Method for tracking the location of a resident within a facility
Inventors
Devdas, Vikram • McNamara, Shane • Kanyuka, Andriy
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10805767-B2
Publication Date
2020-10-13
Expiration Date
Abstract
A variation of a method for tracking locations of residents within an assisted-care facility includes accessing pressure data recorded by wearable devices at known locations within the assisted-care facility; correlating the pressure data with known locations within the assisted-care facility to generate a map of pressure data at various locations within the assisted-care facility; accessing a first pressure value recorded by a first wearable device assigned to a first resident of the assisted-care facility at approximately the first time and representing a local pressure proximal the first wearable device at a first time; estimating a first location of the first wearable device within the assisted-care facility at approximately the first time based on alignment between the first pressure value and pressure data represented in the map; and recording the first location and a first resident identifier of the first resident assigned to the first wearable device to a database.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to tracking locations of residents within an assisted-care facility by combining wireless hub-to-wearable distance values with barometric pressure readings to calculate vertical position and determine a location within the facility. The method accesses a signal strength for a first wireless signal transmitted by a first wearable device and received by a first hub, where transmit power is known, and transforms the signal strength into a first distance value representing a distance from the first hub to the first wearable device at approximately the first time.
The method also accesses a first pressure value recorded by the first wearable device and a second pressure value recorded by the first hub at approximately the first time, each representing local pressure proximal the respective devices. A vertical position of the first wearable device within the assisted-care facility is calculated based on a difference between the first pressure value and the second pressure value, and a location within the assisted-care facility is calculated based on the first distance value and the vertical position.
In additional embodiments, pressure data is correlated with known locations within the assisted-care facility to generate a map of pressure data, and the location is estimated by alignment between a pressure value and pressure data represented in the map. The invention also triangulates a latitude and a longitude based on multiple distance values and maps pressure values to latitude, longitude, and vertical position corresponding to the location within the assisted-care facility.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are present. Across these claims, the coverage centers on converting wireless signal strength to hub-to-wearable distance values and using pressure differences to compute vertical position, and on generating and using a barometric pressure map at known locations to align wearable pressure readings to estimated locations, optionally with triangulation using multiple hubs.
Wireless signal strength to hub-to-wearable distance with known transmit power
Accessing a signal strength for a first wireless signal transmitted by a first wearable device and received by a first hub, where the first wireless signal is transmitted at a transmit power known by at least one of a remote computer system or the first hub, and transforming the signal strength into a first distance value representing a first distance from the first hub to the first wearable device at a first time.
Vertical position from wearable and hub pressure difference
Accessing a first pressure value recorded by the first wearable device at approximately the first time and representing local pressure proximal the first wearable device, and accessing a second pressure value recorded by the first hub at approximately the first time and representing local pressure proximal the first hub, and calculating a vertical position of the first wearable device within the assisted-care facility based on a difference between the first pressure value and the second pressure value.
Location estimation from distance and vertical position with database recording
Calculating a location within the assisted-care facility occupied by the first wearable device based on the first distance value and the vertical position occupied by the first wearable device at approximately the first time, and recording the location, a timestamp for the first time, and a first identifier assigned to the first wearable device to a database.
Pressure-map generation from pressure data at known locations
Accessing pressure data recorded by wearable devices at known locations within the assisted-care facility, and correlating the pressure data with known locations to generate a map of pressure data at various locations within the assisted-care facility.
Alignment of wearable pressure value to pressure map for location estimation
Accessing a first pressure value recorded by a first wearable device assigned to a first resident at approximately the first time and representing local pressure proximal the first wearable device, estimating a first location of the first wearable device within the assisted-care facility at approximately the first time based on alignment between the first pressure value and pressure data represented in the map, and recording the first location, a timestamp for the first time, and a first resident identifier to a database.
Distance values from multiple hubs and latitude/longitude triangulation
Accessing a first distance value, a second distance value, and a third distance value representing distances from first, second, and third hubs arranged within the assisted-care facility to the wearable device, wherein each distance is determined based on transmit power of a corresponding wireless signal and the transmit power is known by at least one of a remote computer system or a corresponding hub, and triangulating a latitude and a longitude of the respective wearable device within the assisted-care facility based on the first distance value and the second distance value and the third distance value.
Vertical position estimation from pressure data relative to historical pressure data and mapping to 3D position
Estimating a vertical position of each of the wearable devices based on the pressure data recorded by each of the wearable devices relative to historical pressure data recorded by other wearable devices proximal the latitude and the longitude, and mapping the pressure value to the latitude, the longitude, and the vertical position corresponding to a location of each of the wearable devices within the assisted-care facility.
The independent claims are grounded in estimating resident locations in an assisted-care facility by converting hub-received wireless signal strength into distance values and calculating vertical position from differences between pressure values at the wearable and the hub, with location recording to a database. A second independent claim extends the approach by correlating pressure data collected at known locations into a pressure-data map and estimating locations by alignment of wearable pressure readings to the mapped pressure data, with optional triangulation using distance values from multiple hubs and mapping into latitude, longitude, and vertical position.
Stated Advantages
Enables tracking locations of residents within an assisted-care facility.
Supports estimation of vertical position within the assisted-care facility based on differences between pressure values at the wearable device and the hub.
Supports estimating a location within the assisted-care facility occupied by a wearable device and recording it to a database.
Supports generating a map of pressure data at various locations within the assisted-care facility and estimating locations by alignment with the pressure-data map.
Supports triangulating latitude and longitude based on multiple distance values and mapping pressure values to latitude, longitude, and vertical position.
Documented Applications
Tracking locations of residents within an assisted-care facility by using wearable devices, hubs, wireless signals, pressure values, and recording estimated locations in a database.
Estimating wearable device locations by correlating pressure data with known locations within the assisted-care facility to generate a map of pressure data and aligning wearable pressure values to the map.
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