Dual-band real-time location

A real-time location system for tracking assets at a site, the system comprising:

• one or more tracking tags for carrying by or on the assets, each including a short-range radio frequency signal transmitter configured to transmit a beacon signal with unique identification information of the tracking tag;
• one or more wide-angle locating device nodes each including:
• an omnidirectional signal receiver configured to receive, from within a radius of the omnidirectional signal receiver, the beacon signals at a received signal strength;
• and
• a long-range radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit, using a chirp spread spectrum modulation over a wide area network, locating signals including the unique identification information of the tracking tag and a received signal strength indicator representing the received signal strength of the beacon signals;
• one or more narrow-angle locating device nodes each including:
• a directional signal receiver configured to receive, from a chosen direction, the beacon signals at a received signal strength;
• and
• a long-range radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit, using the chirp spread spectrum over the wide area network, locating signals including the unique identification information of the tracking tag and a received signal strength indicator representing the received signal strength of the beacon signals;
• and
• a processing application configured to, based upon the received signal strength indicator of beacon signals, make an association, in a database, between one or more of the tracking tags and one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes through the unique identification information of the tracking tags to locate the at least one tracking tag at one of the one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes.

A real-time location method for tracking assets at a site, comprising:

• with a short-range radio frequency signal transmitter of at least one tracking tag for carrying by or on the assets, transmitting a beacon signal with unique identification information of the at least one tracking tag;
• with one or more signal receivers of one or more wide-angle locating device nodes each including at least one omnidirectional signal receiver and one or more narrow-angle locating device nodes each including at least one directional signal receiver, receiving the beacon signal at a received signal strength;
• with at least one of a long-range radio frequency transmitter of the one or more wide-angle locating device nodes and a long-range radio frequency transmitter of the one or more narrow-angle locating device nodes, transmitting a locating signal including the unique identification information of the at least one tracking tag and a received signal strength indicator representing the received signal strength using a LoRa protocol over a wide area network;
• and
• with a receiver of a gateway in wireless communication with the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes, receiving locating signals from the wide-angle and/or narrow-angle locating device nodes over the wide area network;
• and
• based upon the received signal strength indicator, in a database, associating the one of the at least one tracking tags to one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes through the unique identification information to locate the at least one tracking tag at one of the one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes.

A real-time location system for tracking assets at a site, the system comprising:

• one or more tracking tags for carrying by or on the assets, each including a short-range radio frequency signal transmitter configured to transmit a beacon signal with unique identification information of the tracking tag;
• one or more wide-angle locating device nodes each including:
• an omnidirectional signal receiver configured to receive, from within a radius of the omnidirectional signal receiver, the beacon signals at a received signal strength;
• and
• a long-range radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit, using a LoRa protocol over a wide area network, locating signals including the unique identification information of the tracking tag and a received signal strength indicator representing the received signal strength of the beacon signals;
• one or more narrow-angle locating device nodes each including:
• a directional signal receiver configured to receive, from a chosen direction, the beacon signals at a received signal strength;
• and
• a long-range radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit, using the LoRa protocol over the wide area network, locating signals including the unique identification information of the tracking tag and a received signal strength indicator representing the received signal strength of the beacon signals;
• and
• a processing application configured to, based upon the received signal strength indicator of beacon signals, make an association, in a database, between one or more of the tracking tags and one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes through the unique identification information of the tracking tags to locate the at least one tracking tag at one of the one or more of the wide-angle and narrow-angle locating device nodes.