Tagging and tracking system for assets and personnel of a commercial enterprise

• US 7,336,181 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zachry Construction Corporation (Zachry Construction & Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zachry Construction Corporation (Zachry Construction & Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Milam, Michael F., Moodie, Myron L., Lake, Michael J., Fike, John E. Jr., Canady, Larry D., Nowak, Brent M., Poer, Charles A., Oleson, Kenneth A., Dykes, Sandra G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US11/534,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20070018826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00

Abstract

An integrated system for tracking assets (tools and materials) and personnel associated with a work site. Personnel are equipped with tracking devices having at least geolocation capability. Assets are tagged with RFID tags, which are interrogated at portals, by mobile scanners, or by personnel tracking devices having RFID reading capability. The tag readers and tracking devices are all in communication with a common “information backbone” and all data is delivered to, and processed by, a common command and control subsystem.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring assets and personnel associated with a business enterprise, comprising:

a tools tagging subsystem having;

RFID tags placed on items of property, portal scanners for querying the tags and receiving tag data at a portal, a tools database for storing tool data, and remote tools programming for collecting the tool data, wherein the portal scanners are in data communication with the tools programming;

a personnel tracking subsystem having;

geolocation personnel tracking devices carried by personnel, stationary access points for wirelessly communicating with the tracking devices, a personnel database for storing personnel data, and remote personnel programming for collecting the personnel data, wherein the stationary access points are in data communication with the personnel programming;

wherein the personnel tracking devices are operable to read RFID tags on tools;

wherein each personnel tracking device has at least one sensor for monitoring at least one physiological feature of the personnel;

a command and control subsystem for integrating the tools programming and database and the personnel programming and database;

wherein the command and control subsystem has at least one monitoring station for receiving RFID data from the tools tagging subsystem and the personnel tracking subsystem.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and control system is further operable to associate a specified personnel with at least a location and a physiological status by receiving data from a personnel tracking device carried by that personnel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one physiological feature is selected from the group:

temperature, movement, or breathing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and control system is further operable to associated a specified personnel with at least one tool.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and control system is further operable to activate an alert process based on sensor data from a personnel tracking device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a materials tagging subsystem comprising:

RFID tags placed on items of property, mobile scanners for querying the tags and receiving tag data, a materials database for storing materials data, and remote materials programming for collecting the materials data, wherein the mobile scanners are in wireless data communication with the materials programming.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and control programming communicates with the programming of at least one of the other subsystems using IP protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the personnel tracking subsystem is implemented as a wireless ad hoc network.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a maps database, and wherein the command and control subsystem is operable to access the maps database and display locations of materials based on input from the materials tagging subsystem.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein materials are displayed as clickable icons on the map, such that clicking an icon results in a display of additional data about a material.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a maps database, and wherein the command and control subsystem is operable to access the maps database and display locations of tools based on input from the tools tagging subsystem.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein tools are displayed as clickable icons on the map, such that clicking an icon results in a display of additional data about a tool.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator subsystem having at least one actuator operable in response to communications from the command and control subsystem.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the personnel tracking devices incorporate at least a two way communications device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and control programming communicates with programming of at least one of the other subsystems using a wireless communications protocol.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the tool tagging subsystem communicates the location and ID of a tool to the command and control subsystem.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary access points are in communication with the personnel programming by means of a LAN.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the materials tagging subsystem is operable to alert the command and control subsystem when a tagged item of material crosses a specified perimeter.