Detecting location within a network

• US 10,455,357 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ivani, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ivani, LLC
• Inventors: Wootton, John, Wootton, Matthew, Nissman, Chris, Preston, Victoria, Clark, Jonathan, McKinney, Justin, Barnes, Claire, Xiao, Xinyu, Wang, Zhecan
• Primary Examiner(s): Heiber, Shantell L
• Application Number:
  US15/674,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/221 using ferroelectric capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/2257 Word-line or row circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/2259 Cell access
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/2273 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/2293 Timing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/2297 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0018 based on latency requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and methods for detecting the presence of a body in a network without fiducial elements, using signal absorption, and signal forward and reflected backscatter of radio frequency (RF) waves caused by the presence of a biological mass in a communications network.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the number of humans in a space comprising:

providing a plurality of transceivers in wireless communication with each other and disposed in a detection area;

providing a computer server in communication with each transceiver in said plurality of transceivers;

determining, at said computer server, a first signal profile for characteristics of wireless communications among said plurality of transceivers when no humans are present in said detection area;

determining, at said computer server, a second signal profile for characteristics of wireless communications among said plurality of transceivers when a first plurality of humans is present in said detection area, the number of humans in said first plurality being known;

determining, at said computer server, a third signal profile for characteristics of wireless communications among said plurality of transceivers when a second plurality of humans is present in said detection area, the number of humans in said second plurality being unknown; and

using said first signal profile, said second signal profile, and said known number of humans in said first plurality of humans, estimating said unknown number of humans in said second plurality of humans.

2. The method of claim 1 where said estimate is time stamped and recorded periodically.

3. The method of claim 1 where said estimate is provided to a requesting party.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said requesting party comprises first responders to an emergency at said space.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said requesting party comprises a robot.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said signal characteristics are selected from the group consisting of:

received signal strength, latency, and bit error rate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said estimate is updated by new information from said plurality of transceivers periodically.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating when one of said transceivers is no longer transmitting.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing information received at said computer server from other sensors in said detection area and information from one or more sensors disposed external said detection area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating said unknown number of humans in said said plurality of humans comprises comparing signal distortion in said third single profile to signal distortion in said first signal profile and signal distortion in said second signal.