System and method of personalized navigation inside a business enterprise

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking movement of individuals through a building receive, by one or more RF nodes disposed near an entrance to the building, RF signals from RF-transmitting mobile devices carried by persons near the entrance, capture an image of the persons while they are near the entrance, determine an identity and relative distance of each RF-transmitting mobile device from each RF node based on information associated with the RF signals received by that RF node, detect humans in the image, determine a relative depth of each human in the image, and assign the identity of each RF-transmitting mobile device to one of the humans detected in the image based on the relative distance of each RF-transmitting mobile device from each RF node and the relative depth of each human in the image, thereby identifying each individual who to be tracked optically as that individual moves throughout the building.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . A system for determining, a location of a mobile device,
 comprising:   two or more radio frequency (RF) nodes, each of the two or more RF nodes having at least one antenna for receiving electromagnetic signals from a mobile device, the electromagnetic signals including an identifier, wherein the each of the two or more RF nodes computes a distance estimation computation with respect to the mobile device and associates the distance estimation computation with the identifier; and   a controller in communication with the two or more RE nodes that determines an identity and a position of the mobile device based on the identifier and the distance estimation computations computed by the two or more RE nodes.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising a camera that captures an image of a user of the mobile device, wherein the controller processes the image with the identifier and the distance estimation computations to determine the position of the mobile device with respect to each of the two or more RE nodes. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the distance estimation computation computed by the each of the two or more RF nodes includes a time of arrival computation. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 compute a location for the mobile device based on the time of arrival of an electromagnetic signal received by each node of the two or more RF nodes;   arrange the mobile device in an order based on the computed location of the transmitting device;   arrange one or more objects and/or people captured in the image into a depth order based on relative positions of the one or more objects and/or people detected in the captured image; and   compare the depth order of objects and/or people detected in the image with the order of the mobile device when assigning the identity of the mobile device to one person detected in the captured image.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 assign identification information of the electromagnetic signals and associated with a person to s human detected in an image captured by the camera;   compute a location of the person in a building based on the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person;   enhance the computed location of the person in the building based on inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person;   determine a current position of the person in the building based on the image captured of the human; and   track the person through the building by supplementing the current position of the person in the building that is determined based on the image captured of the human with the computed location of the person in the building that is enhanced by the inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person.   
     
     
         8 . A system for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:
 two or more radio frequency (RE) nodes, each of the two or more nodes having at least one antenna for receiving electromagnetic signals from a mobile device, the electromagnetic signals including an identifier, wherein the each of the two or more RF nodes computes a time of arrival computation with respect to the mobile device and associates the distance estimation computation with the identifier; and   a controller in communication with the two or more RF nodes that determines an identity and a position of the mobile device based on the identifier and the time of arrival computations computed by the two or more nodes.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a camera that captures an image of a user of the mobile device, wherein the controller processes the image with the identifier and the time of arrival computations to determine the position of the mobile device with respect to each of the two or more RF nodes. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 compute a location for the mobile device based on the time of arrival of an electromagnetic signal received by each node of the two or more RF nodes;   arrange the mobile device in an order based on the computed location of the transmitting device;   arrange one or more objects and/or people captured in the image into a depth order based on relative positions of the one or more objects and/or people detected in the captured image; and   compare the depth order of objects and/or people detected in the image with the order of the mobile device when assigning the identity of the mobile device to one person detected in the captured image.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 assign identification information of the electromagnetic signals and associated with a person to s human detected in an image captured by the camera;   compute a location of the person in a building based on the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person;   enhance the computed location of the person in the building based on inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person;   determine a current position of the person in the building based on the image captured of the human; and   track the person through the building by supplementing the current position of the person in the building that is determined based on the image captured of the human with the computed location of the person in the building that is enhanced by the inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the mobile device carried by the person.   
     
     
         12 . A method for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:
 receiving, by two or more radio frequency (RF) nodes, electromagnetic signals from a mobile device, the electromagnetic signals including an identifier;   computing, by the each of the two or more RF nodes, a distance estimation computation with respect to the mobile device and associates the distance estimation computation with the identifier; and   determining an identity and a position of the mobile device based on the identifier and the distance estimation computations computed by the two or more nodes.   
     
     
         13 . A system for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:
 a plurality of radio frequency (RF) nodes, each having an antenna capable of receiving a radio signal from a RF device, wherein at least one of the RF nodes receives and processes the radio signal in response to determining that a signal strength of the radio signal satisfies a threshold, wherein the radio signal includes an identifier of a user of the RF device;   a controller in communication with the RF node that estimates a distance of the RF device from the RF node based on the radio signal and using the estimated distance and the identifier to determine an identity of the user.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising a camera, wherein the controller being further configured to detect a plurality of RF devices in an image obtained by the controller from the camera, and to assign the identity of the RF devices detected in the image, thereby identifying each individual RF device located optically as the RF device moves throughout the building. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the controller processes the image with the identifier and the estimated distance to determine the position of the RF device with respect to each of the plurality of RF nodes. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 compute a location for the RF device based on a receipt of an electromagnetic signal received by each node of the two or more RF nodes;   arrange the RF device in an order based on the computed location of the RF device;   arrange one or more objects and/or people captured in the image into a depth order based on relative positions of the one or more objects and/or people detected in the captured image; and   compare the depth order of objects and/or people detected in the image with the order of the mobile device when assigning the identity of the mobile device to one person detected in the captured image.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 assign identification information of the electromagnetic signals and associated with the RF device detected in an image captured by the camera;   compute a location of the RF device in a building based on the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the RF device;   enhance the computed location of the RF device in the building based on inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the RF device;   determine a current position of the RF device in the building based on the image captured of the device; and   track the RF device through the building by supplementing the current position of the RF device in the building that is determined based on the image captured of the human with the computed location of the RF device in the building that is enhanced by the inertial data included in the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the RF device.