Systems, methods, and devices for documenting a location of installed equipment

• US 9,158,864 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berlin, Igor, Hazani, Ami
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US13/724,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 701/491
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system, and related methods and devices, is disclosed for documenting a location of installed equipment. The system includes a mobile reader and a memory. The mobile reader is configured to read a unique identification of an equipment unit and to determine a location of the equipment unit while proximate the equipment unit. The location and the unique identification of the equipment unit is associated and stored in the memory. The memory may be located in the mobile reader or in a remotely located database. The mobile reader may be an optical reader configured to read the unique identification from an optical barcode associated with the equipment unit, or the mobile reader may be an RFID reader configured to read the unique identification from an RFID tag associated with the equipment unit.

Claims

1. A system for documenting a location of installed equipment, comprising:

a mobile reader; and

a memory,

wherein the mobile reader is configured to;

read a unique identification of an installed equipment unit while the mobile reader is proximate the installed equipment unit;

determine a location of the mobile reader while the mobile reader is proximate the installed equipment unit;

determine a location of the installed equipment unit using the mobile reader, based on the location of the mobile reader while the mobile reader is proximate the installed equipment unit; and

associate the location of the installed equipment unit with the unique identification of the installed equipment unit; and

wherein the memory is configured to store the associated location and the unique identification of the installed equipment unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is an optical reader and is further configured to read the unique identification from an optical code associated with the installed equipment unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the optical code is a barcode.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the optical code is a Quick Response (QR) code.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is an RFID reader and is further configured to read the unique identification from an RFID tag associated with the installed equipment unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is located in the mobile reader.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is located in a database remotely located from the mobile reader and the installed equipment unit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile reader is communicatively coupled to the database and the mobile reader is further configured to transmit the unique identification and the location to the database.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more indoor location transmitters, wherein the mobile reader is further configured to:

receive GPS signals at the mobile reader from the one or more indoor location transmitters; and

determine the location of the installed equipment unit using an indoor location method based on the GPS signals received at the mobile reader from the one or more indoor location transmitters.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more indoor location transmitters having manually set GPS coordinates, and wherein the mobile reader is further configured to:

receive the manually set GPS coordinates at the mobile reader from the one or more indoor location transmitters; and

determine the location of the installed equipment unit using the manually set GPS coordinates received at the mobile reader from the one or more indoor location transmitters.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more indoor wireless transceivers;

wherein the mobile reader is further configured to;

receive signals from the one or more indoor wireless transceivers;

analyze the signals using a location determination technique; and

determine the location of the installed equipment unit based on the analyzed signals.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the indoor wireless transceivers are WiFi transceivers and the signals are WiFi signals.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the indoor wireless transceivers and the signals are related to a wireless technology selected from a group comprising Bluetooth, Zigbee, and near field (NFC) wireless technologies.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more indoor wireless transceivers; and

a location server,

wherein the mobile reader is further configured to transmit signals indicative of a location of the mobile reader to the one or more indoor transceivers;

wherein the one or more indoor wireless transceivers are configured to;

analyze the received signals using a location determination technique to get a location analysis; and

transmit the location analysis from the one or more indoor wireless transceivers to a location server; and

wherein the location server is configured to;

receive the location analysis from the one or more indoor wireless transceivers; and

determine the location of the installed equipment unit based on the received location analysis; and

transmit the location of the installed equipment unit to the mobile reader.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the indoor wireless transceivers are WiFi transceivers and the signals are WiFi signals.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the indoor wireless transceivers and the signals are related to a wireless technology selected from a group comprising Bluetooth, Zigbee, and near field (NFC) wireless technologies.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is further configured to obtain the location from a digitized floor plan.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the digitized floor plan is installed on a device and comprises one or more optical codes for each room and/or location, and wherein the mobile reader is further configured to read the one or more optical codes from the digitized floor plan installed on the device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the digitized floor plan is installed on the mobile reader, and wherein the mobile reader is further configured to use a software application installed on the mobile reader to read the digitized floor plan to obtain the location.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is further configured to read the location from a code on a printed floor plan, and wherein the code is at least one of a barcode and a Quick Response (QR) code.