Advanced tools for an object tracking system

Abstract

A method and software product display errors of a tracking system that utilizes a plurality of receivers positioned around a tracking area to receive pings periodically transmitted by a tracking tag within the tracking area. For each locate received from the tracking system, a symbol indicative of the locate is plotted on a display graphically depicting the tracking area. A vector connecting each pair of chronologically consecutive symbols is plotted on the display, the vector visually indicating an error within the locates that would otherwise not be visible on the display. Another method concurrently displays predicted sensitivity for each of at least two receivers of a tracking system that locates tracking tags within a tracking area, the receivers being positioned within a surrounding area of the tracking area. A graphical representation of the surrounding area, the tracking area, and receiver sensitivities indicate the predicted receiver coverage of the tracking area.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-based system that facilitates positioning of three or more receivers of a tracking system by predicting coverage of a tracking area by the receivers, the computer-based system comprising:
 a model, implemented as software stored in the computer-based system, configured to determine a modeled sensitivity of each receiver, of the three or more receivers, based on a position and an orientation of the receiver relative to the tracking area; and   a graphics generator, implemented as software stored in the computer-based system, configured to generate, on a display, a graphical representation of the tracking area and a graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver relative to the graphical representation of the tracking area;   wherein the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver together with the graphical representation of the tracking area indicate predicted receiver coverage of the tracking area.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , further comprising the display. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-based system of  claim 2 , further comprising a user interface configured to receive, from a user, one or both of the position and the orientation of each receiver. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the model being further configured to include a ground effect. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the graphics generator being further configured to generate the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver as a sector and at least one annular sector such that each of the sector and the at least one annular sector indicates a respective level of the modeled sensitivity. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the graphics generator being further configured to generate the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver as a graduated representation such that a density of the graduated representation indicates a level of the modeled sensitivity. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the graphics generator being further configured to generate the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver in a different color. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the orientation of each receiver including a pan and a tilt of the receiver. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the position of each receiver including an elevation of the receiver above the tracking area. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the position of each receiver being in a surrounding area outside of the tracking area. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-based system of  claim 10 , the graphics generator being further configured to generate, on the display, a graphical representation of the surrounding area relative to the graphical representation of the tracking area. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , further configured to generate, on the display, an interactive dialog with which a user interacts to enable and disable, on the display, the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of each receiver. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-based system of  claim 1 , the interactive dialog including one toggle, for each receiver, selectable by the user to enable and disable, on the display, the graphical representation of the modeled sensitivity of the receiver.