Radio-frequency localization techniques and associated systems, devices, and methods

• US 10,205,218 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Inventors: Charvat, Gregory L., Mindell, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wyche, Myron K
• Application Number:
  US15/676,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20170363709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0215 Interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/247 with frequency mixer, e.g. for direct satellite reception or Doppler radar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/10 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0492 circularly polarised
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 : for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 : locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A system comprising a first interrogator device that includes: a first antenna configured to transmit, to a target device, a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency; a second antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency that is a harmonic of the first frequency; and first circuitry configured to obtain, using the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the first interrogator and the target device. The system further comprises at least one processor configured to determine the first distance based, at least in part, on the first mixed RF signal, and determine a location of the target device based, at least in part, on the determined first distance.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a receive antenna configured to receive a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency;

a first transmit antenna configured to transmit a second RF signal having a second center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency;

a second transmit antenna configured to transmit a third RF signal having a third center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency and is different from the second center frequency;

first circuitry, coupled to the receive antenna and to the first transmit antenna, configured to generate the second RF signal using the first RF signal and provide the second RF signal to the first transmit antenna for transmission; and

second circuitry, coupled to the receive antenna and to the second transmit antenna, configured to generate the third RF signal using the first RF signal and provide the third RF signal to the second transmit antenna for transmission.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a semiconductor die,

wherein each of the first circuitry and the second circuitry is integrated with the semiconductor die.

3. The device of claim 1,

wherein the first circuitry comprises a first frequency multiplier and the second circuitry comprises a second frequency multiplier different from the first frequency multiplier.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third transmit antenna configured to transmit a fourth RF signal having a fourth center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency and is different from each of the second center frequency and third center frequency; and

third circuitry, coupled to the receive antenna and to the third transmit antenna, configured to generate the fourth RF signal using the first RF signal and provide the fourth RF signal to the third transmit antenna for transmission.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the receive antenna is configured to receive microwave RF signals, and wherein each of the first and second transmit antennas is configured to transmit microwave RF signals.

6. A device, comprising:

a transmit antenna configured to transmit, to a target device, a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency;

a first receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency;

a second receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a third RF signal having a third center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency and is different from the second center frequency;

first circuitry configured to obtain, using the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the device and the target device; and

second circuitry configured to obtain, using the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the device and the target device.

7. The device of claim 6, further comprising:

a semiconductor die,

wherein each of the first circuitry and the second circuitry is integrated with the semiconductor die.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the first circuitry comprises a first frequency mixer and the second circuitry comprises a second frequency mixer different from the first frequency mixer.

9. The device of claim 6, further comprising:

a third receive antenna configured to receive a fourth RF signal having a fourth center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency and is different from each of the second center frequency and third center frequency; and

third circuitry, coupled to the transmit antenna and to the third receive antenna, configured to generate, using the first RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a third mixed RF signal indicative of a third distance between the device and the target device.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the transmit antenna is configured to transmit microwave RF signals, and each of the first and second receive antennas is configured to receive microwave RF signals.

11. A device, comprising:

a first receive antenna configured to receive a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency;

a second receive antenna configured to receive a second RF signal having a second center frequency;

a first transmit antenna configured to transmit a third RF signal having a third center frequency different from each of the first and second center frequencies;

a second transmit antenna configured to transmit a fourth RF signal having a fourth center frequency different from each of the first, second, and third center frequencies; and

circuitry comprising;

a frequency mixer configured to generate a fifth RF signal by using the first RF signal and the second RF signal;

first circuitry configured to generate the third RF signal using the fifth RF signal; and

second circuitry configured to generate the fourth RF signal using the fifth RF signal.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a semiconductor die,

wherein the circuitry is integrated with the semiconductor die.

13. The device of claim 11,

wherein the first circuitry comprises a first frequency multiplier and the second circuitry comprises a second frequency multiplier different from the first frequency multiplier.

14. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a third transmit antenna configured to transmit a sixth RF signal having a sixth center frequency that is different from each of the third and fourth center frequencies,

wherein the circuitry further comprises;

third circuitry configured to generate the sixth RF signal using the fifth RF signal.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second receive antennas is configured to receive microwave RF signals, and wherein each of the first and second transmit antennas is configured to transmit microwave RF signals.

16. A device, comprising:

a first transmit antenna configured to transmit, to a target device, a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency;

a second transmit antenna configured to transmit, to the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency;

a first receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a third RF signal having a third center frequency different from each of the first and second center frequencies;

a second receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a fourth RF signal having a fourth center frequency different from each of the first, second, and third center frequencies;

first circuitry configured to obtain, using the first RF signal, the second RF signal, and the third RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the device and the target device; and

second circuitry configured to obtain, using the first RF signal, the second RF signal, and the fourth RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the device and the target device.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

a semiconductor die,

wherein each of the first circuitry and the second circuitry is integrated with the semiconductor die.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first circuitry comprises a first frequency mixer and the second circuitry comprises a second frequency mixer different from the first frequency mixer.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

a third receive antenna configured to receive a fifth RF signal having a fifth center frequency that is different from each of the third center frequency and fourth center frequency; and

third circuitry configured to generate, using the first RF signal, the second RF signal, and the fifth RF signal, a third mixed RF signal indicative of a third distance between the device and the target device.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein each of the first and second transmit antennas is configured to transmit microwave RF signals, and each of the first and second receive antennas is configured to receive microwave RF signals.