Abstract: An example method includes propagating a message including an instruction, from a gateway to a plurality of ancillary nodal devices (devices) in a flood network. Each of the plurality of devices is within an equal number of transmissive steps of the gateway through the flood network such that the message is propagated with approximately equivalent delay to each of the plurality of devices and substantially simultaneously received by all of the devices. The method also includes substantially simultaneously transmitting the message from each respective one of the devices to end nodal devices (end nodes) of a group of end nodes in the flood network in communication with the respective one of the devices. The method further includes, upon receipt of the message from the devices, substantially simultaneously executing the instruction, by each of the group of the end nodes of the flood network.

Abstract: The disclosure provides examples of systems and methods for determining locations of a number of radio frequency-enabled devices such as mobile devices and radio frequency-equipped beacons/luminaires within an indoor location. The radio frequency-enabled devices may be part of an indoor positioning system and/or content delivery system. The examples describe obtaining an angle of arrival (AoA) of the signals received by the respective radio frequency-enabled devices. The AOA data is used to identify the relative positions of the radio frequency-enabled devices as the mobile device moves about the indoor location. Upon comparing AOA measurements of the collected data related to a map of the location, the system may generate a data structure that may be presented graphically as a map of positions of the devices at the location. The described examples may enable a rapid commissioning process with respect to the radio frequency-enabled devices in a network.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an example of a system and a method for command execution synchronization in a nodal network. In one example, the method includes starting at a first time, propagating a message including an instruction and timestamp, in a nodal network including a plurality of wireless communication nodes (nodes). The timestamp identifies a second time later than the first time by an amount of time equal to or greater than a period of delay expected for propagation of the message through the nodal network to all of the nodes. The method also includes running a software (soft) clock in each of the nodes, the soft clocks being synchronized to within a timing error tolerance value of the soft clocks in other of the nodes and executing, by each respective one of the nodes, the instruction when the soft clock of the respective nodes reaches the second time identified by the timestamp.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of lighting devices connected in a network to communicate in a service area, and a smart tag configured to communicate with one or more of the lighting devices. Each respective lighting device is configured to transmit a radio frequency signal including a device identifier of the respective lighting device. In response to expiration of a time period or an occurrence of an event, the smart tag is configured to transition from a low power consumption sleep mode to an awake mode. During the awake mode, the smart tag is configured to provide information that enables a processor or other computing device to determine a position of the smart tag or any asset associated with the smart tag in the service area. Upon transmission of the information, the smart tag is transitioned from the awake mode back to the low power consumption sleep mode.

Abstract: An example method includes propagating a message including an instruction, from a gateway to a plurality of ancillary nodal devices (devices) in a flood network. Each of the plurality of devices is within an equal number of transmissive steps of the gateway through the flood network such that the message is propagated with approximately equivalent delay to each of the plurality of devices and substantially simultaneously received by all of the devices. The method also includes substantially simultaneously transmitting the message from each respective one of the devices to end nodal devices (end nodes) of a group of end nodes in the flood network in communication with the respective one of the devices. The method further includes, upon receipt of the message from the devices, substantially simultaneously executing the instruction, by each of the group of the end nodes of the flood network.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an example of a system and a method for command execution synchronization in a nodal network. In one example, the method includes starting at a first time, propagating a message including an instruction and timestamp, in a nodal network including a plurality of wireless communication nodes (nodes). The timestamp identifies a second time later than the first time by an amount of time equal to or greater than a period of delay expected for propagation of the message through the nodal network to all of the nodes. The method also includes running a software (soft) clock in each of the nodes, the soft clocks being synchronized to within a timing error tolerance value of the soft clocks in other of the nodes and executing, by each respective one of the nodes, the instruction when the soft clock of the respective nodes reaches the second time identified by the timestamp.

Abstract: Described examples include light fixtures and/or radio frequency (RF) nodes located in a service volume provided with a mobile asset detection system. The RF nodes receive beacon signals transmitted by mobile assets within the service volume. The mobile asset detection system includes a processor, a transceiver and multi-element antenna array. The multi-element antenna array includes multiple discrete antenna elements that, in some examples, are arranged so that at least one of the discrete antenna elements is non-coplanar with the other discrete antenna elements of the antenna array. Using signal attribute values determined from a signal received via each of the respective discrete antenna elements, a three dimensional estimate of the location of the mobile assets in a service volume may be determined.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an example of a system including a radio frequency (RF) nodal network and a gateway coupled to the RF nodal network. The gateway is configured to transmit control packets the control packets having an initial parameter setting for each node in the RF nodal network. The selected nodes among the network of nodes are configured to transmit a number of test packets for each of a plurality of tests is greater than throughput saturation of the RF nodal network. The system includes a server coupled to the gateway and is configured to perform network performance analysis based on the test packets for each of the plurality of tests received by the gateway. The server updates parameter settings to optimize performance of the nodes of the RF nodal network to attain the target network performance metric based on a result of the network performance analysis.

Abstract: Radio frequency-enabled nodes, in an example asset tracking system, receive a basic message including an asset tracking tag identifier from an asset tag. The nodes measure a signal attribute of the received message; and each receiving node transmits a node asset message including the asset tag identifier, a respective node identifier, and the measured signal attribute. Edge gateways each receive one or more node asset messages transmitted by some number of the radio frequency-enabled nodes and rank respective node identifiers based on the measured signal attribute. Each edge gateway forwards an aggregated message to a fog gateway, which parses data from the aggregated messages to form a node identifier tuple identifying at least three nodes near the asset tag. Ordered identifiers from the tuple and known locations of the identified nearby nodes can then be processed to estimate of the location of the asset tag.

Abstract: Disclosed are examples of a method, system and asset tag that enables general, coarse and fine estimates of a location of the asset tag. The asset tag receives a signal transmitted from radio frequency (RF)-enabled nodes within a space. Each respective received signal includes a unique node identifier of the respective RF node that transmitted the respective received radio signal. Each RF node has a physical node location in the space that is associated with the unique node identifier. The tag measures the received signal strength of each respective received signal that is associated with the node identifier of the RF node that transmitted the respective received signal. The strongest measured received signal strengths are selected, and a tuple containing the node identifiers for the selected strongest signal strengths is forwarded for estimating a location of the asset tag by a computing device.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an example of a system and a method for command execution synchronization in a flood network. In one example, the method includes propagating a message including an instruction, from a gateway to a plurality of ancillary nodal devices (devices) in a flood network. Each of the plurality of devices is within an equal number of transmissive steps of the gateway through the flood network such that the message is propagated with approximately equivalent delay to each of the plurality of devices and substantially simultaneously received by all of the devices. The method also includes substantially simultaneously transmitting the message from each respective one of the devices to end nodal devices (end nodes) of a group of end nodes in the flood network in communication with the respective one of the devices.

Abstract: A system includes radio frequency (RF) communication devices, for example, in luminaires, located in a service area offering a location determination service, and a portable device used in commissioning the communication devices. The communication devices transmit a primary location determination system's RF signals for receipt by the portable device. The portable device determines its location using a secondary system. The RF communication devices' transmitted RF signals include an identifier. A received signal strength indication (RSSI) of each signal received by the portable device is measured, and stored with an estimate of the portable device's corresponding location. The portable device is moved to another location to measure RSSI of RF signals. When the number of measurements or number of locations is sufficient, the locations of each of the respective luminaires or communication devices may be determined using the RSSI values and the portable device's estimated indiscriminate location.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of lighting devices connected in a network to communicate in a service area, and a smart tag configured to communicate with one or more of the lighting devices. Each respective lighting device is configured to transmit a radio frequency signal including a device identifier of the respective lighting device. In response to expiration of a time period or an occurrence of an event, the smart tag is configured to transition from a low power consumption sleep mode to an awake mode. During the awake mode, the smart tag is configured to provide information that enables a processor or other computing device to determine a position of the smart tag or any asset associated with the smart tag in the service area. Upon transmission of the information, the smart tag is transitioned from the awake mode back to the low power consumption sleep mode.

Abstract: Disclosed are examples of a method, system and asset tag that enables general, coarse and fine estimates of a location of the asset tag. The asset tag receives a signal transmitted from radio frequency (RF)-enabled nodes within a space. Each respective received signal includes a unique node identifier of the respective RF node that transmitted the respective received radio signal. Each RF node has a physical node location in the space that is associated with the unique node identifier. The tag measures the received signal strength of each respective received signal that is associated with the node identifier of the RF node that transmitted the respective received signal. The strongest measured received signal strengths are selected, and a tuple containing the node identifiers for the selected strongest signal strengths is forwarded for estimating a location of the asset tag by a computing device.

Abstract: Disclosed are examples of a method, system and asset tag that enables general, coarse and fine estimates of a location of the asset tag. The asset tag receives a signal transmitted from radio frequency (RF)-enabled nodes within a space. Each respective received signal includes a unique node identifier of the respective RF node that transmitted the respective received radio signal. Each RF node has a physical node location in the space that is associated with the unique node identifier. The tag measures the received signal strength of each respective received signal that is associated with the node identifier of the RF node that transmitted the respective received signal. The strongest measured received signal strengths are selected, and a tuple containing the node identifiers for the selected strongest signal strengths is forwarded for estimating a location of the asset tag by a computing device.

Abstract: Radio frequency-enabled nodes, in an example asset tracking system, receive a basic message including an asset tracking tag identifier from an asset tag. The nodes measure a signal attribute of the received message; and each receiving node transmits a node asset message including the asset tag identifier, a respective node identifier, and the measured signal attribute. Edge gateways each receive one or more node asset messages transmitted by some number of the radio frequency-enabled nodes and rank respective node identifiers based on the measured signal attribute. Each edge gateway forwards an aggregated message to a fog gateway, which parses data from the aggregated messages to form a node identifier tuple identifying at least three nodes near the asset tag. Ordered identifiers from the tuple and known locations of the identified nearby nodes can then be processed to estimate of the location of the asset tag.

Abstract: Examples of a system and a method for asset tracking are provided. The system includes wireless communication nodes in a space that receive a basic message including an asset tracking tag identifier and a basic message sequence number transmitted by an asset tracking tag. The wireless communication nodes measure a received basic message signal attribute, and transmit a node asset message including the asset tracking tag identifier, the basic message sequence number, a node identifier, and the measured signal attribute of the received basic message to an edge gateway. The edge gateway may receive the transmitted node asset message transmitted by each of some number of the wireless communication nodes and rank respective node identifiers extracted from the received node asset messages based the measured signal attribute. The edge gateway forwards an aggregated message to a fog gateway for obtaining an estimate of the location of the asset tracking tag.

Abstract: A tag is configured to provide information that enables a processor or other computing device to locate the tag and any asset associated with the tag in an area. The tag incorporates a motion sensor responsive to movements of the tag above a predetermined rate and a predetermined magnitude. In response to the movements above the predetermined rate and magnitude, the motion sensor generates a voltage exceeding a predetermined threshold. An energy-saving process exploits the tag's microcontroller's transitions between a “sleep” state and an “awake” state. While asleep, the microcontroller maintains a clock and data in memory, and monitors an input from the motion sensor. In response to voltages at the input over the predetermine threshold, the microcontroller receives signals from one or more nearby beacon nodes in a network operating in the area, process the signals and transmit information based on the processed signals, for a position determination.

Abstract: The disclosure provides examples of systems and methods for determining locations of a number of radio frequency-enabled devices such as mobile devices and radio frequency-equipped beacons/luminaires within an indoor location. The radio frequency-enabled devices may be part of an indoor positioning system and/or content delivery system. The examples describe obtaining an angle of arrival (AoA) of the signals received by the respective radio frequency-enabled devices. The AOA data is used to identify the relative positions of the radio frequency-enabled devices as the mobile device moves about the indoor location. Upon comparing AOA measurements of the collected data related to a map of the location, the system may generate a data structure that may be presented graphically as a map of positions of the devices at the location. The described examples may enable a rapid commissioning process with respect to the radio frequency-enabled devices in a network.

Abstract: A system includes radio frequency (RF) communication devices, for example, in luminaires, located in a service area offering a location determination service, and a portable device used in commissioning the communication devices. The communication devices transmit a primary location determination system's RF signals for receipt by the portable device. The portable device determines its location using a secondary system. The RF communication devices' transmitted RF signals include an identifier. A received signal strength indication (RSSI) of each signal received by the portable device is measured, and stored with an estimate of the portable device's corresponding location. The portable device is moved to another location to measure RSSI of RF signals. When the number of measurements or number of locations is sufficient, the locations of each of the respective luminaires or communication devices may be determined using the RSSI values and the portable device's estimated indiscriminate location.