Real time travel director

• US 8,437,954 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Design Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Design Labs, LLC
• Inventors: Freeman, Mitchael C., Freeman, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US11/807,969
• Time in Patent Office: 2,168 Days
• Field of Search: 701/211
• US Class Current: 701/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation

Abstract

A travel director provides persons, robots and/or vehicles with real time “you-are-here” directions to a destination or series of destinations within a defined environment, such as a building. large aircraft, train or submarine. The director can also locate and/or direct travel to specific coordinates, people, places, and/or components and equipment within a defined environment. The director creates a complete virtual signature of an existing physical building/structure and defines coordinates on a virtual grid and compares the linear range from a set of unique segments programmed on multiple sequenced and strategically placed identifier tags/chips or from identified telemetric signals pre-existing in the environment.

Claims

1. For use in navigating, a travel director comprising:

means for providing a signature signal, the means for providing a signature signal including a plurality of signature signal sources located in respective predetermined positions relative to the predetermined environment;

means for storing data indicative of the position of the plurality of the signature signal sources and the positions of a plurality of destination locations in relation to the environment, the stored data including a plurality of destination categories, each destination category of the plurality of destination categories including at least one destination location;

means for selecting at least one destination category;

means for creating a route from a real time position of the travel director to a final destination, the final destination being one of the plurality of destination locations, the route including each destination location included in the selected destination category, the route being created to optimize the route as a function of predetermined categorical attributes associated with the selected destination category;

means for receiving a signature signal from at least one of the signature signal sources; and

means responsive to receipt of the signature signal by said receiving means for comparing said source position and destination position data to determine the position of said director relative to said destination.

2. A director according to claim 1, said storing mean further for storing data indicative of a plurality of discrete travel paths in the predetermined environment.

3. A director according to claim 2, said comparing means further for comparing said source position data, said destination position data and said travel path data to create a virtual route linking said director to the destination.

4. A director according to claim 3 further comprising means for indicating deviation of said director from said virtual route.

9. A travel director according to claim 1, the signature signal sources including passive RFID tags.

10. A travel director according to claim 1, each signature signal source being associated with a category of predefined items.

11. A travel director according to claim 10, the route being optimized by the category associated with the final destination and the selected destination category.

12. A travel director according to claim 1, the route being optimized as a function of a predefined priority between the destination locations.

5. For use in navigating in a predetermined environment, a travel director comprising:

means for providing a signature signal, the means for providing a signature signal including a plurality of signature signal sources located in respective predetermined positions relative to the predetermined environment;

means for storing data indicative of the positions of the plurality of signature signal sources and the positions of the predetermined destinations in relation to the environment, the stored data including a plurality of destination categories, each destination category of the plurality of destination categories including at least one destination location;

means for selecting one of the predetermined destinations as a final destination;

means for selecting at least one destination category;

means for creating a route from a real time position of the travel director to the final destination, the route including each destination location included in the selected destination category, the route being created to optimize the route as a function of predetermined categorical attributes associated with the selected destination category;

means for receiving unique signature signals from the sources;

means responsive to receipt of at least one of said signature signals by said receiving means for comparing corresponding said source positions and said selected destination position data to determine the position of said director relative to said selected destination.

6. A director according to claim 5, said storing means further for storing data indicative of a plurality of discrete travel paths in the predetermined environment.

7. A director according to claim 6, said comparing means further for comparing said source position data, said selected destination position data and said travel path data to create a virtual route linking said director to the selected destination.

8. A director according to claim 7 further comprising means for indicating deviation of said director from said virtual route.

13. A travel director according to claim 5, the signature signal sources including passive RFID tags.

14. A travel director according to claim 5, each signature signal source being associated with a category of predefined items.

15. A travel director according to claim 14, the route being optimized by the category associated with the final destination and the selected destination category.

16. A travel director according to claim 5, the route being optimized as a function of a predefined priority between the destination locations.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of signature signal sources located in respective predetermined positions relative to a predetermined environment, each signature signal source having a unique identifier;

a database for storing map data associated with the predetermined environment, the map data including the position of each of the signature signal sources, for storing a plurality of destination locations, each destination location being associated with at least one signature signal source, and for storing a plurality of destination categories, each destination category of the plurality of destination categories including at least one destination location;

a remote unit capable of receiving signals from the signature signal sources, the signals including the unique identifier of the respective signature signal source; and

,

control logic coupled to the database and the remote unit for receiving a user selection indicative of at least one destination category, for determining each destination location included in the selected destination category, and for establishing a real time position of the remote unit and the positions of the selected destination locations, the control logic being adapted to create a route from an origination location including a real time position of the remote unit to a final destination, the final destination being one of the selected destination locations, the route including each selected destination location, the route being created to optimize the route as a function of predetermined categorical attributes associated with the selected destination category.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, the signature signal sources including passive RFID tags.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, each signature signal source being associated with a category of predefined items.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, the route being optimized by the category associated with the final destination and each destination location.

21. An apparatus according to claim 17, the route being optimized as a function of a predefined priority between the destination locations.

22. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein at least one of the signature signal sources includes a vector signal source, the vector signal source being capable of each read by the remote unit such that an angle of incidence relative to the remote unit is derived.

23. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 22, wherein the vector signal source includes at least two tags aligned in close proximity.

24. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 23, wherein each of the tags includes an antenna, the antennas of the tags having differing orientation.

25. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 23, wherein at least one of the at least two tags includes an antenna and a shielding device which allows reception/reading from one orientation and prohibits reception/reading from another orientation.

26. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, the control logic for determining a planned period of time to travel the calculated route, for determining a current location of the remote unit along the route, for determining an elapsed period of time from the origination location to the current location, and for responsively displaying a notification if the elapsed time is different than the planned period of time.

27. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, the control logic for generating a prioritized destinations list including an order of destination locations based on a user selection and for determining the route based on the prioritized destinations list.

28. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the predefined environment is one of a hospital, a store, and a warehouse.

29. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the predefined environment is a hospital, at least one destination category of the plurality of destination categories includes hospital patients associated with a doctor.

30. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the plurality of destination categories includes at least one of persons, places, and equipment located within the predetermined environment.

31. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the plurality of destination categories includes at least one of HVAC units, electrical boxes, and plumbing located within the predetermined environment.

32. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the remote unit is adapted to be coupled to a vehicle to facilitate navigating the vehicle through the predetermined environment.

33. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the remote unit is adapted to be coupled to a robotic to facilitate navigating the robotic through the predetermined environment.

34. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the remote unit includes at least one of a PDA and a cell phone.

35. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the predefined environment includes is one of a shopping center and a grocery store, at least one destination category of the plurality of destination categories includes a prioritized list of shopping items associated with a shopper, the route being created to optimize the route as a function of the prioritized list of shopping items to assist the shopper in traveling through the predefined environment.