System and method for position and proximity detection

• US 10,101,432 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Fechine, Dmitri, Clifton, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahne, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US15/226,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20180038938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

A system includes a first vehicle having an emitter configured to emit a high RF signal synchronously with at least one EM pulse, and a receiver unit located remote from the first vehicle. The receiver unit includes a magnetic field receiver, an RF transceiver, and a processing module coupled to the RF transceiver and the magnetic field receiver. The receiver unit is configured to receive the high RF signal and the at least one EM pulse from the first vehicle and to determine a proximity of the first vehicle to the receiver unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a magnetic field receiver configured to receive an electromagnetic (EM) pulse emitted by an external object;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to receive an RF signal emitted by the external object;

a processing unit configured to determine an identity of the external object and a distance between the external object and the magnetic field receiver based on the EM pulse and the RF signal that are received; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine whether the EM pulse and the RF signal were emitted by the external object or by the external object and at least one other external object by determining whether the EM pulse and the RF signal were synchronously emitted.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the external object is a vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the identity of the external object from among plural external objects based on the RF signal that is received by the RF transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the distance of the external object from the magnetic field receiver based on a magnitude of the EM pulse that is received by the magnetic field receiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to communicate a signal to the external object responsive to the distance of the external object from the magnetic field receiver being less than a designated distance.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field receiver is configured to receive the EM pulse without data being included in the EM pulse.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field receiver is configured to receive plural EM pulses from plural different external objects and the RF transceiver is configured to receive plural RF signals from the plural different external objects, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine which of the plural different external objects emitted the plural EM pulses based on times at which the EM pulses were received by the magnetic field receiver and times at which the RF signals were received by RF transceiver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field receiver is configured to receive plural EM pulses from plural different external objects and the RF transceiver is configured to receive plural RF signals from the plural different external objects, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine which of the plural different external objects emitted the plural EM pulses based on times at which the EM pulses were received by the magnetic field receiver and identification data included in the RF signals received by RF transceiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the external object is a beacon and the processing unit is configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a location of the vehicle based on the EM pulse and the RF signal that are received from the beacon.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to modify a different location of the vehicle as determined by a navigation system of the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle that is determined based on the EM pulse and the RF signal that are received from the beacon.

11. A method comprising:

receiving an electromagnetic (EM) pulse emitted by an external object at a magnetic field receiver;

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal emitted by the external object at an RF transceiver;

determining an identity of the external object and a distance between the external object and the magnetic field receiver based on the EM pulse and the RF signal that are received; and

further comprising determining whether the EM pulse and the RF signal were emitted by the external object or by the external object and at least one other external object by determining whether the EM pulse and the RF signal were synchronously emitted.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identity of the external object is determined from among plural external objects based on the RF signal that is received.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising communicating a signal to the external object responsive to the distance of the external object from the magnetic field receiver being less than a designated distance.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying a location of the vehicle as determined by a navigation system of the vehicle based on the identity of the external object and the distance between the external object and the magnetic field receiver that are determined.