High resolution tracking of mobile assets

• US 20060080035A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asset Intelligence LLC (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Doyle, Thomas F., Daubert, Robert H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A system and method for describing local area geo-reference features and landmarks in providing high resolution asset location information. Geo-image data is integrated to a mapping application and geo-reference data to add more detailed scale levels to the map. The geo-image data includes geo-images and its features to provide more detailed references to the asset and support the larger references of the geo-reference data. To describe a geo-reference landmark, an original landmark representation is selected with a center point and a radius. The asset location points located at the original landmark representation are compiled along with the asset location points generated by events occurring at the landmark to create a point set. The point set replaces the original landmark representation when a prescribed number of points is reached. The asset location points that are within a specified distance from any of the points in the point set are added to the point set to complete the landmark representation. The geo-image data and landmark representation data are combined to provide high resolution asset location information.

Claims

1. A method for describing the location of a mobile asset comprising the steps of:

(a) integrating geo-image data to a mapping application to present at least one geo-image reference in a map of the mapping application;

(b) integrating mobile asset location data to present the mobile asset in the map of the mapping data; and

(c) providing a location of the mobile asset in reference to the at least one geo-image reference in the map.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the method further comprising the step of detecting features in a geo-image to provide the at least one geo-image reference.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein the method further comprising the step of labeling the at least one geo-image reference.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the at least one geo-image reference is a building, a parking lot, a garage or a road.

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of integrating geo-reference data to the mapping application to present at least one geo-reference reference in the map.

6. A method as in claim 5 further comprising the step of providing the location of the mobile asset in reference to the at least one geo-reference reference.

7. A method as in claim 5 wherein the at least one geo-reference reference is a city, a town or a landmark.

8. A method as in claim 5 further comprising the step of providing the map at a plurality of zoom levels.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein the plurality of zoom levels includes geo-reference zoom levels and geo-image zoom levels.