With Remote Cooperating Station Patents (Class 342/125)
  • Patent number: 9019151
    Abstract: System and method for determining the distance between a radio beacon and a vehicle device passing in the radio beacon, in a road toll system. A signal having a known temporal profile is emitted by one of the radio beacon and vehicle device. The signal is captured in the other component during the passing of the device and the temporal profile of the frequency is recorded in relation to the known temporal profile; a modification in the recoded frequency profile exceeding a first threshold value is detected; two distant wave zones in the frequency profile, lying temporally in front of and behind the detected modification are determined, the zones displaying a frequency modification below a second threshold value are searched for; the recorded frequency profile is scaled in such a way that the distant wave zones take the predetermined values; and the distance is determined from the scaled frequency profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
    Inventors: Dieter Smely, Josef Winkler, Oliver Nagy, Alexander Paier, Robert Povolny
  • Patent number: 8976060
    Abstract: Distance between two radio frequency devices is estimated by receiving a plurality of spread spectrum chirp signals frequency offset from one another, and evaluating the received plurality of spread spectrum chirp signals for relative phase shifts between the plurality of spread spectrum chirp signals. A fine propagation time is derived using the phase shifts between the spread spectrum chirp signals. A frequency domain despreading window is shifted to reduce the influence of time-delayed near multipath signals in receiving the plurality of spread spectrum chirp signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Digi International Inc.
    Inventor: Terry M. Schaffner
  • Publication number: 20150061920
    Abstract: The invention relates to a ranging system for measuring the distance between an interrogator and a transponder. The transponder includes: a signal receiver for receiving a challenge signal from an interrogator; a signal processor for processing the challenge signal and generating a response signal in response to the challenge signal; a buffer for storing the response signal generated by the signal processor; and a signal transmitter for sending the response signal stored in the buffer when the signal processor receives a ranging signal from the interrogator, wherein a time interval between the challenge signal and the ranging signal is known to both transponder and the interrogator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Kourosh Pahlavan, Farokh Hassanzadeh Eskafi
  • Publication number: 20150054677
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sensing boundaries between materials are provided. The method for sensing boundaries between materials comprises the steps of: fixing sensing modules in place; transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals; and analyzing radio frequency signals. The method enables real-time detection of positions of the boundaries between materials and handling and monitoring of changes in the boundary positions. The apparatus for sensing boundaries between materials comprises at least two sensing modules, or a radio frequency transmitting unit and a plurality of radio frequency signals receiving unit, or a plurality of radio frequency transmitting unit and a radio frequency signals receiving unit. The radio frequency signals are transmitted, received and analyzed by the radio frequency transmitting unit and the radio frequency signals receiving unit to determine the boundary positions and changes therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Chun-Ming HUANG, Chen-Chia Chen, Yung-Bin Lin, Chien-Ming Wu
  • Patent number: 8963770
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the distance between a radio beacon and a vehicle device passing in front of said radio beacon, in a road toll system. A signal of a frequency having a known temporal profile is emitted. Said method consists of the following steps: the signal is captured in the other component when passing and the temporal profile of the frequency is recorded in relation to the known temporal profile; a modification in the recorded frequency profile exceeding a first threshold value is detected; two distant wave zones in the frequency profile, lying temporally in front of and behind the detected modification, which displays a frequency modification below a second threshold value, are searched for; the recorded frequency profile is scaled in such a manner that the distance wave zones take the predetermined values; and said distance “a” from the scaled frequency path is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
    Inventors: Dieter Smely, Josef Winkler, Oliver Nagy, Alexander Paier, Robert Povolny
  • Patent number: 8824325
    Abstract: A hybrid positioning system can be implemented to improve location estimation of a wireless network device when reference network devices can have different distance calibration constants. For each of a plurality of positions at which the wireless network device is placed and for each reference network device, a distance between the wireless network device and the reference network device is determined. A first positioning algorithm is executed to determine an intermediate location (corresponding to each position) of the wireless network device and a distance calibration constant for each reference network device based, in part, on a corresponding initial location of the wireless network device. A second positioning algorithm is executed to estimate a subset of the positions of the wireless network device based on the intermediate location (corresponding to the position) of the wireless network device and the distance calibration constant of each of reference network devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Xiaoxin Zhang, Ning Zhang
  • Patent number: 8823577
    Abstract: A distance separation tracking process is provided that includes the transmission of a periodic radio frequency original signal from a beacon transceiver. The original periodic signal from the beacon transceiver is received at a remote target transceiver as a target received periodic signal. The target retransmits the received periodic signal to the beacon transceiver as a return periodic signal. Data points of the return periodic signal are sampled and used to calculate a phase differential between the original periodic signal and the return periodic signal that correlates to the distance separation range between the beacon transceiver and the target transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: iTRACK, LLC
    Inventors: G. Edzko Smid, Thomas P. Stiglich
  • Publication number: 20140232588
    Abstract: A radio frequency ranging system is grounded in establishing and maintaining phase and frequency coherency of signals received by a slave unit from a master unit and retransmitted to the master unit by the slave unit. For a preferred embodiment of the invention, coherency is established through the use of a delta-sigma phase-lock loop, and maintained through the use, on both master and slave units, of thermally-insulated reference oscillators, which are highly stable over the short periods of time during which communications occur. A phase relationship counter is employed to keep track of the fractional time frames of the phase-lock loop as a function of the reference oscillator, thereby providing absolute phase information for an incoming burst on any channel, thereby enabling the system to almost instantaneously establish or reestablish the phase relationship of the local oscillator so that it synchronized with the reference oscillator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Greina Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Joseph Lee
  • Publication number: 20140225762
    Abstract: A ranging and positioning system comprising transmitters and receiver nodes communicating together by chirp-modulated radio signals, that have a ranging mode in which ranging exchange of signals takes place between a master device and a slave device that leads to the evaluation of the range between them. The slave is arranged for recognizing a ranging request and transmit back a ranging response containing chirps that precisely aligned in time and frequency with the chirps in the ranging requests, whereupon the master can receive the ranging response, analyze the time and frequency the chirps contained therein with respect to his own time reference, and estimate a range to the slave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Inventor: Olivier B. A. SELLER
  • Patent number: 8742978
    Abstract: A method and an arrangement for determining the delay of a signal between a first station and a second station of the arrangement, with the aim of determining the spatial distance between the stations. A first series of first signal pulses is generated in the first station at a first pulse repetition rate f1. A second and a third series of second and third signal pulses is generated in the second station, comprising a second f2 and third pulse repetition rate f3, where f2=f1+?f and f3=f1??f. The second and third series of second and third signal pulses are transmitted to the first station, where the series are correlated with the first series of first signal pulses. The delay of the signal can be determined from the time elapsed between two successive pulses of the signal arising from the correlation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Roland Gierlich, Jörg Hüttner, Andreas Ziroff
  • Patent number: 8730094
    Abstract: A method and a radio beacon for determining a distance of a vehicle passing a radio beacon of a road toll system, from beacon. The vehicle is equipped with an onboard unit, which emits a signal with a known curve of its frequency over time. The method includes receiving the signal in the radio beacon during passage of the vehicle and recording a curve of its frequency over time in relation to the known frequency curve; detecting a change in the recorded frequency curve exceeding a predetermined threshold value; looking for two far regions in the frequency curve lying before and after the detected change in time and showing a frequency change below a threshold value; scaling the recorded frequency curve in such a manner that the far regions assume predetermined values; and determining the said distance from a gradient of the scaled frequency curve in an inflection point thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
    Inventor: Oliver Nagy
  • Patent number: 8723720
    Abstract: The wireless detection beacon is for use with a Radio Frequency (RF) interrogator transmitting at a first frequency and receiving at a second frequency. The wireless detection beacon includes a substrate, a power supply carried by the substrate, an antenna assembly carried by the substrate, and a local oscillator (LO) carried by the substrate and configured to be powered by the power supply to provide an LO signal at a third frequency. A mixer is carried by the substrate and coupled to the antenna assembly and the LO. The mixer is configured to generate an outgoing beacon signal to the antenna assembly at the second frequency based upon mixing an incoming signal from the RF interrogator at the first frequency with the LO signal at the third frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Douglas Moffatt, James G. Tonti
  • Patent number: 8711032
    Abstract: A radio frequency ranging system is grounded in establishing and maintaining phase and frequency coherency of signals received by a slave unit from a master unit and retransmitted to the master unit by the slave unit. For a preferred embodiment of the invention, coherency is established through the use of a delta-sigma phase-lock loop, and maintained through the use, on both master and slave units, of thermally-insulated reference oscillators, which are highly stable over the short periods of time during which communications occur. A phase relationship counter is employed to keep track of the fractional time frames of the phase-lock loop as a function of the reference oscillator, thereby providing absolute phase information for an incoming burst on any channel, thereby enabling the system to almost instantaneously establish or reestablish the phase relationship of the local oscillator so that it synchronized with the reference oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Greina Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Joseph Lee
  • Patent number: 8704703
    Abstract: Methods and systems for post processing synchronization of bistatic radar data are disclosed. A transmitter is configured to transmit pulses at a first rate controlled by a first local oscillator. A receiver is configured to receive pulses at a second rate controlled by a second oscillator. A processing device is configured to synchronize, with respect to the first rate, in-phase quadrature data received from the receiver using a keystone formatting technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: The MITRE Corporation
    Inventor: Probal Kumar Sanyal
  • Publication number: 20140062761
    Abstract: A tag decides a response based on a plurality of queries received from a reader, determines whether to transmit the response, transmits the response to the reader according to the results of the determination, and transmits a message authentication code including communication content to the reader. The reader calculates a consumed time period which is the time difference between a transmission time at which the queries are transmitted and a reception time at which the response is received, calculates an average consumed time period of the consumed time period, and measures a distance to the tag based on the average consumed time period. Accordingly, it is possible to check an attacker's intervention with a high probability, thereby improving distance measurement performance. Also, the tag may efficiently perform computing and communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventor: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
  • Patent number: 8643536
    Abstract: A positioning system for radio frequency devices includes a two-way radio antenna, for vehicles, having a transmitting and a receiving element. Reference antennas have retro-directive arrays which can shape the signal beams in elevation; polarize transmission and reception signals according to a circular or a linear polarization, the polarized transmission retro-directively reflecting signals having the same polarization as the incident ones in the case of circular polarization, or retro-directively reflecting signals having orthogonal polarization in the case of linear polarization. An encoder is included for transmitting an identification code of the reference antenna. A controller processes the spatial and temporal data resulting from communication through the radio waves transmitted and received by the vehicle antennas and reflected by the reference antennas. The controller calculates the distance of the vehicle from the reference antennas that have reflected the signal transmitted by the antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Elettric 80 S.p.A.
    Inventors: Vittorio Cavirani, Francesco Trotta, Luca Marcaccioli, Roberto Vincenti Gatti, Franco Manzini, Domenico Di Terlizzi
  • Patent number: 8643538
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a position of a locus comprising a locator device for disposition at the locus; the locator device configured for receiving an electromagnetic signal from a beacon device, the locator device receiving at a distance from the beacon device within near field range of the electromagnetic signal; the locator device configured for distinguishing at least two characteristics of the electromagnetic signal sensed at the locus; the system employing the at least two characteristics to effect the determining of the position of the locus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Q-Track Corporation
    Inventors: Hans Gregory Schantz, Robert Edward DePierre, David Wesley Langford
  • Publication number: 20140022108
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a video encoder, a camera and radio frequency modulation circuitry. The radio frequency modulation circuitry is operative to modulate a radar signal to include video data. A radar transmitter is operatively coupled to the radio frequency modulation circuitry, and is operative to transmit a radar signal including the video data. The apparatus may also include radio frequency demodulation circuitry and a video decoder. The video decoder is operative to decode video data contained in a radar signal demodulated by the radio frequency demodulation circuitry. An inter-vehicle alert system controls the camera to initiate capturing video data which includes the video data. A method of operation modulates a radar signal to include at least a portion of the video data captured in response to detecting an obstruction, and transmits the radar signal to a second vehicle via an antenna array oriented at the moving vehicle's rear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC
    Inventors: William P. Alberth, JR., Dean E. Thorson
  • Patent number: 8620344
    Abstract: Methods, program products, and systems for location-based application program management are described. A mobile device can receive a first application program to be executed in an application subsystem. The first application program can be configured to be invoked or notified when the mobile device is located at a defined location. The mobile device can register the first application program to a second application program that executes in a baseband subsystem. The mobile device can set the application subsystem to a power-saving operating mode. The second application program can monitor a current location of the mobile device. When the mobile device is currently located at the defined location, the second application program can set the application subsystem to an active operating mode, and invoke the first application program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald K. Huang, Morgan Grainger
  • Patent number: 8604964
    Abstract: A system for determining the movement of a swaying structure, on which a receiver is fixedly mounted, is proposed, wherein at least three reference transmitters having known and fixed positions are provided and transmit the transmission signals received by the receiver at defined carrier frequencies. In addition, an evaluation unit is provided, which determines measured phase values from the received signals, taking into account the defined carrier frequency, wherein the distance from the reference transmitters and the changes in position of the receiver and therefore of the swaying structure can be calculated from said phase values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Eidloth, Norbert Franke
  • Patent number: 8598501
    Abstract: A sensor system uses ground emitters to illuminate a projectile in flight with a polarized RF beam. By monitoring the polarization modulation of RF signals received from antenna elements mounted on the projectile, both angular orientation and angular rate signals can be derived and used in the inertial solution in place of the gyroscope. Depending on the spacing and positional accuracies of the RF ground emitters, position information of the projectile may also be derived, which eliminates the need for accelerometers. When RF signals of ground emitter/s are blocked from the guided projectile, the sensor deploys another plurality of RF antennas mounted on the projectile nose to determine position and velocity vectors and orientation of incoming targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Guidance an Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: A. Douglas Meyer, Mostafa A. Karam, Charles A. Lee, Charles H. Volk
  • Publication number: 20130265188
    Abstract: A radar device is provided. The radar device is installed in a movable body, transmits electromagnetic waves at a predetermined frequency, and receives response waves transmitted from a transponder device in response to the electromagnetic waves, respectively. The radar device includes a representative distance calculating module for calculating a representative distance from the radar device to the transponder device based on the response waves that are continuous over a predetermined azimuth angle range, a representative relative azimuth calculating module for calculating a representative relative azimuth of the transponder device from the radar device based on the continuous response waves, and a positioning module for calculating a location of the radar device based on positional information of the transponder device that is contained in each of the response waves, the calculated representative distance, and the calculated representative relative azimuth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: FURUNO Electric Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8552903
    Abstract: Various techniques are described relating to verifying a distance between devices. A distance between two devices may be verified by requiring one of the devices to take one or more actions that generate a result that is only possible if the device is at most a given distance from the other device. In some aspects verified ranging is accomplished through the use of a ranging signal and a responsive signal. In some aspects the ranging signal may comprise a random, pseudorandom, or deterministic sequence. A responding device may operate on a ranging signal in accordance with a known function to generate a responsive signal. A ranging device also may perform operations to determine the likelihood that a responding device properly operated on a ranging signal that the ranging device transmitted to the responding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: David Jonathan Julian, Amal Ekbal, Chong U. Lee
  • Patent number: 8519884
    Abstract: Improved distance estimation of a selected transmitter. An improved distance estimate from a target transmitter to a receiver is produced by assessing the target transmitter to determine transmit power, and combining this information with a propagation model, received signal strength, and reference signal strength indications. Target transmit power may be assessed through knowledge of the target device or device class, and/or transmit power reporting features of target wireless networks. The assessment may be made through looking up reported target device characteristics in a database, making inferences based on target device characteristics, or through standards-based diagnostic and/or reporting mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Aruba Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Joshua Wright
  • Patent number: 8482456
    Abstract: A microwave sensor assembly includes at least one probe including an emitter configured to generate an electromagnetic field from at least one microwave signal. The emitter is also configured to generate at least one loading signal representative of a loading induced within the emitter by an object positioned within the electromagnetic field. The microwave sensor assembly also includes a signal processing device coupled to the at least one probe. The signal processing device includes a linearizer configured to generate a substantially linear output signal based on the at least one loading signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Go, Boris Leonid Sheikman, William Platt
  • Publication number: 20130154872
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for locating an obstacle between a transmitter and a receiver. The method includes: determining at least one elliptical ring in which the obstacle is situated, the elliptical ring being defined by two confocal ellipses, having their focuses corresponding to the transmitter and to the receiver, each elliptical ring being associated with a physical echo generated by an obstacle; estimating a distance between the obstacle and a focus as a function of the separation between the confocal ellipses at the obstacle in a plane normal to the axis defined by the focuses so as to obtain a set of potential location zones for the obstacle in the elliptical ring; and lifting the ambiguity between the various potential location zones of the obstacle so as to deliver a location zone of the obstacle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: FRANCE TELECOM
    Inventors: Isabelle Siaud, Anne-Marie Ulmer-Moll
  • Patent number: 8405543
    Abstract: A circuit of a node of a radio network, and a method for distance measurement with a transceiver for receiving a first signal with a first frequency by downmixing to an intermediate frequency, with a phase measurement unit, which is set up to determine a first value of a first phase for a first frequency value of the first frequency. The transceiver is formed to transmit a second signal with a first frequency value of a second frequency for determining a first value of a second phase. The control circuit is set up to change the first frequency and the second frequency, in that a second frequency value of the first frequency and the first frequency value of the first frequency have a frequency difference, and whereby a second frequency value of the second frequency and the first frequency value of the second frequency have the frequency difference. The phase measurement unit is set up to determine a second value of the first phase for the second frequency value of the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: Wolfram Kluge, Eric Sachse
  • Patent number: 8350750
    Abstract: A distributed time reversal mirror array (DTRMA) system includes a plurality of independent, sparsely distributed time reversal mirrors (TRMs). Each of the TRMs includes an antenna; a transceiver connected to the antenna for transmitting a signal toward a target, for receiving a return, reflected signal from the target, and for retransmitting a time-reversed signal toward the target: means for phase-locking and for maintaining spatial and temporal coherences between the TRMs; and a computer including a machine-readable storage media having programmed instructions stored thereon for computing and generating the time-reversed retransmitted signal, thereby providing a phased array functionality for the DTRMA while minimizing distortion from external sources. The DTRMA is capable of operating in an autonomous, unattended, and passive state, owing to the time-reversal's self-focusing feature. The beam may be sharply focused on the target due to the coherently synthesized extended aperture over the entire array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Eung Gi Paek, Joon Y Choe
  • Patent number: 8334801
    Abstract: A locating system, includes at least one initiator configured to operate at a first clock frequency, and to transmit a measurement signal including a first preamble; and at least one transponder configured to operate at a second clock frequency, to receive the measurement signal, and to transmit a response signal to the initiator, the response signal including a second preamble. The initiator is further configured to calculate, based on the response signal, a distance between the initiator and the transponder for determining a location of the transponder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Ensco, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Alan Fretenburg, Steven Scott Kazemir, Henry Hon-You Leung, Derek John Pyner, Charles Elmer McNeill, IV, David W. A. Taylor, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8326320
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for locating at least one mobile radio subscriber in a mobile radio network, wherein to each transmitting station a value correlated with the receive field strength of a signal from this transmitting station is allocated; including the following steps: a) from the information determined upon connection setup, a table is created per cell, in which at least one distance parameter to the transmitting station of the cell is allocated to the respective receive field strengths; b) for at least one value correlated with the receive field strength and transmitted in the measurement report, the allocated distance parameter to the transmitting station of the respective cell is read out from the table created in step a); and c) determining at least one point satisfying the distance parameter(s) read-out in step b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Karsten Gaenger, Jens Plogsties, Ralf Kreher, Armin Klopfer
  • Patent number: 8320934
    Abstract: A system and method of dynamically updating an almanac of base stations with wireless phones that are controlled by end users. First, second, and third location information are received respectfully from a first, second, and third wireless phones. A position of each wireless device is known. The distance between each wireless device an uncooperative base station is determined while accounting for an uncertainty factor. A location of the uncooperative base station is calculated using the first, second, and third location information and the distances. The almanac is updated with the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Leonid Sheynblat
  • Patent number: 8279111
    Abstract: A high-precision distance measuring with a reduced error in a distance measuring system which calculates a distance from an arrival time of each pulse signal constituting a pulse sequence is provided. For an oscillator which generates pulse signals by counting the number of pulse signals constituting a received pulse sequence, a relative time difference between a transmitting device and a return device is acquired, a distance from the transmitting device to the return device is calculated, and the calculated distance is corrected based on the calculated relative time difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
    Inventors: Bin Zhen, Huan-Bang Li, Ryuji Kohno
  • Patent number: 8274426
    Abstract: A radio frequency ranging system is grounded in establishing and maintaining phase and frequency coherency of signals received by a slave unit from a master unit and retransmitted to the master unit by the slave unit. For a preferred embodiment of the invention, coherency is established through the use of a delta-sigma phase-lock loop, and maintained through the use, on both master and slave units, of thermally-insulated reference oscillators, which are highly stable over the short periods of time during which communications occur. A phase relationship counter is employed to keep track of the fractional time frames of the phase-lock loop as a function of the reference oscillator, thereby providing absolute phase information for an incoming burst on any channel, thereby enabling the system to almost instantaneously establish or reestablish the phase relationship of the local oscillator so that it synchronized with the reference oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Greina Technologies, Inc
    Inventor: Daniel Joseph Lee
  • Patent number: 8260319
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining a distance between a wireless transceiver and a wireless receiver arranged to communicate with each other in a wireless communication network, the wireless receiver having an active and an inactive reception state, the method comprising transmitting, with the wireless receiver in the active reception state, a first transmission signal, receiving a first reflection signal, the first reflection signal being a reflection of the first transmission signal and influenced by the active reception state of the wireless receiver, transmitting, with the wireless receiver in the inactive reception state, a second transmission signal, receiving a second reflected signal, the second reflection signal being a reflection of the second transmission signal and influenced by the inactive reception state of the wireless receiver, and determining a distance between the wireless transceiver and the wireless receiver based on the second reflection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Rosemount Tank Radar AB
    Inventors: Fabian Wenger, Mats Nordlund
  • Patent number: 8193970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of implementing operations involving the processing a radio-communication frame (CMF) in a system comprising at least three radio transmitter/receiver devices (1-5), consisting in transmitting the frame in response to a first request signal (REQ1) transmitted by a device belonging to the system (1). According to the invention, the frame is processed in the device (1) that transmitted the first request signal (REQ1) as well as in other devices belonging to the system (1, 3-5) which transmitted respective request signals (REQ2-REQ4) within a pre-determined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Benoit Miscopein, Jean Schwoerer, Francois Marx
  • Patent number: 8184038
    Abstract: Relatively short turnaround times are provided in conjunction with two-way ranging to, for example, facilitate accurate ranging measurements when the relative clock drift between ranging nodes (e.g., devices) is relatively high. In some aspects, relatively short turnaround times are achieved through the use of a symmetric channel that is defined to enable concurrent transmission of ranging messages between nodes. For example, a symmetric channel may be established by configuring the nodes to receive one or more pulses associated with a received ranging message in between pulse transmissions associated with a transmitted ranging message. In this way, one node may send a ranging timestamp shortly after the other nodes sends its ranging timestamp, thereby mitigating the impact of the clock drift on the ranging measurements. In some aspects the pulses may comprise ultra-wideband pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Amal Ekbal, David Jonathan Julian, Zhanfeng Jia
  • Patent number: 8185264
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining whether first and second components of a vehicle are physically coupled together, the method comprising: transmitting a first signal from the first component of the vehicle; receiving a second signal from the second component of the vehicle; processing the second signal to determine whether the first and second components of the vehicle are coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Nomad Spectrum Limited
    Inventor: Caleb Carroll
  • Patent number: 8159367
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for validating a distance output of a phase ranging RFID location system, based upon the phase readings included in data sets obtained from monitoring reply signals corresponding to interrogation signals at multiple frequencies and a common interrogation signal beam direction; by comparison of measured phase and frequency data sets with theoretical phases calculated with respect to the same frequencies over a range of positions corresponding to a beam extent of the interrogation signal. The distance output validated by comparison with theoretical threshold data processed to generate an extreme values distribution from which a cumulative distribution function is extracted and against which a confidence level is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: RF Controls, LLC
    Inventors: Russell Hofer, Graham P. A. Bloy
  • Patent number: 8134493
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the geolocation of a signal emitter moving at an unknown velocity by combining signal data of a target detection platform (e.g., a radar system) and signal data collected by two or more moving signal collection platforms (e.g., RF signal receivers). In one embodiment, the target detection platform determines tentative location and velocity of the signal emitter, and the signal collection platforms are configured to perform TDOA and/or FDOA analysis of the collected signal data corresponding to a signal of the signal emitter. In one embodiment, solutions provided from the TDOA and/or FDOA analysis are unbiased by using the tentative velocity of the signal emitter, and the geolocation of the signal emitter is determined by matching the TDOA/FDOA solutions and the detected tentative location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: William B. Noble, Duncan L. Crawford, Jeffrey M. Guild
  • Patent number: 8089392
    Abstract: Integration of ionospheric models in over the horizon radars (OTHR) is achieved with very little or substantially no change to existing coordinate registration systems or software by specifying a virtual transponder at a target location and generating a signal which appears to have emanated from a transponder at that location. A return path to said virtual transponder is ray-traced through the ionospheric model to produce propagation parameters; and an appropriately delayed virtual transponder signal is inserted into the receiver. The result produced at the receiver is used to perform coordinate registration for further received signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Qinetiq Limited
    Inventor: Paul Stephen Cannon
  • Patent number: 8081106
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a detector, direction finder, receiver, and range finder. The detector is operable to detect a target, and the direction finder is operable to determine a first direction to the target from the apparatus. The receiver is operable to receive a second direction to the target from a remote object, and the range finder is operable to determine from the first and second directions a range of the target from the apparatus. For example, the apparatus may be a first fighter jet, and the remote object may be a second fighter jet. By using directional information from both the first and second jets, a computer system onboard the first jet may compute a range to the target from the first jet more quickly and more accurately than by using directional information from only the first jet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electric Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald M. Yannone
  • Publication number: 20110305498
    Abstract: A novelty golf ball-shaped measuring device is described. The golf ball assembly is split into two halves, one having a wireless receiver and display while the other has a transponder that is activated by an RF transmitter. Distance between the halves is calculated using the received wireless signal and is shown on the display. A pen-shaped device is also described in which the cap houses the display, and the pen barrel houses the transponder. Other sport and household item-shaped devices that split into multiple parts to measure and display distances are envisioned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Inventor: Damian De La Rosa
  • Patent number: 8063744
    Abstract: The present invention utilizes the existing DME transponder system infrastructure to augment existing ground surveillance multilateration (MLAT) capabilities by providing additional measurements for determining the position of an aircraft equipped with a DME transponder. DME listeners receive DME interrogation signals and DME reply signals, determine TDOA between the DME transponder and each DME listener, and transmit data to a central computer that clusters TDOAs between the DME transponder and the DME listeners and computes the aircraft position using the clustered TDOAs. The DME-aided MLAT can be used as a backup surveillance system when GNSS-based systems are unavailable. The DME-aided MLAT can be integrated with SSR receive units (RUs) performing multilateration (MLAT) calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Saab Sensis Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan Haoyun Wu, Kevin Lefebvre
  • Patent number: 8036064
    Abstract: In a building environment, a distance associated with a building automation device is determined as a function of an interval or an inserted time delay between a wireless transmission of a signal and wireless reception of another signal. For example, a two-way communication is provided with an automatic interval or a desired time delay inserted before responding to a received transmission. By using two-way transmissions, the building automation devices may be free of clock synchronization. Acoustic signals may be used in a building environment to determine a distance. The building automation device may also use radio frequency information for communicating with other devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Industry, Inc.
    Inventor: Norman R. McFarland
  • Patent number: 7969348
    Abstract: A wide area location and telemetry system may include a wide area location and telemetry system server that is configured to determine wide area location and telemetry system data about an object when the object is located within the coverage area of the wide area location and telemetry system. The wide area location and telemetry system server may also be configured to receive localized location and telemetry system data about the object when the object is located within the coverage area of a localized location and telemetry system. The wide area location and telemetry system may also include a database and a database manager. The database manager may be configured to store the wide area location and telemetry system data and the localized location and telemetry system data in the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Recon Dynamics, LLC
    Inventors: James R. Baker, Sy Prestwich, Scott Bevan
  • Patent number: 7956796
    Abstract: A system according to the invention detects location information of a vehicle by using a reflection strength change of an electromagnetic wave. The system incorporates a radiowave transmitter which emits a first radiowave, positional markers which generate unique reflection strengths and patterns of temporal changes in the reflection strength from the emitted first radiowave at respective absolute positions, a radiowave receiver which receives a second radiowave reflected by the positional marker and converts the second radiowave into a signal format for extracting location information to output the same, and a marker recognition device which obtains a location of the vehicle from the output of the radiowave receiver. Accordingly, a highly-precise location specification with a resolution smaller than or equal to 1 cm and a highly-reliable location specification which is not affected by slip and slide of the vehicle's wheels can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Hyodo, Shigeru Oho, Naoki Kato
  • Patent number: 7956797
    Abstract: A system for measuring relative distance between a first component on a vehicle and a second component on the vehicle is provided. The system includes a wireless ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver attached to the first component. The wireless UWB transceiver transmits a UWB measurement pulse toward the second component, and receives a reflected UWB pulse from a reflective surface of the second component. The reflected UWB pulse represents a reflected version of the UWB measurement pulse. The system also includes a processor coupled to the wireless UWB transceiver. The processor derives a relative distance between the first component and the second component, based upon characteristics of the UWB measurement pulse and the reflected UWB pulse. The system further includes a power generating system for the wireless UWB transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Timothy J. Talty, Chandra S. Namuduri, Yunjun Li, Nancy McMahon, Robert B. Elliott
  • Patent number: 7948431
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for increasing the accuracy of a measurement of a radio-based locating system comprising a mobile station and at least one fixed station, wherein the movement of a mobile station from an initial position is detected by way of measuring data of an absolute sensor system and a relative sensor system, a virtual antenna is embodied in the form of synthetic aperture by way of measuring data and the mobile station is focused on the fixed station and/or vice versa by using the synthetic aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Symeo GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Gulden, Stephan Max, Martin Vossiek
  • Patent number: 7941169
    Abstract: Provided are an automatic network configuration apparatus and method between short-range wireless terminals. The apparatus includes a storing unit for storing a threshold range value for determining adjacency with an adjacent wireless terminal, a wireless environment compensation constant in a present wireless environment, and a network configuration parameter for automatic network configuration; a signal strength measuring unit for periodically measuring strength of the wireless signal transmitted from the adjacent wireless terminal; a range calculating unit for calculating a range from another wireless terminal corresponding to the strength of the wireless signal measured in the signal strength measuring unit based on the wireless environment compensation constant in the pre-stored present wireless environment; and a network configuring unit for performing network configuration with the adjacent wireless terminal when the calculated range is within a threshold for determining adjacency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Ji-Yeon Son, Jun-Seok Park, Il-Sik Yang, Myunggyu Kim
  • Publication number: 20110080312
    Abstract: A safe driving providing system for supporting a safe driving of a vehicle includes: a radar for transmitting a signal of a predetermined frequency bandwidth to a plurality of vehicles, analyzing signals provided by the vehicles, calculating location information and distance information of the vehicles, and finding inter-vehicle distance information of the vehicles based on the location information and the distance information; and a controller for receiving operation speed information from a vehicle information terminal device installed in each vehicle, determining driving safety of the plurality of vehicles based on the received operation speed information and inter-vehicle distance information provided by the radar, and transmitting a warning message for safe driving to the vehicle information terminal device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Hyun Seo Oh, Hyun Kyun Choi, Hyun Suk Kim, Jong-Hyun Park, Sung Won Sohn, Sangwoo Lee, Woong Cho