METHOD TO REDUCE DATABASE LOAD IN REAL TIME LOCATION SYSTEMS

• US 20120094683A1
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AeroScout Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AeroScout Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoeli, Baruch
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A location system and method operable to locate mobile units has a mobile unit operable to transmit wireless signals. A wireless network is used to receive the wireless signals and to report data used to estimate the location of the mobile unit. A location server is used to process the data reported by the wireless network. The location server generates a plurality of location reports for the mobile unit. A preprocessing component is operable to communicate with the location server. The location reports generated by the location server are transferred to the preprocessing component. A location application is operable to communicate with the preprocessing component, and interfaced to a database operable to store data records related to the mobile unit. The preprocessing component processes the location report and stores the data records only if the data in the data records meets a specified criteria.

Claims

1. A method of reducing the database load in a location system comprising:

transmitting a plurality of wireless signals from at least one mobile unit, said wireless signals including at least an identification of said mobile unit;

receiving said wireless signals transmitted by said mobile unit by at least one wireless network, said wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range with said mobile unit, said wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of said mobile unit;

processing of said data reported by said wireless network by at least one location server, said at least one location server interfaced to said wireless network and operable to process said data reported by said wireless network;

generating a plurality of location reports for said mobile unit by said at least one location server, said location reports based on data reported by said wireless network;

transferring said plurality of location reports generated by said location server to a preprocessing component;

storing data reports related to said mobile unit by at least one location application operable to communicate with said at least one preprocessing component, and interfaced to a database operable to store data records related to said mobile unit, wherein said data records comprising of the estimated location and identification of said mobile unit;

processing at said preprocessing component said location reports; and

storing said data records of said location reports in said database only if the data in said data records meets a specified criteria.

2. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said wireless signal including telemetry data, and wherein at least one of said plurality of location reports generated by said location server further comprises said telemetry data and wherein said data records of said at least one location report stored in said database further comprises said telemetry data.

3. A method in accordance to claim 2 wherein generating a plurality of location reports further comprise generating at least one of said location reports having a time stamp of the time said data reported by said wireless network was received at said location server and wherein said data records of said location reports stored in said database further comprise said time stamp.

4. A method in accordance to claim 2 wherein processing at said preprocessing component further comprises comparing data from said location report with fixed data.

5. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein processing at said preprocessing component further comprises comparing said mobile unit location and limits of at least one zone of interest of said wireless network, said storing in accordance whether the mobile unit is in or out of said at least one zone of interest.

6. A method in accordance to claim 5 wherein said zone of interest is further represented by a single point location and wherein said mobile unit location in said data records is further replaced by said preprocessing component by said single point location.

7. A method in accordance to claim 5 wherein said at least one wireless network further comprises at least one second zone of interest in which said mobile unit can be located, said comparing is between said mobile unit location and the limits of said at least one first or second zones of interest, said storing further in accordance whether the mobile unit is located in said first or second zones of interest.

8. A method in accordance to claim 3 wherein said processing at said preprocessing component further comprises comparing said time stamp with the time of day data.

9. A method in accordance to claim 4 wherein said telemetry data further comprises a battery status of said mobile unit, wherein said comparing further comprises comparing between said battery status of said mobile unit and predefined battery status conditions.

10. A method in accordance to claim 3 wherein said processing at said preprocessing component further comprises comparing data in a second location report with data in said first location report, said first location report reported by said location server before said second location report and wherein said first location report is stored in said database.

11. A method in accordance to claim 10 wherein said comparing is between the location of said mobile unit in said first location report and the location of said mobile unit in said second location report;

wherein said storing in said database of said second location report is in accordance to the distance between the locations of said mobile unit is said first and second location reports.

12. A method in accordance to claim 10 wherein said storing in said database of said second location report is in accordance to the time difference between the time stamps of said first and said second location reports.

13. A method in accordance to claim 3 wherein said plurality of location reports further comprises a first plurality of location reports and a second location report, said first plurality of location reports reported by said location server before said second location report and wherein said first plurality of location reports is stored in said database, wherein said processing at said preprocessing component further comprises comparing data in said second location report with data in said first plurality of location reports.

14. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein at least one movement pattern of said mobile unit is defined, said movement pattern described by a trail, said trail represented by a trail ID, wherein said processing by said preprocessing component further comprising of the steps of detecting if said mobile unit location in said location report is within said trail, wherein said mobile unit location in said data records is further replaced by the ID of said trail.

15. A method in accordance to claim 14 wherein said processing by said preprocessing component further comprising of self-learning analytical algorithms, said algorithms operable to identify movement patterns and said patterns describing a repetitive behavior of said mobile unit and wherein said identified movement patterns by said algorithms represented by a trail ID.

16. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein processing said plurality of location reports of said mobile unit comprises processing said plurality of location reports by at least one counter, said counter counting the location reports for said mobile unit reported by said location server, wherein said criteria is based on the value of said counter for each location report and wherein said storing is performed according to the value of said counter.

17. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said criteria consist of a plurality of different criteria and wherein said storing is performed if said location report meets all said plurality of different criteria.

18. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein the mobile unit is an RFID tag.

19. A method in accordance to claim 18 wherein said location system further comprising of at least two different types of said RFID tags, wherein said RFID tag type is reported by said location server in said location report;

wherein said specified criteria differs in accordance with said tag type.

20. A method in accordance to claim 18 wherein said location system further comprising of the ability to locate said RFID tags with at least two different location technologies, wherein said location technology is reported by said location server in said location report;

wherein said specified criteria differs in accordance with said location technology.

21. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said wireless signals being at least one of IEEE802.11x radio signals, cellular radio signals, IEEE802.15.x signals, ultra wideband signals, ultrasound signals and infrared signals.

22. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said preprocessing component is part of an application gateway.

23. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said reducing further comprising reducing the size of said database.

24. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said mobile unit further comprising of means to receive wireless signals, means to measure parameters of said received wireless signals and means to estimate its location;

wherein said location is estimated by said mobile unit in accordance with said measured parameters of said received wireless signals, said estimated location by said mobile unit reported to said at least one location server, said location server generating a location report in accordance with said estimated location by said mobile unit.

25. A method in accordance to claim 24 wherein said means to estimate said mobile unit location comprise a GPS receiver.

26. A method in accordance to claim 24 wherein said at least one network device further comprising of means to transmit wireless beacons and said mobile unit further comprising of means to receive said wireless beacons.

27. A method in accordance to claim 1 wherein said at least one network device further comprising of means to transmit wireless beacons;

and

wherein said mobile unit further comprising of means to receive wireless signals, means to measure parameters of said received wireless signals and means to report said measured parameters to said location server, said location server generating a location report in accordance with said measured parameters reported by said mobile unit.

28. A location system operable to locate mobile units, said location system comprising:

at least one mobile unit operable to transmit wireless signals, said wireless signals at least including an identification of said mobile unit;

at least one wireless network, said wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range with said mobile unit, said at least one network device operable to receive said wireless signals transmitted by said mobile unit and said wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of said mobile unit;

at least one location server, said at least one location server interfaced to said wireless network and operable to process said data reported by said wireless network, said mobile unit transmitting a plurality of wireless signals, said plurality of wireless signals received by said wireless network, said at least one location server generating a plurality of location reports for said mobile unit, said location reports based on data reported by said wireless network;

at least one preprocessing component operable to communicate with said at least one location server, wherein said plurality of location reports generated by said location server is transferred to said preprocessing component;

at least one location application operable to communicate with said at least one preprocessing component, and interfaced to a database operable to store data records related to said mobile unit, said data records comprising of the estimated location and identification of said mobile unit;

wherein said preprocessing component operable reduce the load of said database, said reduce comprising of the steps of;

processing at said preprocessing component said location report; and

storing said data records of said location report in said database only if the data in said data records meets a specified criteria.

29. A preprocessing component in a location system;

said location system operable to locate mobile units and said location system comprising;

at least one mobile unit operable to transmit wireless signals, said wireless signals at least including an identification of said mobile unit;

at least one wireless network, said wireless network comprising of at least one network device in communication range with said mobile unit, said at least one network device operable to receive said wireless signals transmitted by said mobile unit and said wireless network operable to report data used to estimate the location of said mobile unit;

at least one location server, said at least one location server interfaced to said wireless network and operable to process said data reported by said wireless network, said mobile unit transmitting a plurality of wireless signals, said plurality of wireless signals received by said wireless network, said at least one location server generating a plurality of location reports for said mobile unit, said location reports based on data reported by said wireless network;

at least one preprocessing component operable to communicate with said at least one location server, wherein said plurality of location reports generated by said location server is transferred to said preprocessing component;

at least one location application operable to communicate with said at least one preprocessing component, and interfaced to a database operable to store data records related to said mobile unit, said data records comprising of the estimated location and identification of said mobile unit;

wherein said preprocessing component processing said location report, storing said data records of said location report in said database only if the data in said data records meets a specified criteria.