Tracking vehicle locations in a parking lot for definitive display on a GUI

• US 9,355,064 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gaurav Chowdhary, Sachin Chaudhry
• Original Assignee: Gaurav Chowdhary, Sachin Chaudhry
• Inventors: Chaudry, Sachin, Chowdhary, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/867,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,137 Days
• Field of Search: 701/32.3, 340/932.2, 340/990
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A computer implemented method for displaying on a map a definitive image of precise locations of multiple mobile objects such as vehicles in a lot. The lot is mapped digitally to display precise locations of sub-areas of different types, such as parking and movement slots and their raw, approximate distances from vehicles are determined from approximate coordinates of vehicles obtained remotely. A data base of vehicle and sub-area types is established and a vehicle placement matrix is determined providing probabilities of respective sub-areas being occupiable by respective vehicles derived from business environment rules based on compatibilities of respective vehicle types with respect sub-area types. Raw, approximate distances of vehicles from sub-areas are divided by the probabilities to provided adjusted distances, sub-areas ranked by least adjusted distances and the respective vehicles placed in their top ranked sub-areas for more accurate display of location on a GUI.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically tracking positions of specific, uniquely identified mobile objects to improve object resolution in a real time simultaneous display of multiple mobile objects in specific sub-areas of a facility area on a GUI comprising the steps of:

measuring approximate respective distances of respective mobile objects from respective potentially occupiable specific sub-areas by;

providing a wireless signal processing network;

providing individual identifying tags on respective mobile objects which tags at least one of transmit and transceive wireless signals between the tag and the network;

mapping and providing a neighbour table/graph of object reference points associated with sub-areas which object reference points at least one of receive and transceive wireless signals between the reference point and the network;

mapping and providing a neighbour table/graph of object reference points associated with sub-areas which object reference points at least one of receive and transceive wireless signals between the reference point and the network;

partitioning the sub-areas and their associated reference points (by non-contiguous portions of the neighbour table) into respective sets/islands of sub-areas and reference points;

providing a predetermined table of adjusted values assigned to respective values of potential signals received by the network;

measuring values of signals received at one of respective reference points and at a mobile object and translating them into adjusted values as determined by the table of adjusted values;

totalling adjusted values of signals associated with reference points on respective neighbour islands and anchoring/associating the mobile object to the neighbour island with the highest adjusted value total as the primary neighbour island unless totals are equal in which case the reference point having the highest adjusted value of all neighbour reference points is selected as a primary reference point;

measuring a first distance from the mobile object of a closest, primary reference point in the primary neighbour island as determined by the reference point of the highest adjusted signal value;

measuring a second distance from the mobile object of a next closest, secondary associated reference point neighbouring the primary reference point (in the primary neighbour island) being the reference point of the next highest adjusted signal value;

measuring a line segment/vector extending between the primary reference point and the secondary reference point;

placing the mobile object on the line segment/vector spaced apart from the primary reference point by a distance determined by an empirically generated rule-base system based on both of the mobile object'"'"'s distance from the primary reference point and the mobile object'"'"'s distance from the secondary reference point and providing that the maximum placement distance from the primary reference point is one half of the total distance between the primary and secondary reference points; and

, utilizing the placement for display in the facility area on the GUI.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sub-areas comprise mobile object parking/storage slots and mobile object movement slots.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile objects are vehicles.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the mobile objects are vehicles.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the tags and the reference points are radio transceivers.