Locator beacon and radar application for mobile device

• US 8,878,671 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Ssi America Inc.
• Inventors: Buchheim, James, Hennig, Arne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US13/858,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 576 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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

Abstract

A locator device and system including (a) a beacon, configured to be located via a wireless means; and (b) an adhesive means, adapted to adhere the beacon to a substantially flat surface, wherein the beacon is configured to be tracked by a mobile device running a mobile application adapted to locate the beacon via the wireless means.

Claims

1. A locator device comprising:

(a) a beacon, configured to be located via a wireless means; and

(b) an adhesive means, adapted to non-removeably adhere said beacon to a substantially flat surface, wherein said beacon is configured to be tracked by a mobile device running a mobile application adapted to locate said beacon via said wireless means, and

wherein a distance between said mobile device and said beacon is calculated on said mobile device based on a combination of at least one Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value measured on said beacon and sent from said beacon to said mobile device and at least one said RSSI value measured on said mobile device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said wireless means is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said mobile application includes a Radar Screen feature, wherein when said beacon is wirelessly coupled to said mobile device, said mobile application displays a representation of said beacon on said mobile device relative to said distance of said beacon from said mobile device.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said distance of said beacon from said mobile device is calculated upon receiving between one and three Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values, measured on said beacon, from said beacon and calculating an average distance based on said received RSSI values.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) a plurality of directional antennae operationally coupled to said beacon, wherein each said directional antenna transmits a unique identifier.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein each said directional antenna further transmits at least one Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said mobile application calculates a direction in which the locator beacon is located relative to said mobile device 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.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein said plurality of directional antennae includes four cardinally located said directional antennae.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) an illumination unit operationally coupled to said beacon, adapted to emit a visual alert upon receiving a corresponding instruction from said mobile device.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said mobile application includes a visual alert feature, wherein when said beacon is wirelessly coupled to said mobile device, said mobile application is adapted to send an instruction to said beacon, instructing said illumination unit, to emit a said visual alert.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application includes a Find It feature wherein when said beacon is wirelessly coupled to said mobile device and located outside of a range detectable via said wireless means of said mobile device, said mobile application is adapted to issue an alert when said beacon comes back into said range of said mobile device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application includes a virtual leash feature wherein when said beacon is wirelessly coupled to said mobile device and moves farther away from said mobile device than a predefined distance selected on said mobile application, said mobile application is adapted to issue an alert.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application includes a task launcher feature, wherein when said mobile device is within a predefined range, said beacon is configured to effect a functional change on said mobile device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said functional change is selected from the group including:

activating an alert, changing an alert mode vis-à

-vis receiving communications, changing a functional setting, and powering down said mobile device.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein said beacon has a diameter approximately equivalent to a diameter of an American Quarter Dollar coin and a thickness of ⅛

of an inch.

16. The device of claim 3, wherein said distance of said beacon from said mobile device is calculated upon receiving at least one Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value for at least one of the thirty seven communication channels measured on the beacon from said beacon and calculating an average distance based on said received RSSI values.

17. The device of claim 3, wherein said distance of said beacon from said mobile device is calculated upon receiving at least one Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value for at least one of all 40 channels measured on the beacon from said beacon and calculating an average distance based on said received RSSI values.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein said wireless means is selected from the group consisting of:

cellular voice technology, cellular data technology, Bluetooth technology, WiFi technology and satellite technology.

19. The device of claim 3, wherein said distance is calculated based on signal strength information.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application calculates a direction in which said beacon is located relative to said mobile device based on signal strength information.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein said mobile application further calculates said direction based on relative phase information.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein said mobile application calculates a direction in which said beacon is located relative to said mobile device based on relative phase information.

23. A monitoring system, comprising:

(a) at least one locator beacon of claim 1; and

(b) a mobile application for managing said at least one locator beacon.

24. The monitoring system of claim 23, wherein said mobile application is adapted to manage a plurality of said at least one locator beacon.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one RSSI value is an average value calculated based on signals received from said mobile device over a plurality of channels, wherein said average value is calculated using an averaging operation which takes into account different characteristics of each of said plurality of channels.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one RSSI value measured on said mobile device is an average value calculated based on signals sent from said beacon over a plurality of channels, wherein said average value is calculated using an averaging operation which takes into account different characteristics of each of said plurality of channels.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one RSSI value measured on said beacon is broadcast by said beacon using packets sent to said mobile device in response to a scan request sent from said mobile device.

28. The device of claim 5, wherein said unique identifier is a MAC address.