Mobile device tracking

• US 20070152057A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Thomas, Cato, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.10
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer program product for obtaining the location of, for example, a mobile device. An image of a target in a defined space is obtained, the target encoding data from which its location in the defined space may be determined. The position of a reference point in the image which represents the location of, for example, a mobile device, is determined relative to the target. The location of the mobile device in the defined paces is then determined by combining the location of the target in the defined space with an appropriately scaled version of the relative position of the reference point to the target in the image.

Claims

1. A method comprising;

obtaining an image of a target in a defined space, the target encoding identification data;

analyzing the image to obtain the identification data and image positional data, the image positional data comprising a position in the image of a reference point relative to the target;

using the identification data to obtain target location data comprising a location of the target in the defined space; and

determining the location of the reference point in the defined space by combining the image positional data and the target location data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference point represents the location from which the image was taken.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the location data further comprises defined space orientation data for the target in the defined space and the method further comprises:

analyzing the image to obtain image orientation data comprising a direction from which the image was taken relative to the target; and

determining a direction from which the image was taken in the defined space by combining the image orientation data and the defined space orientation data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the image includes a second target and the reference point represents the second target.

5. The method of claim 1 further wherein the target is reflective and the method further comprises;

causing a light source to illuminate the target for the purpose of obtaining an image of the target.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

obtaining a first image from a given location and in the absence of the light source illuminating the target such that that target is less apparent in the image;

obtaining a second image from the given location and with the light source illuminating the target such that the target is more apparent in the image; and

obtaining the image of the target by subtracting the first image from the second image.

7. The method of claim 1 further wherein using the using the identification data comprises using the identification data to access a database entry comprising the target location data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the target is a barcode.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the defined space is a store and the reference point represent a shopping cart.

10. An data apparatus comprising:

an image capture device for obtaining an image of a target which encodes identification data; and

at a least one processor for;

analyzing the image to obtain the identification data and image positional data, the image positional data comprising a position in the image of a reference point relative to the target;

using the identification data to obtain target location data comprising a location of the target in the defined space, and

determining the location of the reference point in the defined space by combining the image positional data and the target location data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

an illumination device for illuminating the target.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the illumination device is capable of outputting a plurality of levels of illumination and the processor which analyzes the image further varies the level illumination output from the illuminating device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the image capture device is a video camera and the apparatus further comprises:

a comparator for receiving the image from the image capture device and outputting a binary signal for each pixel of the image, based on a predetermined brightness level of the pixel, for converting the image from the image capture device; and

a video sync separator for indicating binary signals which indicate the start of an image frame and binary signals which indicate the start of a new image line.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor which analyses the image varies the predetermined brightness level to improve image analysis characteristics.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

a communication device for sending the identification data and image displacement data to the processor for using the identification data.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a shopping cart onto which the image capture device and processor for analyzing the image are mounted.

24. A defined space comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart targets distributed around the defined space, each barcode encoding identification data which can be use to determine the location in the defined space of the target; and

an apparatus according to claim 10.

25. The defined space of claim 24 further comprising:

a surface, covering the defined space, on to which the targets are mounted using Velcro.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

obtaining an image of a target in a defined space, the target encoding identification data;

analyzing the image to obtain the identification data and image positional data, the image positional data comprising a position in the image of a reference point relative to the target;

using the identification data to obtain target location data comprising a location of the target in the defined space; and

determining the location of the reference point in the defined space by combining the image positional data and the target location data.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the reference point represents the location from which the image was taken.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the location data further comprises defined space orientation data for the target in the defined space and the method further comprising:

analyzing the image to obtain image orientation data comprising a direction from which the image was taken relative to the target; and

determining a direction from which the image was taken in the defined space by combining the image orientation data and the defined space orientation data.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the image includes a second target and the reference point represents the second target.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 further wherein the target is reflective and the method further comprises:

causing a light source to illuminate the target for the purpose of obtaining an image of the target.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, the method further comprising:

obtaining a first image from a given location and in the absence of the light source illuminating the target such that that target is less apparent in the image;

obtaining a second image from the given location and with the light source illuminating the target such that the target is more apparent in the image; and

obtaining the image of the target by subtracting the first image from the second image.

23. The computer program product of claim 17 further wherein using the using the identification data comprises using the identification data to access a database entry comprising the target location data.