Real-time location system in wireless sensor network

• US 9,651,656 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Hall, Stewart E., Patterson, Hap, Brewin, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US14/464,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20150285896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 34053911, 34082569, 34082572, 3405731, 235375, 235492, 235487, 235376
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/027 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2451 Specific applications combined with EAS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2491 Intrusion detection systems, i.e. where the body of an intruder causes the interference with the electromagnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A real-time location and tracking system includes location markers programmed with location information of the locations that the location markers are affixed to and a mobile RTLS tracking system to read location information from nearby location markers and a mobile RTLS monitoring and display system. The system is configured to receive signals from the mobile RTLS tracking system that includes a microprocessor and memory that control the functionality of the mobile RTLS monitoring and display system to display status and geo coordinates of the mobile RTLS tracking system.

Claims

1. A real-time location system comprises:

a plurality of positioning transceiver systems configured to determine geo-positions of the positioning transceiver systems relative to a global coordinate system, during set up of the real-time location system;

a tag transceiver with location marker programmer that determines locations of the tag transceiver relative to the global positioning coordinate system, with the tag transceiver configured to program location markers with location information based on the determined locations; and

a plurality of location markers programmed by the tag transceiver with location marker programmer, with the plurality of location markers programmed with location information of the locations that the location markers are affixed to around a site.

2. The real-time location system of claim 1 further comprising:

a mobile tracking system to read location information from nearby location markers that are placed around the site.

3. The real-time location system of claim 1 further comprising:

a mobile monitoring and display system, the mobile monitoring and display system configured to receive signals from the mobile tracking system; and

comprising;

a microprocessor and memory that controls the mobile monitoring and display system to display status and geo coordinates of a mobile tracking system.

4. The real-time location system of claim 2 wherein the location markers are read by the mobile tracking system, and the mobile tracking system stores for a location marker, a record of a time that the location marker was read and geo coordinate information and/or a user-friendly location name associated with the location marker.

5. The real-time location system of claim 1 wherein the plural positioning transceiver systems are placed throughout the site.

6. The real-time location system of claim 1 wherein the location information is geo coordinate information and/or user-friendly location information.

7. The real-time location system of claim 6 wherein the location markers comprise:

a circuitry including a processor and memory that controls the location marker and is configured to be programmed with the geo coordinate information and/or the user-friendly location information;

an antenna; and

a communication circuitry coupled to the antenna and the circuitry including the microprocessor for communication of the geo coordinate information and/or the user-friendly location information.

8. The real-time location system of claim 2 wherein the mobile tracking system further comprises:

a location marker reader that reads information from location markers during a tracking phase of operation of the real-time location system;

an antenna;

a circuitry including a microprocessor and memory that controls the operation of the mobile tracking system; and

a communication circuitry coupled to the antenna and the circuitry including the microprocessor to communicate with the location markers.

9. The real-time location system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of positioning transceiver systems further comprises:

a positioning element to determine distance or angle from the positioning element to a traditional tag that is used with a traditional real-time location tracking system that has position information for each of the locating elements, which information is fixed at known locations or determined at setup time;

a global positioning transceiver; and

a circuitry including a microprocessor and memory subsystem to control the positioning transceiver system and for communication of data to a tagging transceiver with location marker programmer.

10. The real-time location system of claim 1 wherein the tag transceiver with location marker programmer further comprises:

a tag element to determine the location of the tag transceiver with location marker programmer, relative to the global positioning coordinates, and a location marker programmer to program the location markers with the global positioning coordinates and with the location marker programmer further configured to program the location markers with a user-friendly location information.

11. A real-time location system comprises:

a plurality of positioning transceiver systems, configured to determine positions of the plurality of positioning transceiver systems relative to a global coordinate system during setup of the real-time location system;

a plurality of location markers that are programmed by a tag transceiver with location marker programmer, with location information of locations that the location markers that are disposed around a site, and with the tag transceiver with location marker programmer, configured to determine the location information from the plurality of positioning transceiver systems;

a mobile tracking system to read the location information from nearby ones of the location markers disposed around the site;

a mobile monitoring and display system, the mobile monitoring and display system configured to receive signals from the mobile tracking system, and comprising;

a microprocessor and memory that control the mobile monitoring and display system to display status and geo coordinates of the mobile tracking system.

12. The real-time location system of claim 11 wherein the location markers are read by the mobile tracking system, and the mobile tracking system stores for a location marker, a record of a time that the location marker was read and geo coordinate information and/or user-friendly location name associated with the location marker.

13. The real-time location system of claim 11 wherein the location information is geo coordinate information and/or user-friendly location information.

15. The real-time location system of claim 11 wherein the mobile tracking system further comprises:

a location marker reader that reads information from the location markers during tracking phase of operation;

an antenna;

a circuitry including a microprocessor and memory that controls the operation of the mobile tracking system; and

a communication circuitry coupled to the antenna and the circuitry including the microprocessor to communicate with the location markers.

16. The real-time location system of claim 11 wherein each of the location markers comprise:

a circuitry including a processor and memory that controls the location marker and is configured to be programmed with the geo coordinates and/or a-user friendly location information;

an antenna; and

a communication circuitry coupled to the antenna and the circuitry including the microprocessor for communication of the location information.

14. A method of real-time location tracking, the method comprising:

deploying a plurality of positioning transceiver systems configured to determine for each positioning transceiver system, its corresponding position, relative to a global coordinate system, during set up of the real-time location tracking;

determining by a tag transceiver with location marker programmer, location of the tag transceiver relative to the global position coordinate system from the plurality of positioning transceiver systems and to program location markers with location information;

deploying a plurality of location markers programmed by the tag transceiver with location marker programmer with location information of locations to which the location markers are deployed around a site;

deploying a mobile tracking system to read location information from nearby location markers that are deployed around the site;

receiving by a mobile monitoring and display system signals from the mobile tracking system to display status and geo coordinates of the mobile tracking system.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

reading by the mobile tracking system location information from nearby location markers that are placed around the site.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving by a mobile monitoring and display system signals from the mobile tracking system; and

displaying by the mobile monitor and display system status and geo coordinates of the mobile tracking system.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

reading the location markers by the mobile tracking system;

storing by the mobile tracking system for a location marker, a record of a time that the location marker was read and geo coordinate information and/or a user-friendly location name associated with the location marker.