Spatial Indexing Engine for Dynamic Asset Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing asset tracking systems are limited in their ability to manage location and status information for assets in dynamic environments, such as ships or buildings, as they require active or passive tags for each asset and fail to account for changes in the surrounding structure, and often rely on GPS which may be unreliable in such settings.
Innovation Solution
A data management framework that includes a mobile interface device, local positioning system, central processor, domain coordinate management system, asset log, and spatial indexing engine to capture and store information about assets within a structural environment, allowing for dynamic assignment of spatial addresses and updates to asset information, even in environments where the structure is changing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If GPS technology is used for wide area tracking, then location information can be obtained over large areas, but the system becomes unsuitable for narrow tracking within particular sub-spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the tracking space into multiple levels: wide-area GPS tracking for overall asset location, and local sub-space tracking within specific compartments or rooms. This segmentation allows the system to provide both broad coverage and detailed localized tracking by dividing the monitoring function across different spatial scales and technological approaches.
2Quantity of substance
If transponders or tags are attached to every asset, then location information can be transmitted to a central processor, but the number of assets that can be tracked is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs universal tracking infrastructure including fixed transponders in the environment, mobile interface devices that can track multiple assets, and a centralized processor that manages diverse asset types. This multi-functional approach allows a single system to track numerous different assets without requiring unique complex configurations for each asset type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces mobile interface devices and environmental transponders as intermediaries between assets and the central processor. These intermediaries relay location information, reducing the need for direct communication equipment on every asset and thereby increasing the number of trackable assets while managing system complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional tracking systems are used in dynamic environments, then asset location can be monitored, but the systems fail to account for changes in the surrounding structure
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic tracking by continuously updating the relationship between asset locations and the changing structural environment. Mobile interface devices and environmental transponders work together to maintain accurate location data even as compartments, rooms, or structural elements move or change configuration, allowing the system to adapt to dynamic conditions in real-time.
4Loss of information
If objects are equipped with active or passive tags, then location information can be transmitted, but status information must be determined and reported by an observer
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables assets to self-report their status information through integrated sensors and communication capabilities. Rather than requiring external observers to determine and report status, equipped assets automatically transmit their own operational status, condition data, and other relevant information to the central processor, reducing the complexity of information collection.
Data Source
AI summary
An asset information management system is provided for obtaining and storing information on assets disposed within a structural environment. The system comprises at least one mobile interface device for capturing information about a target object in the structural environment. An information management operating system operates on a central processor in communication with the mobile interface device and a local positioning system. The domain coordinate management system comprises one or more computers configured for establishing spatial addresses for spaces and points within the structural environment. The asset log comprises one or more data storage modules configured for storing information associated with objects disposed within the structural environment. The spatial indexing engine is configured for assigning a spatial address to the target object and for storing information associated with the target object in the asset log.