Object location monitoring within buildings

• US 7,038,584 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Carter, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHMOOD, JENNIFER
• Application Number:
  US10/371,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/539.13, 340/7.1, 340/7.2, 340/7.21, 340/463, 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/870.16, 340/426.24, 340/464, 340/466, 340/467, 340/146.2, 340/500, 340/501, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/540, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/3.1, 340/825.19, 340/46, 340/465, 340/4, 701/220, 701/207
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting

Abstract

An object location tracking system for tracking a movable object includes a plurality of beacons spatially distributed within a building, each beacon transmitting a respective ID signal, at least one transceiver device which receives the transmission of ID signals from the beacons and determines received signal strengths of such transmissions, the transceiver device adapted to be attached to the movable object, a motion detector coupled to the at least one transceiver device configured to provide information relating to a motion of the at least one transceiver device, and a processing module that uses information reflective of the received signal strengths of the transmissions received by the transceiver device, in combination with information reflective of the motion of the at least one transceiver device, to determine a current location of the transceiver device.

Claims

1. An object location tracking system for tracking a movable object and having a plurality of beacons spatially distributed within a building, each beacon transmitting a respective ID signal, the system comprising:

at least one transceiver device which receives the transmission of ID signals from the beacons and determines received signal strengths of such transmissions, the transceiver device adapted to be attached to the movable object;

a motion detector coupled to the at least one transceiver device, the motion detector providing information relating to a motion of the at least one transceiver device;

a processing module that uses information reflective of the received signal strengths of the transmissions received by the transceiver device, in combination with information reflective of the motion of the at least one transceiver device, to determine a current location of the transceiver device,

wherein the processing module also uses a topological tracking method using rules regarding plausible state transitions such that an actual travel time is compared to a minimum travel time, and the current location is eliminated when the actual travel time is less than the minimum travel time.

2. The object location tracking system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver device is configured to receive ID signals when the motion has been detected.

3. The object location tracking system of claim 1, wherein the motion detector is configured to provide information relating to at least one of an acceleration, an existence of motion, an absence of motion, a direction of motion, a speed, a velocity, a distance, a displacement, a direction of displacement, and a direction of motion.

4. The object location tracking system of claim 1, wherein the motion detector is an accelerometer.

5. The object location tracking system of claim 4, wherein the accelerometer is a three axis accelerometer.

6. The object location tracking system of claim 4, wherein the accelerometer is a two axis accelerometer.

7. The object location tracking system of claim 6, wherein the two axis accelerometer is a gravity gimbaled two axis accelerometer.

8. The object location tracking system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons comprises a wireless access point.

9. An object location tracking system for tracking a movable object comprising:

a plurality of beacons spatially distributed within a building, each beacon transmitting a respective ID signal;

at least one transceiver device which receives the transmission of ID signals from the beacons and determines received signal strengths of such transmissions, the transceiver device adapted to be attached to the movable object;

a motion detector coupled to the at least one transceiver device configured to provide information relating to a motion of the at least one transceiver device; and

a processing module that uses information reflective of the received signal strengths of the transmissions received by the transceiver device, in combination with information reflective of the motion of the at least one transceiver device, to determine a current location of the transceiver device,

wherein the processing module also uses a topological tracking method using rules regarding plausible state transitions, such that when a transceiver moves to form a previous location to the current location and the transceiver does not receive an ID signal from one of the plurality of beacons configured between the previous location and the current location, the current location is eliminated.

10. The object location tracking system of claim 9, wherein the transceiver device is configured to receive ID signals only when the motion has been detected.

11. The object location tracking system of claim 9, wherein the motion detector is configured to provide information relating to at least one of an acceleration, an existence of motion, an absence of motion, a direction of motion, a speed, a velocity, a distance, a displacement, a direction of displacement, and a direction of motion.

12. The object location tracking system of claim 9, wherein the motion detector is an accelerometer.

13. The object location tracking system of claim 12, wherein the accelerometer is a three axis accelerometer.

14. The object location tracking system of claim 12, wherein the accelerometer is a two axis accelerometer.

15. The object location tracking system of claim 14, wherein the two axis accelerometer is a gravity gimbaled two axis accelerometer.

16. An object location tracking system for tracking a movable object comprising:

a plurality of beacons spatially distributed within a building, each beacon transmitting a respective ID signal;

at least one transceiver device which receives the transmission of ID signals from the beacons and determines received signal strengths of such transmissions, the transceiver device adapted to be attached to the movable object;

a motion detector coupled to the at least one transceiver device configured to provide information relating to a motion of the at least one transceiver device; and

a processing module which uses information reflective of the received signal strengths of the transmissions received by the transceiver device, in combination with a topological tracking method using rules regarding plausible state transitions, to determine a current location of the transceiver device, such that an actual travel time is compared to a minimum travel time, and the current location is eliminated when the actual travel time is less than the minimum travel time.

17. The object location tracking system of claim 16, wherein the processing module is configured to determine the current location of the transceiver device only when the motion has been detected.

18. The object location tracking system of claim 16, wherein the transceiver device is configured to receive ID signals only when the motion has been detected.

19. The object location tracking system of claim 16, wherein the motion detector is configured to provide information relating to at least one of an acceleration, an existence of motion, an absence of motion, a direction of motion, a speed, a velocity, a distance, a displacement, a direction of displacement, and a direction of motion.

20. The object location tracking system of claim 16, wherein the motion detector is an accelerometer.