Wireless bridge hardware system for active RFID identification and location tracking

• US 9,641,969 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Theurer, Charles, Good, Brandon, Liu, Shaopeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US14/808,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 455 411, 455 2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In various example embodiments, a system and method for facilitating proximity detection and location tracking using a mobile wireless bridge are provided. The system includes a beacon badge, a beacon tag, and a real-time location services (“RTLS”) server communicatively coupled to the beacon badge, such as via a wireless network or the like. The beacon tag broadcasts a beacon message receivable by the beacon badge. The beacon badge determines whether it is proximate to the beacon badge based on the signal strength of the received beacon message. The beacon badge further communicates identifying information contained with the received beacon message to the RTLS server. The RTLS server uses the identifying information to determine the proximate location of the beacon badge.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wireless receiver, the wireless receiver configured to use a first wireless protocol and receive a first wireless message, the first wireless message including an identifier that identifies a device having sent the first wireless message;

a wireless transmitter, the wireless transmitter configured to use a second wireless protocol and send a second wireless message, the second wireless message including the identifier, where the first wireless protocol and the second wireless protocol are different wireless protocols; and

at least one hardware processor configured to activate the wireless transmitter based on the wireless receiver having received the first wireless message, the at least one hardware processor to implement a proximity engine, the proximity engine to determine a value indicative of a received signal strength of the first wireless message and to compare the value to a proximity threshold, wherein the proximity engine is to filter the first wireless message based on comparing the value to the proximity threshold to discard the first wireless message when the value does not satisfy the proximity threshold and to activate the wireless transmitter when the value satisfies the proximity threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless protocol includes Bluetooth and the second wireless protocol includes at least one wireless protocol selected from the group of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a motion sensor configured to detect movement, wherein the at least one hardware processor transitions at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter from a first state to a second state based on whether the motion sensor detects movement.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first state comprises a deactivation state in which at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter operates at a reduced power and the second state comprises an activation state in which at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter operates at operational power.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least two illuminated indicators activatable by the at least one hardware processor, the at least two illuminated indicators indicating a status of at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one processor is electrically connected to the wireless transmitter and the wireless receiver;

the at least one hardware processor, the wireless transmitter, and the wireless receiver are housed within an enclosed casing having at least two surfaces; and

the casing includes at least one flexible clip affixed to at least one of the at least two surfaces, wherein the enclosed casing is securable to a surface using the at least one flexible clip.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a first wireless message by a wireless receiver using a first wireless protocol, the first wireless message including an identifier that identifies a device having sent the first wireless message;

transmitting a second wireless message by a wireless transmitter using a second wireless protocol, the second wireless message including the identifier, where the first wireless protocol and the second wireless protocol are different wireless protocols;

determining, by at least one hardware processor, a value indicative of a received signal strength of the first wireless message;

comparing, by the at least one hardware processor, the value to a proximity threshold;

filtering, by the at least one hardware processor, the first wireless message based on the comparing the value to the proximity threshold to discard the first wireless message when the value does not satisfy the proximity threshold; and

activating, by at least one hardware processor when the value satisfies the proximity threshold, the wireless transmitter based on the wireless receiver having received the first wireless message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first wireless protocol includes Bluetooth and the second wireless protocol includes at least one wireless protocol selected from the group of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting movement by a motion sensor; and

transitioning at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter from a first state to a second state based on the movement detected by the motion sensor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first state comprises a deactivation state in which at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter operates at a reduced power and the second state comprises an activation state in which at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter operates at operational power.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

activating at least one illuminated indicator electrically connected to the at least one hardware processor to indicate a status of at least one of the wireless receiver or the wireless transmitter.

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of beacon tags, each beacon tag including a wireless transmitter, the wireless transmitter configured to broadcast at least one wireless message, the at least one wireless message being broadcast using a first wireless protocol; and

a beacon badge, the beacon badge including;

a wireless receiver, the wireless receiver configured to use the first wireless protocol and receive the at least one wireless message from at least one of the beacon tags of the plurality of beacon tags;

a wireless transmitter, the wireless transmitter configured to use a second wireless protocol and send a second wireless message based on the at least one wireless message, the first wireless protocol and the second wireless protocol being different wireless protocols; and

at least one hardware processor configured to activate the wireless transmitter based on the wireless receiver having received the at least one wireless message, the at least one hardware processor to implement a proximity engine, the proximity engine to determine a value indicative of a received signal strength of the at least one wireless message and to compare the value to a proximity threshold, wherein the proximity engine is to filter the at least one wireless message based on comparing the value to the proximity threshold to discard the at least one wireless message when the value does not satisfy the proximity threshold and to activate the wireless transmitter when the value satisfies the proximity threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a wireless transmitter of at least one beacon tag is configured to periodically broadcast the at least one wireless message at a fixed time interval.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one wireless message of each beacon tag of the plurality of beacon tags includes an identifier that identifies a corresponding beacon tag.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second wireless message includes at least one identifier broadcast by at least one beacon tag selected from the plurality of beacon tags.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one beacon tag of the plurality of beacon tags is fixed within an environment and the beacon badge is movable within the environment.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising a real-time location services (RTLS) server in communication with the beacon badge, the RTLS server being configured to determine a location of the beacon badge based on the second message.