Systems for tracking kidnapped hostage tracking systems, transmitters used in the same, sensor network gateways used in the same, and methods of tracking kidnapped hostage

• US 8,170,581 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Original Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Inventors: Choo, Hyunseung, Seo, Jaewan, Lee, Jaehyung, Park, Jinwook, Jang, Soko
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROD, YOUSEF R
• Application Number:
  US12/385,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20090253402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A system for tracking location of person having signal transmitter includes at least one receiver for receiving unique ID signal transmitted by signal transmitter that transmits ID signal uniquely determined for respective mobile signal transmitter at at least one predetermined period. The receiver receives unique ID signal near circumference of the person having signal transmitter spaced apart from the receiver by given distance, and stores the received unique ID signal in ID store unit. The receiver, when search request for specific ID is received from external server, searches for the requested ID in ID store unit and transmits transmission information including ID corresponding to requested ID to external server. The person, such as abducted person, has only small signal transmitter, and thus the current location of the abducted person and path along which the abducted person moved can be tracked using the signal continually transmitted by the signal transmitter.

Claims

1. A system for tracking a location of a person having a mobile signal transmitter, the system tracking the location of the person having the signal transmitter in conjunction with the mobile signal transmitter for transmitting an Identification (ID) signal that is uniquely determined for respective mobile signal transmitter, the system comprising:

at least one receiver configured to receive the unique ID signal transmitted by the signal transmitter,

wherein the at least one receiver receives the unique ID signal near circumference of the person having the signal transmitter spaced apart from the receiver by a given distance, and stores the received unique ID signal in an ID store unit, and wherein the at least one receiver, when a search request for a specific ID is received from an external server, searches for the requested ID in the ID store unit and transmits transmission information including an ID corresponding to the requested ID to the external server,

wherein the signal transmitter continually transmits the unique ID signal at least one given period, and wherein the signal transmitter comprises;

a transmission signal generation unit configured to generate the unique ID signal;

a short-distance signal transmission unit configured to transmits the unique ID signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit for a predetermined time, the unique ID signal transmitted by the a short-distance signal transmission unit having a power which allows the unique ID signal to be transmitted up to a first distance relatively close to the short-distance signal transmission unit;

a long-distance signal transmission unit configured to transmit the unique ID signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit for a predetermined time, the unique ID signal transmitted by the a long-distance signal transmission unit having a power which allows the unique ID signal to be transmitted up to a second distance relatively longer than the first distance; and

a time counter configured to calculate the at least one given period or a point of time at which the short-distance signal transmission unit and the long-distance signal transmission unit transmit the unique ID signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver includes a mobile communication terminal held by an unspecified person located near the circumference of the person having the signal transmitter, and the external server includes a mobile communication company'"'"'s server;

and wherein the receiver comprises;

an ID receipt unit configured to receive the unique ID signal whenever the ID receipt unit senses the unique ID signal transmitted by the signal transmitter;

an ID store unit configured to store the unique ID, an ID receipt time, information about whether the received unique ID is a short-distance signal or a long-distance signal, and information about an area where the unique ID is received;

a communication interface configured to receive a request signal transmitted from the mobile communication company'"'"'s server, configured to perform data processing according to the request signal to location information, and configured to transmit the location information to the mobile communication company'"'"'s server; and

search request for a specific ID

an ID search unit configured to perform search the stored transmission information to determine whether requested ID exists in the stored transmission information when the search request signal for a specific ID of a signal transmitter targeted for tracking is received from the mobile communication company'"'"'s server through the communication interface,

wherein the receiver generates transmission information data, the transmission information data is obtained by adding a telephone number of the mobile communication terminal to the transmission information related to the requested ID when the requested ID exists, and transmits the transmission information data to the mobile communication company'"'"'s server through the communication interface.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile communication company'"'"'s server collects the transmission information data from a plurality of mobile communication terminals as log data, obtains a path along which the person moved for a predetermined time, and tracks both a location at which an accident has occurred to the person and a current location of the person.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is a dedicated receiving terminal installed on a predetermined place near the circumference of the person having the signal transmitter.

5. A system for tracking a location of a person having a signal transmitter using a sensor network interworking with an internet network, the system comprising

at least one sensor network gateway configured to detect an unique Identification (ID) signal from a mobile signal transmitter for continually transmitting the unique ID signal at least one predetermined period, and configured to generate a detection message including the unique ID;

and

a backbone gateway configured to interwork with the internet network in a multi-hop way, configured to receive the detection message including the unique ID, an ID receipt time and an ID receipt location, and configured to deliver the detection message to a remote user terminal including an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) terminal via a communication network,

wherein the backbone gateway receives the detection message from the at least one sensor network gateway, stores the detection message as log data, obtains a path along which the person moved for a predetermined time, and tracks both a location at which an accident has occurred to the person and a current location of the person,

wherein the sensor network gateway further comprises a camera for taking a picture of circumference of the sensor network gateway to capture the picture of the circumference of the sensor network gateway,

wherein the remote user terminal transmits a message requesting for activation of the camera to the sensor network gateway via the backbone gateway, and wherein the sensor network gateway that received the message requesting for the activation of the camera, operates the camera to capture the picture of the circumference of the sensor network gateway, and transmits the captured picture of the circumference to the remote user terminal.

6. A mobile signal transmitter used in a system for tracking a location of a person having a mobile signal transmitter, the system including at least one receiver, the receiver receiving an unique Identification (ID) signal transmitted by the mobile signal transmitter that transmits, at least one predetermined period, the unique ID signal uniquely determined for respective mobile signal transmitter, storing the received unique ID signal, searching for a requested specific ID when a search request for a specific ID is received from an external server, and transmitting transmission information including an ID corresponding to the requested ID to the external server, the signal transmitter comprising

a transmission signal generation unit configured to generate, at least one predetermined period, the ID signal uniquely determined for respective signal transmitter;

a short-distance signal transmission unit configured to transmits the unique ID signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit for a predetermined time the unique ID signal transmitted by the a short-distance signal transmission unit having a power which allows the unique ID signal to be transmitted up to a first distance relatively close to the short-distance signal transmission unit;

a long-distance signal transmission unit configured to transmit the unique ID signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit for a predetermined time, the unique ID signal transmitted by the a long-distance signal transmission unit having a power which allows the unique ID signal to be transmitted up to a second distance relatively longer than the first distance; and

a time counter configured to calculate the at least one given period or a point of time at which the short-distance signal transmission unit and the long-distance signal transmission unit transmit the unique ID signal,

wherein the signal transmitter continually transmits the unique ID signal at least one given period.

7. A method of tracking a location of a person having a mobile signal transmitter, the method tracks the location of the person having the mobile signal transmitter in conjunction with the mobile signal transmitter for transmitting a unique Identification (ID) signal uniquely determined for respective mobile signal transmitter, the method comprising:

receiving the unique ID signal transmitted by the mobile signal transmitter near circumference of the person having the signal transmitter to store the received unique ID signal; and

when a search request for a specific ID is received from an external server, searching for the requested ID and transmitting transmission information including an ID corresponding to the requested ID to the external server,

wherein the step of receiving the unique ID signal transmitted by the mobile signal transmitter comprises;

receiving the unique ID signal whenever the unique ID signal transmitted by the mobile signal transmitter is sensed; and

storing the unique ID, an ID receipt time, information about whether the received ID is a short-distance signal or a long-distance signal, and information about an area where the unique ID signal is received,

wherein the step of searching for the requested ID and transmitting transmission information including an ID corresponding to the requested ID to the external server comprises;

performing a search for determining whether the requested ID exists in the stored transmission information when a search request signal for a specific ID of a mobile signal transmitter targeted for tracking is received from a mobile communication company'"'"'s server; and

generating transmission information data to transmit the transmission information data to the mobile communication company'"'"'s server, the transmission information data being obtained by adding a telephone number of a mobile communication terminal to the transmission information related to the requested ID when the requested ID exists, and

wherein the method of tracking a location of a person having a mobile signal transmitter

collects the transmission information data from a plurality of mobile communication terminals as log data, obtains a path along which the person moved for a predetermined time and tracks both a location at which an accident has occurred to the person and a current location of the person.