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System and method for dynamically tracking and state forecasting tagged entities

  • US 7,675,412 B2
  • Filed: 02/27/2007
  • Issued: 03/09/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for dynamically tracking a plurality of entities progressing through an operation each having an electronic tagging device associated therewith, said method comprising:

  • sensing signals emitted by each of the plurality of tagging devices, at predetermined instances or when triggered by external events, by a plurality of sensors located at predetermined sites with respect to the operation, each signal including information uniquely identifying the corresponding tagging device;

    communicating the sensed signals and corresponding energy levels at which they were sensed by each of the plurality of sensors to a data processor;

    processing the unique identification information provided by the signals and their energy levels to determine a location of each tagging device relatively to the predetermined sites of the sensors;

    dynamically updating a path of each tagging device and the associated entity based on the determined location with respect to at least a portion of the operation;

    determining that a first of the plurality of tagging devices and a second one of the plurality of tagging devices are progressing in close proximity to each other through the operation, when a distance between the dynamically updated paths of each of the first and second tagging devices remains smaller than a predetermined physical dimension during a segment of time; and

    determining whether the first tagging device and the second tagging device are correlated to one another based on corresponding unique identification information, and utilizing the determined correlation to improve a forecast of a flow of the operation; and

    synchronizing internal clocks of the tagging devices with internal clocks of the sensors to improve the accuracy of the signal time-stamps and minimize noise; and

    time-stamping the emitted signals via the internal clocks internal of the tagging devices.

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