Location tracking system

• US 8,611,321 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9Solutions Oy
• Original Assignee: 9Solutions Oy
• Inventors: Herrala, Sami, Sivonen, Teemu, Kylmnen, Jari
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirillova, Ellen A
• Application Number:
  US12/974,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20110211563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

This document presents a location tracking system. Transmitter tags are disposed throughout the area where the location tracking is carried out. The transmitter tags are configured to transmit their unique identifiers. A personal radio communication device being tracked detects a unique identifier received from a transmitter tag and transmits the detected unique identifier to a server. The server links a known physical location associated with the unique identifier to an identifier of the personal radio communication device so as to carry out location tracking.

Claims

1. A system for tracking location, comprising:

a plurality of transmitter tags disposed to cover an area where the location tracking is to be carried out, wherein each transmitter tag is configured to radio broadcast a unique identifier by using a Bluetooth radio communication technology;

at least one mobile personal radio communication device configured to scan for Bluetooth radio broadcasts, to detect at least one unique identifier broadcasted by at least one transmitter tag close to the location of the personal radio communication device, and to transmit a message comprising at least one of the detected unique identifiers to a server over a communication connection established between the personal radio communication device and the server; and

the server configured to receive messages from the at least one personal radio communication device, each message comprising at least one unique identifier of at least one transmitter tag, to link a preconfigured location of a given transmitter tag, determined from the received message, with the personal radio communication device from which the message was received so as to determine the location of the personal radio communication device, and to store an identifier of the personal radio communication device as linked to the determined location of the personal radio communication device,

wherein a first personal radio communication device is configured to send an alarm signal to the server, and wherein the server is further configured to receive the alarm signal and to convey the alarm signal to a nearest second mobile personal radio communication device of the location tracking system,

wherein the server comprises a memory storing information indicating the closest neighboring transmitter tags for any transmitter tag in an order of the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move, and wherein the server is configured to determine the nearest other mobile personal radio communication device to be a personal radio communication device having the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move to the first personal radio communication device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured, in response to the reception of the alarm signal from the first personal radio communication device, to check the current location of the first personal radio communication device by determining the transmitter tag to whose unique identifier the first personal radio communication device is currently linked, to determine a second transmitter tag that is closest to the determined location of the first personal radio communication device and that is currently linked to the second personal radio communication device, and to alarm the second personal radio communication device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to establish a bidirectional voice communication link between the first personal radio communication device and the second personal radio communication device in response to the alarm signal received from the first personal radio communication device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to categorize a plurality of personal radio communication devices into categories, and to verify that the second personal radio communication device belongs to a correct category before sending the alarm, wherein the server is configured to determine the correct category from the alarm signal received from the personal radio communication device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to categorize a plurality of personal radio communication devices into categories, receive a communication request from a personal communication device, wherein the communication request indicates the category of a target of the communication request and/or a target location of the communication request, to determine a target personal communication device belonging to the category and/or residing currently in the location indicated in the received communication request, and to route the communication request to the target personal radio communication device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to provide the at least one personal radio communication device with a candidate list comprising unique identifiers of the transmitter tags that are to be scanned, the unique identifiers in the candidate list being determined on the basis of the current location and/or movement of each personal radio communication device, and wherein the at least one personal radio communication device is configured to receive the candidate list from the server and to scan for the unique identifiers comprised in the candidate list.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of transmitter tags comprise:

a radio communication circuitry configured to at least transmit radio signals including a unique identifier of the transmitter tag;

at least one sensor configured to measure at least one environmental property; and

a control circuitry configured to receive measurement signals from the at least one sensor, to process the received measurement signals into measurement data, and to transmit the received measurement data to the server,

and wherein the server is configured to process the received measurement data so as to detect an event in the environmental properties, and to conduct an alarm in response to the detected event triggering the alarm.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the environmental properties comprise at least one of the following:

temperature, smoke, fire, toxic gases, pressure, humidity, water leakage, motion, audio, images, and video.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an access control sub-system comprising a plurality of access-controlled entries, wherein the at least one personal radio communication device functions as a key to the access control sub-system, and wherein the server is configured to grant or deny access of the at least one personal radio communication device to entries in the access control sub-system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of transmitter tags comprises a detection circuitry configured to detect a presence of a person in a coverage area of the transmitter tag, and to inform the server about the detection of the presence of the person, and wherein the server is configured to check whether or not at least one personal radio communication device is currently linked to the location of the transmitter tag informing of the detected person and to carry out an alarm if no personal radio communication devices is currently linked to the location of the transmitter tag.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of base stations configured to establish a wireless mesh network covering the area where the location tracking is to be carried out and to route signals between the server and the at least one personal radio communication device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one personal radio communication device is configured to determine the closest transmitter tag by transmitting an inquiry message with varying transmission power levels until a response to the inquiry message is received from one transmitter tag and to transmit the unique identifier of the closest transmitter tag to the server.

13. A server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the server to;

operate in a location tracking system utilizing Bluetooth radio communication technology and comprising a plurality of transmitter tags disposed to cover an area where the location tracking is to be carried out, wherein each transmitter tag is configured to radio broadcast a unique identifier by using the Bluetooth radio communication technology, and at least one mobile personal radio communication device configured to scan for Bluetooth radio broadcasts, to detect at least one unique identifier broadcasted by at least one transmitter tag close to the location of the personal radio communication device, and to transmit a message comprising at least one of the detected unique identifiers;

receive messages from the at least one personal radio communication device, each message comprising at least one unique identifier of at least one transmitter tag, to link a preconfigured location of a given transmitter tag, determined from the received message, with the personal radio communication device from which the message was received so as to determine the location of the personal radio communication device, and to store an identifier of the personal radio communication device as linked to the determined location of the personal radio communication device,

wherein a first personal radio communication device is configured to send an alarm signal to the server, and wherein the server is further configured to receive the alarm signal and to convey the alarm signal to a nearest second mobile personal radio communication device of the location tracking system,

wherein the server comprises a memory storing information indicating the closest neighboring transmitter tags for any transmitter tag in an order of the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move, and wherein the server is configured to determine the nearest other mobile personal radio communication device to be a personal radio communication device having the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move to the first personal radio communication device.

14. A mobile personal radio communication device of a location tracking system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the personal radio communication device to;

scan for Bluetooth radio broadcasts;

detect at least one unique identifier broadcasted by at least one transmitter tag close to the location of the personal radio communication device, wherein the at least one transmitter tag disposed to cover an area where the location tracking is to be carried out, wherein each transmitter, tag is configured to radio transmit a unique identifier,

transmit a message comprising at least one of the detected unique identifiers to a server over a communication connection established between the personal radio communication device and the server so as to enable the server to track location of the mobile personal radio communication device,

wherein a first personal radio communication device is configured to send an alarm signal to the server, and wherein the server is further configured to receive the alarm signal and to convey the alarm signal to a nearest second mobile personal radio communication device of the location tracking system,

wherein the server comprises a memory storing information indicating the closest neighboring transmitter tags for any transmitter tag in an order of the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move, and wherein the server is configured to determine the nearest other mobile personal radio communication device to be a personal radio communication device having the shortest distance via access routes through which a human being can move to the first personal radio communication device.