US 11,080,983 B2Granted

Automatically providing positional information via use of distributed sensor arrays

AssigneeDell Products L.P.

InventorsGian Martini, Mauricio Martins da Costa, Marcus Guilherme de Lima Garcia, Waleska Battistella

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Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and processor-readable storage media for providing positional information via use of distributed sensor arrays are provided herein. An example computer-implemented method includes generating and outputting one or more signals via at least one user identification device associated with a user; processing one or more signals output by at least one of multiple emitting sensors distributed in an array within a given indoor environment, wherein the signals output by the at least one emitting sensor are output in response to the signals output via the at least one user identification device, and wherein a least a portion of the multiple emitting sensors comprises infrared sensors; generating a message based on the processing of the signals output by the at least one emitting sensor, wherein the message pertains to positional information with respect to the given indoor environment; and outputting the generated message.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating and outputting one or more signals via at least one user identification device associated with at least one user;
implementing multiple occluders in connection with multiple emitting sensors distributed in an array within a given indoor environment, wherein implementing the multiple occluders comprises modifying two or more signal output spread angles for two or more of the multiple emitting sensors by variably moving two or more of the multiple occluders relative to the corresponding two or more emitting sensors;
processing one or more signals output by at least one of the multiple emitting sensors distributed in the array within the given indoor environment, wherein the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor comprise one or more signals, output in response to the one or more signals output via the at least one user identification device, shaped in a targeted manner via the implementation of a corresponding one or more of the multiple occluders in connection with the at least one emitting sensor, and wherein at least a portion of the multiple emitting sensors comprises infrared sensors;
generating a message based at least in part on the processing of the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor, wherein the message pertains to positional information with respect to the given indoor environment;
and
outputting the generated message;
wherein the method is performed by the at least one user identification device comprising a processor coupled to a memory.

4 more elements

A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device:

to generate and output one or more signals via at least one user identification device associated with at least one user;
to implement multiple occluders in connection with multiple emitting sensors distributed in an array within a given indoor environment, wherein implementing the multiple occluders comprises modifying two or more signal output spread angles for two or more of the multiple emitting sensors by variably moving two or more of the multiple occluders relative to the corresponding two or more emitting sensors;
to process one or more signals output by at least one of the multiple emitting sensors distributed in the array within the given indoor environment, wherein the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor comprise one or more signals, output in response to the one or more signals output via the at least one user identification device, shaped in a targeted manner via the implementation of a corresponding one or more of the multiple occluders in connection with the at least one emitting sensor, and wherein at least a portion of the multiple emitting sensors comprises infrared sensors;
to generate a message based at least in part on the processing of the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor, wherein the message pertains to positional information with respect to the given indoor environment;
and
to output the generated message.

3 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;
the at least one processing device being configured:
to generate and output one or more signals via at least one user identification device associated with at least one user;
to implement multiple occluders in connection with multiple emitting sensors distributed in an array within a given indoor environment, wherein implementing the multiple occluders comprises modifying two or more signal output spread angles for two or more of the multiple emitting sensors by variably moving two or more of the multiple occluders relative to the corresponding two or more emitting sensors;
to process one or more signals output by at least one of the multiple emitting sensors distributed in the array within the given indoor environment, wherein the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor comprise one or more signals, output in response to the one or more signals output via the at least one user identification device, shaped in a targeted manner via the implementation of a corresponding one or more of the multiple occluders in connection with the at least one emitting sensor, and wherein at least a portion of the multiple emitting sensors comprises infrared sensors;
to generate a message based at least in part on the processing of the one or more signals output by the at least one emitting sensor, wherein the message pertains to positional information with respect to the given indoor environment;
and
to output the generated message.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.