Directional beacon device

• US 9,640,044 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Code Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RF Code Incorporated
• Inventors: Graczyk, Ronald B., Primm, Michael R., Parvey, Dale E., Joy, Ryan D., Gaskins, Chris C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Vernal
• Application Number:
  US14/262,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140306803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,101 Days
• Field of Search: 340 761
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/70 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

A beacon device includes a control circuitry, a window, and a plurality of sets of illumination sources. The window includes a prismatic structure forming a ring from a planar perspective. The prismatic structure defines an inside surface and an outside surface from the planar perspective. The plurality of sets of illumination sources are coupled to the control circuitry. Each set of illumination sources includes a first illumination source disposed proximal to the inside surface of the prismatic structure and includes a second illumination source disposed proximal to the outside surface of the prismatic structure. The control circuitry is to illuminate a first set of the plurality of sets of illumination sources to transmit a signal in a first direction.

Claims

1. A method of installing a tracking system, the method comprising:

initiating communication with a beacon device, the beacon device comprising a plurality of illumination sources, each illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources directed to a different volume; and

providing a pattern code and a location code associated with the pattern code to the beacon device, the beacon device to transmit a signal in an illumination pattern associated defined by the pattern code, the illumination pattern being a volume or area impinged by the signal to the exclusion of other volumes or areas and formed by selective illumination of a subset of illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources, the subset of illumination sources selected based on the pattern code, the signal including the location code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources are disposed in proximity to a prismatic structure, the method further comprising illuminating a subset of the set of illumination sources based on the pattern code.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pattern code includes a set of bits, each bit associated with an illumination source of the set of illumination sources.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the signal to determine the illumination pattern.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a second pattern code in response to the determined illumination pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon device includes:

circuitry to initiate transmission of a signal via illumination sources;

a first set of the illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources;

a second set of the illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources; and

a window having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface and including a prismatic structure extending from the concave inner surface, the first set of illumination sources disposed on a first side of the prismatic structure from a cross-sectional perspective and the second set of illumination sources disposed on a second side of the prismatic structure from a cross-sectional perspective, the circuitry to initiate transmission of the signal in a first direction using the first set of the illumination sources or to initiate transmission of the signal in a second direction using the second set of illumination sources based on the illumination pattern associated with the pattern code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon device includes:

a control circuitry;

a first illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources coupled to the control circuitry and to emit electromagnetic radiation along a first centerline;

a second illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources coupled to the control circuitry and to emit electromagnetic radiation along a second centerline, the first and second centerlines being parallel;

a first prismatic structure disposed to refract the electromagnetic radiation of the first illumination source in a first direction; and

a second prismatic structure disposed to refract the electromagnetic radiation of the second illumination source in a second direction;

the method further comprising initiating transmission of a signal via the first or the second illumination sources based on the illumination pattern defined by the pattern code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal includes a payload data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location code has a first value when the signal is transmitted in a first illumination pattern and a second value when the signal is transmitted in a second illumination pattern.

10. A method of installing a tracking system, the method comprising:

receiving a pattern code at a beacon device, the beacon device comprising a plurality of illumination sources, each illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources directed to a different volume; and

transmitting a signal using a subset of the plurality of illumination sources selected based on the pattern code, the subset transmitting the signal in an illumination pattern, the illumination pattern being a volume or area impinged by the signal to the exclusion of other volumes or areas and formed by selective illumination of the subset of illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources, the subset of illumination sources selected based on the pattern code, the signal including a location code.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the location code.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the location code at the beacon device, the location code associated with the pattern code.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the pattern code includes a set of bits, each bit associated with an illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a second pattern code in response to receiving the location code.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the location code and the pattern code at the beacon device.

16. A method of providing a beacon signal, the method comprising:

accessing a pattern code on a beacon device, the beacon device comprising a plurality of illumination sources disposed in proximity to a prismatic structure, each illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources directed to a different volume; and

transmitting a signal via a subset of the plurality of illumination sources selected based on the pattern code in an illumination pattern, the illumination pattern being a volume or area impinged by the signal to the exclusion of other volumes or areas and formed by selective illumination of the subset of illumination sources of the plurality of illumination sources, the signal including a location code.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the pattern code includes a set of bits, each bit associated with an illumination source of the plurality of illumination sources.