Mobile Tags for Proximity Tracking via BLE Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current smartphone-based proximity tracking methods consume high power, shorten battery life, and require users to carry expensive or hygienically unsuitable devices, making them impractical for certain environments and industries.
Innovation Solution
A system using mobile tags that communicate via short-range wireless protocols like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) without internet connectivity, routing data through smartphones or tablets to a central server, allowing for proximity tracking without the need for direct network access or fixed infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If smartphones continuously listen for Bluetooth signals to record proximity interactions, then proximity tracking accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the proximity tracking function into two separate components: mobile tags that continuously transmit Bluetooth signals and smartphones that periodically scan and record interactions. This segmentation allows the tags to use low-power transmission while smartphones handle the energy-intensive scanning and data processing, resolving the contradiction between tracking accuracy and power consumption.
2Ease of operation
If smartphones are used for proximity tracking, then contact recording capability is improved, but device cost and hygiene requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential proximity recording function from smartphones and implements it in simpler, cheaper mobile tags. The tags contain only the minimum necessary components (Bluetooth transmitter, identifier memory) to perform contact recording, eliminating the need for expensive smartphone hardware while maintaining the core functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces expensive smartphones with inexpensive mobile tags that can be easily manufactured and distributed. These tags serve as disposable or temporary proximity identifiers, reducing the barrier to entry and enabling widespread deployment without requiring users to invest in or maintain expensive devices.
3Productivity
If smartphones with tracking apps are required, then proximity data collection is improved, but system accessibility and user burden worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile tags automatically perform proximity data collection without requiring user action or smartphone applications. The tags continuously transmit their identifiers and automatically record interactions with other tags, enabling passive, autonomous data collection that eliminates the need for users to install, configure, or maintain tracking software.
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
This approach reduces deployment costs, mitigates security concerns, and extends battery life by using simpler, cheaper tags that do not require long-range wireless interfaces, enabling efficient and secure proximity tracking in various settings.
Implementation Method 1
sending a wireless signal from a first mobile tag of a plurality of mobile tags, the wireless signal communicating identification information associated with the first mobile tag
Data Source
AI summary
A method for determining proximity comprises sending a wireless signal from a first mobile tag (120a) of a plurality of mobile tags (120), the wireless signal communicating identification information associated with the first mobile tag (120a). The wireless signal is received at a second mobile tag (120b) of the plurality of mobile tags (120), and proximity data comprising the identification information is stored in a memory (127b) of the second mobile tag (120b). The proximity data is sent from the second mobile tag (120b) to a mobile communication device (110) using a first wireless protocol, is received at a mobile communication device (110), and is stored in a memory (117) of the mobile communication device (110). The proximity data is sent from the mobile communication device (110) to a server (130) using a second wireless protocol, and the proximity data is stored in a memory (137) of the server (130).