Wireless tracking device
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsDudley K. Fetzer, Thomas F. Doyle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for a tracking device to inconspicuously track a person to be monitored (such as a child or at-risk adult) are presented. Some embodiments of the present invention combine a positioning receiver (e.g., a GPS receiver) and a locking mechanism to act as a tracking device, which attaches to an article of clothing or fabric wearable by the person to be monitored. Some embodiments of the present invention keep a positioning receiver and a radio frequency identification tag (RFID tag) or other RF tag, which are physically separate but in RF proximity of each other.
Claims15
A tracking device comprising:
- a housing comprising;
- a locking mechanism attachable to a wearable article;
- and
- electronic circuitry within the housing comprising;
- a positioning receiver;
- a wireless transmitter;
- a processor coupled to memory, the positioning receiver, and the wireless transmitter;
- and
- an inertial sensor configured to sense acceleration, wherein in response to the sensed acceleration, the inertial sensor instructs the positioning receiver to generate a position estimate, and wherein the inertial sensor is further configured to perform a position determination when positioning signals are unavailable to the positioning receiver.
A method comprising:
- sensing acceleration by an inertial sensor of a tracking device attached to a wearable article of clothing, wherein in response to the sensed acceleration, the inertial sensor instructs a positioning receiver of the tracking device to generate a position estimate;
- when positioning signals are available to the positioning receiver:
- receiving the positioning signals at the positioning receiver;
- estimating the position estimate from the positioning signals;
- and
- when positioning signals are unavailable to the positioning receiver:
- determining the position estimate by the inertial sensor;
- and
- reporting the position estimate over a wireless network.
An apparatus comprising:
- means for sensing acceleration of a tracking device attached to a wearable article of clothing;
- means for receiving positioning signals;
- means for estimating a position estimate from the positioning signals;
- and
- means for reporting the position estimate over a wireless network,
- wherein in response to the sensed acceleration, the means for sensing instructs the means for estimating to generate the position estimate, and wherein the means for sensing is configured to perform a position determination when the positioning signals are unavailable to the means for receiving.
A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method, said method comprising operations of:
- sensing acceleration by an inertial sensor of a tracking device attached to a wearable article of clothing, wherein in response to the sensed acceleration, the inertial sensor instructs a positioning receiver of the tracking device to generate a position estimate;
- when positioning signals are available to the positioning receiver:
- receiving the positioning signals at the positioning receiver;
- estimating the position estimate from the positioning signals;
- and
- when positioning signals are unavailable to the positioning receiver:
- determining the position estimate by the inertial sensor;
- and
- reporting the position estimate over a wireless network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.