Indirect Electronic Badge Tracking Using Industrial Vehicle Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for tracking electronic badges in industrial environments, particularly in warehouses, face challenges in accurately and efficiently tracking the movement of badges due to limitations in proximity detection and environmental awareness, leading to potential false alarms and impractical tracking of badges over time.
Innovation Solution
A system that integrates an information linking device, an environmental-based location tracking device, and a badge communicator on industrial vehicles to detect electronic badges, calculate their absolute location, and wirelessly communicate this information to a remote server, enabling precise tracking and reduced false alarms through enhanced situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixed-base networked access points are used to track badges, then badge location can be determined, but the system becomes complex and requires extensive infrastructure deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile industrial vehicles as intermediary tracking nodes that move through the facility and detect badges. These vehicles serve as mobile access points, eliminating the need for fixed infrastructure while maintaining tracking capability. The vehicles collect badge data and relay it through wireless communication to the central system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/fixed infrastructure system (access points mounted in ceilings or walls) with a mobile system using industrial vehicles. This substitution reduces infrastructure complexity while maintaining or improving tracking flexibility and coverage.
2Ease of operation
If proximity-based tracking is used, then badge detection is simplified, but false alarms increase due to environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances simple proximity detection by adding spatial dimensionality through offset measurements. The system determines not just that a badge is present, but its precise direction and distance from the vehicle. This multi-dimensional data allows the system to filter out false alarms by analyzing the spatial context and movement patterns of detected badges.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors badge locations and provides feedback through path mapping over time. By analyzing the temporal and spatial patterns of badge detections, the system can distinguish between legitimate tracking targets and false alarms, improving reliability while maintaining detection simplicity.
3Loss of information
If continuous badge tracking is implemented, then complete movement history is captured, but data processing and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the essential elements of badge movement data - creating path mappings that capture the trajectory and location history of badges. Rather than storing all raw detection data, the system processes and stores condensed path information, reducing data volume while preserving complete movement history.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides automated electronic badge tracking, improved machine-to-machine communication, and enhanced situational awareness, allowing industrial vehicles to collectively track badges over time with reduced false alarms and improved operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
receiving, by the badge communicator, a badge identifier transmitted by the detected electronic badge
Implementation Method 2
an environmental-based location tracking device on the industrial vehicle identifies an absolute position of the industrial vehicle within a limited, defined environment
Data Source
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AI summary
Electronic badges are indirectly tracked by detecting, by a badge communicator on a select industrial vehicle of a fleet of industrial vehicles, the presence of an electronic badge and performing a badge logging transaction in response to detecting the electronic badge. The badge logging transaction includes receiving, by the badge communicator, a badge identifier transmitted by the detected electronic badge. The badge logging transaction also includes determining, by the badge communicator, an offset measurement of the electronic badge relative to the select industrial vehicle, electronically determining a vehicle location of the select industrial vehicle, and identifying a badge location based upon the determined vehicle location and the measured offset. The badge logging transaction can also include generating a time stamp, and wirelessly communicating a badge locator message to a remote server, the badge locator message including the badge identifier, the badge location, and the timestamp.