Zone-Based Asset Tracking Using Mobile Visual Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional RTLS systems require substantial investment in sensing and communication infrastructure, making them unaffordable for many institutional sites that need to locate objects efficiently, such as manufacturing plants and healthcare facilities.
Innovation Solution
A simplified locating and directing system that utilizes staff members, who are familiar with the site and assets, by dividing the area into zones and using a combination of short-range communication signals and visual features to guide staff to the location of assets, reducing the need for extensive infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a typical RTLS system is deployed with substantial sensing and communication infrastructure, then real-time location information can be obtained, but the investment cost becomes prohibitive for many institutional sites
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential location detection function from the complex RTLS infrastructure by using mobile devices already present in the site. Instead of deploying dedicated sensing infrastructure, the system utilizes cameras and processors in existing mobile devices to detect visual features and determine locations, thereby eliminating the need for expensive fixed active devices and communication infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs mobile devices that staff members already carry and use for other purposes. These devices perform location detection and reporting functions autonomously without requiring additional dedicated equipment. The mobile device's existing camera and processor are repurposed for location detection, and the device automatically reports its own location and the locations of detected objects
2Measurement precision
If the number of fixed active devices is increased to improve location resolution, then location precision improves, but the system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using fixed active devices to detect movable objects, the patent inverts the approach by using movable mobile devices to detect both their own position and the positions of objects. The mobile device moves through the site and actively captures images to determine locations, reversing the traditional passive fixed-device architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional sensor network deployment to a three-dimensional approach by utilizing the mobile device's movement through space and time. Location is determined not just by spatial distribution of sensors but by the temporal sequence of observations from a moving viewpoint, adding the time dimension to location detection
3Reliability
If conventional RTLS infrastructure is deployed to locate restricted objects, then security control is achieved, but the cost and complexity become unaffordable for many sites
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device performs multiple functions: it serves as a camera for detecting visual features, a GPS receiver for determining location, a processor for analyzing images and determining object locations, and a reporting device for communicating location information. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated devices for each security function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual features as intermediaries between the mobile device and the objects being tracked. Instead of direct communication between dedicated tracking devices and objects, the mobile device captures images containing visual features (such as QR codes or distinctive markers), which serve as mediators to identify and locate restricted objects
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for keeping restricted objects within a confined area that forms part of an institutional site. The confined area having lockable exits, a safe area where the restricted objects are designated to stay, a buffer area adjacent to the first area, and a lock area situated between the buffer area and the lockable exits. The system detects whether the restricted object is in the buffer area or in the lock area and checks whether the restricted object is authorized to leave the safe area. Upon recognizing that the restricted object is in the buffer area and is not authorized to leave the safe area, the system sends a message to a tag of a staff member, instructing to move the restricted object back to the safe area; upon recognizing that the restricted object is in the lock area and is not authorized to leave the safe area, the system sends a locking signal to lockable exits.