Location system for asset or personnel tracking using multi-frequency ultrasonic transducers and goertzel filters

• US 8,305,842 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Merlin360.Com Limited
• Original Assignee: Merlin360.Com Limited
• Inventors: Holdsworth, Dennis Edward Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US12/532,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 3405391-53915, 367/93, 367/94
• US Class Current: 367/93
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/22 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components

Abstract

A location system, for the tracking of personnel or products for establishing the location of an identification tag attached to a person or product, has the tag comprising a power source; an ultrasonic transducer; a transmitter connected to an output signal from the transducer and capable of transmitting multiple frequencies to establish the unique ID of the tag in question, including a first frequency solely to identify when a tag is about to start transmitting data; the system comprising further a plurality of strategically located ultrasonic receiver; and processing means including a reader incorporating a number of Goertzel filters corresponding to the number of frequencies transmitted to process output signals from the ultrasonic receivers to establish the ID of the read tag and its location.

Claims

1. A location system, for the tracking of personnel or products for establishing the location of an identification tag attached to a person or product, the location system comprising a tag, wherein the tag comprises:

(i) a power source;

(ii) an ultrasonic transducer;

(iii) a transmitter is connected to an output from said transducer and operable to transmit multiple frequencies to establish the unique ID of said tag in question, the location system further comprising;

(iv) a plurality of strategically located ultrasonic receivers; and

(v) processing means including a reader operable to process output signals from said ultrasonic receivers to establish the ID of said read tag and its location, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit a first frequency solely to identify when said tag is about to start transmitting data, and wherein the reader incorporates a number of Goertzel filters corresponding to the number of frequencies transmitted to process the output signals from the ultrasonic receivers.

2. A location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a large number, up to 10, of ultrasonic receivers are simultaneously handled by one said reader in real time.

3. A location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reader collates said signals received from each of said receivers to provide quantifiable information on reception timings and signal strengths which give a picture of echoes and reflections.

4. A location system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said picture of echoes and reflections is then used to determine the bearing of the original signal.

5. A location system as claimed, in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said readers networked in arrays to allow greater differentiation of signal origin.

6. A location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said identification tag uses a combination of five frequencies, f1-f5, to transmit said tag'"'"'s unique ID and event status to said ultrasonic readers.

7. A location system as claimed in claim 6, wherein a start frequency (f3) is used to solely identify when said tag is about to start transmitting, whilst frequencies f1, f2,f4,f5 are used to transmit the data.

8. A location system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said ultrasonic reader uses five Goertzel filters to detect the discrete frequencies.

9. A location system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said five frequencies used within the 40 KHz ultrasonic band are:

10. A location system as claimed in claim 9, wherein to effectively detect each said frequency the system samples each ultrasonic transducers at 104.2 KHz with a sample window size of 2048.