network is a wide area network (WAN).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein attaching the RF tag to the person comprises inserting the RF tag into a shoe.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein attaching the RF tag to the person comprises wearing the RF tag as one of a bracelet or a anklet.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein reporting the position estimate over the wireless network comprises reporting a cause, and wherein estimating the position estimate is a result of the cause.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the cause comprises detecting a geo-fence violation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the cause comprises detecting a tampering.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the cause comprises detecting excessive inertia.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the cause comprises detecting the RF tag is not within the PAN.

19. A tracking system for wirelessly tracking a person, the tracking system comprising:

means for attaching a radio frequency tag (RF tag) to one of a wrist, angle or shoe of the person;

means for tracking configured for placement in proximity to the RF tag, wherein the means for tracking includes electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry comprising;

means for communicating between the RF tag and the electronic circuitry over a personal area network (PAN);

means for receiving positioning signals at the electronic circuitry,

means for estimating a position estimate from the positioning signals; and

means for determining the RF tag is not within the PAN; and

means for reporting the position estimate over a wireless network in response to determining the RF tag is not within the PAN.

20. The tracking system of claim 19, wherein the means for communicating between the electronic circuitry and the RF tag over a personal area network (PAN) comprises a personal area network receiver (PAN receiver) coupled to the RF tag via PAN communication.

21. The tracking system of claim 20, wherein the means for determining the RF tag is not within the PAN comprises a processor with memory coupled to the PAN receiver.

22. The tracking system of claim 19, wherein the means for receiving positioning signals comprises a Global Positioning System receiver (GPS receiver).

23. The tracking system of claim 22, wherein the means for estimating a position estimate from the positioning signals comprises a processor with memory coupled to the GPS receiver.

24. The tracking system of claim 19, wherein the means for reporting the position estimate over a wireless network in response to determining the RF tag is not within the PAN comprises a processor with memory coupled to a wide area network (WAN) transmitter.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors of one or more components of a tracking system to:

communicate between a radio frequency tag (RF tag) and electronic circuitry over a personal area network (PAN); and

detect a cause, and in response to the cause,

receive positioning signals at the electronic circuitry,

estimate a position estimate from the positioning signals,

determine the RF tag is not within the PAN; and

report the position estimate and the cause over a wireless network in response to a determination that the RF tag is not within the PAN.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the wireless network is a wide area network (WAN).

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the cause comprises detecting a geo-fence violation.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the cause comprises detecting a tampering.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the cause comprises detecting excessive inertia.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the cause comprises the determination that the RF tag is not within the PAN.