Active positioning system

• US 8,682,347 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sauli Hepo-Oja
• Original Assignee: Sauli Hepo-Oja
• Inventors: Hepo-Oja, Sauli
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US13/816,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20130149991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455 411- 413, 340/12.51, 340/13.26
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0076 Safety or security signalisation, e.g. smoke or burglar alarms, earthquake detectors; Self-defence devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/14 using amplitude comparison of signals transmitted simultaneously from antennas or antenna systems having differently oriented overlapping directivity-characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/30 derived directly from separate directional systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

The object of the present disclosure is an active positioning system for positioning at least one mobile device (100) by utilizing radio frequency technology, the positioning system comprising at least one essentially stationary fixed base station (101) i.e. an active positioning system antenna (101), and an electronics unit (106) i.e. a transceiver of the antenna (101), which transceiver comprises at least one antenna for transmitting signals comprising at least position information to at least one mobile device (100), which position information of the signals comprises information on an effect area of the antenna (102, 104) by using certain transmit power. The active positioning system comprises as the mobile device a TAG (100), which is fixed to the user or application of the TAG directly or indirectly, an electronics unit (106) of the base station (101), at least one antenna (102, 104) directed to different sections of a controlled area. The active positioning system antenna (101) receives said transmitted at least one signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals, and the positioning system antenna (101) comprises control means to control transmit power of said at least one antenna based on at least one signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received at least by the base station for performing information processing of the mobile device position i.e. the TAG position at least based on transmit power level.

Claims

1. A combination of an active positioning system for locating at least one position of at least one mobile device by utilizing radio frequency technology and the at least one mobile device, the active positioning system comprising:

at least one stationary base station, wherein the at least one stationary base station includes an active positioning system antenna, the active positioning system antenna having an electronics unit including at least one transceiver,

wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises;

at least one antenna for transmitting information signals comprising at least position information to the at least one mobile device, the at least position information comprising information of an effective area monitored by the at least one antenna which transmits the information signals by using a certain transmission power, wherein the effective area monitored by the at least one antenna is dividable into two or more sections based on power measurement, calculation and/or judging, and wherein the at least one antenna comprises at least two directional antennas,

wherein the at least one mobile device is at least one TAG, which is fixed to a user or an object directly or indirectly,

the active positioning system further including at least one external antenna connected to the electronics unit, the at least two directional antennas and the at least one external antenna monitoring different sections of at least one monitored area and transmitting additional information signals comprising antenna specific limit and control values to the at least one TAG in addition to transmitting information signals comprising the at least position information,

the active positioning system antenna comprising;

at least one radio frequency (RF) switch available to each of the at least two directional antennas, and to each of the at least one external antenna, the at least one RF switch being in turn and/or selectively at the same time connected to one or more power amplifier, and

an isolation arrangement for electrically disconnecting one or more of the at least two directional antennas and one or more of the at least one external antenna so that at least one disconnected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna becomes a high impedance object with respect to at least one connected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna,

said at least one TAG comprising;

at least one antenna to receive said information signals and said additional information signals; and

at least one electronics unit to form measurement signals and information signals, based on said information signals and said additional information signals received by the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG, for performing information processing for a position of said at least one TAG,

the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG transmitting at least one of the formed measurement signals and information signals to the active positioning system, said at least one base station receiving said at least one transmitted signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals,

the active positioning system further comprising;

control means to control transmission power of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna, based on said at least one signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received by the at least one base station, for performing information processing of the at least one TAG position at least based on said transmission power, and

wherein the active positioning system is at least arranged to measure RSSI (Received Signal Strength Information) values from the at least one transmitted signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received by the at least two directional antennas and by the at least one external antenna of one of said at least one base station to determine a highest measured value of RSSI from the at least two directional antennas and from the at least one external antenna, which is located in a most preferred direction from one of the at least one TAG, and respectively lower measured values from at least one antenna of the at least two directional antennas and from at least one antenna of the at least one external antenna other than an antenna having the highest measured value of RSSI as a function of angle deviation from the most preferred direction.

2. The combination of the active positioning system and the at least one mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises an outside or inside motion detector in a device casing connected to the electronics unit of the active positioning system antenna, and operation of the motion detector is based on utilization of at least one of the following technologies:

infrared technology, ultrasound technology and microwave technology, a detection area of the motion detector overlapping with at least two monitored areas, which are monitored by the at least two directional antennas.

3. The combination of the active positioning system and the at least one mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises a telecommunication connection arrangement, which is attached by integrating to a printed circuit board of the electronics unit of the active positioning system antenna, to deliver data between the active positioning system and the outside world.

4. The combination of the active positioning system and the at least one mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the active positioning system comprises at least one loudspeaker and at least one microphone to perform sound reproduction and at least bidirectional talking connection, and said microphone disconnects automatically when a radio microphone of the at least one TAG switches on.

8. The combination of the active positioning system and the at least one mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the active positioning system is arranged to measure RSSI (Received Signal Strength Information) values from the at least one transmitted signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received by the at least two directional antennas and/or by the at least one external antenna of said at least one base station to determine the highest measured value of RSSI from the at least two directional antennas and/or from the at least one external antenna, which is located in the most preferred direction from one of the at least one TAG, and respectively lower measured values from at least one antenna of the at least two directional antennas and/or from at least one antenna of the at least one external antenna other than an antenna having the highest measured value of RSSI as a function of angle deviation from the most preferred direction.

5. A combination of an active positioning system for locating at least one position of at least one mobile device by utilizing radio frequency technology and the at least one mobile device, the active positioning system comprising:

at least one stationary base station, wherein the at least one stationary base station includes an active positioning system antenna, the active positioning system antenna having an electronics unit including at least one transceiver,

wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises;

at least one antenna for transmitting information signals comprising at least position information to the at least one mobile device, the at least position information of the signals comprising information of an effective area monitored by the at least one antenna which transmits the information signals by using a certain transmission power, wherein the effective area monitored by the at least one antenna is dividable into two or more sections based on power measurement, calculation and/or judging, and wherein the at least one antenna comprises at least two directional antennas,

wherein the at least one mobile device is at least one TAG, which is fixed to a user or an object directly or indirectly,

the active positioning system optionally including at least one external antenna connected to the electronics unit, the at least two directional antennas and/or the at least one external antenna monitoring different sections of at least one monitored area and transmitting additional information signals comprising antenna specific limit and control values to the at least one TAG in addition to transmitting information signals comprising the at least position information,

the active positioning system antenna comprising;

at least one RF switch available to each of the at least two directional antennas, and/or to each of the at least one external antenna, the at least one RF switch being in turn and/or selectively at the same time connected to one or more power amplifier, and

an isolation arrangement for electrically disconnecting one or more of the at least two directional antennas and/or one or more of the at least one external antenna so that at least one disconnected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and/or of the at least one external antenna becomes a high impedance object with respect to at least one connected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and/or of the at least one external antenna,

said at least one TAG comprising;

at least one antenna to receive said information signals and said additional information signals; and

at least one electronics unit to form measurement signals and information signals, based on said information signals and said additional information signals received by the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG, for performing information processing for a position of said at least one TAG,

the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG transmitting at least one of the formed measurement signals and information signals to the active positioning system, said at least one base station receiving said at least one transmitted signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals,

the active positioning system further comprising;

control means to control transmission power of the at least two directional antennas and/or of the at least one external antenna, based on said at least one signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received by the at least one base station, for performing information processing of the at least one TAG position at least based on said transmission power,

wherein the at least one electronics unit of the at least one TAG comprises an electronics compass application, which uses the magnetic field of the Earth to measure direction of movement and a number of steps of movement of a corresponding TAG, and to perform positioning on an area of one or more neighboring cells formed by one or more active positioning system antennas, when the movement direction of the corresponding TAG is known as it exits from a neighboring area of a positioning cell formed by an active positioning system antenna, information on the compass direction and on the distance of movement being transmitted by the corresponding TAG, and information on the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Information) of a beacon signal transmitted by the corresponding TAG being obtained by an active positioning system antenna for each of its at least two directional antennas and/or at least one external antenna receiving the beacon signal, which strength information is obtained essentially simultaneously with said distance information and said compass direction information transmitted by the corresponding TAG.

6. The combination of the active positioning system and the at least one mobile device according to claim 5, wherein one of the at least one TAG is attached to a body or clothes of the user and is utilized to detect alignment of the user at least in three coordinates (x, y, z) based on the electronics compass application of the corresponding TAG, which feature, together with information obtained from a TAG measuring weight of a bed and/or movements in the bed, and at least together with positioning information updated by the active positioning system, implements an automatic transmission of information on an abnormal situation, in which the user is in horizontal alignment outside of a bed.

7. A combination of an active positioning system for locating at least one position of at least one mobile device by utilizing radio frequency technology and the at least one mobile device, the active positioning system comprising:

at least one stationary base station, wherein the at least one stationary base station includes an active positioning system antenna, the active positioning system antenna having an electronics unit including at least one transceiver,

wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises;

at least one antenna for transmitting information signals comprising at least position information to the at least one mobile device, the at least position information of the signals comprising information of an effective area monitored by the at least one antenna which transmits the information signals by using a certain transmission power, wherein the effective area monitored by the at least one antenna is dividable into two or more sections based on power measurement, calculation and/or judging, and wherein the at least one antenna comprises at least two directional antennas,

wherein the at least one mobile device is at least one TAG, which is fixed to a user or an object directly or indirectly,

the active positioning system further including at least one external antenna connected to the electronics unit, the at least two directional antennas and the at least one external antenna monitoring different sections of at least one monitored area and transmitting additional information signals comprising antenna specific limit and control values to the at least one TAG in addition to transmitting information signals comprising the at least position information,

the active positioning system antenna comprising;

at least one RF switch available to each of the at least two directional antennas, and to each of the at least one external antenna, the at least one RF switch being in turn and/or selectively at the same time connected to one or more power amplifier, and

an isolation arrangement for electrically disconnecting one or more of the at least two directional antennas and one or more of the at least one external antenna so that at least one disconnected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna becomes a high impedance object with respect to at least one connected antenna of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna,

said at least one TAG comprising;

at least one antenna to receive said information signals and said additional information signals; and

at least one electronics unit to form measurement signals and information signals, based on said information signals and said additional information signals received by the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG, for performing information processing for a position of said at least one TAG,

the at least one antenna of said at least one TAG transmitting at least one of the formed measurement signals and information signals to the active positioning system, said at least one base station receiving said at least one transmitted signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals,

the active positioning system further comprising;

control means to control transmission power of the at least two directional antennas and of the at least one external antenna, based on said at least one signal of the formed measurement signals and information signals received by the at least one base station, for performing information processing of the at least one TAG position at least based on said transmission power,

wherein the active positioning system antenna comprises a light emitting diode (LED) lighting arrangement integrated or attached to the electronics unit of the active positioning system antenna to replace a lamp, which would otherwise interfere with a location of the active positioning system.