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Location Detector OR Proximity + Angle Detector? — Parallax Forums

Location Detector OR Proximity + Angle Detector?

jtrzjtrz Posts: 40
edited 2008-01-22 23:02 in General Discussion
Hi all,

Had this in another forum.· Received no responses.· Sorry for the cross-post but I'm really looking for and would appreciate any ideas/feedback people may have on this.··Wondering if something like this exists OR how it can be built.

I would like to know the approx location a "tag" (RFID or other) is at in a room in a house...not just that it's IN the room, but where in the room.

Let's say I have a "detector station" or "base station" in a corner of a 10'x10' room in my house and let's assume the station can cover the entire room.

If I'm wearing some type of "tag" (passive or active) and the tag is detected by the station as being in the room, I'd like the station to record:
  • The date/time of the data captured
  • Approx how far away from the base station the tag is read
  • The approx angle at which the tag was read (I'm assuming the detector is on the floor here.· But I guess it could be in a corner of the room near the ceiling too).

If the last two can come across as a vector, that's fine too.· I realize that distance might take a little computational work too.· I also know accuracy can be an issue here.· But I'm not looking for pinpoint accuracy.· A few inches off could work OK too.

I'm not just interested that the tag is being detected as being in the room.· I'd also like data on approx where in the room the tag has been located.· If there's another way to capture this data, I'm all ears!· I already know I'm not going to be able to do this with GPS.

So I'm looking for info on a tag like that, a base station, or any insight into parts used to make either, and how this can be done.·

Ultimately, I'd envision multiple of these short-range base stations in the house.· Maybe one for each room.· Eventually, I'd like the station(s) to send their data to a single PC, most likely wirelessly, in another part of my house.

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

John
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Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-01-22 16:37
    You might try Google. I remember reading an article on the web about a museum that wanted to track its visitors' locations as an aid to presenting appropriate A/V material. As I recall, they used a combination of IR and ultrasonics to obtain the locations. The downside of this approach, of course, is that it relies on line-of-sight sensing and wouldn't be able to detect a person wearing a badge, say, whose back was to the sensor.

    -Phil
  • jtrzjtrz Posts: 40
    edited 2008-01-22 16:48
    Thanks for the lead Phil!

    I looked it up. Looks like the keywords I'm looking for are "Location-Aware Computing," "Location Beacon," and "Proximity Tags"

    Looks like Intel has an effort to create standards in this area too.

    Thanks!

    John
  • DgswanerDgswaner Posts: 795
    edited 2008-01-22 23:02
    how about doing a kinda reverse "beacon based navigation" your Tag would be an IR beacon that you wear. an IR sensor would pan the room, when a Tag was found the angle could be determined by the angle of the servo, and with the use of a PING, the distance determined. the biggest issue I see is the the IR tag would need to have line of sight to the "base Station". Just a though!

    added:

    See Beacon based navigation, in the completed section to get a better understanding of what I mean.

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    "A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer." - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster

    DGSwaner
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