Method and system for localizing tracking devices indoors and outdoors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11049069-B2
Application number	US-201916519678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 18, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A method and a device for tracking an item using a tracking device associated with the item are described. The method, executed in a processor of the tracking device, comprises identifying a location state of the tracking device as one of an indoor location and an outdoor location relative to an indoor facility, based on at least one of satellite based data and connectivity to an access point in the indoor facility. Upon identifying the location state as the indoor location, a wireless transceiver and one or more sensor devices may be activated. The sensor devices may include at least one of a wireless signal strength sensor, a wireless signal connectivity sensor, an inertial sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a barometric sensor, and an ambient light sensor. Further, indoor localization data gathered by the sensor devices may be provided for localization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An item tracking system comprising
a processor; and
a memory storing a set of instructions, the instructions executable in the processor to:
identify a location state of a tracking device as one of an indoor location indicative of the tracking device being inside an indoor facility and the outdoor location with respect to the indoor facility, based on at least one of a satellite based data received from the tracking device and connectivity to an access point device of the indoor facility, the tracking device being associated with an item to be tracked;
when the tracking device is in the indoor facility, receive, from the access point device, indoor localization data of the tracking device, the indoor facility including a set of tracking devices, the indoor localization data comprising signal data and sensor data, the signal data comprising data pertaining to short range wireless signals received from one or more other tracking devices in the set within a predetermined distance from the tracking device in response to periodically broadcasted short range wireless signal to the one or more other tracking devices to enable localization of the one or more other tracking devices, the data pertaining to the short range wireless signals being used for determining a position of the tracking device relative to the one or more other tracking devices, and the sensor data comprising one of inertial data and ambient environment data associated with the tracking device; and
localize the tracking device to localize the item, based on the indoor localization data and at least one of a position of the access point device in the indoor facility and a position of at least one other tracking device in the set in the indoor facility.

2. The item tracking system of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable to associate, upon localizing the tracking device, a confidence factor with a location estimate of the tracking device, based on historical data associated with the tracking device and the inertial data associated with the tracking device.

3. The item tracking system of claim 2 , wherein the historical data includes a time period for which the tracking device has been stationary, the confidence factor being directly proportional to the time period for which the tracking device has been stationary.

4. The item tracking system of claim 2 further comprising instructions executable to provide an input to the tracking device to enter in a low power mode, when the confidence factor is greater than a threshold, wherein in the low power mode the tracking device broadcasts signals to the one or more other tracking devices in the set and halts receiving of the signals from the one or more other tracking devices.

5. The item tracking system of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable to, upon localizing the tracking device, using a location estimate of the tracking device to localize another tracking device in the set in the indoor facility, when the confidence factor associated with the tracking device is greater than the threshold.

6. The item tracking system of claim 1 , wherein localizing the tracking device comprises determining, for the access point device, a current channel state information (CSI) to the tracking device.

7. The item tracking system of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable to, upon localization of the tracking device, provide data pertaining to localization of the tracking device in the indoor facility to a user for monitoring the item being tracked using the tracking device.

8. The item tracking system of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable to provide a synchronizing input to each of access point devices in a set in the indoor facility, wherein each of the access point devices broadcast a pilot signal to other access point devices in the set, based on the synchronizing input.

9. The item tracking system of claim 8 further comprising instructions executable to localize the access point device in the indoor facility, based on access point signal data and access point sensor data, the access point signal data being based on pilot signals broadcasted by each of the access point devices in the set.

10. The item tracking system of claim 1 , wherein a location estimate of the tracking device includes an estimated error, which is a function of an estimated CSI and measured signal variance.

11. A method for tracking items comprising:
identifying a location state of a tracking device as one of an indoor facility and the outdoor location with respect to the indoor facility, based on at least one of a satellite based data received from the tracking device and connectivity to an access point device of the indoor facility, the tracking device being associated with an item to be tracked;
when the tracking device is in the indoor facility, receiving, from the access point device, indoor localization data of the tracking device, the indoor facility having a set of tracking devices for tracking corresponding items, the indoor localization data comprising signal data and sensor data, the signal data comprising data pertaining to short range wireless signals received from one or more other tracking devices in the set within a predetermined distance from the tracking device in response to periodically broadcast short range wireless signal to the one or more other tracking devices to enable localization of the one or more other tracking devices, the data pertaining to the short range wireless signals being used for determining a position of the tracking device relative to the one or more other tracking devices, and the sensor data comprising one of inertial data and ambient environment data associated with the tracking device; and
localizing the tracking device to localize the item, based on the indoor localization data and at least one of a position of the access point device in the indoor facility and a position of at least one other tracking device in the set in the indoor facility.

12. The method of claim 11 further associating, upon localizing the tracking device, a confidence factor with a location estimate of the tracking device, based on historical data associated with the tracking device and the inertial data associated with the tracking device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the historical data includes a time period for which the tracking device has been stationary, the confidence factor being directly proportional to the time period for which the tracking device has been stationary.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing an input to the tracking device to enter in a low power mode, when the confidence factor is greater than a threshold, wherein in the low power mode the tracking device broadcasts signals to the one or more other tracking devices in the set and halts receiving of the signals from the one or more other tracking devices.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising upon localizing the tracking device, using a location estimate of the tracking device to localize another tracking device in the set in the indoor facility, when the confidence factor associated with the tracking device is greater than the threshold.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein localizing the tracking device comprises determining, for the access point device, a current channel state information (CSI) to the tracking device.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein localizing the tracking device comprises:
inferring a path the tracking device has traversed, based on the sensor data; and
cross-referencing the inferred path

Assignees

• Mapsted Corp

Inventors

• Huberman Sean
• Nagpal Paramvir Singh

Classifications

• G01S19/48

  by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system · CPC title

• G06F16/907

  Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• H04W4/38

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• H04W4/35

  for the management of goods or merchandise · CPC title