U.S. patent application number 16/600853 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-30 for geolocationing system and method for use of same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Enseo, Inc.. Invention is credited to William C. Fang, Thomas R. Miller, Vanessa Ogle.
Application Number | 20200137524 16/600853 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70326186 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-30 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200137524 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miller; Thomas R. ; et
al. |
April 30, 2020 |
Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same
Abstract
A geolocationing system and method for providing awareness in a
multi-space environment, such as a hospitality environment or
educational environment, are presented. In one embodiment of the
geolocationing system, a vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices is provided. Each gateway device includes a gateway device
identification providing an accurately-known fixed location within
the multi-space environment. Each gateway device includes a
wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from a proximate
wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices, in
turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determines estimated
location of the wireless-enabled personal location device with
trilateration and received signal strength modeling.
Inventors: |
Miller; Thomas R.; (Plano,
TX) ; Fang; William C.; (Plano, TX) ; Ogle;
Vanessa; (Fairview, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Enseo, Inc. |
Richardson |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
70326186 |
Appl. No.: |
16/600853 |
Filed: |
October 14, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62750980 |
Oct 26, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/029 20180201;
H04B 17/318 20150115; H04W 4/90 20180201; H04W 88/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/029 20060101
H04W004/029; H04B 17/318 20060101 H04B017/318; H04W 4/90 20060101
H04W004/90 |
Claims
1. A system for providing awareness in a multi-space environment,
the system comprising: a vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, each gateway device being positioned within a space in the
multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gateway
device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location;
each gateway device of the vertical and horizontal array including:
a housing, a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, a
processor located within the housing and coupled to the wireless
transceiver, a memory accessible to the processor, the memory
including processor-executable instructions that, when executed,
cause the processor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless
transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator
device, the beacon signal including a personal locator device
identification, measure received signal strength of the beacon
signal, transmit a gateway signal to a server, the gateway signal
including the personal locator device identification, the gateway
device identification, and received signal strength measurement;
and the server located within the multi-space environment and in
communication with the vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, the server including: a processor, and a memory accessible
to the processor, the memory including processor-executable
instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive a
plurality of gateway signals from a plurality of gateway devices of
the vertical and horizontal array, process the plurality of gateway
signals with trilateration and received signal strength modeling,
and determine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled
personal location device.
2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless
transceiver is configured to communicate with a standard selected
from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge,
WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth and
Bluetooth low energy.
3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device
further comprises a plurality of wireless transceivers.
4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device
further comprises a set-top box.
5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device
further comprises a common space gateway device.
6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device
further comprises a gateway service device.
7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximate
wireless-enabled personal locator device further comprises a single
button personal locator device.
8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximate
wireless-enabled personal locator device further comprises a
wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.
9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the wireless-enabled
interactive programmable device further comprises a device selected
from the group consisting of smart watches, smart phones, and
tablet computers.
10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server further
comprises a back-office hotel server in communication with the
vertical and horizontal array of set-top boxes.
11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the
processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the
processor to process the plurality of gateway signals with
trilateration and signal strength modeling further comprise
processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the
processor to: utilize at least three distances between at least
three gateway signals from respective gateway devices to determine
a point of intersection therebetween.
12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the
processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the
processor to process the plurality of gateway signals with
trilateration and signal strength modeling further comprise
processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the
processor to: access a signal map stored in the storage, the signal
map being a received signal strength model of collected offline
signals at the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices,
and compare a plurality of received signal strength measurements of
a respective plurality of gateway signals to the signal map.
13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the
processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the
processor to process the plurality of gateway signals with
trilateration and signal strength modeling further comprise
processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the
processor to: utilize at least three received signal strength
measurements between at least three gateway signals from respective
gateway devices to determine a point of intersection
therebetween.
14. The system as recited claim 1, wherein the system further
comprises an operational mode selected from the group consisting of
alerts-enabled, service request-enabled, tracking-enabled, and
non-tracking-enabled.
15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein in the
alerts-enabled mode, the server receives a distress signal from the
proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
16. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein in the
service-request-enabled mode, the server receives a service request
from the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein in the
tracking-enabled mode, the server maintains in memory a plurality
of estimated locations with timestamps associated with the
proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein in the
non-tracking-enabled mode, the server maintains in memory only the
last known locations with timestamps associated with the proximate
wireless-enabled personal locator device.
19. A system for providing awareness in a multi-space environment,
the system comprising: a vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, each gateway device being positioned within a space in the
multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gateway
device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location;
each gateway device of the vertical and horizontal array including:
a housing, a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, a
processor located within the housing and coupled to the wireless
transceiver, a memory accessible to the processor, the memory
including processor-executable instructions that, when executed,
cause the processor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless
transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator
device, the beacon signal including a personal locator device
identification, measure received signal strength of the beacon
signal, transmit a gateway signal to a server, the gateway signal
including the personal locator device identification, the gateway
device identification, and received signal strength measurement;
and the server located within the multi-space environment and in
communication with the vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, the server including: a processor, a signal map stored in
the storage, the signal map being a received signal strength model
of collected offline signals at the vertical and horizontal array
of gateway devices, and a memory accessible to the processor, the
memory including processor-executable instructions that, when
executed, cause the processor to: receive a plurality of gateway
signals from a plurality of gateway devices of the vertical and
horizontal array, process the plurality of gateway signals with
trilateration by utilizing at least three distances between at
least three gateway signals from respective gateway devices to
determine a point of intersection therebetween, process the
plurality of gateway signals with signal strength modeling by
accessing the signal map stored in the storage, and compare a
plurality of received signal strength measurements of a respective
plurality of gateway signals to the signal map, and determine
estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personal
location device.
20. A system for providing awareness in a multi-space environment,
the system comprising: a vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, each gateway device being positioned within a space in the
multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gateway
device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location;
each gateway device of the vertical and horizontal array including:
a housing, a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, a
processor located within the housing and coupled to the wireless
transceiver, a memory accessible to the processor, the memory
including processor-executable instructions that, when executed,
cause the processor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless
transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator
device, the beacon signal including a personal locator device
identification, measure received signal strength of the beacon
signal, transmit a gateway signal to a server, the gateway signal
including the personal locator device identification, the gateway
device identification, and received signal strength measurement;
and the server located within the multi-space environment and in
communication with the vertical and horizontal array of gateway
devices, the server including: a processor, and a memory accessible
to the processor, the memory including processor-executable
instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive a
plurality of gateway signals from a plurality of gateway devices of
the vertical and horizontal array, process the plurality of gateway
signals with trilateration by utilizing at least three distances
between at least three gateway signals from respective gateway
devices to determine a point of intersection therebetween, and
process the plurality of gateway signals with signal strength
modeling by utilizing at least three received signal strength
measurements between at least three gateway signals from respective
gateway devices to determine a point of intersection therebetween,
and determine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled
personal location device.
Description
PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 62/750,980 entitled "Geolocationing System and
Method for Use of Same" filed on Oct. 26, 2018, in the name of
William C. Fang; which is hereby incorporated by reference for all
purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates, in general, to geolocationing and,
in particular, to enhanced performance in systems and methods for
providing awareness and safety in a multiroom environment such as a
hospitality environment, educational environment, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the
background will be described in relation to employee safety in
hospitality environments, as an example. Employees face increased
personal security risks at work in multiroom environments such as
hospitality environments, which include motels, hotels, and the
like, for example. Such hospitality industry employees often work
alone and range over large interior areas that may be divided into
many small, closed spaces. As a result of limited existing security
measures, there is a need for improved systems and methods of
providing awareness and safety in hospitality environments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It would be advantageous to achieve systems and methods for
providing geolocationing in a multiroom environment such as a
hospitality environment, educational environment, or the like that
would improve upon existing limitations in functionality. It would
be desirable to enable an electrical engineering-based and software
solution that would provide enhanced awareness and safety in an
easy-to-use platform in the hospitality lodging industry or in
another environment. To better address one or more of these
concerns, a geolocationing system and method for use of the same
are disclosed.
[0005] In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical
and horizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway
device includes a gateway device identification providing an
accurately-known fixed location within the multi-space environment.
Each gateway device includes a wireless transceiver that receives a
beacon signal from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator
device. The gateway devices, in turn, send gateway signals to a
server, which determines estimated location of the wireless-enabled
personal location device with trilateration and received signal
strength modeling. These and other aspects of the invention will be
apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments
described hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] For a more complete understanding of the features and
advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the
detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying
figures in which corresponding numerals in the different figures
refer to corresponding parts and in which:
[0007] FIG. 1A is schematic building diagram depicting one
embodiment of a geolocationing system for providing awareness in a
multiroom environment illustrated as a hotel, according to the
teachings presented herein;
[0008] FIG. 1B is a schematic floor plan depicting a floor of the
hotel presented in FIG. 1A in further detail;
[0009] FIG. 2 is schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of the
geolocationing system presented in FIG. 1A providing enhanced
awareness and safety functionality therewith according to the
teachings presented herein;
[0010] FIG. 3A is a top plan view of one embodiment of a gateway
device depicted in FIG. 1 in further detail;
[0011] FIG. 3B is a front elevation view of the gateway device
depicted in FIG. 3A;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram depicting one
embodiment of the gateway device presented in FIGS. 2A and 2B;
[0013] FIG. 5A is a wall-facing exterior elevation view of one
embodiment of the set-top box depicted in FIG. 1 in further
detail;
[0014] FIG. 5B is a display-facing exterior elevation view of the
set-top box depicted in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 5C is a front perspective view of a dongle depicted in
FIG. 1 in further detail;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram depicting one
embodiment of the set-top box presented in FIGS. 3A and 3B;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram depicting one
embodiment of the server presented in FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 8A is a data processing diagram depicting one
embodiment of the geolocationing system according to the teachings
presented herein;
[0019] FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of
the geolocationing system presented in FIG. 8A;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram depicting another embodiment
of the geolocationing system presented in FIG. 8A; and
[0021] FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method
for providing a gateway device furnishing enhanced safety according
to the teachings presented herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] While the making and using of various embodiments of the
present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be
appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable
inventive concepts, which can be embodied in a wide variety of
specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are
merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention,
and do not delimit the scope of the present invention.
[0023] Referring initially to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, therein is
depicted a geolocationing system for providing awareness in a
multi-space environment such as a hospitality environment, which
may be as a furnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodging
establishment, hotel, hospital, which is schematically illustrated
and designated 10. The multi-space environment may also be a
multi-unit environment such as an educational environment like a
school or college campus, for example. More generally, the
geolocationing system 10 and the teachings presented herein are
applicable to any multi-space environment including hospitality
environments, educational campuses, hospital campuses, office
buildings, multi-unit dwellings, sport facilities and shopping
malls, for example.
[0024] As shown, by way of example and not by way of limitation,
the multi-space environment is depicted as a hotel H having a lobby
and floors F, which are appropriately labeled the 2.sup.nd floor
through the 10.sup.th floor. Further, by way of example, the
4.sup.th floor is depicted with rooms 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406,
407, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, and 417. Additionally, a common
area near the elevators is labeled E, a hallway labeled P, and a
stairwell is labeled S. The lobby, the common area E, the hallway
P, and the stairwell S are further illustrations of spaces in the
multi-space environment in addition to the rooms.
[0025] Gateway devices 12 are deployed as part of a horizontal and
vertical array, which is generally a spatial array, throughout the
hotel H. It should be appreciated, however, that the gateway
devices 12 and more generally deployment of the system may include
a horizontal array. Further, the deployment may be in a single
story, multiple stories, or a combination thereof. As will be
discussed in further detail hereinbelow, the gateway devices may
include set-top boxes 14, a gateway service devices 16, or a common
space gateway device 18.
[0026] Individuals, such as I.sub.1, I.sub.2, I.sub.3 carry
personal locator devices 20 which periodically, or on demand,
transmit beacons that are received by a gateway device 16. The
personal locator devices 20 may be a single button personal locator
device 22 or a wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 24,
such as a smart watch, a smart phone, or a tablet computer, for
example. In one embodiment, the wireless-enabled interactive
programmable device 24 may be a wireless-enabled smart and
interactive handheld device that may be supplied or carried by the
user or guest. As shown individual I.sub.1 works in the hospitality
industry at hotel H and is presently working on the 4.sup.th floor.
As the individual I.sub.1 is working in room 404, the personal
locator device 22 is transmitting beacons that are received by
gateway devices 12, such as the set-top box 14 that is located
within the room 404 and the gateway service device 16 located in
hallway P on the 4.sup.th floor of the hotel H.
[0027] As shown, the gateway device in the room 404 is a set-top
box 14, which may be connected to an electronic visual display
device such as a display or television. The set-top box 14 includes
a housing 30 and a connection, which is depicted as an HDMI
connection 32, connects the set-top box 14 to the display (not
shown). Other connections include a power cable 34 coupling the
set-top box 14 to a power source, a coaxial cable 36 coupling the
set-top box 14 to an external cable source, and a category five
(Cat 5) cable 38 coupling the set-top box 14 to an external
pay-per-view source, for example. As shown, the set-top box 14 may
include a dongle 40 providing particular technology and
functionality extensions thereto. That is, the set-top box 14 may
be set-top box-dongle combination in one embodiment. More
generally, it should be appreciated that the cabling connected to
the set-top box 14 will depend on the environment and application,
and the cabling connections presented in FIG. 2 are depicted for
illustrative purposes. Further, it should be appreciated that the
positioning of the set-top box 14 will vary depending on
environment and application and, with certain functionality, the
set-top box 14 may be placed more discretely behind the display 14
or as an in-wall mount. At least one antennas associated with the
set-top box 14 provides for the wireless capabilities of the
gateway device 12 and include, for example, wireless standards:
Wi-Fi 42, Bluetooth 44, ZigBee 46, infrared 48.
[0028] As mentioned, the gateway device 12 in the hallway P of the
4.sup.th floor is a gateway service device 16 having a housing 50
with physical connection ports 52, 54. A network cable 56, which is
depicted as a category five (Cat 5) cable 56, is secured to
physical connection port 52. Multiple antennas provide for the
wireless capabilities of the gateway device 12 and include, for
example, wireless standards: Wi-Fi 42, Bluetooth 44, ZigBee 46, and
IR 48. More generally, it should be appreciated that the cabling
connected to the gateway device 12 and antenna configuration will
depend on the environment and application and the cabling
connections and wireless standards presented in FIG. 2 are depicted
for illustrative purposes. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the common
space gateway device 18 may be similar in appearance to the gateway
service device 16.
[0029] As shown, each of the gateway devices 12, including the
set-top box 14 and the gateway service device 16 of FIG. 2, have a
data link to the server 58 which is providing a geolocation and
safety network 56. In one implementation, an individual 12 has the
personal location device, which may transmit a beacon from the
personal location device 20 using a wireless standard such as WiFi
42 to the gateway devices 12. Each of the gateway devices 12,
including the set-top box 14 and the gateway service device 16,
then processes the received beacon signal and sends a gateway
signal to the server 56. More particularly, with respect to data
flow 60, the personal locator device 20, which is the single button
personal locator 22, transmits the beacon signal 62 which includes
a personal location device identification identifying the personal
locator device 20. The beacon signal 62 is received by each of the
gateway devices 12 which transmit broadcast signals 64, 66
including the personal location device identification, a gateway
device identification identifying the gateway device 12, and a
signal characteristic indicator, such as signal strength, for
example. The server 56 receives the broadcast signal 64 and uses
multiple broadcast signals, including the broadcast signals 64, 66,
for locationing 68, for determining the estimated location 70 of
the personal location device 20 of the individual 12. The server
56, in turn, sends out the appropriate notifications to various
phones, activates alarms, or notify others via a computer,
depending on the situation. As a spatial array of horizontal and
vertical gateway devices 12 are provided, the server 56 and system
10 presented herein is able to determine the location of the
individual associated with the personal location device 20 within a
building. The estimated location 70 includes which floor the
individual is presently located as well as the room or common
area.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 4, the gateway
device 12 may be a set-top unit that is an information appliance
device that does not include television-tuner functionality and
generally contains convenience and safety functionality. The
gateway service device 16 includes the housing 50 having a front
wall 72, rear wall 74, side wall 76, side wall 78, top wall 80, and
bottom base 82. It should be appreciated that front wall, rear
wall, and side wall are relative terms used for descriptive
purposes and the orientation and the nomenclature of the walls may
vary depending on application. The front wall 72 includes various
ports, including the ports 52, 54 that provide interfaces for
various interfaces, including inputs 84 and outputs 86. In one
implementation, as illustrated, the port 52 is an RJ45 port and
port 54 is a USB2 port. It should be appreciated that the
configuration of ports may vary with the gateway device depending
on application and context.
[0031] Within the housing 50, a processor 96, memory 98, storage
100, the inputs 84, and the outputs 86 are interconnected by a bus
architecture 102 within a mounting architecture. The processor 96
may process instructions for execution within the computing device,
including instructions stored in the memory 98 or in storage 100.
The memory 98 stores information within the computing device. In
one implementation, the memory 98 is a volatile memory unit or
units. In another implementation, the memory 98 is a non-volatile
memory unit or units. Storage 100 provides capacity that is capable
of providing mass storage for the gateway device 12. Various inputs
92 and outputs 94 provide connections to and from the computing
device, wherein the inputs 92 are the signals or data received by
the gateway device 12, and the outputs 94 are the signals or data
sent from the gateway device 12.
[0032] Multiple transceivers 104 are associated with the gateway
device 12 and communicatively disposed with the bus 102. As shown
the transceivers 104 may be internal, external, or a combination
thereof to the housing. Further, the transceivers 104 may be a
transmitter/receiver, receiver, or an antenna for example.
Communication between various amenities in the hotel room and the
gateway device 12 may be enabled by a variety of wireless
methodologies employed by the transceiver 152, including 802.11,
802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near field
communications (NFC), Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for
example. Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.
[0033] The memory 98 and storage 100 are accessible to the
processor 96 and include processor-executable instructions that,
when executed, cause the processor 96 to execute a series of
operations. With respect to the processor-executable instructions,
the processor is caused to receive and process a beacon signal
including a personal location device identification. More
particularly, the processor-executable instructions cause the
processor to receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver
from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The
processor-executable instructions then cause the processor to
measure received signal strength of the beacon signal. The
instructions may then cause the processor 96 to generate a gateway
signal including the personal location device identification, a
gateway device identification, and signal characteristics
indicator, including received signal strength. Finally, the
instructions may cause the processor 96 to send the gateway signal
to the server 56.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C, and FIG. 6, as used
herein, set-top boxes, back boxes and set-top/back boxes may be
discussed as set-top boxes. By way of example, the set-top box 14
may be a set-top unit that is an information appliance device that
generally contains set-top box functionality including having a
television-tuner input and displays output through a connection to
a display or television set and an external source of signal,
turning by way of tuning the source signal into content in a form
that can then be displayed on the television screen or other
display device. Such set-top boxes are used in cable television,
satellite television, and over-the-air television systems, for
example.
[0035] The set-top box 14 includes a housing 30 including a panel
100 and a rear wall 102, front wall 104, top wall 106, bottom base
108, and two sidewalls 110, 112. It should be appreciated that
front wall, rear wall, and side wall are relative terms used for
descriptive purposes and the orientation and the nomenclature of
the walls may vary depending on application. The front wall
includes various ports, ports 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126,
128 and 130 that provide interfaces for various interfaces,
including inputs 132 and outputs 134. In one implementation, as
illustrated, the ports 114 through 130 include inputs 132 and
outputs 134 and, more particularly, an RF input 136, a RJ-45 input
138, universal serial bus (USB) input/outputs 140, an Ethernet
category 5 (Cat 5) coupling 142, an internal reset 144, an RS232
control 146, an audio out 148, an audio in 150, and a
debug/maintenance port 152. The front wall 104 also includes
various inputs 132 and outputs 134. More particularly, ports 160,
162, 164, 166, 168 include a 5V dc power connection 170, USB
inputs/outputs 172, an RJ-45 coupling 174, an HDMI port 176 and an
HDMI port 178. It should be appreciated that the configuration of
ports may vary with the set-top box depending on application and
context. As previously alluded to, the housing 18 may include a
housing-dongle combination including, with respect to the dongle
30, a unit 180 having a cable 182 with a set-top box connector 184
for selectively coupling with the set-top box 12.
[0036] Within the housing 18, a processor 200, memory 202, storage
204, the inputs 132, and the outputs 134 are interconnected by a
bus architecture 206 within a mounting architecture. It should be
understood that the processor 200, the memory 202, the storage 204,
the inputs 132, and the outputs 134 may be entirely contained
within the housing 18 or the housing-dongle combination. The
processor 200 may process instructions for execution within the
computing device, including instructions stored in the memory 202
or in storage 204. The memory 202 stores information within the
computing device. In one implementation, the memory 202 is a
volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the
memory 202 is a non-volatile memory unit or units. Storage 204
provides capacity that is capable of providing mass storage for the
set-top box 12. Various inputs 132 and outputs 134 provide
connections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs
132 are the signals or data received by the set-top box 12, and the
outputs 134 are the signals or data sent from the set-top box 12. A
television content signal input 208 and a television output 210 are
also secured in the housing 18 in order to receive content from a
source and forward the content, including external content such as
cable and satellite and pay-per-view (PPV) programming, to the
display.
[0037] A transceiver 212 is associated with the set-top box 12 and
communicatively disposed with the bus 206. As shown the transceiver
212 may be internal, external, or a combination thereof to the
housing 18. Further, the transceiver 212 may be a
transmitter/receiver, receiver, or an antenna for example.
Communication between various devices and the set-top box 12 may be
enabled by a variety of wireless methodologies employed by the
transceiver 212, including 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near
field communications (NFC), Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for
example. Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.
[0038] One or more wireless communication antennas 214 are
associated with the set-top box 12 and communicatively disposed
with the bus 206. As shown the wireless communication antenna 214
may be internal, external, or a combination thereof to the housing
18. Further, the wireless communication antenna 214 may be a
transmitter/receiver, receiver, or an antenna for example.
Communication from the set-top box 12 to one or more of the
proximate wireless-enabled programmable interactive devices 52, 54,
56 may be enabled by a variety of wireless methodologies employed
by the wireless communication antennas 214, including 802.11, 3G,
4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth
low energy and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared (IR) may be
utilized. In one implementation, the one or more wireless
communication antennas 214 utilize a network connection protocol
such as Bluetooth and the one or more wireless communication
antennas 214 are Bluetooth transmitters.
[0039] The memory 202 and storage 204 are accessible to the
processor 200 and include processor-executable instructions that,
when executed, cause the processor 200 to execute a series of
operations. With respect to the processor-executable instructions,
the processor is caused to receive and process a beacon signal
including a personal location device identification. More
particularly, the processor-executable instructions cause the
processor to receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver
from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The
processor-executable instructions then cause the processor to
measure received signal strength of the beacon signal. The
instructions may then cause the processor 96 to generate a gateway
signal including the personal location device identification, a
gateway device identification, and signal characteristics
indicator, including received signal strength. Finally, the
instructions may cause the processor 96 to send the gateway signal
to the server 56.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 7, one embodiment of the server 56 as
a computing device includes a processor 230, memory 232, storage
234, inputs 236, outputs 238, and a network adaptor 240
interconnected with various buses 242 in a common or distributed,
for example, mounting architecture. In other implementations, in
the computing device, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may
be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of
memory. Further still, in other implementations, multiple computing
devices may be provided and operations distributed therebetween.
The processor 230 may process instructions for execution within the
server 56, including instructions stored in the memory 232 or in
storage 234. The memory 232 stores information within the computing
device. In one implementation, the memory 232 is a volatile memory
unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 232 is a
non-volatile memory unit or units. Storage 234 includes capacity
that is capable of providing mass storage for the server 56.
Various inputs 236 and outputs 238 provide connections to and from
the server 56, wherein the inputs 236 are the signals or data
received by the server 56, and the outputs 238 are the signals or
data sent from the server 56. The network adaptor 240 couples the
server 56 to a network such that the server 56 may be part of a
network of computers, a local area network (LAN), a wide area
network (WAN), an intranet, a network of networks, or the Internet,
for example.
[0041] The memory 232 and storage 234 are accessible to the
processor 230 and include processor-executable instructions that,
when executed, cause the processor 230 to execute a series of
operations. In one embodiment of first processor-executable
instructions, the processor-executable instructions cause the
processor to receive a plurality of gateway signals from a
plurality of gateway devices of the vertical and horizontal array.
The processor is caused to process the plurality of gateway signals
with trilateration and received signal strength modeling and
determine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled
personal location device
[0042] In a second embodiment of processor-executable instructions,
the processor-executable instructions cause the processor to
receive a plurality of gateway signals from a plurality of gateway
devices of the vertical and horizontal array. The processor is then
caused to process the plurality of gateway signals with
trilateration by utilizing at least three distances between at
least three gateway signals from respective gateway devices to
determine a point of intersection therebetween. The
processor-executable instructions cause the processor to process
the plurality of gateway signals with signal strength modeling by
accessing the signal map stored in the storage. The process then
compares a plurality of received signal strength measurements of a
respective plurality of gateway signals to the signal map. The
processor-executable instructions cause the processor to determine
estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personal
location device.
[0043] In a third embodiment of processor-executable instructions,
the processor-executable instructions cause the processor to
receive a plurality of gateway signals from a plurality of gateway
devices of the vertical and horizontal array. The processor
executable instructions then cause the processor to process the
plurality of gateway signals with trilateration by utilizing at
least three distances between at least three gateway signals from
respective gateway devices to determine a point of intersection
therebetween. The processor is caused to process the plurality of
gateway signals with signal strength modeling by utilizing at least
three received signal strength measurements between at least three
gateway signals from respective gateway devices to determine a
point of intersection therebetween. The process-executable
instructions cause the processor to determine estimated location of
the proximate wireless-enabled personal location device.
[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a signal mapping 250
occurs to build a signal strength model. Data collection 250 occurs
where various forms of signals are collected at the gateway devices
12 and stored in a database as a signal map which may form a
portion of the storage 234. Based on the received signal strength
received from multiple points at the gateway devices, an RSSmp map
256 is pattern mapped to the signal map 254 to provide an estimated
location 70 of the personal locator device. More particularly,
multiple gateway signals, such as RSS1 received at the gateway
device GD1, RSS2 received at the gateway device GD2, and RSS3
received at the gateway device GD3, are processed with
trilateration by utilizing at least three distances (e.g., d1, d2,
d3) between at least three gateway signals from respective gateway
devices [GD1 at accurately known fixed location (x1, y1 and z1);
GD2 at accurately known fixed location (x2, y2, z2); GD3 at
accurately known fixed location (x3,y3,z3)] to determine a point of
intersection therebetween, which is the estimated location Tx,
RSSMP. The gateway signals RSS1, RSS2, and RSS3, for example, are
processed to form the RSSMP mp with signal strength modeling by
accessing the signal map 254 stored in the storage. A comparison of
the received signal strength measurements RSS1, RSS2, RSS3 as
represented by the RSSMP to the signal map 254 to determine
estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personal
location device.
[0045] In another embodiment, in FIG. 9 multiple gateway signals,
such as RSS1 received at the gateway device GD1, RSS2 received at
the gateway device GD2, and RSS3 received at the gateway device
GD3, are processed with trilateration by utilizing at least three
distances (e.g., d1, d2, d3) between at least three gateway signals
from respective gateway devices [GD1 at accurately known fixed
location (x1, y1 and z1); GD2 at accurately known fixed location
(x2, y2, z2); GD3 at accurately known fixed location (x3,y3,z3)] to
determine a point of intersection therebetween, which is the
estimated location Tx, RSSMT. The gateway signals RSS1, RSS2, and
RSS3, for example, are processed to determine direct measurement of
the distance between the gateway device and the estimated location
using received signal strength.
[0046] FIG. 10 depicts one embodiment of a method for providing
safety in a hospitality environment or other environment, according
to the teachings presented herein. At block 280, the array of
gateway devices is deployed vertically and horizontally throughout
the hospitality environment. At block 282, beacon signals are
periodically transmitted from personal location devices and
received by the gateway devices.
[0047] At block 284, the beacon signals are received and processed
at the gateway device. The beacon signals may include a personal
location device identification corresponding to the device being
employed by the user. In one embodiment, signal strength between
the beacon transmission of the set-top boxes and the common area
beacons at the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device is
measured. In other embodiments, phase angle measurements or flight
time measurements may be utilized. At block 286, broadcast signals
are sent from the gateway devices to a server that is part of the
geolocation and safety network. The broadcast signals may include
the personal location device identification, gateway device
identification, and signal characteristic indicators. At block 288,
the server receives and processes the broadcast signals. At
decision block 290, the server takes action based on the mode of
operation. In a first mode of operation at block 292, a service
request is associated with the location of the user utilizing the
location of the personal location device such as the
wireless-enabled interactive programmable device as a proxy. In a
second mode of operation at block 294, an emergency alert is sent
and subsequent notification (block 296) occurs. The emergency alert
includes an indication of distress and the location of the user
utilizing the location of the wireless-enabled interactive
programmable device as a proxy. In a third mode of operation at
block 298, the map of individuals is updated with the location of
the user with, if privacy settings being enabled, the system
maintains the privacy of the individual working in the hospitality
environment such that the system only retains in memory the last
known position and time of the user-supplied wireless-enabled smart
and interactive handheld device. Further, in this mode of
operation, the system does not reveal the location of the
individual and programmable device unless and until an alert is
issued.
[0048] The order of execution or performance of the methods and
data flows illustrated and described herein is not essential,
unless otherwise specified. That is, elements of the methods and
data flows may be performed in any order, unless otherwise
specified, and that the methods may include more or less elements
than those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that
executing or performing a particular element before,
contemporaneously with, or after another element are all possible
sequences of execution.
[0049] While this invention has been described with reference to
illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be
construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and
combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other
embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled
in the art upon reference to the description. It is, therefore,
intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications
or embodiments.
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