Position indicating system

• US 7,336,176 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Yum-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/163,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20060290499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 340/524, 340/525, 340/539.1, 34053911-53925, 3405681-5729, 340/870.11, 340/870.15, 340988-996, 34082536-82543, 340/825.49, 340 101- 103, 701207-224, 34235701-35717, 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/75 using transponders powered from received waves, e.g. using passive transponders , or using passive reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

A position indicating system includes: a position indicating device, a first reference device, and a second reference device. The position indicating device includes: a first position indicating module for outputting a first signal; a second position indicating module for outputting a second signal; and a selecting module coupled to the first position indicating module and the second position indicating module for selectively driving the first position indicating module to output the first signal or driving the second position indicating module to output the second signal. The first reference device is corresponding to the first position indicating module for receiving the first signal and generating first position information according to a position of the position indicating device. And the second reference device is corresponding to the second position indicating module for receiving the second signal and generating second position information according to a position of the position indicating device.

Claims

1. A position indicating system comprising:

a position requesting device for outputting a position request;

a position indicating device comprising;

a first position indicating module for outputting a first signal, wherein the first position indicating module is activated after the position indicating device receives the position request;

a second position indicating module for outputting a second signal, wherein the second position indicating module is activated after the position indicating device receives the position request; and

a selecting module electrically connected to a wireless local area network (WLAN) module, the first position indicating module, and the second position indicating module for selectively driving the first position indicating module to output the first signal or driving the second position indicating module to output the second signal;

a first reference device corresponding to the first position indicating module for receiving the first signal and generating first position information according to a position of the position indicating device; and

a second reference device corresponding to the second position indicating module for receiving the second signal and generating second position information according to a position of the position indicating device.

2. The position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) module.

3. The position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and the first reference device comprises an access point (AP).

4. The position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first reference device comprises a plurality of RFID readers.

5. The position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the second position indicating module comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and the second reference device comprises an access point (AP).

6. The position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the second position indicating module comprises an RFID tag and the second reference device comprises a plurality of RFID readers.

7. The position indicating system of claim 1 further comprising a third reference device for generating a third signal, wherein the position indicating device further comprises a third position indicating module corresponding to the third reference device for receiving the third signal and generating third position information corresponding to the position indicating device.

8. The position indicating system of claim 7 wherein the selecting module is electrically connected to the third position indicating module and capable of selectively driving the third position indicating module to receive the third signal.

9. The position indicating system of claim 7 wherein the third reference device comprising a plurality of RFID tags and the third position indicating module comprises a RFID reader.

10. The position indicating system of claim 1 further comprising a fourth reference device for receiving a fourth signal and generating fourth position information of the position indicating device, wherein the position indicating device further comprises a fourth position indicating module corresponding to the fourth reference device for outputting the fourth signal.

11. The position indicating system of claim 10 wherein the selecting module electrically connected to the fourth position indicating module and capable of selectively driving the fourth position indicating module to output the fourth signal.

12. The position indicating system of claim 8 wherein the fourth position indicating module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) module, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

13. A position indicating system comprising:

a position requesting device for outputting a position request;

a position indicating device comprising;

a first position indicating module for outputting a first signal, wherein the first position indicating module is activated after the position indicating device receives the position request;

a second position indicating module for outputting a second signal and generating second position information corresponding to a position of the position indicating device according to the second signal, wherein the second position indicating module is activated after the position indicating device receives the requesting signal; and

a selecting module electrically connected to the first position indicating module and the second position indicating module for selectively driving the first position indicating module to output the first signal or driving the second position indicating module to output the second signal;

a first reference device corresponding to the first position indicating module for receiving the first signal and generating first position information according to a position of the position indicating device according to the first signal; and

a second reference device corresponding to the second position indicating module for outputting the second signal.

14. The position indicating system of claim 13 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) module.

15. The position indicating system of claim 13 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and the first reference device comprises an access point (AP).

16. The position indicating system of claim 13 wherein the first position indicating module comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first reference device comprises a plurality of RFID readers.

17. The position indicating system of claim 13 wherein the second position indicating module comprises an RFID reader and the second reference device comprising a plurality of RFID tags.