Tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units

• US 9,872,271 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2014
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Ericsson, Bo E., Mohan, Tanuj
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutten, James D.
• Application Number:
  US14/262,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,361 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses of tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units are disclosed. One method includes tracking a location of a computing device within the area, coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units, and identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units.

Claims

1. A method of commissioning sensor units within an area, comprising:

tracking a location of a computing device within the area;

coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units;

identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units;

downloading a plan of the area to the computing device, and displaying the plan of the area to a user of the computing device, wherein the plan provides for placement of the plurality of sensor units, but does not include exact or precise knowledge of which sensor units are placed at which location within the area;

confirming, by the computing device, placement of a specific sensor unit on the plan of the area comprising;

providing an in-range list of sensor units on a user-interface of the computing device, wherein the in-range list includes an estimated order of proximity of each of the plurality of sensors to the computing device based on an estimated proximate location of each of the plurality of sensor units, wherein the user-interface allows the user of the computing device to select the specific sensor unit from the in-range list;

communicating a command to the specific sensor unit, wherein the specific sensor unit provides a user-observable feedback in response to being selected, wherein observable feedback allows the user to identify and place the specific sensor unit on the loaded floor plan; and

wherein identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises the computing device communicating with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units, and receiving one or more electromagnetic signal responses that include sensor unit identifiers from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor units, wherein a timing of the one or more electromagnetic signal responses is selected based on an address of each of the plurality of sensor units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling the computing device includes establishing communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units through a sensor of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a backend server receives the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the location of the computing device comprises:

establishing a reference location of the computing device;

sensing, by a plurality of accelerometers of the computing device, acceleration of the of the computing device; and

tracking the location of the computing device based on the reference location and the sensed acceleration of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the location of the computing device comprises:

determining a first reference position and a second reference position of a path to be traveled by the computing device; and

straight line approximating the path of the computing device between the first reference position and the second reference position.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a directional antenna is associated with the computing device, and a further comprising approximating a location of the computing device along the straight line path based on a receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising compensating for drift of location estimation of the computing device by re-referencing the location estimation based upon a reflected ceiling plan that includes the plurality of sensors, and the straight line approximation and the location approximation of the receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the computing device is tracked by sensing a direction of wheels of a cart associated with the computing device, and measuring rotations of wheels of the cart.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading a reflected ceiling plan of the area to the computing device, and displaying the reflected ceiling plan of the area of a user of the computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflected ceiling plan includes locations of the sensor units but not identifications of at least some of the sensor units.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the tracked location of the computing device is displayed on the computing device over the reflected ceiling plan, thereby allowing the user to identify when the tracked location of the computing device deviates relative to known locations of the sensor units of the reflected ceiling plan.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving one or more location reference resets from the user during the tracking of the location of the computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tracking of the location of a computing device within the area is further based on the location reference resets and a sensed acceleration of the computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified and recorded location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is uploaded to a central server.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving one or more electromagnetic signals that include sensor unit identifiers from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor units, and selecting that at least one of the plurality of sensor units from the plurality of sensor units based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received one or more electromagnetic signals.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is included within a MAC (media access control) address included within the received one or more electromagnetic signals.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving an identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units from an operator of the computing device who visually reads and inputs the identification.

19. A computing apparatus, the computing apparatus operative to:

track a plurality of locations of the computing apparatus while the computing apparatus is traveling within an area;

couple with at least one of a plurality of sensor units;

receive an identifier from the at least one of the plurality of sensor units after coupling with the at least one of a plurality of sensor units;

identify and record a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked plurality of locations of the computing apparatus and the identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units

download a plan of the area, and display the plan of the area to a user of the computing apparatus, wherein the plan provides for placement of the plurality of sensor units, but does not include exact or precise knowledge of which sensor units are placed at which location within the area;

confirm placement of a specific sensor unit on the plan of the area comprising;

providing an in-range list of sensor units on a user-interface of the computing device, wherein the in-range list includes an estimated order of proximity of each of the plurality of sensors to the computing device based on an estimated proximate location of each of the plurality of sensor units, wherein the user-interface allows the user of the computing device to select the specific sensor unit from the in-range list;

communicating a command to the specific sensor unit, wherein the specific sensor unit provides a user-observable feedback in response to being selected, wherein observable feedback allows the user to identify and place the specific sensor unit on the loaded floor plan; and

wherein identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises the computing device communicating with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units, and receiving one or more electromagnetic signal responses that include sensor unit identifiers from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor units, wherein a timing of the one or more electromagnetic signal responses is selected based on an address of each of the plurality of sensor units.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 19, wherein coupling the computing apparatus includes establishing communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units through a sensor of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units.

21. The computing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the computing apparatus receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units.

22. The computing apparatus of claim 19, wherein a backend server receives the identifier from the at least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection, and the backend server communicates the identifier to the computing apparatus.