A portable system for indoor localization and tracking

The proposed system allows both to detect and track people in indoor environments, and to establish whether a person is standing, sitting, or fallen, with a precision of few centimeters. It comprise of a software and a modified Radio Frequency (RF) reader with no need for anchor nodes.

Patent title System for locating at least one RFID tag in space, in particular in an indoor environment, and method thereof
Thematic area Industry, Digital and Security
Ownership ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA
Inventors Alessandra Costanzo, Diego Masotti, Giacomo Paolini
Protection Italy
Licensing status Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements
Keywords Indoor localization and tracking, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), Fall detection, Ageing, RFID Reader
Filed on 27 June 2018

The patented device is a new RF reader (2.45 GHz), remotely connected to a Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) platform, that can be embedded in everyday objects, present in the ambient to be monitored (e.g.wall applique). The reader is augmented by RFID technology, in order to be able to track and locate in 3D objects and/or people wearing a RFID tag.

The reader deploys a four-element antenna system augmented by a mono-pulse radar, to localize the tag in azimuth and elevation planes. This allows to track the person who "wears" the tag inside the room, while simultaneously providing information regarding the height at which the RFID tag is located.

APPLICATIONS

Home, hospitals or dwellings, where continuous monitoring of elderly or non self-sufficient people is needed, in the absence of caregivers.

 

ADVANTAGES

  • Ease of use of the device and ease of initial calibration;
  • Proper intervention made possible almost in real-time;
  • No privacy issues and higher patients adherence to be monitored;
  • Savings for healthcare due to the lower need for personal assistance.

In June 2018, the HABITAT project was presented at R2B SMAU (Bologna, Italy). A workshop "Medtech di nuova generazione|Smart and Active Living, inclusive services and USable TECHnologies" organised by ASTER and promoted by Health Science and Wellbeing Clust-ER, took place in the same occasion.

In April 2018, the project was presented at the 21st edition of the International Fair Exposanità (Bologna, Italy).

Project webpage

Project video (IT) 

Article at Rinova(IT)

Page published on: 21 August 2018