Method to reduce database load in real time location systems

• US 8,478,290 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AeroScout Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aeroscout Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoeli, Baruch
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US12/868,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20120094683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 4554041-4042, 455/412.1, 455/414.2, 455/457, 455/466, 709/203, 709232-235, 340/10.1, 340/12.51
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A location system and method operable to locate mobile units has a mobile unit operable to transmit wireless signals. A wireless network is used to receive the wireless signals and to report data used to estimate the location of the mobile unit. A location server is used to process the data reported by the wireless network. The location server generates a plurality of location reports for the mobile unit. A preprocessing component is operable to communicate with the location server. The location reports generated by the location server are transferred to the preprocessing component. A location application is operable to communicate with the preprocessing component, and interfaced to a database operable to store data records related to the mobile unit. The preprocessing component processes the location report and stores the data records only if the data in the data records meets a specified criteria.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing a load of a database in a location system, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor that, when executing the instructions, is configured to;

process a location report received from a location server that is interfaced to a wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range of a mobile unit that transmits a plurality of wireless signals including an identification of the mobile unit to the wireless network, the wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of the mobile unit and the location server operable to process the data reported by the wireless network to generate the location report;

determine whether the location report satisfies a filtering condition, the filtering condition being established based on parameters, one of the parameters including a mobile unit identifier ID; and

instruct that the location report be output to a location application for storage in a database if the location report satisfies the filtering condition, the database operable to store data records relating to the mobile unit, the data records comprising information reflecting an estimated location and an identification of the mobile unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless signals include telemetry data, the location report includes the telemetry data, and the stored data records include the telemetry data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location report further includes a time stamp of a time that the data was received at the location server and the stored data records include the time stamp.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of the parameters includes fixed data and the processor is configured to determine whether the location report satisfies the filtering condition by comparing data of the location report with the fixed data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location report further includes an estimated location of the mobile unit and at least one of the parameters identifies a zone of interest of the wireless network, and wherein the processor is configured to determine that the location report satisfies the filtering condition if the location of the mobile unit is within the limits of the zone of interest.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the zone of interest is represented by a single point location and the location in the data records is replaced by the single point location.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the zone of interest is a first zone of interest and at least one of the parameters further identifies a second zone of interest of the wireless network, and wherein the processor is configured to determine that the location report satisfies the filtering condition if the location of the mobile unit is within the limits of at least one of the first zone of interest or the second zone of interest.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the parameters identifies a time of day and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the location report satisfies the filtering condition by comparing the time stamp with the time of day.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of the parameters identifies battery status conditions and the telemetry data further comprises a battery status of the mobile unit, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the location report satisfies the filtering condition by comparing between the battery status of the mobile unit and the battery status conditions.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location report is a second location report and at least one of the parameters comprises data in a first location report, the first location report being stored in the database and having been received by the location server before the second location report is received, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the second location report satisfies the filtering condition by comparing the data in the second location report with data in the first location report.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first location report and the second location report each store an estimated location of the mobile unit, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare between the location of the mobile unit in the first location report and the location of the mobile unit in the second location report; and

determine whether the second location report satisfies the filtering condition based on a distance between locations of the mobile unit in the first and second location reports.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the second location report satisfies the filtering condition based on a time difference between the time stamps of the first location report and time stamps of the second location report.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a plurality of location reports are received from the location server, the plurality of location reports comprising a first plurality of location reports and a second location report, the first plurality of location reports being received before the second location report, and wherein the first plurality of reports is stored in the database and the processor is configured to determine whether the second location report satisfies the filtering condition by comparing data in the second location report with data in the first plurality of location reports.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the location report satisfies the filtering condition by determining if a mobile unit location in the location report is within a trail that describes a movement pattern, the trail represented by a trail ID, and wherein the location information in the data records is replaced by the trail ID.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the location report satisfies the filter ins condition by using self-learning analytical algorithms, the algorithms being operable to identify movement patterns, the movement patterns describing a repetitive behavior of the mobile unit, wherein the movement patterns identified by the algorithms are represented by a corresponding trail ID.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

count a plurality of received location reports for the mobile unit reported by the location server with a counter, wherein at least one of the parameters includes a value of the counter for each location report; and

determine whether the location report satisfies the filtering condition based on the value of the counter.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine whether the location report satisfies a plurality of filtering conditions; and

instruct that the location report be output to the location application for storage in the database if the location report satisfies the plurality of filtering conditions.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit is an RFID tag.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the location system further comprises at least two different types of RFID tags and the type of the RFID tag is reported in the location report by the location server, wherein the filtering condition differs based on the tag type.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the location system further comprises an ability to locate said RFID tag using at least two different location technologies, wherein the location technology used to locate said RFID tag is reported in the location report by the location server, and wherein the filtering condition differs based on the location technology.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless signals are at least one of IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n radio signals, cellular radio signals, IEEE 802.15.1 signals, IEEE 802.15.4 signals, ultra wideband signals, ultrasound signals, and infrared signals.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is included in a preprocessing component that is part of an application gateway.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of location reports are received from the location server, and wherein determining whether a location report satisfies the filtering condition results in a reduction in a size of the data stored in the database.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit is configured to receive wireless signals, measure parameters of the received wireless signals, estimate its location based on the measured parameters of the received wireless signals, and report the estimated location to the location server, and wherein the location server is configured to generate the location report based on the location estimated by the mobile unit.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the mobile unit is configured to estimate the mobile unit location using a GPS receiver.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the network device is configured to transmit wireless beacons and the mobile unit is further configured to receive the wireless beacons.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to transmit wireless beacons, and wherein the mobile unit is further configured to receive wireless signals, measure parameters of the received wireless signals, and report the measured parameters to the location server, and wherein the location server is configured to generate a location report based on the measured parameters reported by the mobile unit.

28. A method of reducing a load of a database in a location system, comprising:

receiving a location report from a location server that is interfaced to a wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range of a mobile unit that transmits a plurality of wireless signals including an identification of the mobile unit to the wireless network, the wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of the mobile unit and the location server operable to process the data reported by the wireless network to generate the location report;

determining, by at least one processor, whether the location report satisfies a filtering condition, the filtering condition being established based on parameters, one of the parameters including a mobile unit identifier (ID); and

outputting the location report to a location application for storage in a database if the location report satisfies the filtering condition, the database operable to store data records relating to the mobile unit, the data records comprising information reflecting an estimated location and an identification of the mobile unit.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

processing a received location report from a location server that is interfaced to a wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range of a mobile unit that transmits a plurality of wireless signals including an identification of the mobile unit to the wireless network, the wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of the mobile unit and the location server operable to process the data reported by the wireless network to generate the location report;

determining whether the location report satisfies a filtering condition, the filtering condition being established based on parameters, one of the parameters including a mobile unit identifier (ID); and

instructing that the location report be output to a location application for storage in a database if the location report satisfies the filtering condition, the database operable to store data records relating to the mobile unit, the data records comprising information reflecting an estimated location and an identification of the mobile unit.