Embodiments described herein relate to a magnetic positioning system and method that allows the position of a receiver to be determined in environments containing conducting material such as concrete. A number of transmitters create modulated magnetic fields which are distorted as they propagate through the conducting materials. A finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation of the environment is used to generate an accurate model of the fields within the environment. A receiver is used to measure the field strength of each transmitter. The receiver position is determined by evaluating the misfit between the received fields and the values in the FDTD model.

A position detection apparatus includes: a first antenna attached to a predetermined position of a subject and configured to receive a wireless signal transmitted from a medical apparatus inserted into the subject; a second antenna attached to the subject at a different position relative to the first antenna and configured to receive the wireless signal; and a processor comprising hardware. The processor is configured to: calculate a first received strength of the wireless signal received by the first antenna and a second received strength of the wireless signal received by the second antenna; calculate an attachment position of the second antenna based on the first and the second received strengths; and calculate a position of the medical apparatus based on: the first and the second received strengths; the calculated position of the first antenna; and the calculated position of the second antenna.

A system includes a first-vehicle processor configured to receive a signal broadcast from a second vehicle. The processor is also configured to determine a distance between a first transceiver, receiving the signal, and a second transceiver, transmitting the signal. The processor is further configured to determine second vehicle dimensions. Also, the processor is configured to digitally map a second vehicle perimeter around a second transceiver location, determined based on the distance and alert a first vehicle driver of a likely overlap condition of the second vehicle perimeter and a first vehicle perimeter.

A position determination device determines the position of a terminal. A signal of a sensor attached to one or both of a beacon and a terminal is sampled, so that a signal of the beacon may be transmitted and received only when the beacon or the terminal has moved. A plurality of beacons sequentially transmit beacon signals to determine the terminal position by determining a distance between the respective beacons and the terminal based on a time to receive the beacons. The device includes a beacon for transmitting a beacon signal; a terminal for receiving the beacon signal; and a first sensor attached to the terminal to sense movement of the terminal and to output a first sensing signal indicative of the sensed movement. The terminal has a reception mode for receiving the beacon signal and turns on/off the reception mode based on the first sensing signal.

Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

A method for locating an animal using radio waves. In radiolocation, a large number of possible calculation results for the location of the animal arise. Using the results of previous measurements and calculations with regard to the possible locations of the node to be located, stochastic calculations are used to filter out, from the plurality of the current location calculation results, that result which in fact applies with the highest probability. Acceleration values which are measured at the animal are used in the stochastic calculations. It is assumed that with increasing measured acceleration values the probability increases that there can also be relatively large distances between temporally successive locations of the node to be located.

A real-time location system including a backbone communication network having a plurality of network access point devices and a real-time location system server, a plurality of monitor devices where each monitor device being located at a location around a facility, each of the plurality of monitor devices being configured to transmit a unique monitor identification code using a secondary transmission technology, each of the monitor identifications codes being mapped to a single location in the facility at which a monitor device is located, each of the monitor devices further being configured to transmit an RF beacon using a first RF protocol, and at least one tag being configured to receive, detect and retransmit the monitor identification code back to at least one of the plurality of monitor devices using a second RF protocol.

Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Head-mounted augmented reality (AR) devices can track pose of a wearer's head to provide a three-dimensional virtual representation of objects in the wearer's environment. An electromagnetic (EM) tracking system can track head or body pose. A handheld user input device can include an EM emitter that generates an EM field, and the head-mounted AR device can include an EM sensor that senses the EM field. EM information from the sensor can be analyzed to determine location and/or orientation of the sensor and thereby the wearer's pose. The EM emitter and sensor may utilize time division multiplexing (TDM) or dynamic frequency tuning to operate at multiple frequencies. Voltage gain control may be implemented in the transmitter, rather than the sensor, allowing smaller and lighter weight sensor designs. The EM sensor can implement noise cancellation to reduce the level of EM interference generated by nearby audio speakers.

The invention relates to a lighting device for providing a position identification signal, wherein the lighting device comprises a lighting means. A transmitting unit comprising an antenna element transmits the position identification signal in the form of a directed radio signal having a specifiable emission characteristic during intended operation, wherein the position identification signal comprises a position determination data regarding a position of the transmitting unit and/or of the lighting means. The invention further relates to a lighting system having a plurality of lighting devices. In addition, the invention relates to a method for operating a lighting device having a lighting means and a transmitting unit. The method comprises the directed transmitting of a position identification signal in the form of a radio signal having a specifiable emission characteristic, wherein the position identification signal comprises position determination data regarding a position of the transmitting unit and/or of the lighting means.