EP3266010A1

EP3266010A1 - Wireless tracking system for automated geotagging

Info

Publication number: EP3266010A1
Application number: EP16707655.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Davide MANZONI
Original assignee: Five Stones Group Srl
Current assignee: Five Stones Group Srl
Priority date: 2015-03-03
Filing date: 2016-02-15
Publication date: 2018-01-10
Also published as: WO2016165851A1

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system for tracking objects comprising: at least two tags, capable of broadcasting wireless signals, preferably Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signals, and at least one mobile device, preferably a smartphone or tablet, adapted to receive said broadcasted wireless signals within the area of the transmission range of said wireless signals, and to run a mobile application, wherein said mobile application is further configured to measure the intensity of said wireless signals received by the mobile device, preferably by means of received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and to automatically operate a predetermined function when the intensity of the signal of at least one of said at least two tags is measured to be below or over a selected threshold; wherein said predetermined function is selected by said mobile application from at least one list of functions, and wherein said selection is dependent on the measured intensity of the signals received from each of said tags.

Description

WIRELESS TRACKING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED GEOTAGGING

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention is directed to systems and methods for automatically locating one or more items by means of wireless communicating devices.

[0002] The system of the invention comprises at least two tags capable of broadcasting wireless signals, and at least one mobile device, preferably a smartphone or a tablet, adapted to receive said wireless signals when in proximity of said tags (i.e. when the mobile device is within the area of the transmission range of said wireless signals), and to run a mobile application configured to measure the intensity of the signals of each of the tags at the same time; said application is further configured to operate a predetermined function when the intensity of the wireless signal of at least one of the at least two tags is below or over a selected threshold; wherein said predetermined function is automatically selected from at least one list of functions and said selection is dependent on the intensity measured for each of the at least two tags.

[0003] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first tag is attached to a vehicle and a second tag is attached to a personal item, e.g. to the ignition keys for said vehicle; when the signal emitted by at least one of the tags is measured by the mobile device to be below or over a selected threshold, the mobile device automatically operates a predetermined function in response of that, which function depends on the signal intensity of both tags measured by the mobile device.

Back round of the invention

[0004] Electronic tracking systems are wireless communicating systems capable of locating or tracking people, animals and/or objects. In particular, said tracking systems are capable of locating or tracking people, animals and/or objects which emit a wireless signal that is received by said tracking system. A particular example is the GPS technology, capable of determining the position of an object, e.g. of a vehicle, and tracking it while it moves: the GPS tracking system receives the signals transmitted by satellites and elaborates said signals into spatial positioning information. Nowadays GPS is extensively used, for example in satellite navigation systems or in mobile devices, however devices implemented with GPS technology still have elevated costs and/or require high power consumption. [0005] Convenient systems have been developed for tracking objects by taking advantage of near-field wireless connection systems, such as the Bluetooth technology. Recently, low energy Bluetooth technology (BLE) has been developed, which provides considerably reduced power consumption and costs, while maintaining a similar communication range compared to traditional Bluetooth technology.

[0006] The availability of more convenient communication systems for implementing tracking devices has led to the development and commercialization of many different tracking systems, with multiple functionalities. Said functionalities comprise for example indoor geo-fencing, geotagging, proximity marketing, localization of lost items and the so-called "virtual leash".

[0007] A virtual leash is a system capable of tracking out-of-sight items by pairing ("leashing") one or more wireless devices (tags), attached to said items, to a tracking device capable of receiving a wireless signal transmitted by said tags and to provide information on the location of the tags. For example, a tag attached to an object, such as a key holder or a wallet, transmits a wireless signal, preferably a radio signal, which can be received by a mobile device, which is in proximity of the object. Typically, the tags have an ID number encoded, which is recognized only by the tracking device(s) that have registered said ID number. When the object is lost, the user can activate the mobile device to scan for wireless signals transmitted by the tags attached to lost objects; when the signal of said tags is received by the mobile device, optionally after ID number recognition, the location of the object is displayed on the mobile device and/or the object provides an alert, e.g. an audible or visible alert. In a typical configuration, when an item is lost, the user needs to run an application on the mobile phone in order to activate the object tracking. Objects tracking is thus typically activated manually by the user. Virtual leashes can also be configured to automatically generate an alert on the mobile device when the distance of the "leashed" object (measured in terms of intensity of the signal) from the mobile device exceeds a selected threshold distance, e.g. when the mobile device does not receive any more the signal emitted by the tag.

[0008] US2014135041 and US2014135042 disclose a virtual leash system, comprising a tag (beacon in the patent applications) adhered to an object and a mobile application adapted to locating the beacon via wireless means, preferably via BLE. The wireless communication components may include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) module for measuring and calculating the distance of the wireless signals. In an embodiment of said systems, when the beacon moves away from the mobile device, an alarm is issued. US2014135042 further discloses beacon devices which comprise an accelerometer for detecting motion of the beacon; in response to said motion, a GPS tracker is activated.

[0009] Also US2012034946 discloses a system comprising a tag and a master control unit with RSSI; the tags of said system have numerical indication and sensors. The system is capable of operating several functions such as: activate an alarm when the tag is out of a selected range from the master control unit; start a search of the tag by input on the master control; activate an alarm when the tag is exposed to high or low temperatures. The system of US2012034946 may be employed for example to connect parent (who bears the master control unit) and child (who bears the tag).

[0010] The increasing circulation of wireless tracking systems may also provide networks of users capable of tracking each other devices in background, thus allowing tracking tags "longdistance". As an example, US2014213301A1 discloses systems for locating a tag which takes advantage of a community of users: the location of a lost item is received on the mobile device of the owner, when the mobile device of one of the users of a community tracks the tag attached to said item. The system is either activated by input of the owner of the tracking device or, without user's input, by the system itself, signalling that the tracking device is not located within proximity of the mobile device.

[0011] Parking locating systems in parking lots have been developed, which make use of tracking devices. WO2014159873 discloses a system which is capable of determining whether a car is moving or has stopped and, in response of said analysis, it can either store the parking location of the car or provide an inventory of the objects that are within communication range of a mobile communication device, and/or compare the stored inventory of objects to the current objects that are within communication range with the mobile communication device, to determine if a user should be alerted due to a missing tag. Said system comprises a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone, which may be in continual wireless communication with a wireless device (vehicle tag) that is electrically coupled to an automobile, e.g. to the electrical system of the automobile through a cigarette lighter adapter. The vehicle tag monitors the operational state of the automobile through said electrical coupling; optionally said operational state can be determined by evaluating motion of the vehicle by means of an accelerometer integrated in the vehicle tag. The system of WO2014159873, however, could activate unduly actions, thus unnecessarily employing power energy due to the misinterpretation of the operational state of the vehicle: for example, it may store the parking location of the car which has only momentarily stop, e.g. for picking up or setting down a passenger.

[0012] The present invention provides a simple and cheap electronic tracking system which is optimized for automatically providing a multiplicity of services, avoiding unnecessary activation of functionalities and leading therefore to reduced power consumption. Said services comprise geotagging of a vehicle, localization of personal items and virtual leashing of the same.

Detailed description of the invention

[0013] The present invention is directed to a tracking systems comprising at least two tags, capable of broadcasting wireless signals, preferably Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signals, and at least one mobile device, preferably a smartphone or tablet, wherein said mobile device is adapted to receive said wireless signals when in proximity of the tags and to run a mobile application configured to measure the intensity of said wireless signals and to automatically operate a predetermined function when the intensity of the signal of at least one of the at least two tags is below or over a selected threshold, wherein the mobile application selects said predetermined function from at least one list of functions and said selection is dependent on the measured intensity of the signals received from each of the at least two tags.

[0014] Preferably, the mobile device comprises means of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) capable of measuring the intensity of the wireless signals. The intensity of the wireless signals is inversely proportional to the distance between the mobile device and the tags: when the distance between the tag and the mobile device increases, the intensity of the signal received by the mobile device decreases.

[0015] Said selected threshold, below or over of which the mobile application of the invention operates a predetermined function, may be a default threshold determined by the mobile application, or it may be selected and set up on the mobile application by the user.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said threshold is the measured signal intensity received by the mobile device when it is at the limit of the transmission range of the broadcasting tag; for example, said threshold is equal to the signal intensity measured by the mobile device at about 80 meters of distance from the tag, when the broadcasting tag comprises a BLE transmitter.

[0017] The tags of the system of invention are suitable for being attached to or integrated within personal items. Preferably, said tags are embedded in stickers comprising an adhesive surface.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first tag of the system is attached to or integrated within a motor or non-motor vehicle, such as a commercial vehicle, a car, a truck, a bike, a motorbike, a wheelchair, etc., and a second tag is attached to or integrated within a personal item, preferably to a key. More preferably, a first tag is attached to or integrated within a motor vehicle such as a car, a truck, or a motorbike and a second tag is attached to or integrated within the ignition key for said vehicle; in another embodiment, a first tag is preferably attached to or integrated within a non-motor vehicle, e.g. a bike or a wheel chair, and a second tag is attached to or integrated within the key of a lock for said non-motor vehicle.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the system of the invention comprises a first tag attached to a motor or non-motor vehicle (vehicle tag) and a second tag attached to a personal item (personal tag), preferably a personal item born by the user, more preferably to the ignition key of said vehicle; when the mobile device is in proximity of the tags and receives a wireless signal from both tags, an application is activated on said mobile device, configured to measure the intensity of said signals; when the intensity of the signal of at least one of the two tags is measured to be below a selected threshold, or when the intensity of the signal of at least one of the two tags is measured to be over a selected threshold, the application automatically operates a predetermined function, which function is selected from at least one list of functions on the basis of the intensity of the signals transmitted by both the first and the second tag.

[0020] Examples of preferred predetermined functions selected on the basis of the signals transmitted by a vehicle tag and by a personal tag, measured by a mobile device, and on their relative intensity, are hereafter provided.

[0021] Example 1 : The mobile application measures the intensity of the signals received from both the vehicle tag and the personal item tag, when the mobile device is in proximity of these, e.g. when the user gets in the car or motorbike. (The term "in proximity" is used herein to mean that the mobile device of the invention is located within the transmission range of the tags). The mobile application measures the intensity of the tags' signals; when the intensity of the signal transmitted by the vehicle tag is measured to be below a selected threshold, while the intensity of the personal item is measured to be over said threshold, the application automatically selects the function of geotagging the vehicle from said list of functions. Such a situation occurs in fact when the user has parked the vehicle and is departing from it bearing e.g. the keys. The system of the invention allows thus automatically geotagging of the vehicle when it is parked, without the need for the user of personally interrogate the mobile device for that. Furthermore, it avoids useless geotagging in response of a temporary stop of the vehicle for e.g. setting down a passenger. In fact, when the vehicle is temporarily stopped and not parked, the user is still on board, thus the application will measure the signals of both the vehicle tag and the personal item tag over the selected threshold, as both the tags are in proximity of the mobile device.

[0022] Example 2: The mobile application measures the intensity of the signals received from both the vehicle tag and the personal item tag, when the mobile device is in proximity of these, e.g. when the user gets in the car or motorbike. When the intensity of both the signals transmitted by the vehicle tag and the personal item tag are measured to be below a selected threshold, the application automatically selects the function of notifying the user that the personal item has been forgotten on the vehicle. Preferably, said notification is in the form of a text message on the mobile device and/or of an audible alarm emitted by the mobile device. When, for example, the personal item is the ignition key, the system of the invention prevents the user from forgetting the keys on the vehicle, thus preventing potential car or motorbike theft.

[0023] Example 3: The mobile application measures the intensity of the signals received from both the vehicle tag and the personal item tag, when the mobile device is in proximity of these, e.g. when the user gets in the vehicle. When the intensity of the signals transmitted by the personal item tag is below a selected threshold, while the intensity emitted by the vehicle tag is not, an audible or visible alarm on the personal item tag warns the user that the mobile device has been forgotten on the vehicle; the alarm on the tag is automatically activated by the mobile application in response of said measured signals.

[0024] Example 4: The mobile application measures the intensity of the signals received from both the vehicle tag and the personal item tag, when the mobile device is in proximity of these, e.g. when the user gets in the car or motorbike. When the intensity of the signals transmitted by the personal item tag and the intensity of the signals transmitted by the vehicle tag are both over a selected threshold, the application activates the tracking of the vehicle, preferably by activating a GPS tracking system integrated within the mobile device. For example, the personal item may be the ignition key and the selected threshold may be selected as the signal intensity measurable when the user is near the tag, e.g. the vehicle. When the user gets into the vehicle and starts driving, the signal intensity of both the vehicle and the ignition key will be over the selected threshold; the system of the invention will thus automatically start tracking the vehicle, preferably by means of GPS system, when the user is driving, while tracking will not be activated when the user is only near the vehicle and not inside it (as the signal received from vehicle tag will not be measured to be over the selected threshold).

[0025] In another preferred embodiment of the invention, one of the at least two tags is a vehicle tag and the vehicle is a bicycle. The system of the present invention is much cheaper that the current systems capable of automatically operate geotagging and tracking of vehicles (e.g. GPS systems). Consequently, it is suitable for being employed also on low cost vehicles such as bicycles.

[0026] Preferably, the at least two tags of the system of the invention encode a predefined ID code and wirelessly transmit said encoded ID code within a specified range; the mobile device for use with said tags preferably have a registered ID matching said ID code from the wireless transmission of said tags.

[0027] Preferably, at least one of the at least two tags of the system of the invention comprises a micro-speaker capable of sounding an alarm.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the at least two tags of the invention comprises a device capable of sensing motion of the tag (motion sensor), more preferably an accelerometer. Preferably, the mobile application is configured to send an emergency alert, e.g. a text message or an audible alarm, when a deceleration over a predetermined threshold is revealed by said motion sensor, e.g. in case of a car accident.

[0029] According to a further preferred embodiment, wherein at least one of the at least two tags comprises said motion sensor, the tag is configured to make the mobile device, in proximity of said tag, operate an action, e.g. activating sounding or vibration, when the tag is shaken. For example, when a user is not able to find the mobile device, he/she can shake an object on which the tag is attached, e.g. keys, and find the mobile device in proximity of the tag, as it vibrates or rings. For example, the mobile application can be configured to make the mobile device vibrating or ringing when it receives a signal from the accelero meter of the tag.

[0030] Preferably, at least one of the at least two tags of the system of the invention comprises an emergency button. The emergency button is preferably configured to make the mobile device sending an emergency alert, e.g. to the mobile device of people selected by the user, when it is pushed for a selected time, preferably when it is pushed for more than 5 seconds, or alternatively when it is pushed consecutively for at least two times, more preferably for at least three times. Preferably the emergency alert comprises the last detected geotag of the user.

[0031] As an example of a possible configuration of the alarm, when the emergency button is activated, the app on the smartphone notifies the start of the procedure on sending the emergency message. The user can either deactivate the alarm, if e.g. it was sent by mistake, or take no action. In the latter case, the smartphone will send the alarm message, preferably including geo localization. After sending the alarm message the app will notify the user. If the alarm is not deactivated within a pre-set time, e.g. 15 s, the system will send a second message with a code to allow continuous monitoring of the position of the smartphone.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, the system of the invention is further capable of tracking in background the tags of other users; preferably, the mobile application of the system of the invention is configured to geotag tags of other users, e.g. tags whose encoded ID number is not registered on said mobile application; in this way it is possible to create a network of users of the system of the invention which can advantageously track stolen or lost items of users whose mobile device is out of the transmission range of the tag.

[0033] Furthermore, by measuring the signal intensity of each of the at least two tags, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and operating selected actions which depend on the signals measured from each of said tags, the system of the invention "links" one tag to the other, so that when one of said tags is lost it can be easily localized by means of the others. This is particularly advantageous when one of the tags is attached to or integrated within a vehicle.

[0034] The system of the invention is highly advantageous, compared to conventional virtual leashes. In fact, by integrating information (i.e. wireless signal intensity) provided by at least two tags, the system automatically performs selected functions without requiring user's intervention and minimizing errors due to unnecessary activation of functions, which otherwise would unduly increase power consumption of the device.

Claims

1. System for tracking objects comprising:

at least two tags, capable of broadcasting wireless signals, preferably Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signals, and

at least one mobile device, preferably a smartphone or tablet, adapted to receive said broadcasted wireless signals within the area of the transmission range of said wireless signals, and to run a mobile application,

wherein said mobile application is further configured to measure the intensity of said wireless signals received by the mobile device, preferably by means of received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and to automatically operate a predetermined function when the intensity of the signal of at least one of said at least two tags is measured to be below or over a selected threshold;

wherein said predetermined function is selected by said mobile application from at least one list of functions, and

wherein said selection is dependent on the measured intensity of the signals received from each of said tags.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first tag is attached to or integrated within a personal item (personal item tag).

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a second tag is attached to or integrated within a motor or non-motor vehicle (vehicle tag); preferably the vehicle is a car or a motorbike or a bicycle.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the personal item is a key.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the key is an ignition key for a car or a motorbike, or the key of a lock.

6. The system of claims 3-5, wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically operating the geotagging of the vehicle when the signal intensity of the vehicle tag is measured to be below the selected threshold and the signal intensity of the personal item tag is over said selected threshold.

7. The system of claims 3-5, wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically notifying the user that said personal item was left on said vehicle, when the intensity of both the signals transmitted by the vehicle tag and by the personal item tag are measured to be below a selected threshold.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the notification takes place by means of a text message or of an audible or visible alert on the mobile device.

9. The system of claims 3-5, wherein the mobile application is configured to activate an audible or visible alarm on the personal item tag when the intensity of the signal transmitted by the personal item tag is below the selected threshold, while the intensity of the signal transmitted by the vehicle tag is over said selected threshold.

10. The system of claims 3-5, wherein the mobile device comprises a GPS tracking system, and wherein the mobile application is configured to activate said GPS tracking system, when the intensity of the signal transmitted by both the personal item tag and the vehicle tag are over said selected threshold.

1 1. The system of claims 1-10, wherein the at least two tags encode an identification code, and wherein said identification code is registered on the mobile device.

12. The system of claims 1 -1 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two tags comprises a device capable of sensing motion of the tag.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the device capable of sensing motion of the tag is an accelerometer.