System and method for locating, tracking, and/or monitoring the status of personnel and/or assets both indoors and outdoors

• US 8,965,688 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Bandyopadhyay, Amrit, Hakim, Daniel, Funk, Benjamin E., Kohn, Eric Asher, Teolis, Carole A., Blankenship, Gilmer
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/616,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 701/434, 340/539.11, 340/521, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 701/434
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/015 between indoor and outdoor environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for locating, tracking, and/or monitoring the status of personnel and/or assets (collectively “trackees”), both indoors and outdoors, is provided. Tracking data obtained from any number of sources utilizing any number of tracking methods may be provided as input to a mapping application. The mapping application generates position estimates for trackees using a suite of mapping tools to make corrections to the tracking data. The mapping application further uses information from building data, when available, to enhance position estimates. Indoor tracking methods including sensor fusion methods, map matching methods, and map building methods may be implemented compute a more accurate tracking estimate for trackees. Outdoor tracking methods may be implemented to enhance outdoor tracking data by combining tracking estimates such as inertial tracks with magnetic and/or compass data if and when available, and with GPS, if and when available.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of reducing errors in inertial tracking data, the method being implemented by a computer that includes a physical processor, the method comprising:

obtaining, as input, tracking data for a trackee, wherein the tracking data includes a collection of position estimates generated based on data obtained from inertial sensors, and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) data;

determining whether RSSI data associated with at least one position estimate matches one or more stored RSSI location signatures; and

correcting the at least one position estimate by correlating the at least one position estimate to a given location associated with a given RSSI location signature responsive to a determination that the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate matches the given RSSI location signature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the at least one corrected position estimate to be displayed via a graphical user interface associated with the computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained tracking data comprises previously-acquired, stored data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

averaging and filtering the obtained RSSI data to smoothen the RSSI data prior to determining whether the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate matches one or more stored RSSI location signatures.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more stored RSSI location signatures include one or more RSSI location signatures corresponding to one or more locations previously visited by the trackee.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more stored RSSI location signatures include one or more RSSI location signatures corresponding to one or more locations previously visited by other trackees.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate as a new RSSI location signature responsive to a determination that the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate does not match any stored RSSI location signatures.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the RSSI data is based on transmissions received, at a tracking unit associated with the trackee, from radios located at a predetermined number of reference points.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined number of reference points are located outside the building.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the given location corresponds to a building feature.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the building feature comprises at least one of a hallway, room, stairwell, or elevator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the given location corresponds to a region of an established grid of regions for the building, the established grid of regions established by radios located at a predetermined number of reference points.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number of reference points are located outside the building.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a heading of the trackee based on variances in the RSSI data at known reference points.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the tracking data includes short-range RSSI data relating to the trackee'"'"'s proximity to other trackees, the method further comprising:

determining a distance range between the trackee and at least one other trackee based on the received RSSI data.

16. A system for reducing errors in inertial tracking data, the system comprising:

a computer processor configured to;

obtain, as input, tracking data for a trackee, wherein the tracking data includes a collection of position estimates generated based on data obtained from inertial sensors, and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) data;

determine whether RSSI data associated with at least one position estimate matches one or more stored RSSI location signatures; and

correct the at least one position estimate by correlating the at least one position estimate to a given location associated with a given RSSI location signature responsive to a determination that the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate matches the given RSSI location signature.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

cause the at least one corrected position estimate to be displayed via a graphical user interface associated with the computer.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the obtained tracking data comprises previously-acquired, stored data.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

average and filter the obtained RSSI data to smoothen the RSSI data prior to determining whether the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate matches one or more stored RSSI location signatures.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more stored RSSI location signatures include one or more RSSI location signatures corresponding to one or more locations previously visited by the trackee.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more stored RSSI location signatures include one or more RSSI location signatures corresponding to one or more locations previously visited by other trackees.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

store the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate as a new RSSI location signature responsive to a determination that the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate does not match any stored RSSI location signatures.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the RSSI data is based on transmissions received, at a tracking unit associated with the trackee, from radios located at a predetermined number of reference points.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the predetermined number of reference points are located outside the building.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the given location corresponds to a building feature.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the building feature comprises at least one of a hallway, room, stairwell, or elevator.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the trackee is being tracked in a building, and wherein the given location corresponds to a region of an established grid of regions for the building, the established grid of regions established by radios located at a predetermined number of reference points.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the predetermined number of reference points are located outside the building.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

determine a heading of the trackee based on variances in the RSSI data at known reference points.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the tracking data includes short-range RSSI data relating to the trackee'"'"'s proximity to other trackees, and wherein the computer processor is further configured to:

determine a distance range between the trackee and at least one other trackee based on the received RSSI data.

31. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising executable code for reducing errors in inertial tracking data, the computer executable code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to:

obtain, as input, tracking data for a trackee, wherein the tracking data includes a collection of position estimates generated based on data obtained from inertial sensors, and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) data;

determine whether RSSI data associated with at least one position estimate matches one or more stored RSSI location signatures; and

correct the at least one position estimate by correlating the at least one position estimate to a given location associated with a given RSSI location signature responsive to a determination that the RSSI data associated with the at least one position estimate matches the given RSSI location signature.