Concurrent commissioning and geolocation system

• US 9,197,843 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fabriq, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Fabriq, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mast, Jeffrey E., Reh, Jeffrey G., O'Kelley, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US13/946,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20140023336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus including a geolocation device, a video recording device, and a gateway device. The geolocation device provides a positional datum indicating a position of the geolocation device. The video recording device receives the positional datum, and records and processes a plurality of video images of the plurality of devices, where corresponding physical locations of the plurality of devices are unknown, and is configured to determine identification information and a corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the location information is determined based upon the positional datum, and wherein the plurality of video images comprises unique encoded luminous transmissions simultaneously transmitted from the each of the plurality of devices. The gateway device is coupled to the video recording device and the plurality of devices, and is configured to receive the identification information, and is configured to commission the each of the plurality of devices onto a network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for concurrently identifying, locating, and commissioning a plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising:

a geolocation device, configured to provide a positional datum indicating a position of said geolocation device;

a video recording device, coupled to said geolocation device, configured receive said positional datum, and configured to record and process a plurality of video images of the plurality of devices and configured to determine identification information and a geolocation corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein said geolocation is determined by combining said positional datum, known dimensions of items within said plurality of video images, and a location of said each of the plurality of devices relative to said video recording device, and wherein said plurality of video images comprises unique encoded luminous transmissions simultaneously transmitted from said each of the plurality of devices; and

a gateway device, coupled to said video recording device and the plurality of devices, configured to receive said identification information, and configured to commission said each of the plurality of devices onto a network.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said each of the plurality of devices transmits said unique encoded luminous transmissions by modulating luminous emittance according to a coding scheme that is employed by said network.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein one or more of the plurality of devices comprise light fixtures that may be directed to emit electromagnetic transmissions in the visible spectrum.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said video recording device comprises one or more application programs that are configured to demultiplex and decode said plurality of video images to determine said identification information, and configured to receive said position and an offset, and configured to determine said geolocation for said each of the plurality of devices.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said video recording device comprises a smart cellular telephone.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said video recording device comprises a tablet computer.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said geolocation device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

8. An apparatus for concurrent identification, locating, and commissioning, the apparatus comprising:

a geolocation device, configured to provide a positional datum indicating a position of said geolocation device;

a video recording device, coupled to said geolocation device, configured receive said positional datum, and configured to record and process a plurality of video images of a plurality of light fixtures, and configured to determine identification information and a geolocation corresponding to each of said plurality of light fixtures, wherein said geolocation is determined by combining said positional datum, known dimensions of items within said plurality of video images, and a location of said each of the plurality of light fixtures relative to said video recording device, and wherein said plurality of video images comprises unique encoded luminous transmissions simultaneously transmitted from said each of said plurality of light fixtures; and

a gateway device, coupled to said video recording device and said plurality of light fixtures, configured to receive said identification information, and configured to commission said each of said plurality of light fixtures onto a network.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said each of said plurality of light fixtures transmits said unique encoded luminous transmissions by modulating luminous emittance according to a coding scheme that is employed by said network.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein one or more of said plurality of light fixtures comprise fluorescent light fixtures that may be directed to emit electromagnetic transmissions in the visible spectrum.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said video recording device comprises one or more application programs that are configured to demultiplex and decode said plurality of video images to determine said identification information, and configured to receive said position and an offset, and configured to determine said geolocation for said each of said plurality of devices.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said video recording device comprises a smart cellular telephone.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said video recording device comprises a tablet computer.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, said geolocation device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

15. A method for concurrently identifying, locating, and commissioning a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

providing a positional datum indicating a position of a geolocation device;

receiving the positional datum, and recording and processing a plurality of video images of the plurality of devices to determine identification information and a geolocation corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the geolocation is determined by combining the positional datum, known dimensions of items within the plurality of video images, and a location of the each of the plurality of devices relative to a video recording device, and wherein the plurality of video images comprises unique encoded luminous transmissions simultaneously transmitted from the each of the plurality of devices; and

via a gateway device, receiving the identification information, and commissioning the each of the plurality of devices onto a network.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the each of the plurality of devices transmits the unique encoded luminous transmissions by modulating luminous emittance according to a coding scheme that is employed by the network.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of devices comprise light fixtures that may be directed to emit electromagnetic transmissions in the visible spectrum.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, said recording and processing comprise executing one or more application programs that are configured to demultiplex and decode the plurality of video images to determine the identification information, and configured to determine the geolocation for the each of the plurality of devices based upon the position and an offset.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more application programs are disposed in a smart cellular telephone.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more application programs are disposed in a tablet computer.

21. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the geolocation device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.