Navigational deployment and initialization systems and methods

• US 8,768,620 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA Safety, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MSA Technology, LLC (MSA Safety, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Paul A., Watson, Christopher Evan, Pavetti, Scott R., Trautzsch, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/558,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/412, 701500-502, 701/508, 701/515, 701/519, 340/8.1, 340/989, 340/991, 455/168.1, 455/179.1, 455/180.1, 455/180.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 701/500
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A navigational deployment and initialization system, including: at least one personal inertial navigation module associated with at least one user and comprising a plurality of sensors and at least one controller configured to generate navigation data derived at least in part upon output of the plurality of sensors and at least one navigation routine; at least one deployment recognition device configured to directly or indirectly receive at least one of the following: user data, time data, event data, navigation data, or any combination thereof; and at least one central controller in direct or indirect communication with the at least one deployment recognition device and configured to receive at least a portion of at least one of the following: the user data, the time data, the event data, the navigation data, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A navigational deployment and initialization system, comprising:

at least one personal inertial navigation module associated with at least one user and comprising a plurality of sensors and at least one controller configured to generate navigation data derived at least in part upon output of the plurality of sensors and at least one navigation routine;

at least one deployment recognition device configured to directly or indirectly receive at least one of the following;

user data, time data, event data, navigation data, or any combination thereof; and

at least one central controller in direct or indirect communication with the at least one deployment recognition device and configured to receive at least a portion of at least one of the following;

the user data, the time data, the event data, the navigation data, or any combination thereof,

wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is further configured to;

enter an initialization mode, wherein a position of the at least one deployment recognition device is not set;

receive at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of a user sufficient to determine a user position;

determine the position of the at least one deployment recognition device in the common frame of reference based at least in part upon at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of the user; and

enter a ready mode, wherein the position of the at least one deployment recognition device is set to the determined position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device comprises at least one positioning system configured to determine a position of the deployment recognition device in a common frame of reference.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the positioning system comprises at least one of the following:

a global positioning system, a geographic information system, a navigation-enabled system, a radio frequency ranging system, an inertial navigation system, or any combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is configured to determine a position of the at least one deployment recognition device in a common frame of reference based at least in part upon at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is configured to set a position of the at least one deployment recognition device in a common frame of reference.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the position of the at least one user in a common frame of reference is adjusted based at least partially on the position of the at least one deployment recognition device in the common frame of reference.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is transportable between a first position and at least one subsequent position.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first position and the at least one subsequent position in a common frame of reference is determined based at least in part upon at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device comprises at least one positioning system, and wherein at least one of the first position and the at least one subsequent position in the common frame of reference is determined at least in part by output data of the at least one positioning system.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least one sensor configured to sense movement of the at least one deployment recognition device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one data device associated with the at least one user and configured with at least one of the following:

user data, time data, event data, navigation data, or any combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device comprises at least one radio frequency identification reader, and the at least one data device is in the form of a radio frequency identification device.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one communication device associated with the user and configured for direct or indirect communication with at least one of the following:

the at least one personal inertial navigation module, the at least one deployment recognition device, the at least one central controller, at least one data device, or any combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication device comprises at least one radio configured for at least one of short-range communication and long-range communication.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one database comprising at least one of the following:

user data, time data, event data, navigation data, common frame of reference data, position data, personal inertial navigation module data, deployment recognition device data, central controller data, communication device data, or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one database is dynamically updated.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is located on at least one vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is permanently affixed to the at least one vehicle in a specified position.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one deployment recognition device is in direct or indirect communication with at least one positioning system of the at least one vehicle.

20. A computer-implemented method of determining a position of at least one deployment recognition device in a common frame of reference in which a plurality of users are navigating, each user having at least one personal inertial navigation module associated therewith and comprising a plurality of sensors and at least one controller configured to generate navigation data derived at least in part upon output of the plurality of sensors and at least one navigation routine, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by the at least one deployment recognition device, at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of a user;

determining, by the at least one deployment recognition device, a position in the common frame of reference based at least in part upon at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of the user;

entering, by the at least one deployment recognition device, an initialization mode, wherein a position of the at least one deployment recognition device is not set;

receiving, by the at least one deployment recognition device, at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of a user sufficient to determine a user position;

determining, by the at least one deployment recognition device, the position of the at least one deployment recognition device in the common frame of reference based at least in part upon at least a portion of the navigation data of the at least one personal inertial navigation module of the user; and

entering, by the at least one deployment recognition device, a ready mode, wherein the position of the at least one deployment recognition device is set to the determined position.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the determined position is at least one of a first position and a subsequent position.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising:

sensing, by the at least one deployment recognition device, movement from the position of the at least one deployment recognition device; and

entering, by the at least one deployment recognition device, the initialization mode.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising setting, by the at least one deployment recognition device, a user position in the common frame of reference based at least in part on the position of the at least one deployment recognition device.