Object area network

• US 6,812,840 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lawrence, Victor B., Gehlot, Narayan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/055,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/573.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.38, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network

Abstract

A monitoring and tracking system for monitoring and tracking an object may have a plurality of object area network elements. Each of the object area network elements may have a wireless communications unit and a GPS unit, wherein the GPS units are designed to facilitate the calculation of position data for each of the plurality of object area network elements. The wireless communications units may be designed to facilitate communications between the plurality of object area network elements and at least one base station. Each of the plurality of object area network elements may further have a sensor unit, the sensor units each having at least one temperature sensing unit for obtaining temperature data and at least one pressure sensing unit for obtaining pressure data. The object area network elements may be designed to communicate the temperature data, the pressure data, and the position data to the base station. The plurality of object area network elements may also be designed to communicate with each other to form an object area network.

Claims

1. A monitoring and tracking system for an object comprising:

an object area network comprising a plurality of object area network elements each having an inter-element communication unit adapted to facilitate inter-element communication between said object area network elements, said plurality of object area networks being each disposed on or proximate to said object;

ones of said object area network elements each having a sensing unit to obtain data related to the object and a processor adapted for processing sensed data and for controlling inter-element communications with other elements of said network;

a wireless communications unit coupled to at least one of said object area network elements and being adapted to facilitate communications between said object area network and at least one base station;

wherein said object area network elements are coupled by inter-element communication to form an object area network whereby information may be shared between said object area network elements, and wherein the information may be communicated between said object area network and said at least one base station via said wireless communication unit.

2. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said object area network elements has a global positioning system (GPS) unit, said GPS unit being adapted to supply position related data related to said object area network.

3. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 2, wherein said wireless communications unit is adapted to facilitate the calculation of positional data to said object area network.

4. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 2, wherein at least one object area network element includes said wireless communications unit, a sensing unit coupled to said wireless communications unit, and a GPS unit coupled to said wireless communications unit.

5. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 4, wherein said wireless communications unit, said sensing unit, and said GPS unit of said at least one object area network element are all disposed in a single package.

6. The monitoring and tracking unit of claim 2, further comprising:

a first data storage unit disposed proximate a first position, said first data storage unit adapted to store data related to the object; and

a second data storage unit disposed proximate a second position, said second data storage unit adapted to store said data related to the object;

wherein said GPS unit is further adapted to process said position data related to said object area network such that when the object moves from the first position to the second position, said data related to the object is automatically transferred from said first data storage unit to said second data storage unit.

7. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, wherein ones of said sensing units comprise a sensing unit chosen from the group consisting of a temperature sensing unit, a pressure sensing unit and a sound sensing unit.

8. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, further comprising an alerting unit coupled to said wireless communications unit.

9. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 8, wherein the object is a person, said alerting unit being adapted to alert the person as a function of a signal transmitted by said base station;

wherein the person may be alerted to an impending danger.

10. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, wherein at least two of said object area network elements each include a GPS unit, said GPS units each being adapted to supply position data for said at least two object area network elements.

11. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 10, wherein said at least two of said object area network elements are adapted to calculate the distance between themselves.

12. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, wherein at least a first of said object area network elements is adapted to perform a diagnostic test on at least a second of said object area network elements.

13. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, wherein said communications between said object area network and said at least one base station include transmitting an emergency message to said at least one base station.

14. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first data storage unit disposed proximate a first position, said first data storage unit adapted to store data related to the object;

a second data storage unit disposed proximate a second position, said second data storage unit adapted to store said data related to the object; and

a processing unit, said processing unit being adapted to process position data related to the object such that when the object moves from the first position to the second position, said data related to the object is automatically transferred from said first data storage unit to said second data storage unit.

15. A method for monitoring and tracking an object, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining biometric data from sensing units coupled to ones of a plurality of object area network elements wherein said plurality of object area network elements are each disposed on or proximate to the object thereby forming a local area network relative to the object;

communicating element data between said plurality of object area network elements to insure that all object area network elements are present and said biometric data is within a predetermined range;

providing a processing means at ones of said plurality of object area network elements adapted to process said obtained biometric data and to control inter-element communications with other elements of said network; and

communicating network data between said plurality of object area network elements and a base station by a wireless communication unit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

obtaining position related data from at least one GPS unit which is part of one of said plurality of object area network elements.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing personal data related to the object at a first data storage unit disposed proximate a first position;

processing said position related data obtained by said GPS unit related to the object with a processing unit; and

automatically transferring said personal data related to the object from said first data storage unit to a second data storage unit when the object moves from said first position to a second position, said second data storage unit being disposed proximate said second position.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein ones of said sensing units comprise a unit chosen from the group consisting of a temperature sensing unit, a pressure sensing unit and a sound sensing unit.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the object is a person, the method further comprising:

alerting the person to the existence of an impending danger as a function of a signal transmitted by the base station to an alerting unit on one of said plurality of object area network elements.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

supplying position related data from a first GPS unit on a first of said plurality of object area network elements; and

supplying position related data from a second GPS unit on a second of said plurality of object area network elements.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

calculating the distance between said first of said plurality of object area network elements and said second of said plurality of object area network elements, by a processor unit which is incorporated in one of said plurality of object area network elements.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing personal data related to the object at a first data storage unit disposed proximate a first position;

processing position data related to the object with a processing unit; and

automatically transferring said personal data related to the object from said first data storage unit to a second data storage unit when the object moves from said first position to a second position, said second data storage unit being disposed proximate said second position.

23. An object area network, comprising:

a plurality of object area network element means disposed on or proximate to the object, each said element having inter-element communication means such that information may be shared between said two or more of said plurality of object area network means;

wherein,

(i) ones of said plurality of object area network means each has means for sensing data related to the object and a processor adapted for processing sensed data and for controlling inter-element communications with other elements of said network;

(ii) at least one of said plurality of object area network means has wireless communication means for communicating between said object area network and at least one base station; and

said two or more of said plurality of object area network element means communicate with each other as part of said object area network.

24. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 23, wherein at least one of said plurality of object area network element means has means for global positioning by way of at least one global positioning satellite, said means for global positioning being adapted to supply position related data to said object area network.

25. The monitoring and tracking unit of claim 24, further comprising:

a first means for data storage disposed proximate a first position, said first means for data storage being adapted to store personal data related to the object; and

a second means for data storage disposed proximate a second position, said second means for data storage being adapted to store said personal data related to the object;

wherein said means for global positioning is further adapted to process said position data related to said object area network such that when the object moves from the first position to the second position, said personal data related to the object is automatically transferred from said first means for data storage to said second means for data storage.

26. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 23, wherein ones of said means for sensing comprise means chosen from the group consisting of a temperature sensing means, a pressure sensing means and a sound sensing means.

27. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 23, further comprising means for alerting.

28. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 27, wherein the object is a person, said means for alerting being adapted to alert the person of an impending danger as a function of a signal transmitted by said base station.

29. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 23, wherein at least two of said plurality of object area network elements have means for global positioning, said means for positioning being adapted to supply related position data for said at least two object area network elements.

30. The monitoring and tracking system of claim 23, further comprising:

a first means for data storage disposed proximate a first position, said first means for data storage being adapted to store personal data related to the object;

a second means for data storage disposed proximate a second position, said second means for data storage being adapted to store said personal data related to the object; and

a means for processing, said means for processing being adapted to process position data related to the object such that when the object moves from the first position to the second position, said personal data related to the object is automatically transferred from said first means for data storage to said second means for data storage.