U.S. patent application number 11/503651 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-07 for system and method for performing object association using a location tracking system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Radianse, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael K. Dempsey.
Application Number | 20060277202 11/503651 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23048643 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060277202 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dempsey; Michael K. |
December 7, 2006 |
System and method for performing object association using a
location tracking system
Abstract
The illustrative embodiment of the present invention provides a
method of recording object associations using a location system.
Object locations are determined based on signals generated from
object identifiers linked to the objects and forwarded to an
electronic device interfaced with a network. The origin of the
signal is calculated by a location determining module based on a
variety of factors including the known position of the receivers
receiving the signal, the historical recorded position of the
object, the characteristics of the receivers receiving the signal
(i.e. the range), the strength of the received signal, the type of
signal, and whether or not the signal was repeated. Once the
location of the object has been determined, the location
determining module consults a database to determine associations
between the located object and other objects or specified locations
based on the other objects proximity to the located object. Once an
association is determined, it is stored and the duration of the
association is subsequently recorded. The data from the identified
associations may then be leveraged in a number of ways as input
data for a variety of applications, such as billing software,
equipment utilization software, asset management software, and
automatic event generation software.
Inventors: |
Dempsey; Michael K.;
(Westford, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAHIVE & COCKFIELD
28 STATE STREET
BOSTON
MA
02109
US
|
Assignee: |
Radianse, Inc.
Lawrence
MA
|
Family ID: |
23048643 |
Appl. No.: |
11/503651 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10096187 |
Mar 11, 2002 |
7099895 |
|
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11503651 |
Aug 14, 2006 |
|
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60274544 |
Mar 9, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ;
707/999.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01S 5/02 20130101; G06Q
20/382 20130101; H04W 64/00 20130101; G01S 5/0081 20130101; H04W
24/00 20130101; H04W 8/26 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201; H04W 4/02
20130101; H04W 88/06 20130101; G01S 5/16 20130101; G01S 5/0252
20130101; H04W 8/18 20130101; H04B 7/15 20130101; Y10S 707/99943
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/010 |
International
Class: |
G06F 7/00 20060101
G06F007/00; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A location system including a network with a network connected
element and electronic device interfaced thereto, said network
connected element including at least one signaling component
capable of transmitting signals, and at least one receiving
component capable of receiving signals, comprising: an object
identifier, said object identifier being a device linked to an
object, said object identifier having at least one transmitting
component, said transmitting component generating a signal with a
unique identifier, said signal received by said network connected
element and incorporated into a second signal transmitted from said
network connected element to said electronic device; a database
holding object associations, said associations being the
interaction of an object with at least one of another object and a
location, said interaction occurring when said object is within a
defined distance of at least one of another object and a location;
and a location determining module interfaced with said network,
said location determining module using said unique identifier to
programmatically calculate the location of said object identifier
and the object to which the object identifier is linked, said
calculated location of said object being used to determine an
association between said object and at least one of another object
and a location, said determined association being stored in said
database.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said object identifier includes a
receiving component, said receiving component receiving signals
transmitted from said network connected element.
3. The system of claim 1, comprising further: a topology database
holding the locations of a plurality of network connected elements;
said locations used by said software facility in calculating the
location of said object identifier.
4. The system of claim 1, comprising further: a fixed location
identifier not interfaced with said network, said fixed location
identifier including at least one receiving component receiving
transmissions from said object identifier, said receiving component
having a different receiving range than the receiving component for
said network connected element, and at least one transmitting
component transmitting a signal to said network connected element,
said network connected element incorporating the signal from the
fixed location identifier into a signal sent to said electronic
device, said location determining module using the receiving range
of the receiving component of said fixed location identifier, the
receiving range of the receiving component of said network
connected element, and a known location of said fixed location
identifier in the calculation of said object identifier
location.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein said network is located in a
health care facility.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising: at least one of an
application and process interfaced with said network, said
applications and processes using said object association as input
data.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein said at least one of an
application and process uses said object association data to ensure
regulatory compliance of a health care facility with HIPPA (the
Health Insurance and Patient Privacy Act), said compliance
demosnstrated by recording the associations between located persons
and health care records.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein said at least one of an
application and process uses said object association data to
analyze room utilization in a health care facility by recording
associations between a room and at least one of an object and
person.
9. The system of claim 6 wherein said at least one of an
application and process uses said object association data to track
associations between medical patients and prescribed drugs, said
associations programmatically triggering an alarm upon matching a
previously designated association stored in said database.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein said object identifier includes
a receiving component and said location determining module is
located on said object identifier.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein said object identifier includes
a receiving component and is interfaced with said network.
12. In a location system, said location system including a network
with an electronic device and a network connected element
interfaced thereto, said network connected element including at
least one signaling component capable of transmitting signals, and
at least one receiving component capable of receiving signals, a
method, comprising the steps of: providing an object identifier
linked to an object, said object identifier being a device having
at least one transmitting component, said transmitting component
generating a signal with a unique identifier, said signal received
by said network connected element; transmitting a second signal
from said network connected element to said electronic device, said
second signal incorporating said signal from said object
identifier; calculating programmatically the location of said
object identifier and said object to which it is linked using said
unique identifier and the location of said network connected
element; and recording associations in a database interfaced with
said network, said associations being the interaction of an object
with at least one of another object and a location, said
interaction occurring when the calculated location of said object
is within a defined distance of at least one of another object and
a location
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the duration of an association
is stored in said database.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein recurrent occurrences of an
association are stored in said database.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the association stored in said
database is between at least one of a physical object and a person
and at least one of a physical object and a person.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said network is located in a
health care facility.
17. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
linking said object identifier to medical equipment; linking a
second object identifier to a person; recording an association
between said person and said medical equipment; recording the
duration of the association between said person and said medical
equipment, and generating programatically a bill for use of said
medical equipment based upon the duration of said association.
18. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
linking said object identifier to medical equipment; recording the
cumulative duration of associations between said medical equipment
and a plurality of other object identifiers linked to other
objects, said cumulative duration indicating the amount of time
said piece of medical equipment was in use during a pre-determined
time period; and analyzing programmatically the utilization of said
medical equipment based on said cumulative duration.
19. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
affixing said object identifier to a medical patient; affixing a
second object identifier to a health care professional; recording
an association between said medical patient and said health care
professional; recording the duration of the association between
said medical patient and said health care professional; and
generating programmatically a bill for the services of said health
care professional based upon the duration of said association
between said medical patient and said health care professional.
20. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
affixing said object identifier to a medical patient; recording an
association between said medical patient and a location; and
generating an event with said electronic device based upon the
determined location of said patient.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein said event is an audible alarm
at a designated location.
22. The method of claim 20 wherein said event is an email
notification of the location of the patient sent to a designated
person.
23. The method of claim 20 wherein said event is the transmission
of an instruction over said network to alter the security of an
access way.
24. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
linking said object identifier to medical equipment; updating
periodically in said database the location of said medical
equipment; and providing the location of said medical equipment to
a user of said electronic device upon request.
25. The method of claim 12 wherein the signal generated by said
object identifier is at least one of an ultrasound (US), signal an
infrared (IR) signal and a radio frequency (RF) signal.
26. The method of claim 12 wherein the signal generated by said
object identifier is at least two of an ultrasound (US), signal an
infrared (IR) signal and a radio frequency (RF) signal.
27. The method of claim 12, comprising the steps of: transmitting
an IR signal from said object identifier; transmitting an RF signal
from said object identifier; periodically alternating the
transmitting of said IR signal and said RF signal; calculating the
location of the object to which said object identifier is linked
based upon the received signal characteristics of said IR signal
and said RF signal.
28. The method of claim 12 wherein said network is a wireless
network.
29. The method of claim 12 wherein said network is the
Internet.
30. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
linking said object identifier to a person; recording an
association between said person and a location; and generating an
event with said electronic device based upon the determined
location of said person.
31. The method of claim 12 comprising the further steps of:
providing a fixed location identifier not interfaced with said
network, said fixed location identifier including a receiving
component, said receiving component having a different receiving
range than the receiver for said network connected element, and a
signaling component; receiving said signal from said object
identifier with said fixed location identifier; transmitting an
additional signal from said fixed location identifier to said
network connected element, said additional signal incorporating
said signal from said object identifier; and calculating
programmatically the location of said object identifier and the
corresponding object to which it is linked using the receiving
range of the receiver of said fixed location identifier and the
receiving range of the receiver of said network connected element
in the calculation.
32. The method of claim 12 wherein said object identifier includes
a receiving component.
33. The method of claim 32, comprising the further step of:
configuring the generation of signals sent by said object
identifier by sending instructions from said electronic device to
said object identifier over said network.
34. The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of:
identifying the location of the entry into a health care facility
of an individual with an infectious contagion; and tracking the
movements of said individual throughout said health care
facility.
35. A location system, comprising: an object identifier, said
object identifier being a device linked to an object, said object
identifier having at least one signaling component, said signaling
component generating a signal with a unique identifier, and a
location determining module, said location determining module using
said unique identifier to programmatically calculate the location
of said object identifier and the object to which the object
identifier is linked, said location being used to determine object
associations, said determined associations being the interaction of
said object with at least one of another object and a location,
said interaction occurring when said object is within a defined
distance of at least one of another object and a location.
36. The system of claim 35 wherein said object identifier includes
a receiving component.
37. In a location system, said location system including a network
with an electronic device and a network connected element
interfaced thereto, said network connected element including a
receiving component and a signaling component, a medium holding
computer-executable steps for a method, comprising the steps of:
transmitting a signal from an object identifier linked to an
object, said signal having a unique identifier, said signal
received by said network connection and incorporated into a second
signal broadcast on said network; calculating programmatically the
location of said object identifier and an object to which it is
linked using said unique identifier and a known location of said
network connected element; and recording associations in a database
interfaced with said network, said associations being the
interaction of said object with at least one of another object and
a location, said interaction occurring when the calculated location
of said object is within a defined distance of at least one of
another object and a location.
38. The medium of claim 37 wherein said object associations
recorded in said database are accessible to a plurality of software
applications interfaced with said network.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/096,187 filed on Mar. 11, 2002, which
claims priority to a U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
60/274,544, filed Mar. 9, 2001, entitled Location System. The
contents of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein
by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates
generally to a location tracking system and more particularly to
performing object association using a location tracking system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There is a need to automatically and accurately track the
amount of time a person or object spends interacting or associating
with other people or objects. This association information may be
used for accounting purposes, for worker payroll, to bill a
customer, or to log the "work expended" on a given object or by a
given person. Alternatively, the information may be used for
inventory records, equipment utilization studies, event
precipitation and similar uses. Unfortunately, the accuracy of
today's object association systems is inadequate. Conventional
object association systems require estimates to capture the amount
of time devices spend interacting. For example, it is quite common
to estimate the amount of time that an expensive piece of medical
equipment was used during a procedure. Since medical equipment can
generate millions of dollars a year in bills corresponding to the
time the equipment is operated, a small inaccuracy in estimation of
the time of operation has a big impact on either the payer or the
payee. Accordingly, it is becoming more common for medical
insurance companies to demand exact time recordings of the usage of
particular equipment. Since this requires human oversight, the
process becomes very burdensome for the medical staff.
[0004] The need for humans to initiate conventional object
association systems represents a major difficulty with the systems.
This requirement for manual interaction, typically to start and
stop timers or record times, results in inaccurate readings that
can be subject to fraud. Some people simply forget to start or stop
the timers, especially when they have multiple tasks to perform, or
they just estimate the time to keep things simpler. In most cases
they do not stop the timers when they take small breaks and this
leads to inaccurate readings. In some cases, people start or stop
the time tracking system fraudulently which results in inaccurate
billing. Additionally, tracking the time that objects spend
interacting is not possible since the objects, absent an interface
with a timer, can not start a timer, a person needs to be involved
in some way. Unfortunately conventional assocation systems are not
designed to determine and log associations automatically without
human intervention.
[0005] Conventional object association systems fail to track
multiple tasks, either sequentially or simultaneously. In "time
clock" type systems, if there are multiple objects or tasks to be
tracked there must be multiple timers. These timers can track when
a human operator notes that two devices begin to interact, but the
problem rapidly becomes too complex to record if there are multiple
devices interacting with other devices. Conventional wireless
tether systems are limited to noting when two devices are close to
each other, they can not deal with multiple interactions starting
and stopping. The location system solutions simply show that
multiple devices are in the same space, they do not show which is
interacting with another nor the times of these interactions as
they have difficulty in determining interaction detail.
Additionally, most current systems do not have the ability to
automatically and continuously track object interactions, such as
tracking the progress of a piece of work in process (WIP) and the
time it spends interacting with various tools and people, in order
to make that information available in "real time" to an interested
party. Without this ability to review real-time object association
data, supervisors or systems have difficulty in quickly recognizing
problems in a production flow.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The illustrative embodiment of the present invention
provides a method of determining and tracking object associations
using a location system. Object identifiers equipped with
transmitting components are linked to objects and broadcast a
transmission signal which includes a unique identifier. The
transmission signal broadcast by the object identifiers is received
by a networked connected element interfaced with a network. The
signal from the object identifier is forwarded by the networked
connected element to an electronic device interfaced with the
network. The location determining module analyzes a variety of data
including the unique identifier, the location of all of the the
network connected elements receiving the signal, the receiver
characteristics of the receivers of the network connected elements,
and the historical location of the object in order to determine the
location of the object. Once the location of the object has been
determined, the location determining module consults a database to
determine associations between the located object and other objects
or locations based on the other objects or locations proximity to
the located object. Once an association is determined, it is stored
and the duration of the association is subsequently recorded.
[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, a location
system includes a network with a network connected element and is
interfaced with an electronic device. The network connected element
has at least one transmitting component giving it the ability to
transmit and receive signals. An object identifier which is linked
to an object transmits a signal bearing a unique identifier which
is received by the network connected element. The network connected
element appends a header to the signal and forwards it over the
network to the electronic device. The system also includes a
database which is interfaced with the network and which is used to
store object associations. The object associations record the
interaction of objects and locations that are located within a
defined distance of other objects and locations. A location
determining module is also interfaced with the network and uses the
unique identifier sent to the electronic device and the location of
the network connected element receiving the signal to calculate the
location of the object. The calculated location is checked against
the stored location of other objects and predetermined locations to
identify associations. Any identified associations are stored in
the database.
[0008] In another embodiment, a method which utilizes a location
system is practiced over a network to determine object
associations. The network is interfaced with an electronic device
and a network connected element. An object identifier linked to an
object broadcasts a signal containing a unique identifier which is
received by the network connected element. The signal is forwarded
to the electronic device. A location determining module calculates
the location of the object identifier and the object to which it is
linked using the known location of the network connected element
and the unique identifier extracted from the signal retrieved from
the object identifier signal. The calculated position of the object
is compared against the position of other objects and locations of
interest in order to determine associations. Identified
associations are stored in a database interfaced with the network.
In one aspect of the invention, the associations are made available
as input data to other applications executing on the network. In an
additional aspect of the invention, a fixed location identifier
which is not interfaced with the network is used to receive and
transmit signals from the object identifier to the network
connected element. The known location of the fixed location
identifier and its receiver characteristics provide additional data
to the location determining module which is used to determine the
location of the object identifier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1A depicts a block diagram of an environment suitable
for practicing an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention;
[0010] FIG. 1B depicts a block diagram of an alternate environment
suitable for practicing an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention not utilizing a network;
[0011] FIG. 2A depicts a block diagram of an object identifier used
by the illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2B depicts a block diagram of a fixed location
identifier used by the illustrative embodiment of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the layout of a hospital
practicing an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of the
illustrative embodiment of the present invention used to analyze
the associations determined by the location determining module;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the sequence of steps followed by
the illustrative embodiment of the present invention to perform
equipment utilization analysis and bill generation as a result of
object association determined by the illustrative embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0016] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the sequence of steps followed by
the illustrative embodiment of the present invention to perform
event initiation as a result of object association determined by
the illustrative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The illustrative embodiment of the present invention
provides a method of recording object associations using a location
system. Object locations are determined based on signals generated
from object identifiers linked to the objects and forwarded to an
electronic device interfaced with a network. The origin of the
signal is calculated based on the known position of the receivers
receiving the signal, the historical recorded position of the
object, the characteristics of the receivers receiving the signal
(i.e. the range), the strength of the received signal, the type of
signal, and whether or not the signal was repeated. The location is
determined by software (the location determining module) either
running on, or interfaced with, the electronic device. Once the
location of the object has been determined, the location
determining module consults a database to determine associations
between the located object and other objects or specified locations
based on the other objects proximity to the located object. Once an
association is determined, it is stored and the duration of the
association is subsequently recorded. The identified associations
may then be leveraged in a number of ways by other applications
interfaced with the network, such as by being used in billing
systems, inventory systems, asset management, and automatic event
generation based on the identified association.
[0018] FIG. 1A depicts a location system 11 suitable for practicing
an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of
object identifiers 2 linked to objects include an infrared (IR)
transmitter 3 and a radio frequency (RF) transmitter 4 which are
used to generate a signal which is sent to a network connected
element 6. The signal includes a unique identifier identifying the
object identifier (and by extension the object to which it is
linked). The network connected element 6 includes an IR transmitter
3, an RF transmitter 4, an IR receiver 7 and an RF receiver 8. The
IR receiver 7 is capable of receiving an IR signal generated by the
object identifier 2. The RF receiver 8 is capable of receiving an
RF signal generated by the object identifier 2. The network
connected element 6 is interfaced with a network 10 and forwards
the signal received from the object identifier 2 to an electronic
device 12 which is also interfaced with the network 10. The
interface between the network connected element 6 and the network
10 may be a physical interface in the case of a wired network, or a
wireless interface in the case of a wireless network. The
electronic device 12 may be a desktop computer system, PDA,
handheld wireless device, laptop, web server or other device
interfaced with the network 10. The network 10 may be a local area
network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, an
intranet, or a metropolitan network. The network 10 may be a
wireless network such as a Bluetooth network, a cellular network, a
GSM based network or some other type of network. Although the
object identifier 2 and network connected element 6 have been
described as including IR and RF transmitters 3 and 4 and receivers
7 and 8, those skilled in the art will recognized that other types
of transmitters may be used such as ultrasound (US) either alone or
in combination with the implementation depicted herein without
departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0019] The electronic device 12 includes a location determining
module 14 which is used to locate the object identifer 2 and the
corresponding object to which the object identifier is linked. The
object identifier may be directly or indirectly linked to the
object. For example, the object identifier 2 may be directly linked
to a person who is wearing it as a medical bracelet. Alternatively,
the object identifier 2 may be indirectly linked such as by being
embedded in a name tag which is fastened to clothing. As long as
the object identifier 2 travels with its linked object it will
identify the location of the object. Although the location
determining module 14 will usually be implemented as a software
component, the location determining module 14 may also be
implemented by being hardwired into a device. The location
determining module 14 uses the unique identifer to calculate of the
current location of the object identifier. The location determining
module 14 calculates the origin of the signal using a variety of
factors including the known position of the receivers receiving the
signal (which is retrieved from a topology database 16 which is
also interfaced with the network 10), the historical recorded
position of the object, the characteristics of the receivers
receiving the signal (i.e. the range) (which are retrieved from a
database 18 also interfaced with the network), the strength of the
received signal, the type of signal, and whether or not the signal
was repeated (which are determined by analyzing information
contained in the signal received from the network connected element
6). Once a calculation of the location of the object identifier 2
has been made, the location of the object may be analyzed to see if
it reveals object associations. The process of analyzing the
calculated location of the object identifiers is described in more
detail below. Any identified associations are stored in the
database 18.
[0020] In one aspect of the illustrative embodiment of the present
invention, a fixed location identifier 20 is also present in the
location system. The fixed location identifier 20 includes an IR
transmitter 3, an RF transmitter 4, an IR receiver 7 and an RF
receiver 9. The IR receiver 7 is capable of receiving an IR signal
generated by the object identifier 2, while the RF receiver 8 is
capable of receiving an RF signal generated by the object
identifier 2. The RF receiver 9 on the fixed location identifier 20
may have a shorter receiving range than the RF receiver 8 on the
network connected element 6. The location of the fixed location
identifier 20 is stored in the topology database 16. After
receiving a signal from the object identifier 2, the fixed location
identifier appends its own identifier to the signal and tranmsits
it to a network connected element 6. When the signal eventually
reaches the location determining module 14, the location
determining module uses the range characteristic of the fixed
location identifier 20 to help locate the object identifier 2. In
other words, if the location determining module receives
notification from both a fixed location identifier 20 and a network
connected element 6 that both have received an RF signal, the
signal can only have originated from a spot that is within both
receivers receiving range. Those skilled in the art will recognize
that many alternate implementations are possible within the scope
of the present invention. The object identifier 2 may use different
types and combinations of transmitting components. Similarly, the
object identifier may include a receiving component. The location
determining module 14 may appear in any of a number of locations
including being located on the object identifier 2 and is not
limited to being stored on the electronic device 12. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the signals may be
bi-directional and travel in both directions between the network 10
and the object identifier 2.
[0021] A non-networked form of the illustrative embodiment of the
present invention may also be implemented. FIG. 1B depicts a block
diagram of location system 11 suitable for determining object
association without relying on the use of a network. An object
identifier 2 transmits a signal directly to the location resolving
module 14 which in this implementation includes stored data
allowing it to associate objects and locations. The object
identifier 2 transmits the signal using a transmitting component to
transmit a signal. The transmitting component may be a
transmsitter, transceiver, transponder or similar device. Those
skilled in the art will recognize that different types of
components capable of transmitting and receiving signals may be
used in place of the illustrated transmitters and receivers
depicted herein. For example, a transceiver may be substituted for
a receiver without departing from the scope of the present
invention. The location determining module 14 may include any
structure suitable for determining location. Examples include any
device with intelligence to determine the location of one or more
object identifiers. According to various embodiments of the
invention, the location determining module 14 may be an electronic
device. The electronic device may take multiple forms and may
include, a processor, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a
communications device, such as a cell phone, a network appliance, a
web server, a network, any device capable of manipulating
information, a receiver, a transmitter, an interface or any
combination of these devices.
[0022] According to various embodiments of the invention, the
location determining module 14 may be capable of performing
additional functionality, such as receiving requests for
information, providing information, storing information, commanding
actions in response to location information, associating objects
with other objects or with locations, establishing privacy
conditions regarding availability of location information,
interfacing directly with various network types, and the like.
According to further embodiments of the invention, the location
determining module 14 includes multiple, distributed receivers,
some of which may be connected to a network, and others not
connected to a network. According to various embodiments of the
invention, the object identifier 10 and location determining module
14 utilize both RF signals and IR signals for the determination of
location.
[0023] FIG. 2A depicts a block diagram of an object identifier 2
used by the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The
object identifier 2 includes an IR transmitter 3 and an RF
transmitter 4. Both transmitters are controlled by an embedded
processer 5 which controls the signaling process. Similarly, FIG.
2B depicts a block diagram of a fixed location identifier 20 used
by the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The fixed
location identifier 20 includes an IR transmitter 3 and an RF
transmitter 4 which are controlled by an embedded processer 5 which
controls the signaling process. Also included in the fixed location
identifier 20 are an IR receiver 7 and an RF receiver 9 which are
used to receive signals from the object identifier 2.
[0024] The signaling process may make use of both RF and IR signals
in alternating combination. According to one embodiment of the
invention the RF signal is transmitted every ten seconds and the IR
signal is transmitted every twenty seconds. This method provides a
substantially consistent IR power level, while varying an RF power
level. Varying the RF power level may assist in determining a
location of the object identifier 2 by enabling the network
connected element 6 to receive less than all of the RF signals. The
transmitted signals may also include additional information such as
the signal strength being transmitted, the period between
transmissions, the length of time of the transmissions, a unique
identifier for the object identifier 2, information received from
one or more input devices and/or various status information, such
as those pertaining to the components of the object identifier. In
one aspect of the invention, the object identifier 2 also contains
receivers and the location determining module 14 configures the
object identifier over the network 10 by sending transmission
parameters (i.e.: alternate signals every 30 seconds). Since IR
signals are line-of-sight signals and RF signals travel through
walls, the combination of signals may be used by the illustrative
embodiment of the present invention to locate signals with greater
accuracy than would be possible using either form of signaling
alone.
[0025] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a layout of a hospital 30
using the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The
hospital 30 includes a plurality of rooms 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and
42. Each of the rooms 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 has a fixed
location identifier within the room. A corridor 31 has an
additional fixed location identifier at one end of the corridor and
a couple of network connected elements 6 located in the middle of
the corridor and end of the corridor. As previously noted, the
network 10 to which the network connected element 6 is connected
may be a wired or wireless network with the result that the network
connected element 6 may or may not be physically connected to the
network. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is
designed to execute over pre-existing networks and does not require
the creation of a proprietary network. The hospital includes a
plurality of objects to which object identifier's 2 have been
linked. One room 32 includes a patient chart 44 with an object
identifier 2 attached to the chart so that it will not be misplaced
and may be quickly retrieved. Another room 34 includes a patient 46
who is wearing an object identifier 2 either attached to a piece of
clothing or as a bracelet. The object identifier attached to the
patient 2 allows the patient's movements to be tracked throughout
the hospital. Out in the corridor 31, an object identifier 2 is
linked to an infusion pump 48. The object identifier 2 allows quick
location of the infusion pump 48 in the event another unit of the
hospital borrows the pump in an emergency without time to inform
the proper people working in the hospital unit to which the pump is
assigned.
[0026] The use of the network connected elements 6 and the fixed
location identifiers 20 may be illustrated with an example. The
object identifier 2 linked to the infusion pump 48 may be
configured to emit alternating IR signals and RF signals bearing a
unique identifier. If the infusion pump 48 is located in a corridor
31 the RF signal (which may travel through walls) may be picked up
by receivers located on the fixed location identifiers 20 in a
number of rooms 34, 36, 40 and 42 as well as the fixed location
identifier at the end of the corridor nearest to the pump.
Additionally, the signal may also be received by the network
connected element 6 located outside room 34. The alternating IR
signal emitted by the object identifier 2 linked to the infusion
pump 48 is received by only the fixed location identifier 20
located at the end of the corridor and the network connected
element 6 located outside room 34 since IR signals are
line-of-sight signals. Since line-of-sight signals do not travel
through walls well, they are unlikely to be received by an IR
receiver located within one of the hospital rooms 32, 34, 36, 38,
40 and 42. The network connected element 6 located outside room 34
and the fixed location identifier 20 located at the end of the
corridor will report receiving both signals to the location
determining module 14. The location determining module 14 will use
the known location of both the network connected element 6 outside
room 34 and the fixed location identifier 20 at the end of the
corridor to determine that since both receivers received both types
of signal, the infusion pump 48 must be in the corridor 31.
Furthermore, since the fixed location identifier 20 has a smaller
receiving range for RF signals than does the receiver for the
network connected element 6, the infusion pump 48 must be located
not only in the corridor but within range of the RF receiver 9 on
the fixed location identifier 20. In one embodiment, the fixed
location identifier might have a receiving range for RF signals of
6 feet (as opposed to a 20 foot receiving range for the RF receiver
8 for the network connected element 6 outside room 34) which would
allow the infusion pump to be located to within 6 feet of the fixed
location identifier in the corridor 31. The actual receiving ranges
of the RF receivers 8 and 9 are an implementation choice, and those
skilled in the art will recognize that they may be adjusted without
departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0027] Once the location determining module 14 has determined the
current location of an object to which an object identifier 2 is
linked, the location is compared against the current location of
other objects and pre-determined locations to determine the
proximity of the located object to the other objects or the
pre-determined location. The pre-determined location is usually a
place of special interest such as a bed. If the object is within a
pre-defined distance of another object or pre-determined location,
the location determining module 14 determines the two objects (or
the object and the pre-determined location) are interacting and
records an association in the database 18. Depending upon the
implementation, the location determining module 14 may require the
association to occur for a minimum period of time before deciding
an association is occurring. The association is tracked for
beginning time, ending time, duration and alternately for separate
occurrences, all of which may be stored in the database 18. The
electronic device 2 holds, or is interfaced with a variety of
software programs to make use of the object associations determined
by the location determining module 14.
[0028] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of the
illustrative embodiment of the present invention used to analyze
the associations determined by the location determining module 14.
The location determining module 14 determines object associations
and stores records of those associations in the database 18. A
variety of software components accessible to the location
determining module may be used to analyze the object associations.
Equipment utilization software 50, asset management software 52 and
event initiation software 54 are stored on the electronic device
12. Billing software 56 is interfaced with the network 10. Examples
of the different types of software used to analyze object
associations determined by the location determining module 14 are
explored in more detail below. The software may utilize a JDBC
interface located in the location determining module 14 which
allows Java applications to send SQL commands to the database 18.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the location of the
various software components utilizing the object associations as
input data may change without departing from the scope of the
present invention.
[0029] Once the object associations have been determined by the
location determining module 14, the records of the associations may
be provided as input data to a variety of software programs. FIG. 5
is a flowchart of the sequence of steps performed by the
illustrative embodiment of the present invention to determine
object associations and utilize them in equipment utilization and
billing software 50 and 56. The sequence begins when an object
identifier 2 linked to an object broadcasts a signal to the network
connected element 6 (step 60). The signal may be forwarded from a
fixed location identifier 20 to the network connected element 6.
The network connected element 6 appends a time stamp and its
identifier onto the signal and sends it to the electronic device 2
and location determining module 14 (step 62). The location
determining module 14 calculates the position of the object as
outlined above, associates the located object with another object
or a pre-determined location and records the association and the
time the association began in the database 18 (step 64). The
network connected element 6 sends signals received from the object
identifier 2 and/or from the fixed location identifier 20 until the
association is finished (step 66). Once the network connected
element 6 stops sending signals, the location determining module 14
disassociates the object in the database 18 and records the time
the association ended (step 68). The database 18 holds the records
of the association which may then be retrieved by the equipment
utilization software or billing software 50 and 56 (step 70). The
equipment utilization software 50 may use the data to analyze how
often a portable x-ray machine is being used in a particular
department of a hospital. Alternatively, the object association
data may indicate how often a room is being utilized. Similarly,
the billing software 56 may use the object association data to
determine how much time a surgeon spent in an operating room with a
patient in order to determine the amount to bill the patient.
[0030] The illustrative embodiment of the present invention may
leverage the object association data in a number of ways. In one
embodiment, the determined object associations are used to track
the movements of a contagious patient in a health care facility. By
mapping the calculated locations indicating the individual's path
of travel, the health care facility is able to create a response
based on which patients were probably exposed to the contagion. In
another embodiment, object identifiers may be linked to
prescription drugs. For example, when a bag of intravenous drugs
linked to an object identifier forms an association with a patient,
a database may be consulted to prevent adverse reactions based on
other drugs already received by the patient and/or the patients
personal medical history indicating allergies. In another
embodiment, the object associations may be used to ensure
compliance with HIPPA, the Health Insurance Privacy and Portability
Act, which requires that access to a patient's records be limited.
By linking object identifiers 2 to staff and the patient's chart, a
record may be created indicating who viewed the chart.
[0031] The object association data held in the database 18 may also
be used for event initiation. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the sequence
of steps performed by the illustrative embodiment of the present
invention to determine object associations and utilize them in
event initiation software 54. The sequence begins when an object
identifier 2 linked to an object broadcasts a signal to the network
connected element 6 (step 80). The signal may be forwarded from a
fixed location identifier 20 to the network connected element 6.
The network connected element 6 appends a time stamp and its
identifier onto the signal and sends it to the electronic device 2
and location determining module 14 (step 82). The location
determining module 14 calculates the position of the object as
outlined above, associates the located object with another object
or a pre-determined location and records the association in the
database (step 84). The association may then be programmatically
compared against a template of associations by the event initiation
software 54 (step 86). For example, the event initiation software
54 may indicate that if a hospital patient object identifier
associates with a corridor, an alarm should be sounded at the
nursing station in the applicable hospital unit. Alternately, the
event initiation software may indicate that if the object
identifier embedded in the name badge of a company CEO becomes
associated with an entryway a greeting may be broadcast. If the
association is listed in the template, instructions for the event
are broadcast on the network 10 (step 88). Those skilled in the art
will recognize that other forms of analyzing an object association
besides a template may be used without departing from the scope of
the present invention.
[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, the object
association data is utilized by asset management software 52. Asset
management software may be used to provide a real-time inventory of
assets owned by a company. The ability to quickly locate items may
be of paramount importance in industries such as the health care
industry, where a failure to locate an item quickly can result in
catastrophic consequences. Additionally, the constant updating of
asset locations may result in much lower costs during end of the
year inventories. The frequency with which assets transmit their
positions is configurable and may be based on how frequently the
item is likely to move. For example, for larger machines that move
infrequently, the transmitters may be set to signal once an hour or
once a day. For smaller items, or items that are frequently being
moved, the transmitters may be set to signal once a minute or once
every 10 seconds in the case of an object identifier linked to a
person. The real-time position of assets may then be broadcast on
the network 10 and made available to authorized individuals. In
another embodiment, an association may be formed between a
bedridden patient and a bed. If it is determined that the
association has stopped, an alert is sent over the network to a
nurses station to indicate the possibility that the patient has
fallen out of bed.
[0033] Although many of the examples listed herein have been made
with reference to a hospital environment, the illustrative
embodiment of the present invention may be used to detect object
associations in a variety of environments. For instance, the object
association may take place in the setting of an airport where bags
are associated with machinery designated to divert the bags to
specific destinations. Alternatively, the object association may be
used to verify that each checked bag is associated with a seated
passenger before a plane takes off from an airport. The object
association may be used to track the movements of products in a
store or utilized at a check out register. The object association
may be used to identify the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of
advertising displays. Since the object association system is
designed to work with components which utilize existing network
topology, object associations may be determined in many different
environments and the environments listed herein are intended merely
as illustrative examples and not as an exhaustive list.
[0034] It will thus be seen that the invention attains the
objectives stated in the previous description. Since certain
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a literal sense. Practitioners of the art
will realize that the sequence of steps depicted in the figures may
be altered without departing from the scope of the present
invention and that the illustrations contained herein are singular
examples of a multitude of possible depictions of the present
invention.
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