Locator beacon and radar application for mobile device

• US 8,847,754 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Arne Hennig, James Buchheim
• Inventors: Buchheim, James, Hennig, Arne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US14/079,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 455/456.1, 455/457
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/725 Marker, boundary, call-sign or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A device, system and method for providing (a) a wireless communications component, configured to send and receive wireless signals such that the device is locatable via a wireless means; the wireless communications component including: (i) a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) module for measuring signal strength of a wireless signal received at the wireless communications component, wherein the device is configured to be tracked by a mobile computing device (MCD) running a mobile application wherein the distance of the device from the MCD is calculated by the mobile application upon receiving between one and three RSSI values, measured by the RSSI module, and sent in a signal by the device to the MCD, wherein the distance is calculated based an average of the received RSSI values.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

(a) a wireless communications component, configured to send and receive wireless signals such that the device is locatable via a wireless means;

said wireless communications component including;

(i) a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) module configured to measure signal strength of said wireless signal received at said wireless communications component,

wherein the device is configured to be tracked by a mobile computing device (MCD) running a mobile application adapted to locate the device via said wireless means,

wherein said mobile application includes a feature, wherein when the device is wirelessly coupled to said MCD, said mobile application displays a representation of the device on said MCD relative to a distance of the device from said MCD,

wherein said distance of the device from said MCD is calculated by said mobile application using between one and three RSSI values, broadcast in a response signal from the device, and received at said MCD,

wherein at least one of said RSSI values is included in a channel data field of said response signal,

wherein said RSSI values are measured by said RSSI module receiving a Scan wireless signal from said MCD, and

wherein said Scan wireless signal is broadcast over a plurality of channels and said RSSI module calculates which of said channels broadcasted a highest quality signal relative to said plurality of channels, and wherein a channel name of said channel which broadcasted said highest quality signal is included in a said channel data field of said response signal.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(b) a plurality of directional antennae, wherein each said directional antenna transmits a unique identifier and wherein each said directional antenna further transmits at least one RSSI value.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said mobile application calculates a direction in which the device is located relative to said MCD based on relative strengths of said RSSI values received respectively from each of said directional antennae, wherein a highest said relative strength indicates said direction.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein said plurality of directional antennae includes four cardinally located said directional antennae.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said distance of the device from said MCD is calculated by said mobile application upon receiving at least one RSSI value sent in a signal from the device, for at least one of thirty seven communication channels measured on the device, and calculating said distance based on an average of said received RSSI values.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application calculates a direction in which the device is located relative to said MCD based on signal strength information, and wherein said mobile application further calculates said direction based on relative phase information.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(b) a photodetector, adapted to send a signal to an integrated processor upon an absence of detected light for a predefined period,

wherein said processor, upon receiving said signal, is configured to suspend sending local area wireless communication (LAWC) transmissions.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said processor is further configured to resume sending said LAWC transmissions after a predefined period of time and only upon detecting LAWC signals from moving devices.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(b) an omni-directional antenna;

(c) three directional antennas, and

(d) a WiFi module, adapted to be wirelessly coupled to a wireless local area network (WLAN),

wherein the device is adapted to be a static unit capable of detecting a direction and distance of said MCD from the device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device has an Advertising Mode wherein when in said advertising mode said wireless communications component is configured to send wireless signals, at predefined intervals, over three advertising channels, wherein said wireless communications component, in said advertising mode, sends a first said wireless signal over only a first of said three advertising channels with a unique identifier name, within an advertisement payload, identifying said first channel, and after one of said predefined intervals sends a second wireless signal over only a second of said three advertising channels, with a second unique identifier name, within said advertisement payload, identifying said second channel and after an additional one of said predefined intervals sends a third wireless signal over only a third of said three advertising channels, with a third unique identifier name, within said advertisement payload, identifying said third channel.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said wireless communication component is configured to increase a duration of said predefined intervals when a predetermined amount of time has passed without receiving a wireless signal at said wireless communications component.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application includes a virtual leash feature wherein said mobile application sounds an alarm when said distance between said MCD and the device is beyond a predefined range and only when preceded but a substantially constant decrease of said received RSSI values.

13. A system comprising:

(a) a plurality of devices of claim 1, wirelessly coupled together via local area wireless communication (LAWC) signals; and

(b) a least one wide area wireless communication (WAWC) enabled device including a WAWC component configured to wirelessly couple said WAWC enabled device to a remote data network,

wherein each of said devices is further configured to track a LAWC-enable mobile device transmitting said LAWC signals and wirelessly transmit data to a remote data network via said tracked LAWC-enabled mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of devices is configured, in an advertising mode, to send an advertising LAWC signal at a predefined time interval, and wherein said plurality of device are synchronized to each send said advertising LAWC signal at the same time.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of devices is configured, in a receiving mode, to register when a given said LAWC signal is received, and based on received-time differentials between said device, and known relative spacing of said device, a location of a source of said given LAWC signal is calculated.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said LAWC-enabled mobile device tracked by said plurality of devices sends an accurate clock reading to be used to synchronize said plurality of devices.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein said scan wireless signal is broadcast over each of said plurality of channels in a sequential manner, with a pause between said broadcast over each said channel.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said wireless communications component (WCC) includes advertising channels for transmitting advertisement packets, said WCC configured to transmit multiple protocols in a method selected from the group consisting of:

transmitting said multiple protocols in a single said advertisement packet;

transmitting a chain of said multiple protocols in sequential said advertisement packets where each one of said multiple protocols is sent in a separate said advertisement packet;

combining said multiple protocols and transmitting at least two of said protocols per said advertisement packet and transmitting said advertisement packets one after the other with substantially no delay between said packets; and

transmitting one of said multiple protocols per each of said advertising channels.

20. A method for determining a direction from a mobile communication device (MCD) to a device of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) rotate the MCD in a circle having a diameter of about 5 feet;

(b) measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) levels of a signal from the device of claim 1 at a rate of at least 100 ms;

(c) calculate the direction from the MCD to the device of claim 1 using said RSSI levels, and data from an Accelerometer and a Gyro of the MCD captured during step (a).

21. A calibration method comprising the steps of:

(a) point a mobile communication device (MCD) in a known direction of a device of claim 1, wirelessly coupled to said MCD;

(b) rotate said MCD in a circle having a diameter of about 5 feet;

(c) measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) levels of a signal from said device of claim 1 at a rate of at least 100 ms;

(d) generate a map of directional qualities of an antenna of said MCD based on said known direction and said measured RSSI levels correlated with data from an Accelerometer and a Gyro of said MCD captured during step (b);

(e) moving said MCD along a predefined path and measuring RSSI level received from an undisclosed locator beacon;

(f) calculating a distance from said MCD to said undisclosed locator beacon, based on changes in said measured RSSI levels; and

(g) determining a direction to said undisclosed locator beacon based on calibration steps (a)-(d).

22. A method for locating a device of claim 1 with at least two antennas, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring complex amplitudes of signals transmitted from the antennas, said complex amplitudes including at least amplitude and phase,

(b) receiving characteristics data of each of the antennas, said data relating at least to gain, coupling and directionality of the antenna; and

(c) deducing directional information regarding said signals based on said measured complex amplitudes and said characteristics data, said directional information relating at least to an angle of arrival of said signals.

23. A method for detecting indoor location using a static array of devices of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) time-synchronizing the array of devices, wherein a distance between each of the devices is known;

(b) receiving a signal from a source device that needs to be located, such that each of the devices measures an individual time-of-arrival of said signal at the device;

(c) converting said time-of-arrival measurements into pseudo range-data, based on said known distance between each of said devices and differences between said time-of-arrival measurements;

(d) calculating a 3D location of said source device, when at least four devices of the static array receive said signal.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of:

(e) including Earth Coordinates in a Unique User Identification (QUID) of each device in the array of devices such that said Earth coordinates are included in an advertisement packet, allowing any nearby device, indoors or outdoors, to clearly register said earth coordinates, of said device of claim 1.

25. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a unique ID to the device of claim 1;

(b) receiving, from the device, said unique ID and a running time from an internal clock of the device;

(c) registering, on a server, said unique ID and said running time of said internal clock;

(d) assigning a private key to the device;

(e) hashing said private key, a current time of said internal clock and said unique ID to receive a Hashed ID, wherein said current time is based on said running time of said internal clock and the device is secured with said Hashed ID.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application includes a feature configured to detect a substantially consistent pattern of fluctuation in said received RSSI values, so as to verify said received RSSI values and predict near-future RSSI values, based on said substantially consistent pattern.

27. A Bluetooth Shop Tag, comprising:

a device of claim 1 adapted to be coupled to an existing Hard Tag and configured to be wirelessly coupled to a BLE-enabled mobile communication device.

28. A method for determining a position of a mobile communication device relative to a given location, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a first Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value from a first device of claim 1;

(b) receiving a second RSSI value from a second device of claim 1, wherein said first and second devices are collocated in such a manner said first RSSI value and said second RSSI value are only distinguishable by the MCD within a predefined distance from said first and second devices; and

(c) determining, based on said first and second RSSI values, whether the MCD is within said predefined distance from said first and second devices.

29. A method for increasing detectable directionality of a transmitted signal from a device of claim 1 having an array of antennas, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) adjusting one of;

(i) an amplitude, (ii) a phase, and (iii) both said amplitude and said phase transmission capabilities of each individual antenna of the array; and

(b) transmitting a signal from the array according to predefined said adjustments.

16. The system of 13, wherein each of said plurality of occupancy sensor units registers a relative location of other proximally located devices such that relocation of a said device is registered by proximally located devices.