System and method of determining real-time location
A system and method for determining location information of a portable device relative to an object is provided. The system and method may include communicating with a secondary portable device separate from the portable device, which may be considered a primary portable device. The secondary portable device may be not be configured to communicate with the object or unaware that it is communicating with the object, and may receive communication parameters from the primary portable device.
1. A secondary portable device for communicating with a primary portable device and an object, said secondary portable device comprising:
an antenna system configured to communicate wirelessly with the primary portable device and the object, wherein the primary portable device and the object are configurable to communicate wirelessly via a primary communication link;
a controller operably coupled to the antenna system, the controller configured to receive one or more connection parameters from the primary portable device, wherein the one or more connection parameters enable the secondary portable device to communicate wirelessly via a secondary communication link different from the primary communication link; and
the controller configured to communicate wirelessly, via the secondary communication link, with the object based on the one or more connection parameters received from the primary portable device, wherein at least one of presence and location of the secondary portable device is determined based on wireless communications transmitted via the secondary communication link, wherein a confidence metric is associated with a location determined with respect to the primary portable device and the object, and wherein the confidence metric is adjusted based on the at least one of presence and location of the secondary portable device determined based on wireless communications transmitted via the secondary communication link.
2. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of devices disposed on the object.
3. The secondary portable device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of devices includes an object device and at least one sensor disposed on the object, wherein the controller is configured to establish a direct communication link with at least one of the plurality of devices.
4. The secondary portable device of claim 3 wherein one or more signal characteristics are determined with respect to communications of the direct communication link.
5. The secondary portable device of claim 4 wherein the one or more signal characteristics include at least one of a time-of-flight and an output from a multilateration determination.
6. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein the secondary communication link is an ultra-wideband communication link, and wherein the primary portable device communicates with the object via a Bluetooth Low Energy communication link.
7. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein the secondary portable device is unaware of communications with the primary portable device being received and monitored by the object.
8. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein said connection parameters pertain to establishing the secondary communication link with the primary portable device and enabling one or more devices disposed on the object to monitor communications to the primary portable device from the antenna system of the primary portable device.
9. The secondary portable device of claim 8 wherein said connection parameters pertain to communicating in a detection mode over a plurality of wireless communication channels and such that a number of messages transmitted from the secondary portable device for a given interval is greater than a number of messages transmitted from the secondary portable device for the given interval in a standard connection mode.
10. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein a location of the primary portable device is determined relative to the object.
11. The secondary portable device of claim 10 wherein:
a location of the secondary portable device is determined relative to the object; and
the location of the secondary portable device is compared to the location of the primary portable device.
12. The secondary portable device of claim 11 wherein, if the secondary portable device and the primary portable device are determined to be similarly located, a degree of confidence with respect to the determined locations of the primary portable device and the secondary portable device is increased.
13. The secondary portable device of claim 10 wherein the secondary communication link is established between the secondary portable device and the object, wherein a location of the secondary portable device is determined relative to the object based on communications with the object via the secondary communication link and in accordance with said connection parameters.
14. The secondary portable device of claim 13 wherein an object status is authorized in response to the location of the primary portable device and the location of the secondary portable device being indicative of the primary portable device and the secondary portable device being in the same zone.
15. The secondary portable device of claim 10 wherein an object event is authorized based on the location of the primary portable device and presence of the secondary portable device.
16. The secondary portable device of claim 15 wherein a memory of the object stores an identifier associated with the secondary portable device.
17. The secondary portable device of claim 1 wherein the antenna system includes a Bluetooth Low Energy antenna constructed to communicate wirelessly with the object and the primary portable device.