Patent Application
20170248436
The technical field generally relates to tracking objects, such as objects that communicate with each other in with ad-hoc networks. More particularly, the technical field relates to systems and methods for tracking objects in the context of mobile platforms, such as automobiles and the like.
Recent years have seen an increased interest in wireless connectivity between common household objects and other things that might benefit from communicating with each other (e.g., via ad-hoc networks). This paradigm is often referred to as “Internet of Things.” One feature of this pervasive communication between objects is that it is sometimes possible to determine the location of objects (e.g., when they are lost) by inferring the location based on triangulation or GPS-based location determination or the like using a mobile device (such as a smartphone) able to communicate with tags (via BLUETOOTH or the like) coupled to or integrated into such objects in the environment.
One of the primary challenges posed by locating objects in an Internet of Things context is that, once the objects are out of range of the user's mobile device, then it is difficult or impossible to determine the location of such objects. This is notably the case in which a user carries a tagged object into a mobile platform, such as an automotive vehicle. In such a case, the object is removed from the ad-hoc network or other “mesh” network usually provided by the objects in an “Internet of Things” environment. As such, the user will generally be unable to determine the location of an object left within the mobile platform after the user exits the mobile platform.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved tracking of objects in the context of mobile platforms. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
In accordance with one embodiment, an object tracking system includes a mobile platform having a communication module configured to communicate with an object tracking server over a network. The system further includes a tag associated with an object, the tag configured to wirelessly communicate with the communication module of the mobile platform. The mobile platform is configured to receive, from the communication module, location data associated with the tag and to send the location data to the object tracking server over the network. The object tracking server is configured to store the location data in a database, receive a request for the location data from a mobile device, and send the location data to the mobile device.
A method of tracking an object having a tag associated therewith includes establishing a wireless connection between the tag and a communication module; receiving, at the communication module, location data associated with the tag; sending the location data to an object tracking server over a network; storing, at the object tracking server, the location data in a database; receiving, at the object tracking server, a request for the location data from a mobile device; sending the location data to the mobile device; and displaying the location data on a display of the mobile device.
The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
In general, the subject matter described herein relates to an improved method of wirelessly tracking the location of objects in the context of mobile platforms, such as vehicles and the like. In that regard, the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. As used herein, the term module refers to any hardware, software, firmware, electronic control component, processing logic, and/or processor device, individually or in any combination, including without limitation: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components and various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such block components may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.
In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with any number of systems, and that the object tracking system described herein is merely one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to signal processing, data transmission, signaling, control, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Network 150 is, in the interest of convenience, illustrated as a single “cloud”, but may in fact comprise a wide variety of networks using any suitable data communication method, such as one or more Internet protocols, cellular communication, an ONSTAR® network, a telematics network, a vehicle-to-vehicle network, or the like.
Within the environment illustrated in
Tags 21 and 22 include any combination of hardware and software configured to communicate with a suitable device, such as a mobile device 110 including interface software 190 and associated hardware, and/or a communication module 130 located onboard (e.g., integral with) mobile platform 101. Mobile device 110 may include, for example, a smart-phone, a tablet computer, a portable computing device, or the like. In one embodiment, for example, tags 21 and 22 are BLUETOOTH devices configured to communicate with module 130 and/or mobile device 110 using the low-power BLUETOOTH (sometimes referred to as BLUETOOTH LP protocol or “BLE” (BLUETOOTH Low Energy). In other embodiments tags 21 and 22 communicate via ultra-wide-band (UWB) data transfer, 802.11 (WiFi), near-field communication (NFC) or the like. The range of embodiments are not so limited, however, and include any wireless protocol now known or later developed. In some embodiments, tags 21 and 22 are able to determine their own location relative to some reference location (i.e., a nearby mobile device). In other embodiments, tags 21 and 22 merely act as “beacons” with little or no local knowledge regarding their location. In the latter case, the location of the mobile device that communicates with tags 21 and 22 is itself used to infer the location data associated with tags 21 and 22. In another embodiment, the location information inferred by the wireless communication protocol is merely partial in the sense it does not provide a complete location of the tag (e.g., it provides ranging information without direction to the tag).
Tags 21 and 22 are illustrated in
As illustrated in
In any event, once communication has been established with module 130 and/or mobile device 110, information regarding the tagged objects 10 and 11 is “registered” (via network 150) with server 160. This registration may be done manually or automatically, and includes server 160 storing database 170 that specifies, for each object 10 and 11, identifying information for that object as well as location data for that object. In that regard, database 170 may be of any known format and may include any suitable data structure. In one embodiment, for example, database 170 includes a user identifier (e.g., the name or unique login credentials of the user registering the tag), a unique identifier for the object (e.g., “001569882”), an alphanumerical description of that object (e.g., “Erica's IPhone”), and coordinates in space (e.g., latitude/longitude/altitude) specifying the location of the object (e.g., “33.578295,−111.9295977,17z”). Database 170 might also include an emergency level (e.g., “high”, “medium”, “low”) that the user attaches to this object. For example, a medication might be associated with a high level of emergency while a toy might be associated with a very low level of emergency. The subject matter is not so limited, however, and comprehends a variety of data formats and types. In some embodiments, database 170 is encrypted such that it can only be accessed by the registering user. Additionally, the data structure may have also a time tagged field associated with the last time the object has been seen and/or updated in the database. The database may be of a proprietary structure for this application and may also be an of the shelf existing database solutions, secured database, distributed and such.
It will be appreciated that there may be intervals in which a tag (such as tag 23 of
As shown in
Once the location of tag 21 has been registered with database 170 via server 160, the user may then interrogate the system to determine the location of tag 21 (and by extension the object 10 to which is associated). This may be performed, for example, by user interaction with application 190 on mobile device 110, which is configured to interrogate database 170 via server 160 over network 150 of
Next, in 704, the tag (e.g., tag 21) is registered with server 160 by establishing data communication with server 160 over network 150. Such registration includes at least the transfer of tag identification data for tag 21 as well as location data (e.g., GPS data) associated with the device that established communication with tag 21 in block 702—e.g., module 130 or mobile device 110. This information is stored within database 170 and updated as necessary by device 130 and/or mobile device 110 as the corresponding object 10 moves through its environment. In this regard, it should be noted that location data is “associated” with tag 21 in the sense that the location of mobile device 110 (and/or module 130) is known (e.g., via GPS), and it is also known that tag 21 is within range of communication with mobile device 110 and/or module 130. The location of tag 21 is then inferred based on the location of mobile device 110 and/or module 130. In other embodiments, however, tag 21 may know its own location with relative accuracy (e.g., by communication with one or more additional tags nearby). In such a case, tag 21 may transmit that location data to mobile device 110 and/or module 130, increasing the accuracy of the location data. In another embodiment, the position accuracy is also inferred and reported to be registered as anther field in the object registry in the database.
In 706, the user interrogates database 170 via server 160 over network 150 to determine the location of tag 21. This may be done, for example, so that the user can locate object 10 when it has been lost, and may be accomplished, for example, via software 190 running on mobile device 110. As mentioned previously,
As a result of the interrogation performed in 706, location data stored within database 170 for tag 21 is sent via server 160 and network 150 to mobile device 110. That information is displayed for the user—e.g., via a map 902 as shown in
In accordance with another embodiment, the database is accessed through a human interface, such as a service center facility. This embodiment provides the option of having a shared medium experience, such as movie theater, shopping mall, or shared cars and wherein the object searched is accessed seamlessly with a third party communication device. This option suggests a center initiated object search using a wide range of communication devices existing in a range of interest (e.g., where a lost object was last tracked). In accordance with this embodiment, the location of the object is provided as a service through a crowd of communication devices that have not been originally associated with the object and the credentials for accessing the object are transferred from the server side. This mode is preferably seamless and protected from the object owner. Namely, the “middle-man's” communication devices are providing the interaction with the object searched to the server without letting the communication device owner see information regarding the object location, affiliation and type. Finally, the listed services may include shipment services targeting returning the object to the object owner.
In another embodiment, a proactive system is provided wherein the system can run a “check” service at a certain interval of time (e.g., once a day) and send messages to users that have not been searching for their objects that remained in the mobile platforms. More particularly, the timing and content of message might change according to the level of the emergency of the object.
The various systems and devices shown in
In this embodiment, module 500 includes a display 501 (e.g., a touch-screen or other display), an input device, a processor 502, a memory component 503, a storage component 404, and a network interface 505. Server 600 (corresponding to server 160 in
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/301,434, filed Feb. 29, 2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62301434 | Feb 2016 | US |
