Electronic asset location identification and tracking system with receiver clustering

Abstract

A system and method for determining the presence of an asset or person at a particular spot within a location. The asset or person is provided with a beacon transmitting a beacon signal. A plurality of receivers are disposed throughout the location. In one embodiment, two or more adjacent or nearby receivers are grouped together to define a receiver cluster. The receiver cluster having the highest average signal strength from the signal being transmitted from the beacon of the asset or person as determined by an electronic identification and location tracking system determines the particular area within the location where the asset or person is present at.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for registering a location with an electronic location identification and tracking system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a. installing a plurality of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers at a location;   b. electronically entering configuration information for each wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receiver and information regarding a specific spot within the location that each receiver is installed in an electronic location identification and tracking system; and   c. electronically defining clusters of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers from the plurality of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers by the electronic location identification and tracking system.   
     
     
         2 . The method for registering a location of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of electronically entering information regarding a minimum beacon signal strength threshold for each of the receivers in a cluster of receivers defined in step (c) through the electronic location identification and tracking system and storing the entered minimum signal strength thresholds in the electronic database. 
     
     
         3 . The method for registering a location of  claim 2  wherein when a beacon signal is received by a receiver in the cluster of receivers that has a signal strength above the minimum signal strength threshold a presence determination is performed by the electronic location identification and tracking system and said method further comprising the steps of electronically entering instructions for handling any beacon signals received by the receiver that are below the minimum signal strength threshold or lack of received beacon signal by one or more receivers in the cluster during a presence determination through the electronic location identification and tracking system and storing the entered instructions in the electronic database. 
     
     
         4 . The method for registering a location of  claim 3  wherein the instructions are selected from one of the following group: (1) automatically considering that an asset or person associated with the beacon signal is not present at the specific spot assigned to the receiver cluster; (2) assigning a default or static value for each receiver in the cluster who did not receive a beacon signal that met the minimum signal strength threshold; or (3) discarding each receiver in the receiver cluster who did not receive a beacon signal that met the minimum signal strength threshold from any calculation performed by the electronic location identification and tracking system for the presence determination of an asset or person at the specific spot assigned to the receiver cluster. 
     
     
         5 . The method for registering a location of  claim 2  further comprising the step of electronically entering information regarding a minimum time duration that a receiver must receive a beacon signal having a beacon signal strength threshold for each of the receivers in the cluster of receivers defined in step (c) in order for a receiver to be considered to have a receive a valid signal from a beacon associated with an asset or person through the electronic location identification and tracking system and storing the entered minimum time duration for each receiver in the electronic database. 
     
     
         6 . The method for registering a location of  claim 1  wherein the configuration information for each receiver in a receiver cluster comprises a MAC address and a Name, wherein the Name is related to an area at the location and is the same for each receiver in the receiver cluster and the MAC address is unique to a specific receiver such that each receiver in the receiver cluster has a different MAC address. 
     
     
         7 . The method for registering a location of  claim 2  further comprising the step of electronically entering information regarding a minimum time duration that a receiver doesn't receive a beacon signal or a beacon signal that is below the beacon signal strength threshold for each of the receivers in the cluster of receivers defined in step (c) and storing the entered minimum time duration for each receiver in the electronic database. 
     
     
         8 . A method for determining a presence of an asset or person at a particular area within a location by an electronic location identification and tracking system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a. electronically receiving a beacon signal from a beacon associated with a particular asset or person by one or more wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers;   b. electronically determining whether the beacon signal is from a known beacon;   c. for each signal from a known beacon, electronically determining a signal strength for the signal received by the one or more receivers; and   d. wherein if the signal strength is above a preconfigured minimum signal strength value electronically determining by an electronic location identification and tracking system that the asset or person is present at the location associated with the receiver.   
     
     
         9 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 8  wherein the one or more wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers is a plurality of receivers disposed throughout a location and wherein two or more of the receivers from the plurality of receivers are grouped together to define receiver clusters with cluster comprising two or more receivers that are not part of any other cluster, wherein the method further comprising the steps of electronically determining if a signal was received from the known beacon by each receiver associated within a particular cluster of receivers. 
     
     
         10 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 9  wherein if the signal was received by each receiver associated within the particular cluster of receivers further comprising the step of electronically determining a signal strength for each beacon signal received by the one or more receivers. 
     
     
         11 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 10  further comprising the step of electronically determining an average signal strength from all of the signal strengths determined from the signal received by the receivers from the particular cluster, where all of the signal strengths exceed the preconfigured minimum signal strength 
     
     
         12 . The method for determining a presence of an asset or person of  claim 11  wherein for the cluster of receivers having a highest average signal strength electronically determining that a particular spot within the location associated with the cluster of receiver having the highest average signal strength is the location where the asset or person is present. 
     
     
         13 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 8  wherein where the signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for the receiver further comprising the step of electronically determining if the signal strength remains above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for a preconfigured period of time. 
     
     
         14 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 11  wherein for each receiver in the particular cluster where the signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for the receiver further comprising the step of electronically determining if the signal strength remains above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for a preconfigured period of time. 
     
     
         15 . The method for determining a presence of  claim 11  wherein if a signal was not received or a received signal was below the preconfigured minimum signal strength by each receiver associated with the particular cluster further comprising the step of either (i) using a static value for each receiver who did not receive a signal or a signal below the minimum signal strength when calculating an average signal strength for the particular cluster, or (ii) calculating the average signal strength only from the receivers who received a signal having a signal strength above the preconfigured minimum signal strength. 
     
     
         16 . A method for determining a presence of an asset or person at a particular area within a location by an electronic location identification and tracking system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a. electronically receiving one or more signals containing identification information from at least one wireless beacon associated with a particular asset or person by one or more wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers running an electronic location identification and tracking system application (“App”);   b. electronically determining by the App whether each beacon signal received is from a beacon whose identifier is previously programmed into the App;   c. for each known beacon signal received by the App, electronically querying a database to electronically receive asset or person properties for each known beacon and to electronically receive location properties for the one or more receivers, wherein the location properties include information on the number and identity of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers grouped as a particular cluster of receivers for the particular area within the location; and   d. electronically determining by the App if a signal was received from each wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receiver associated with the particular cluster of receivers.   
     
     
         17 . The method for determining a presence of an asset or person of  claim 16  wherein if a signal was received by each wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receiver associated with the particular cluster of receivers in step (d) further comprising the steps of:
 (e) electronically determining a signal strength for each beacon signal received by the one or more receivers; 
 (f) electronically determining an average signal strength from all of the signal strengths received in step (e); and 
 (g) electronically comparing the average signal strength to a preconfigured minimum signal strength value for the particular area or particular cluster of receivers. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method for determining presence of an asset or person of  claim 17  wherein if the average signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value the asset or person is considered present at the particular area within the location associated with the particular cluster of receivers. 
     
     
         19 . The method for determining a presence of an asset or person of  claim 17  wherein where the average signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value further comprising the step of electronically determining if the average signal strength remains above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for a preconfigured period of time. 
     
     
         20 . The method for determining a presence of an asset or person of  claim 16  wherein if a signal was not received by each wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receiver associated with the particular cluster of receivers in step (d) further comprising the step of either (i) using a static value for each missing receiver who did not receive a signal when calculating an average signal strength for the beacon signals of the beacons within proximity of a particular cluster of receivers, or (ii) calculating the average signal strength from the beacon signals received from the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based receivers associated with the particular cluster of receivers.