Asset Tracking via Visible Light and Wireless Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional RTLS systems face challenges in accurate asset location, complex installation, and require hard-wired infrastructure, while smartphone-based systems need compatible devices and software, limiting their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a visible light source with a wireless signal generator, tags with detectors and transmitters, and a tag monitor that uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals for accurate asset tracking, integrated with a server for network connectivity, and optionally includes motion sensors and passive RFID detectors to enhance location determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional RTLS systems are used to track assets, then asset location can be monitored, but the system becomes complex to install and requires hard-wired infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hard-wired mechanical infrastructure with wireless communication technology. Tags use wireless transmitters to communicate asset location information to receivers, eliminating the need for physical cable installations while maintaining tracking functionality. This substitution directly resolves the contradiction by removing installation complexity while preserving asset location monitoring capability.
2Ease of operation
If smartphone-based systems are used to track assets, then wireless tracking is enabled, but compatible smartphones and specific software are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal tracking system where tags can be attached to any asset regardless of the receiving device used. The system works with multiple types of receivers including smartphones, tablets, computers, and dedicated handheld devices, all running compatible software applications. This multi-functionality approach allows wireless tracking without restricting users to specific device models or manufacturers, thereby resolving the adaptability issue while maintaining ease of wireless operation.
3Reliability
If conventional RTLS systems are used, then asset tracking is achieved, but signals cannot provide precise location within an area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visible light sources as intermediary elements to enhance location precision. These light sources serve as additional reference points that work in conjunction with wireless signals to provide more accurate spatial information. The combination of wireless communication and optical signaling creates a hybrid system that achieves both reliable tracking and precise location measurement, resolving the contradiction between tracking functionality and location precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for tracking assets. The system includes a visible light source that includes a wireless signal generator configured to produce wireless signals and a tag that includes a detector that detects the presence of the wireless signals produced by the visible light source. The tag includes a transmitter that is configured to send additional wireless signals. The system further includes a tag monitor that includes a receiver that is configured to receive the additional wireless signals. The tag monitor determines a location of the tag based on the additional wireless signals received from the tag.