Method, apparatus, and computer program product improving real time location systems with multiple location technologies

• US 9,715,005 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: O'Hagan, James J., Hughes, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US14/298,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 342463, 342386, 342350, 34053923, 340 1251, 340 1326
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0221 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0718 the sensor being of the biometric kind, e.g. fingerprint sensors fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/13; biometric access-control systems in general, see G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media are disclosed for improving, in some examples, real time location systems with multiple location technologies. In one embodiment, a method is provided including receiving blink data from a location tag associated with a first sensor; receiving proximity data generated based on communications between the first sensor and a second sensor, the proximity data including a sensor identifier; calculating location data associated with the location tag based on the blink data; and determining sensor position calculation data associated with the first sensor based on the proximity data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calculating, using a processor, location data for a location tag based on blink data received from the location tag;

determining sensor position calculation data based on position data or proximity data received from a sensor associated with the location tag;

determining an over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and a location hierarchy, wherein the location hierarchy comprises a first priority for the location data, a second priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the position data, and a third priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the proximity data; and

causing the over-determined location to be displayed on a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and the location hierarchy comprises determining a highest one of the priorities for the location tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and the location hierarchy comprises using the location hierarchy to select one or more of the location data or the sensor position calculation data for the location tag.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing the over-determined location to be stored in a memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location hierarchy comprises a first set of priorities for a first monitored area and a second set of priorities for a second monitored area.

6. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

calculate location data for a location tag based on blink data received from the location tag;

determine sensor position calculation data based on position data or proximity data received from a sensor associated with the location tag;

determine an over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and a location hierarchy, wherein the location hierarchy comprises a first priority for the location data, a second priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the position data, and a third priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the proximity data; and

cause the over-determined location to be displayed on a user interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the over-determined location is determined based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and the location hierarchy by determining a highest one of the priorities for the location tag.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the over-determined location is determined based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data and the location hierarchy by using the location hierarchy to select one or more of the location data or the sensor position calculation data for the location tag.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause the over-determined location to be stored in a memory.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, upon execution to:

calculate location data for a location tag based on blink data received from the location tag;

determine sensor position calculation data based on position data or proximity data received from a sensor associated with the location tag;

determine an over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and a location hierarchy, wherein the location hierarchy comprises a first priority for the location data, a second priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the position data, and a third priority for the sensor position calculation data based on the proximity data; and

cause the over-determined location to be displayed on a user interface.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the determining the over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and the location hierarchy comprises determining a highest one of the priorities for the location tag.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the determining the over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and the location hierarchy comprises using the location hierarchy to select one or more of the location data or the sensor position calculation data for the location tag.

13. A computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program code portions are further configured, upon execution, to cause the over-determined location to be stored in a memory.

14. A method comprising:

calculating, using a processor, location data for a location tag based on blink data received from the location tag;

determining sensor position calculation data based on position data or proximity data received from a sensor associated with the location tag;

determining an over-determined location based on the location data, the sensor position calculation data, and a location hierarchy, wherein the location hierarchy comprises a first set of priorities for a first monitored area and a second set of priorities for a second monitored area; and

causing the over-determined location to be displayed on a user interface.