Systems, methods, and devices for geolocation with deployable large scale arrays

• US 10,244,504 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DGS Global Systems, Inc., Digital Global Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DGS Global Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Kleinbeck, David William, Dzierwa, Ronald C., Carbajal, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsvey, Gennadiy
• Application Number:
  US15/681,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/20 of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/29 Performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for geolocating a signal emitting device are disclosed. A monitoring array comprises at least four monitoring units. A distance ratio between the at least four monitoring units relative to a midpoint is determined. The at least four monitoring units are operable to scan independently for a signal of interest. The at least four monitoring units are operable to calculate times of arrival and angles of arrival for the signal of interest. Each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to measure the signal of interest and transmit a formatted message to other monitoring units within the monitoring array. Each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to determine a location of the signal emitting device from which the signal of interest is emitted based on calculations and measurements relating to the signal of interest.

Claims

1. A system for geolocating a signal emitting device, comprising:

a monitoring array comprising at least four monitoring units;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to sweep and learn a radio frequency (RF) environment in a learning period based on statistical learning techniques, thereby creating learning data including power level measurements of the RF environment;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to index the power level measurements for each frequency interval in a spectrum section in the learning period;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to form a knowledge map based on the power level measurements of the RF environment;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to scrub a real-time spectral sweep against the knowledge map;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to calculate a first derivative of the power level measurements and a second derivative of the power level measurements;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to select most prominent derivatives of the first derivative and the second derivative;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to perform a squaring function on the most prominent derivatives;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to identify a signal of interest in the RF environment based on matched positive and negative gradients;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to average the real-time spectral sweep, remove areas identified by the matched positive and negative gradients, and connect points between removed areas to determine a baseline;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to subtract the baseline from the real-time spectral sweep to reveal the signal of interest;

wherein the at least four monitoring units are operable to scan independently for the signal of interest;

wherein the monitoring array is operable to calculate times of arrival and angles of arrival for the signal of interest;

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to measure the signal of interest and transmit a formatted message to other monitoring units within the monitoring array; and

wherein each of the at least four monitoring units is operable to determine a location of the signal emitting device from which the signal of interest is emitted based on calculations and measurements relating to the signal of interest.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least four monitoring units are selected based on clustering algorithms among a multiplicity of available monitoring units.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least four monitoring units are selected based on differences of time of arrival among a multiplicity of available monitoring units.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least four monitoring units are mobility capable.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location of the signal emitting device is normalized to a three-dimensional vector referenced to the center of the earth, or an acceptable reference object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal emitting device is an aircraft, and wherein attributes of the aircraft are relating to a position on earth or a reference object.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurements comprise in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) data of the signal of interest, and wherein the location of the signal emitting device is further determined based on the I/Q data of the signal of interest.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location of the signal emitting device is within 100 kilometers of the monitoring array.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring array is asymmetrical.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the four monitoring units comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for timing of signal processing and an exact location of each of the four monitoring units.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the formatted message comprises center frequency, bandwidth, modulation schema, average power and symbol samples from the at least four monitoring units.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein an aperture is synthesized between any two monitoring units of the monitoring array based on a difference of time of arrival.

13. A method for identifying a signal emitting device, comprising:

providing a deployable monitoring array comprising at least four monitoring units;

at least one of the at least four monitoring units sweeping and learning a radio frequency (RF) environment in a learning period based on statistical learning techniques, thereby creating learning data including power level measurements of the RF environment;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units indexing the power level measurements for each frequency interval in a spectrum section in the learning period;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units forming a knowledge map based on the power level measurements of the RF environment;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units scrubbing a real-time spectral sweep against the knowledge map;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units calculating a first derivative of the power level measurements and a second derivative of the power level measurements;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units selecting most prominent derivatives of the first derivative and the second derivative;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units performing a squaring function on the most prominent derivatives;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units identifying a signal of interest in the RF environment based on matched positive and negative gradients;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units averaging the real-time spectral sweep, removing areas identified by the matched positive and negative gradients, and connecting points between removed areas to determine a baseline;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units subtracting the baseline from the real-time spectral sweep to reveal the signal of interest;

the at least four monitoring units scanning independently for the signal of interest;

the deployable monitoring array calculating times of arrival and angles of arrival for the signal of interest;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units measuring the signal of interest;

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units transmitting a formatted message to other units within the deployable monitoring array; and

the at least one of the at least four monitoring units determining a location of the signal emitting device from which the signal of interest is emitted based on calculations and measurements relating to the signal of interest.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least four monitoring units comprise three fixed monitoring units.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising recreating a frequency array and replaying data from the three fixed monitoring units based on snapshots of exact instance at fixed time intervals.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising normalizing the location of the signal emitting device to a three-dimensional vector referenced to the center of the earth or a reference object.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining and converting a distance and an angle between two monitoring units in radian.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least four monitoring units are selected based on clustering algorithms among a multiplicity of available monitoring units.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least four monitoring units are selected based on differences of time of arrival among a multiplicity of available monitoring units.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the four monitoring units comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for timing of signal processing and an exact location of each of the four monitoring units.