Symbol Technologies, LLC

Siemens Mobility Gmbh

Bytemark Inc.

Michael O'Haire

Raj Bridgelall

Russell Calvarese

David E Bellows

Micah Bergdale

Nicholas Ihm

Kevin Rejko

Edward J Donovan

Edward Donovan

Timothy B Austin

Hal Charych

Steven M Chew

Sundeep Kumar

Panchapakesan V Subramanian

Ross Smith

Russell E Calvaresse

Sumita Malik

This invention discloses novel systems and methods for providing visual confirmation that a passenger has a valid ticket and has previously paid for additional items such as luggage, suitcase, briefcase, bicycle, musical instrument, wheelchair, car, vehicle, motorcycle, automobile (in the case of, for example, a ferry). The visual validation display object allows tickets and additional items to be easily and quickly confirmed.

Method and system for providing visual validation of electronic tickets and payment for an additional item

A system and method in which the Bluetooth technology is used in conjunction with a user application on a mobile device to facilitate hands-free fare validation at a transit station. The user app communicates with a controller driver in a controller unit that interfaces with a compliant fare gate. Bluetooth beacons are used to determine a passenger's proximity to the gate and camera-like devices determine whether a passenger has entered a fare validation zone. A user with a valid and active electronic ticket on their mobile device may simply walk through the fare gate 'hands free' without the need to search for a physical ticket or a smartcard or a mobile phone. This hassle-free approach significantly improves the user experience and passenger throughput through fare gates. The Bluetooth-based automated fare validation system also detects passengers with valid electronic tickets and those without a valid permit for travel.

Short range wireless translation methods and systems for hands-free fare validation

A system and method in which various sensors collect and/or generate data that are analyzed to provide automated transit features. In the automatic capacity management feature, a transit operator is alerted of potential capacity issues in advance to enable the operator to handle the situation before a station or a vehicle reaches its capacity limit. The automatic trip planning feature allows a passenger to dynamically plan the fastest route to a destination according to real time data and historical data trends. The automatic fraud detection feature alerts a fare inspector to a ticket fraud or other fraudulent activity at a specific transit station or on a specific transit vehicle. The automatic vehicle routing feature dynamically routes autonomous transit vehicles to stations, notifies transit vehicle drivers to stop at a particular station, and/or notifies transit operators to route a vehicle to a particular station based on current and historical demand from passengers.

Sensor fusion for transit applications

Systems and methods using Bluetooth with a user application on a mobile device to facilitate hands-free fare validation at a transit station. Utilizes a set of signal strength detection data points and timestamps from a mobile device and synchronizes location data points and timestamps from a camera and determines an estimated location of the mobile device according to the set of signal strength detection data points and timestamps from the mobile device and the location data points and timestamps from the camera. This provides enhanced accuracy in determining the correct mobile device. The system computing device determines that the mobile device contains a valid ticket or does not, wherein the mobile device contains a valid ticket and the system computing device determines the estimated location of the mobile device is within a predetermined area the system computing device will mark the ticket as used and allow entry.

A host server may optimize configurations of a set of readers under its control. The server assigns a multicast address to each reader in the set. Once connected, the server sends a multicast message to each reader assigned to the multicast address or to each reader within a given address range. Information in the multicast message is used for configuring or managing polling operations of each reader assigned to the multicast address or each reader within the given address range.

Method and apparatus for optimizing management and configuration of radio frequency identification readers

A method and apparatus for selectively reading radio frequency identification device (RFID) tags by an RFID reader includes the RFID reader transmitting an interrogation signal at each of a plurality of power levels beginning with a lowest power level and sequentially increasing power of the transmitted interrogation signal to a highest power level. The RFID reader receives, in response to transmitting the interrogation for at least one of the power levels, at least one data signal from each RFID tag within a read zone of the RFID reader, wherein each of the data signals contains stored data corresponding to the RFID tag responding to the transmission of the interrogation signal. The RFID reader selectively reads the stored data contained in the data signals received from the responding RFID tags.

Method and apparatus for reading radio frequency identification tags with lowest power consumption

A method and system for orientation compensation of a mobile device within an environment includes providing a plurality of reference markers having straight edges and having a defined, regular orientation with respect to the environment. Information about the orientation of the reference markers is supplied to a mobile device operating within the environment. An orientation sensor disposed within the mobile device estimates an orientation of the mobile device. An image of one reference marker is captured, and at least one edge of that reference marker is located. The estimated orientation is compensated by correcting for the reference marker orientation and aligning the corrected estimated orientation to the at least one edge of the reference marker that is closest to being parallel to the corrected estimated orientation.

Orientation compensation using a mobile device camera and a reference marker

A method and system for locationing of a mobile device () within an environment includes light sources () disposed within the environment and modified to provide a plurality of unique identity patterns () associated with particular locations within the environment. A camera () and image processor () of the mobile device can obtain images of a modified light source () and recognize the unique identity patterns in the image and a horizontal and vertical angle of a position of the light source in the image from a center position. An accelerometer () can capture the gravity vectors of the camera. A locationing engine () can determine a location of the mobile device using the unique optical pattern, gravity vectors, and the horizontal and vertical angles.

Locationing using mobile device, camera, and a light source

Methods and apparatus are provided for locating one among many items equipped with RFID tags. The apparatus comprises a portable system interrogating the RFID tags and receiving responses therefrom that depend at least on their bearing angle. A comparator selects responses from the one item and ignores others. An annunciator indicates the presence of the one item in the interrogator field of view and, desirably but not essentially, its relative proximity. A directional antenna whose beam pattern is limited in azimuth and/or elevation provides bearing angle information. Its field of view becomes progressively smaller as the antenna approaches the one item so that a user can substantially pinpoint its location without needing any of the usual RFID infrastructure. Tag response hit rate and/or signal strength provides range related information to the interrogator. Optionally, the presence of each new tag is announced until all new tags have been identified.

Item finding using RF signalling

A method and apparatus for increasing the information density of a bar code symbol by generating multiple constituent bar code symbols, wherein each one is formed in a different color selected from a group of various primary colors, and overlaying each differently colored symbol on top of each other, thus forming an aggregate bar code symbol of various colors. In areas where the differently colored bars overlap each other, colors distinct from those in the original group of colors are formed. The aggregate bar code symbol is scanned by a solid state imaging device, and the scanned image is resolved by image processing techniques into the three constituent bar code symbols of the various colors. Each bar code symbol is then individually processed and decoded in accordance with the particular symbology used to encode the constituent bar code symbols. As a result of the present invention, multiple bar code symbols are printed in the space normally required by one bar code symbol, and each constituent symbol is separated by color resolution and decoded to form the original data. Thus, the information density of the bar code system is increased without the need for a new symbology. In addition, a single bar code symbol may be divided into multiple portions of substantially the same size and printed substantially over each other in different colors, thus producing a single compacted bar code symbol with increased information density. The compacted bar code symbol may be recovered by scanning and resolving the symbol back into its constituent portions, concatenating the portions together, and decoding the resulting bar code symbol in accordance with standard techniques.

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Smithtown, NY, United States of America

Michael O'Haire