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.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a mount body by which the apparatus is secured to a structure. A camera assembly includes an image sensor adapted to capture images within its field of view. A lighting assembly houses one or more light sources including a directional light source. A control-board assembly, fixed to the mount body, houses control boards including one or more processors configured to acquire information about an object, to associate a location within the field of view of the image sensor with the object, to point light emitted by the directional light source at the location associated with the object by rotating the lighting assembly and turning the laser assembly, and, based on an image acquired from the camera assembly, to detect change within the field of view of the image sensor corresponding to placement or removal of the object.

Abstract: Methods and systems for tracking an object comprise a horizontal surface upon which objects are to be placed, a weight sensor disposed on one side of the horizontal surface, and a processor in communication with the weight sensor. The processor is adapted to detect a change in weight measured by the weight sensor, to associate the detected weight change with an identified object and with a location on the horizontal surface, and to confirm whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the horizontal surface corresponds to a proper handling of the identified object.

Abstract: A package tracking system comprises a package room for holding packages intended for delivery to one or more package recipients, an optical sensing device positioned to capture one or more images of each package brought to the package room, one or more light sources, and a computing system including a processor, memory, and executable code stored on the memory. The processor executes the executable code to detect a presence and location of a given package held in the package room based on the one or more images captured by the optical sensing device and on package identification information relating to the given package. The processor further executes the executable code to cause the one or more light sources to shine on or near the given package in the package room to provide light-based guidance specific to the given package.

Abstract: A tracking system uses a mobile reader or scanner that scans, for example through a barcode reader, a passive tag reader, a probe, input, camera, or an active RF tag communication reader, and records item (asset or inventory) data. After being recorded, this item data and other relevant data is sent by radio transmission to a receiver network in the tracking system. The receiver network has at least two receivers (or at least two receiver antennae). The scanner location data, calculated by comparing the signal information at each receiver antenna receiving the radio transmission, is then used to register and record the location data of the scanned item.

Abstract: An RF position tracking system for wirelessly tracking the three-dimensional position of a tracked object. The tracked object has at least one mobile antenna and at least one inertial sensor. The system uses a plurality of base antennas which communicate with the mobile antenna using radio signals. The tracked object also incorporates the inertial sensor to improve position stability by allowing the system to compare position data from radio signals to data provided by the inertial sensor.

Abstract: Vehicles and methods of navigating vehicles comprise at least three receiver antennae configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals from one or more RF-transmitting antennae coupled to an object, receiver circuitry coupled to the receiver antennae to acquire the RF signals and to determine timing information from the acquired RF signals, memory storing information related to fixed distances between each receiver antenna and each other receiver antenna, a processor configured to determine a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the one or more RF-transmitting antennae based on the stored information related to the fixed distances between each receiver antenna and each other receiver antenna and on the timing information determined by the receiver circuitry, and a control system configured to control operation of the vehicle in response to the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the one or more RF-transmitting antennae determined by the processor.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating location and orientation of a directional light source relative to a field of view of an optical device includes a directional light source that directs light to points on a virtual grid overlaying the field of view of the optical device. The optical device captures an image for each point on the virtual grid at which the directional light source directs light. A light dot is located in a plurality of captured images. The location and orientation of the directional light source are calibrated relative to the field of view of the optical device based on coordinates of each located light dot and on relative coordinates of the optical device.

Abstract: An apparatus for helping locate an item of interest in or near a building comprises an indicator and a body with a pair of pincers adapted to operate in opposition to grasp or be placed on or near the item of interest. The body houses a radiofrequency (RF) receiver configured to receive RF signals transmitted by an RF transmitter, and a processor in communication with the RF receiver and the indicator. The processor is configured to acquire information from the RF signals that are received by the RF receiver and to turn on the indicator in response to the information acquired from the RF signals.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a mount body by which the apparatus is secured to a structure. A camera assembly includes an image sensor adapted to capture images within its field of view. A lighting assembly houses one or more light sources including a directional light source. A control-board assembly fixed to the mount body, houses control boards including one or more processors configured to acquire information about an object, to associate a location within the field of view of the image sensor with the object, to point light emitted by the directional light source at the location associated with the obj ect by rotating the lighting assembly and turning the laser assembly, and, based on an image acquired from the camera assembly, to detect change within the field of view of the image sensor corresponding to placement or removal of the object.

Abstract: A shelving system has at least one shelf, a camera fixed at a distance from the at least one shelf such that a field of view of the camera faces the at least one shelf and closely encompasses the at least one shelf, and a controller in communication with the camera. The controller has a processor adapted to receive images captured by the camera within the camera's field of view and to determine from the images whether a particular object has been placed on, moved, or removed from the at least one shelf.

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.

Abstract: Position tracking systems and methods for tracking a physical location of a radio frequency (RF) transmitter include an RF transmitter transmitting an RF signal from a plurality of known locations. At least three RF receiver antennae are disposed at undetermined locations within range of the RF transmitter to receive the RF signals transmitted from the plurality of known locations. A receiver station in communication with the at least three RF receiver antennae initially calibrates a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the plurality of known locations and on information acquired in response to the RF signals received at the at least three RF receiver antennae.

Abstract: A package tracking system includes a package room for holding packages intended for delivery to one or more package recipients. One or more optical sensing devices are positioned to capture one or more images of each package brought to the package room and of each person handling that package at the package room. A computing system includes a processor and memory. The processor detects a presence and location of a given package held in the package room based on the one or more images captured by the one or more optical sensing devices and on package identification information relating to the given package. The processor produces a record of transactions involving the given package. The record includes the one or more images of the given package and of each person who handled the given package captured by the one or more optical sensing devices, and when each transaction occurred.

Abstract: A tracking system is described having at least two mobile transmitter/receivers (“transceivers”) which sense and respond to at least one tracking transceiver. The signals sent to and received from the mobile transceivers are analyzed to get a distance (range) that each is from the tracking transceiver. This can be converted into a position relative to the mobile transceivers. If there are enough transceivers, and at least one knows its absolute location, the absolute location of the mobile transceivers may be determined. Existing smartphones, cellphones, WI-FI® wireless standard routers, BLUETOOTH® wireless standard devices, and near-field devices that have on-board processors, can be modified to run executable code to implement the current invention. They may communicate using at least one of the modalities for tracking.

Abstract: Systems and methods for navigating a person through a business enterprise identify the person based on information carried by radio-frequency (RF) signals received from an RF-transmitting device carried by the person, capture images of the identified person, determine from the captured images a current location of the person within the business enterprise, and optically track the current location of the person as the person moves within the business enterprise.

Abstract: A tracking system uses a mobile reader or scanner that scans, for example through a barcode reader, a passive tag reader, a probe, input, camera, or an active RF tag communication reader, and records item (asset or inventory) data. After being recorded, this item data and other relevant data is sent by radio transmission to a receiver network in the tracking system. The receiver network has at least two receivers (or at least two receiver antennae). The scanner location data, calculated by comparing the signal information at each receiver antenna receiving the radio transmission, is then used to register and record the location data of the scanned item.

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.

Abstract: A tracking system uses a mobile reader or scanner that scans, for example through a barcode reader, a passive tag reader, a probe, input, camera, or an active RF tag communication reader, and records item (asset or inventory) data. After being recorded, this item data and other relevant data is sent by radio transmission to a receiver network in the tracking system. The receiver network has at least two receivers (or at least two receiver antennae). The scanner location data, calculated by comparing the signal information at each receiver antenna receiving the radio transmission, is then used to register and record the location data of the scanned item.

Abstract: Systems and methods improve virtual reality and augmented reality functionality for mobile devices using radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by a tracked device and received at four or more spatially separated antennae. These antennae are connected, wirelessly or through wired connections, to a base station. Through RF signal time of arrival information acquired at the antennae, the base station can continuously determine accurate position information of the tracked device, without lighting or line of sight limitations experienced by camera and other optical systems. As the position of the RF-transmitting tracked device is registered within a virtual environment produced by an interactive software program in communication with (or part of) the base station, the virtual viewpoint of the tracked device is controlled to reflect the relative position and orientation of the tracked device with respect to the virtual environment produced by the software program and displayed on a view screen.