Location detection

• US 8,558,666 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Numera, Inc. (Innova Pure Water Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iMetrikus, Inc.
• Inventors: Nadkarni, Vijay
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US12/650,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 105, 340/8.1, 3405721-5727, 3405391-53919, 340/539.23
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• 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: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

Methods and systems for location detection are disclosed. One method includes a plurality of base stations of a location system obtaining information about at least one tag associated with the location system. One of the plurality of base stations is designated as a master base station for each tag. Each master base station electro-magnetically transmits beacons to each tag that the master base station has been designated as the master of. Each tag responds to the electro-magnetically transmitted beacons with an acoustic signal that identifies the tag. Multiple of the plurality of base stations, receive the acoustic signal of each tag. A location of each tag is estimated based on times of arrival of each acoustic signal of each tag at each of the multiple base stations, and based on location information of each of the multiple base stations.

Claims

1. A method of location detection, comprising:

a plurality of base stations of a location system obtaining information about each of a plurality of tags associated with the location system;

designating one of the plurality of base stations as a master base station for each tag, comprising identifying which of the plurality of base stations has a best quality combination of acoustic link and electromagnetic link to the tag;

each master base station electro-magnetically transmitting beacons to each of the plurality of tags that the master base station has been designated master, wherein the master base station transmits beacons of different tags at separate transmission times;

each tag responding to the electro-magnetically transmitted beacons with an acoustic signal that identifies the tag, wherein the acoustic signal of each of the different tags are separated in time as determined by the separate transmission times of the beacons transmitted to each of the different tags;

multiple of the plurality of base stations receiving the acoustic signal of each tag;

detection motion of at least one of the tags;

estimating a location of each tag based on times of arrival of each acoustic signal of each tag at each of the multiple base stations, and based on location information of each of the multiple base stations;

detecting location data points for each tag at a rate that is dependent upon how fast the tag is moving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein designating one of the plurality of base stations as a master base station for each tag comprises:

determining which of the plurality of base stations has a closest proximity to each tag; and

updating which one of the plurality of base stations is the master base station at a rate determined by changing locations of the tags.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each master base station deterministically times transmissions of the beacons.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each master base station periodically transmits the beacons.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating temporal and spatial trajectories of each tag based upon the detection of location data points.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a period of the periodically transmitted beacons based on a number of tags the master base station is transmitting the beacons to.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a period of the periodically transmitted beacons for each tag based on a detected power level of a battery of the tag.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each beacon is coded for a particular tag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of base stations obtaining information about the each of a plurality of tags comprises:

the each of a plurality of tags transmitting a registration;

at least one base station receiving the registration and authenticating the each of a plurality of tags;

if authenticated, designating a master base station for the each of a plurality of tags;

the master base station electromagnetically transmitting an acknowledgement handshake to the each of a plurality of tags.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of base stations occupy a substantially different horizontal plane than the other of the plurality of base stations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of base stations are interconnected by a backhaul connection, and controlled by a central server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of base station are synchronized, and the location of each tag is estimated by comparing times of arrival of the acoustic signal with known relative locations of each of the plurality of base stations.

13. A location determination wireless system, comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

at least one tag, the at least one tag providing the plurality of base stations with information about the at least one tag;

designating one of the plurality of base stations as a master base station for each of the at least one tag, comprising identifying which of the plurality of base stations has a best quality combination of acoustic link and electromagnetic link to the tag;

each master base station electro-magnetically transmitting beacons to each of the plurality of tags that the master base station has been designated master, wherein the master base station transmits beacons of different tags at separate transmission times;

each tag responding to the electro-magnetically transmitted beacons with an acoustic signal that identifies the tag, wherein the acoustic signal of each of the different tags are separated in time as determined by the separate transmission times of the beacons transmitted to each of the different tags;

multiple of the plurality of base stations receiving the acoustic signal of each tag;

detection motion of at least one of the tags;

estimating a location of each tag based on times of arrival of each acoustic signal of each tag at each of the multiple base stations, and based on location information of each of the multiple base stations;

detecting location data points for each tag at a rate that is dependent upon how fast the tag is moving.