System and method for geo-locating and detecting source of electromagnetic emissions

• US 10,429,488 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokomis Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nokomis Inc.
• Inventors: Parks, Brandon Scott, Keller, III, Walter J., Hsu, Jennting Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US15/601,391
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 342417, 342422-434, 342436, 342445, 342450, 342465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02213 Receivers arranged in a network for determining the position of a transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders

Abstract

A system for identifying a real-world geographic location of an emission source emitting electromagnetic energy includes a platform configured for movement and an apparatus disposed on the platform and configured to collect and process, in a passive manner and during movement of the platform, at least a pair of successive samples of the electromagnetic energy emission and define angular and spatial coordinates of the emission source. The apparatus includes at least a pair of antennas, a receiver coupled to antennas and a processor executing a predetermined logic.

Claims

1. A network for identifying a real-world geographic location of an emission source emitting electromagnetic energy, said network comprising:

(a) at least a pair of platforms disposed in a spaced apart relationship with each other and configured for a movement independently from each other;

(b) at least a pair of apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed on one of said at least pair of platforms and comprising an antenna and a receiver, said each apparatus being configured to at least collect, in a passive manner and during said movement of said platforms, at least one sample of the electromagnetic energy emission collected at said antenna and received at said receiver; and

(c) a means for determining a relative position of one platform from said at least pair of platforms relative to another platform from said at least pair of platforms;

(d) wherein at least one of said at least pair of apparatuses comprises a processor configured to define angular and spatial coordinates of the emission source based on an extraction of phase information from each sample of the electromagnetic energy emission collected at a respective antenna within said each apparatus and further based on a determination of phase information differences between antennas, a calculation, with a reference to said relative position, of direction of arrival (DoA) of the electromagnetic energy emission, a determination of a distance to the emission source and an estimation of a position of the emission source.

2. A network for identifying a real-world geographic location of an emission source emitting a weak electromagnetic energy, said network comprising:

two platforms disposed in a spaced apart relationship with each other, each platform being configured for a movement independently from another platform;

a means for determining a relative position of one platform from said at least pair of platforms relative to another platform from said at least pair of platforms; and

two apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed on a respective one of said two platforms and configured to at least collect, during said movement of said respective one of said two platforms, at least one two pairs of successive samples of a weak electromagnetic energy within the electromagnetic energy emission, said each apparatus comprising;

a first antenna mounted on or within said respective one of said two platforms and configured to collect at least a pair of first samples from said at least two pairs of successive samples of said weak electromagnetic energy,

a second antenna positioned in a spaced apart relationship with said first antenna on or within said respective one of said two platforms, said second antenna configured to collect at least a pair of second samples from said at least two pairs of successive samples of said weak electromagnetic energy,

a receiver mounted on or within said respective one of said two platforms and operatively coupled to each of said first and second antennas, and

a processor operatively coupled to said receiver, said processor operable to process, during said movement of said respective one of said two platforms, said at least two pairs of said successive samples of said weak electromagnetic energy, said processor is configured to determine angular and spatial coordinates of the emission source based on an extraction of a phase information from each sample of the electromagnetic energy emission collected at a respective antenna within said each apparatus and further based on a determination of phase information differences between first and second antennas, a calculation, with a reference to said relative position, of direction of arrival (DoA) of said weak electromagnetic energy based on said phase information differences, a determination of a distance to the emission source and an estimation a position of the emission source.

3. The network of claim 2, wherein said each apparatus is configured to collect said at least two pairs of successive samples of the electromagnetic energy emission in a passive manner.

4. The network, according to claim 2, wherein the emission source is a stationary emission source.

5. The network, according to claim 2, wherein the emission source is a plurality of stationary emission sources.

6. The network, according to claim 2, wherein said electromagnetic emission is one of intentional or unintentional.

7. The network, according to claim 2, wherein said each platform is a vehicle having a motive power or a vehicle being connected to a vehicle having motive power.

8. The network, according to claim 2, wherein said each of said pair of antennas is an antenna array.

9. The network, according to claim 8, wherein said antenna array is a beam-steer antenna array.

10. The network, according to claim 2, wherein said angular and spatial coordinates define a distance from said platform to the emission source.

11. The network, according to claim 2, wherein said angular and spatial coordinates define one of an altitude of the emission source and an approach or a departure of said each platform relative to the emission source.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein said weak electromagnetic energy is at or below −

160 dBm.

13. The network of claim 2, wherein said each apparatus is being integrated onto a single integrated circuit (IC).

14. The network of claim 2, wherein said processor configured to extract said phase information through a wavelet decomposition independently but substantially simultaneously for each of said first and second antennas.

15. The network of claim 2, wherein said processor configured to filter a relative position of said one of said two platforms.

16. The network of claim 2, wherein said DoA provides an angle with respect to an axis along which said two antennas lie, said angle rotatable about said axis to form a cone on which the emission source lies.

17. The network of claim 2, wherein said means for determining a position of one of said at least pair of platforms comprises a global position system (GPS) device.

18. A network that identifies a location of an emission source emitting an electromagnetic energy, said network comprising:

two platforms disposed in a spaced apart relationship with each other;

two apparatuses, each apparatus being disposed on a respective one of said two platforms, said each apparatus comprising;

a first antenna configured to collect a first sample of the electromagnetic energy, and

a second antenna positioned in a spaced apart relationship with said first antenna, said second antenna configured to collect a second sample of the electromagnetic energy;

a receiver operatively coupled to each of said first and second antennas in said each apparatus;

a processor coupled to said receiver;

a memory operatively coupled to said processor; and

a means for determining a relative position of one platform from said two platforms relative to another one platform from said two platforms;

said processor configured to extract a phase information from said first and second samples collected at said first and second antennas within said each apparatus, calculate, with a reference to said relative position, a direction of arrival (DoA) of the electromagnetic energy based on a phase difference between said phase information, said DoA defines a bearing ray from said first and second antennas to the emission source; and

determine angular and spatial coordinates of the emission source based on intersection of a bearing ray from one apparatus with a bearing ray from another apparatus.