Methods, systems, and computer program products for locating and tracking objects

• US 8,428,913 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Troxler, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US13/403,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 73/32.R, 73/73, 731/46, 737/60, 737/86, 738/658, 738/66, 738/663, 250/306, 250/307, 250/308, 340/500, 340/501, 340/505, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.14, 340/593.16, 340/539.2, 340/540, 340/573.1, 340/577, 340/578, 340/579, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 340/870.01, 340/870.07, 340/870.16, 340/870.28, 342/350, 342/352, 342/356, 342/357.2, 378/1, 378/51, 378/54, 378/70, 378/86, 378/89, 700/1, 700/9, 700/73, 700/79, 700/80, 701/400, 701/408, 701/466, 701/468, 702/1, 702/33, 702/34, 702/127, 702/137, 702/150, 702/152, 702/187, 702/188, 702/189
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 1/00 Investigation of foundation soil in situ investigation involving boring or specially adapted to earth drilling E21B25/00, E21B49/00; investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties, in general G01N, e.g. sampling G01N1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/00 Recording measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/42 Road-making materials G01N33/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/00 Investigating density or specific gravity of materials; Analysing materials by determining density or specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system for locating and tracking an object is provided. The system includes a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material, a locating device configured to determine a location of the measuring device, a tracking system configured to store tracking information associated with the measuring device and one or more properties determined by the measuring device, and a communications system configured to transfer, to a remote device, the location of the measuring device and the tracking information associated with the measuring device.

Claims

1. A system for locating and tracking an object, the system comprising:

a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material;

a locating device configured to determine a location of the measuring device;

a tracking system configured to store tracking information associated with the measuring device and one or more properties determined by the measuring device; and

a communications system configured to transfer, to a remote device, the location of the measuring device and the tracking information associated with the measuring device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the locating device includes at least one of a geographic information system (GIS), a global positioning system (GPS), nationwide differential global positioning system (NDGPS), a high accuracy-nationwide differential global positioning system (HA-NDGPS), the European satellite system Galileo, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), compasses, accelerometers, magnetometers, signpost components, dead reckoning components, wave propagating components, and RF components.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system includes one of a smart phone, a removable universal serial bus (USB)-based storage device, a wired connection, and a wireless connection.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device is configured to measure at least one of a density, a density-related parameter, a temperature, thermal property, a modulus, a stiffness, a texture, a moisture content, a surface texture of at least one of a soil, an aggregate, and an asphalt or cement paving mix.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the locating device is configured to determine the location of the measuring device independently of the property measurement.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the locating device is configured to determine the location of the measuring device when or about when the property of the paving-related material is determined.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device is selected from the group consisting of a nuclear density gauge, a seismic pavement analyzer, a stiffness gauge, a falling weight deflectometer, a ground penetrating radar device, a radio frequency device, an electromagnetic device, a microwave device, an acoustic device, a moisture measuring device, an optical device, an Infrared device, and combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising authentication of the determined property of the paving-related material and the location of the measuring device.

9. The system of claim 1 comprising a computing system configured for associating a time stamp with at least one of the property of the paving related material and the location of the measuring device.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system is configured to receive a polling signal associated with the object and configured to communicate the location of the object and tracking information associated with the object in response to receiving the polling signal.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the tracking information includes one of identification information of the measuring device, routing information, and combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system communicates over a wireless network.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system communicates over a wired network.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system communicates over a cellular network.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications system communicates by hardware or USB.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device comprises a frequency domain moisture electromagnetic device.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device comprises a time domain reflectometry technique.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device comprises a density measuring device.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device is configured to determine the property of the material independently of the location of the device.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring device comprises an electromagnetic device.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the measuring device determines a property of the paving-related material based on the permittivity of the material.

22. A method for locating and tracking an object, the method comprising:

determining, by a locating device, a location of a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material;

determining, using the measuring device, a property of a paving-related material;

storing, by a tracking system, tracking information associated with the measuring device and one or more properties determined by the measuring device; and

communicating, by a communications system, a signal to a remote computer device that identifies the location of the measuring device and includes the tracking information associated with the measuring device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the locating device includes at least one of a geographic information system (GIS), a global positioning system (GPS), nationwide differential global positioning system (NDGPS), a high accuracy-nationwide differential global positioning system (HA-NDGPS), the European satellite system Galileo, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), compasses, accelerometers, magnetometers, signpost components, dead reckoning components, wave propagating components, and RF components.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein determining a location of an object includes determining the location of the measuring device independently of the property measurement.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein determining a location of an object includes determining the location of the measuring device when the property of the paving-related material is determined.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the measuring device is selected from the group consisting of a nuclear density gauge, a seismic pavement analyzer, a stiffness gauge, a falling weight deflectometer, a ground penetrating radar device, a radio frequency device, an electromagnetic device, a microwave device, an acoustic device, a moisture measuring device, a thermal property measuring device, an optical device, an Infrared device, and combinations thereof.

27. The method of claim 22 comprising associating a time stamp with at least one of the property of the paving related material and the location of the measuring device.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the communications system includes one of a smart phone, a removable universal serial bus (USB)-based storage device, a wired connection, and a wireless connection.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the measuring device determines a property of the paving-related material by measuring at least one of a density, a density-related parameter, a temperature, thermal property, a modulus, a stiffness, a texture, a moisture content, a surface texture of at least one of a soil, an aggregate, and an asphalt or cement paving mix.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein determining a location of a measuring device occurs at or about the same time as determining a property of a paving-related material.

31. A system for locating and tracking an object, the system comprising:

a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material;

a locating device configured to determine a location of the measuring device; and

a tracking system configured to store tracking information associated with the measuring device and one or more properties determined by the measuring device.