System and method of determining real-time location

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11272559-B2
Application number	US-201916660856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A system and method to determine location information with respect to a plurality of portable devices, with potentially a large number of portable devices such as 40 or more portable devices in proximity to the system. The system may connect to and locate each of the plurality of portable devices in proximity to the system. The location information may be determined with respect to an object, such as a vehicle or building, and optionally within a larger system of objects, such as a mass transit system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for obtaining sensor information to locate a plurality of portable devices, said system comprising:
a first controller device operable to communicate with a first portable device via a first communication channel of a first communication link, wherein the plurality of portable devices includes the first portable device;
a second controller device operable to communicate with a second portable device via a second communication channel over a second communication link, wherein the plurality of portable devices includes the second portable device;
a communication supervisor including a communication supervisor processor that is separate from a first processor of the first controller device and separate from a second processor of the second controller device, the communication supervisor configured to direct the first controller device and the second controller device to communicate respectively with the first portable device and the second portable device via the first communication link and the second communication link, wherein the communication supervisor directs first communications between first controller device and the first portable device and directs second communications between the second controller device and the second portable device, wherein the communication supervisor directs the first and second communications to occur simultaneously;
wherein the communication supervisor determines at least one of a first time and a first frequency for the first communications and at least one of a second time and a second frequency for the second communications, wherein the at least one of the first time and the first frequency is different from the at least one of the second time and the second frequency;
wherein the communication supervisor directs transmissions for the first communications according to the at least one of the first time and the first frequency and directs transmissions for the second communications according to the at least one of the second time and the second frequency, wherein detection of sensor information associated with the first portable device is conducted with respect to the first communications transmitted according to the at least one first time and first frequency, wherein detection of sensor information associated with the second portable device is conducted with respect to the second communications transmitted according to the at least one second time and second frequency;
a plurality of sensor devices, each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices configured to obtain a sensed characteristic with respect to communications of the first communication link and the second communication link, wherein the sensor information for the first portable device is based on the sensed characteristic for communications of the first communication link, wherein the sensor information for the second portable device is based on the sensed characteristic for communications of the first communication link;
wherein the communication supervisor provides, directly to the plurality of sensor devices, first information pertaining to the at least one of the first time and the first frequency for the first communications to enable the plurality of sensor devices to obtain the sensed characteristic with respect to communications of the first communication link;
wherein the communication supervisor provides, directly to the plurality of sensor devices, second information pertaining to the at least one of the second time and the second frequency for the second communications to enable the plurality of sensor devices to obtain the sensed characteristic with respect to communications of the second communication link; and
wherein a first location of the first portable device is determined based on the sensor information, and wherein a second location of the second portable device is determined based on the sensor information.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a locator operable to determine a location of the first portable device relative to the plurality of sensor devices based on the sensed characteristic obtained with respect to communications of the first communication link, the locator operable to determine a location of the second portable device relative to the plurality of sensor devices based on the sensed characteristic obtained with respect to communications on the second communication link.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensed characteristic obtained by each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is associated with the first portable device based the communications analyzed for the sensed characteristic being associated with the first communication link, and wherein the sensed characteristic obtained by each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is associated with the second portable device based the communications analyzed for the sensed characteristic being associated with the second communication link.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication supervisor directs the first controller device to conduct communications via the first communication link at a time different from communications transmitted during the second communication link between the second controller device and the second portable device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the first controller device is operable to communicate via the first communication link with a first plurality of portable devices from among the plurality of portable devices;
the first plurality of portable devices including the first portable device;
the second controller device operable to communicate via the second communication link with a second plurality of portable devices from among the plurality of portable devices; and
the second plurality of portable devices including the second portable device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the sensed characteristic of communications obtained by each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is associated with at least one of the first plurality of portable devices based on the communications analyzed for the sensed characteristic being associated with the first communication link, and wherein the sensed characteristic obtained by each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is associated with at least one of the second plurality of portable devices based the communications analyzed for the sensed characteristic being associated with the second communication link.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:
communications transmitted via the first communication link are transmitted via a first plurality of communication channels;
the first plurality of communication channels includes the first communication channel;
communications transmitted via the second communication link are transmitted via a second plurality of communication channels; and
the second plurality of communication channels includes the second communication channel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second channels are the same.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the first controller device and the second controller device communicate simultaneously, wherein simultaneous communications are transmitted via the first and second plurality of communication channels such that simultaneous communication via the same communication channel is avoided.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein:
each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices includes a plurality of radios;
each radio of the plurality of radios is operable to obtain the sensed characteristic of communications received via a selected communication channel; and
the plurality of radios of each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices enable simultaneous sensing of communicatio

Assignees

• Denso Int America Inc
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Smith Eric John

Classifications

• G01S5/0284

  Relative positioning · CPC title

• H04W4/38

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G01S5/14

  Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title