# US 8,786,456 B2 · Positional locating system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,786,456 B2 - Document ID: US8786456B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/708,045 - Filed: 2012-12-07 - Published: 2013-04-18 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2009-01-15 - Assignees: AvidaSports, LLC - Applicants: AvidaSports, LLC - Inventors: Bruce J. Burton; Paul C. Duckworth; Ryan D. Johnson; Warren Guthrie - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8786456B2 ## CPC - G06V 40/10: Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06V 20/54: of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats - G06V 40/23: {Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training} - G07C 1/22: in connection with sports or games - H04N 5/144: {Movement detection (for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20)} - H04N 19/51: Motion estimation or motion compensation - G06T 2207/10016: Video; Image sequence - G06T 2207/10048: Infrared image - G06T 2207/30204: Marker - G06T 2207/30221: Sports video; Sports image - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A method and system are disclosed for locating or otherwise generating positional information for an object, such as but not limited generating positional coordinates for an object attached to an athlete engaging in an athletic event. The positional coordinates may be processed with other telemetry and biometrical information to provide real-time performance metrics while the athlete engages in the athletic event. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of positionally identifying people and objects within a defined space, the method comprising: associating an identification generated for each person or object with a device to be worn or mounted while the person or object moves within the defined space; controlling a beacon included within each device to emit a signal at an interval specified within a beacon transmission schedule; controlling an instrument to record images representative of at least a portion of the defined space, each image plotting recorded signals within a two-dimensional field defined by a viewing angle of the instrument; calculating image-based positional coordinates for each signal appearing within each of the captured images, the image-based positional coordinates defining spatial positioning of the beacons emitting the signals relative to the two-dimensional field of each image; reducing the image-based positional coordinates to defined space-based positional coordinates, the defined space-based positional coordinates defining spatial positioning of the beacons emitting the signals within at least a two-dimensional coordinate system defined relative to at least a length and width of the defined space; and for each of the images, identifying the person or object at each of the defined space-based positional coordinates based on the identification of the person or object scheduled to emit signals at the time the image was captured. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further generating the beacon transmission schedule such that each beacon emits the signal only at the intervals during which no other beacons are scheduled to emit the signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling each beacon to emit the same signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling a first one and a second one of the beacons scheduled to emit signals during the same interval to uniquely issue the signal such that the signal emitted from the first one of the beacons is different from the signal emitted from the second one of the beacons. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly transmitting the beacon transmission schedule to each device with signals emitted from a master station having a wireless range sufficient to support wireless communications with the devices while each person or object is within the defined space. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein each beacon includes a source positioned on the people or objects, and wherein the method further comprises controlling the beacon to emit the signal from at least one of the forward and rearward sources. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 further comprising selecting only one of the forward and rearward sources to emit the signal depending on a measured activity stroke being performed by the person or object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising determining the measured activity from information wirelessly collected from one or more instruments included on the person or object. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising controller the beacon to emit the signal from the rearward source when the measured activity of the person or object is pointed away from the instrument controlled to record images representative of the at least the portion of the defined space. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising controller the beacon to emit the signal from the forward source when the measured activity of the person or object is pointed away from the instrument controlled to record images representative of the at least a portion of the defined space. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: calculating each of a distance traveled and a rate of speed for each person or object having signals captured within at least two images, the distance traveled and the rate of speed being based at least in part on a change in position of the person or object as represented by movement of the beacon within between at least two images; graphically outputting at least the distance traveled and the rate of speed on a user interface in real-time while the people or objects travel within the defined space based at least in part on signals wirelessly communicated from a master station used to calculate the distance traveled and the rate of speed; automatically controlling an instrument to record video of one or more of the people or objects by controlling a viewing angle of the instrument to move with the one or more people or objects as the people or objects travel within the defined space, the controlling of the viewing angle being based at least in part of the locations of the people or objects; and wirelessly transmitting audio signals from the master station to one or more of the devices, the audio signals being processed by an audio component of the device for output within an ear of the associated people or objects. ### Claim 12 A method of generating positional coordinates for a plurality of moving objects, the method comprising: instructing each of the plurality of objects to emit a locating signal according to a schedule, the schedule being set such that each of the plurality of objects is scheduled to emit the locating signal during a different period of time; capturing images of an area in which the plurality of objects are moving with one or more instruments, each image fixing a representation of any locating signals appearing at a time of capture; calculating positional coordinates for each of the representations, the positional coordinates reflecting a position of the people or objects at the time of capture relative to the instrument capturing the image having the representation; and associating the positional coordinates with the plurality of moving people or objects by cross-referencing the positional coordinates for each time of capture with the one of the plurality of moving objects scheduled to emit the locating signal at the time of capture. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting the same locating signal from each of the plurality of people or objects. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal at a wavelength that remains fixed throughout a portion of the period of time during which the signal is being emitted. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal at a modulation frequency that remains fixed throughout a portion of the period of time during which the signal is being emitted. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal without modulating the signal to include locational information such that positional coordinates are generated based on the locating signals but without requiring the moving people or objects to generate the positional coordinates. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising dynamically varying the locating signal according to wireless instructions received from a master station positioned with a wireless range of each of the plurality of people or objects. ### Claim 18 A locating system comprising: a plurality of devices each having a beacon configured to emit a non-modulated signal at a fixed wavelength; one or more instruments configured to take images of an area defined by a viewing angle of each instrument; a master station configured to wirelessly communicate a broadcast schedule to each of the plurality of device, the broadcast schedule specifying a period of time during which each beacon is to emit the non-modulated signal; and wherein the master station is configured to generate positional coordinates for each beacon appearing within each of the pictures based on the beacon scheduled to emit the non-modulated signal at the time the image was taken and a position of the instrument taking the image. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of devices includes an ear bud configured to output audio based on audio stored on each of the plurality of devices or wirelessly received from the master station. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18 wherein each beacon includes a source is selectively controlled to emit the non-modulated signal depending on a measured activity being performed by the people or objects.