Local positioning with communication tags

A method comprising:

• reading tag data from at least one wireless communication tag of a plurality of wireless communication tags distributed in spaced-apart fixed positions extending along a compartment in a vehicle with a passenger-request assembly disposed in the compartment proximate to the at least one wireless communication tag with the at least one wireless communication tag disposed proximate to a first seat in the compartment;
• generating, by the passenger-request assembly, a communication-tag signal representative of the read tag data;
• transmitting the communication-tag signal by the passenger-request assembly;
• receiving by a data processing assembly including a server assembly remote from the passenger-request assembly the transmitted communication-tag signals;
• receiving a passenger-service request input by a passenger seated in the first seat by the passenger-request assembly;
• generating by the passenger-request assembly a passenger-request signal representative of the received passenger-service request;
• transmitting the passenger-request signal by the passenger-request assembly;
• receiving by the server assembly the transmitted passenger-request signal;
• accessing, by the data processing assembly, a mapping of the plurality of wireless communication tags relative to the vehicle;
• and
• determining by the server assembly a seat location of the first seat based at least in part on the received communication-tag signal, the received passenger-request signal, and the mapping of the plurality of wireless communication tags relative to the vehicle.

An aircraft comprising:

• a passenger cabin having a plurality of groups of associated passenger seats distributed in the passenger cabin, a first group of associated passenger seats of the plurality of groups of associated passenger seats including at least a first passenger seat;
• a plurality of wireless communication tags disposed in spaced-apart fixed positions within the passenger cabin;
• and
• a passenger service system including a wireless communication-tag reader, a passenger-request unit, and a server assembly, the wireless communication-tag reader operatively coupled to the passenger-request unit, disposed proximate to the first group of associated passenger seats, and configured to read one or more of the wireless communication tags proximate to the wireless communication-tag reader, the passenger-request unit being configured to generate a communication-tag signal representative of the read tag data and a passenger-request signal representative of a passenger-service request input by a passenger seated in the first passenger seat, and transmit wirelessly the communication-tag signal and the passenger-request signal, and the server assembly configured to wirelessly receive the transmitted communication-tag signal and passenger-request signal and determine a seat location in the passenger cabin of the first seat based on the passenger-service request and the read tag data.