Methods, systems, and computer program products for locating and tracking objects

• US 10,852,289 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Troxler, Robert Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Henson, Mischita L
• Application Number:
  US14/562,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 1/00 Investigation of foundation soil in situ investigation involving boring or specially adapted to earth drilling E21B25/00, E21B49/00; investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties, in general G01N, e.g. sampling G01N1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/00 Recording measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/42 Road-making materials G01N33/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/00 Investigating density or specific gravity of materials; Analysing materials by determining density or specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• 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

Abstract

A system for locating and tracking an object is provided. The system includes a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material, a locating device configured to determine a location of the measuring device, a tracking system configured to store tracking information associated with the measuring device and one or more properties determined by the measuring device, and a communications system configured to transfer, to a remote device, the location of the measuring device and the tracking information associated with the measuring device.

Claims

1. A system for locating and tracking a measuring device, the system comprising:

a measuring device configured to determine a property of a paving-related material;

a locating device configured to determine a location of the measuring device;

a tracking module configured to track the measuring device; and

a communications module that transmits tracking information to a remote device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is selected from the group consisting of a nuclear density gauge, a nuclear moisture gauge, a microwave moisture gauge, a TDR moisture gauge, a TDR density gauge, a frequency domain electromagnetic moisture gauge, a frequency domain electromagnetic density gauge, a seismic pavement analyzer, a portable seismic pavement analyzer, a stiffness gauge, a falling weight deflectometer, a ground penetrating radar-type instrument, a radio frequency device, an electromagnetic device, a microwave device, an acoustic device, a moisture measuring device, a surface roughness measuring device, a pavement temperature sensor, a pavement temperature measuring device, pavement roughness measuring device, soil composition property device, pavement thickness device, a roof moisture device, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the locating device is operable with at least one of a geographic information system (GIS), a global positioning system (GPS), a nationwide differential global positioning system (NDGPS), a high accuracy-nationwide differential global positioning system (HA-NDGPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), the European satellite system Galileo, general radio packet service (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and combinations thereof for determining the location of the measuring device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the locating device comprises at least one of geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), nationwide differential global positioning system (NDGPS), high accuracy-nationwide differential global positioning system (HA-NDGPS), satellite system, signpost components, dead reckoning components, wave propagating components, radio frequency (RF) components, accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, optical system, mechanical system, and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the locating device is configured to receive data related to the location of the measuring device and determine the location of the measuring device based on the data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking module is mounted to the measuring device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking module includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module and the remote device are configured to communicate via at least one of a wireless network and a wireline network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module is configured to receive a polling signal associated with the measuring device and configured to communicate the location of the measuring device and tracking information associated with the measuring device in response to receiving the polling signal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote device is selected from a computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal navigation device, a networked distributed computing device, and a personal communications device.