Directional Antenna and Camera Portal for User Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for monitoring user entry and inventory movement in facilities lack efficient and unobtrusive methods for identifying individuals and tracking their movements, leading to inaccuracies and inefficiencies in inventory management.
Innovation Solution
A portal system that uses directional antennas and mobile devices with sensors to emit and receive signals, combining data from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and cameras to accurately track user movement and associate them with accounts, enabling precise tracking and inventory management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional monitoring methods are used to track user entry and inventory movement, then system complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and tracking accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing modalities (directional antennas for RF signals, cameras for visual tracking, accelerometers, and gyroscopes) into a unified portal system. This merging of sensors allows the system to achieve high tracking precision through data fusion while managing complexity through integrated architecture where all sensors work together to monitor user entry and inventory movement simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The portal system acts as an intermediary between users/inventory and the monitoring system. By positioning sensors at strategic entry points and using mobile devices as intermediaries to carry multiple sensors through the facility, the system achieves accurate tracking without requiring complex distributed sensing throughout the entire facility.
2Measurement precision
If directional antennas and cameras are deployed at portals to identify users, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portal system is designed as a multi-functional unit that simultaneously performs user identification, inventory tracking, and movement monitoring using the same set of directional antennas and cameras. This universal approach allows the system to achieve high identification accuracy while avoiding the complexity of separate specialized systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring function is segmented and concentrated at specific portal locations rather than distributed throughout the facility. By placing directional antennas and cameras only at entry/exit portals, the system achieves accurate user identification at critical points while minimizing overall system complexity by avoiding unnecessary sensors in low-priority areas.
3Productivity
If mobile devices with multiple sensors are used for tracking, then productivity improves, but loss of information decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile devices continuously provide feedback through their sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) about user movement and position. This real-time feedback loop allows the system to maintain accurate tracking information while improving productivity by enabling dynamic monitoring of inventory and user interactions throughout the facility.
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 allows for unimpeded user entry and accurate tracking of individuals and inventory movements, improving facility operations and user experience by enhancing the association of user identities with inventory interactions.
Implementation Method 1
The antennas provide gain in a particular direction at a particular frequency and are arranged to provide coverage within an area through which one or more users may pass. A mobile device with a transmitter passes through the area and transmits a signal.
Implementation Method 2
A camera with a field-of-view including at least a portion of the portal is used to obtain image data comprising an image of the person.
Data Source
AI summary
A facility may include antennas directed to a known location and cameras with a field-of-view that encompasses the known location. The antennas acquire a device identifier and device data from a mobile device carried by a user at the known location. Antenna data is then generated to describe the data acquired by the antennas. Image data is also generated from the cameras to include images of a person at the known location. The antenna data and image data are then processed to determine estimated motion values and a comparison of such values is performed to check if such motion values are within a threshold of one another. If the motion values are within a threshold of each other, data indicative of presence of the mobile device at the known location is generated.