Apparatus and method for determining location and tracking coordinates of a tracking device

• US 8,421,619 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LBT IP I LLC (Location Based Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Location Based Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Scalisi, Joseph F., Butler, David, Anderson, Roger B., Mejia, Desiree, Beydler, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US13/356,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.3, 340/636.1, 455/574
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A device and method to monitor location coordinates of an electronic tracking device are disclosed here. The device includes transceiver circuitry to receive at least one portion of a receive communication signal comprising location coordinates information; accelerometer circuitry to measure displacements of the portable electronic tracking device; a battery power monitor configured to activate and deactivate at least one portion of signaling circuitry; and processor circuitry configured to process the displacements. The method includes receiving at least one portion of a receive communication signal comprising location coordinates information; measuring displacements of a portable electronic tracking device; activating and deactivating at least one portion of signaling circuitry; and processing the at least one portion of the receive communication signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic tracking device to monitor location coordinates of one or more individuals and objects, the device comprising:

transceiver circuitry to receive at least one portion of a receive communication signal comprising location coordinates information;

accelerometer circuitry to measure displacements of the portable electronic tracking device, wherein the displacements comprise movements of an object or individual associated with the device;

a battery power monitor configured to activate and deactivate at least one portion of signaling circuitry in response to the accelerometer circuitry detecting a substantially stationary position of the electronic tracking device since last known location coordinate measurement; and

processor circuitry configured to process the displacements, to associate the displacements with a specified pattern, and to generate an alert message in response to the specified pattern.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer comprises a multi-beam structure having at least one beam, of the multi-beam structure comprising a directional orientation substantially orthogonal to at least one other beam of the multi-beam structure.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to compute the location coordinates of the device from the at least one portion of the receive communication signal and the displacements of the electronic tracking device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the displacements are transmitted to a monitoring station to determine current location coordinates information of the portable electronic tracking device based in part on the displacements and at least one of last known location coordinates of the electronic tracking device, last known location coordinates of another electronic tracking device, and landmark location coordinates.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the battery power monitor is configured to deactivate at least one portion of the signaling circuitry when the accelerometer circuitry detects a substantially stationary position of the electronic tracking device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the battery power monitor is configured to activate at least one portion of the signaling circuitry when the accelerometer circuitry detects that the electronic tracking device is not in a substantially stationary position.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive the at least one portion of the receive communication signal from a GPS satellite and from a wireless communication network.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is configured to measure a physical impact to the device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a user is alerted of the physical impact based in part on a magnitude value of the physical impact.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the accelerometer is further configured to measure a pattern or characteristic of physical impacts to the device.

11. A method to monitor location coordinates of one or more individuals or objects, the method comprising:

receiving at transceiver circuitry of a portable electronic tracking device at least one portion of a receive communication signal comprising location coordinates information;

measuring displacements of the portable electronic tracking device, wherein the displacements comprise movements of an object or individual associated with the device;

associating the displacements with a specified pattern and generating an alert message in response to the specified pattern;

activating and deactivating at least one portion of signaling circuitry in response to detecting a substantially stationary position of the electronic tracking device since last known location coordinate measurement; and

processing the at least one portion of the receive communication signal using processor circuitry.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising computing the location coordinates of the portable electronic tracking device from the at least one portion of the receive communication signal and the displacements of the portable electronic tracking device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the displacements are transmitted to a monitoring station to determine current location coordinates information of the electronic tracking device based in part on the displacements and at least one of last known location coordinates of the electronic tracking device, last known location coordinates of another electronic tracking device, and landmark location coordinates.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising calculating location data based on at least one of the at least one portion of the receive communication signal and the displacements.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one portion of the signaling circuitry is deactivated when a substantially stationary position of the electronic tracking device is detected.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one portion of the signaling circuitry is activated when the electronic tracking device is detected to not be in a substantially stationary position.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one portion of the receive communication signal is received from a GPS satellite or from a wireless communication network.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising measuring a physical impact to the electronic tracking device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a user is alerted of the physical impacts based in part on a magnitude value of the physical impact.

20. A portable electronic tracking device to monitor location coordinates of one or more individuals and objects, the device comprising:

transceiver circuitry to receive at least one portion of a receive communication signal comprising location coordinates information;

accelerometer circuitry to measure displacements of the portable electronic tracking device and to measure a pattern or characteristic of physical impacts to the device;

a battery power monitor configured to activate and deactivate at least one portion of signaling circuitry in response to the accelerometer circuitry detecting a substantially stationary position of the electronic tracking device since last known location coordinate measurement; and

processor circuitry configured to process the displacements.