Wireless relay station for radio frequency-based tracking system

• US 10,623,898 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2019
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D
• Application Number:
  US16/378,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20190239028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

System and methods of tracking a position of a mobile device with an electromagnetic signal-transmitting antenna include receiving electromagnetic signals from the transmitting antenna of the mobile device by a plurality of receiver antennae of a base station and by one or more receiver antennae of a relay station. The relay station transmits to the base station timing information associated with the electromagnetic signals received by the one or more receiver antennae of the relay station. The base station computes a position of the transmitting antenna of the mobile device based on timing information computed from the electromagnetic signals received by the plurality of receiver antennae of the base station and on the timing information received from the relay station.

Claims

1. A method of determining a position of a mobile device, the method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a first mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices, a first wireless transmission;

sending, by a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, a first wireless transmission;

receiving, by the first mobile device, the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device;

sending, by the first mobile device, a second wireless transmission that conveys information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device;

receiving, by a base station, the first and second wireless transmissions sent by the first mobile device and the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device;

calculating, by the base station, a physical position of the first mobile device based on the first wireless transmission sent by the first mobile device; and

calculating, by the base station, a physical position of the second mobile device based on the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device, the calculated physical position of the first mobile device, and the information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device that was conveyed by the second wireless transmission of the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring, by the first mobile device, a phase difference based on the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device, and wherein the information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device that was conveyed by the second wireless transmission of the first mobile device includes the measured phase difference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring, by the first mobile device, a phase difference based on the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device, and wherein the information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device that was conveyed by the second wireless transmission of the first mobile device includes the measured time difference of arrival information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining orientation of the second mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating a physical position of the first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices based on the first wireless transmission sent by the first mobile device includes the step of determining a physical location of each transmitting antenna of the first mobile device relative to each receiver antennae that receives the first wireless transmission of the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each transmitting antenna of the first mobile device transmits radio-frequency signals at a different frequency from each other transmitting antenna of the first mobile device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of calculating a physical position of the first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices based on the first wireless transmission sent by the first mobile device includes the step of determining a position of each receiver antenna of the first mobile device with respect to each transmitting antenna of the first mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining the position of each receiver antenna of the first mobile device with respect to each transmitting antenna of the first mobile device occurs at the first mobile device, and further comprising the step of sending by the first mobile device the position of each receiver antenna of the first mobile device in a third wireless transmission.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining the position of each receiver antenna of the first mobile device with respect to each transmitting antenna of the first mobile device includes the step of determining each position of that receiver antenna of the first mobile device using a global positioning system (GPS).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless transmission by the first mobile device that conveys the information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device occurs over a frequency channel different from a frequency channel over which the second mobile device sent the first wireless transmission.

11. A position tracking system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices, each having at least one transmitter antenna configured to transmit radio-frequency (RF) signals and at least one receiver antenna configured to receive RF signals, first and second mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices each sending a first wireless transmission of RF signals, the first mobile device receiving the first wireless transmission of RF signals sent by the second mobile device and sending a second wireless transmission of RF signals that conveys information about the first wireless transmission sent by the second mobile device;

one or more base receivers, each base receiver having at least one receiver antenna configured to receive the wireless transmissions of RF signals transmitted by the first and second mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices; and

a base station in communication with each base receiver, the base station having a processor configured to calculate a position of the first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices based on the first transmission of RF signals by the first mobile device, the processor being further configured to calculate a position of the second mobile device of the plurality mobile devices based on the first transmission of RF signals by the second mobile device, on the calculated position of the first mobile device, and on the second transmission of RF signals by the first mobile device that conveys timing information associated with the first transmission of RF signals sent by the second mobile device and received by the first mobile device.

12. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein each transmission of RF signals is an ultra-wideband transmission.

13. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein each transmitter antenna of the first mobile device uses a signal-transmission frequency that is different from a signal-reception frequency.

14. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein the processor of the base station is further configured to compute a location of each transmitter antenna of the first mobile device relative to each receiver antenna of the one or more base receivers.

15. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein the one or more base receivers includes one base receiver having at least three base receiver antennae.

16. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein the one or more base receivers includes at least three base receivers.

17. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein the base station computes orientation of the second mobile device.

18. The position tracking system of claim 11, wherein the base station offsets the information associated with the first transmission of RF signals sent by the second mobile device by information associated with a distance of the first mobile device from the base station.

19. A method of determining a position of a mobile radiofrequency (RF) signal transmitter, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a wireless transmission of RF signals from the mobile RF signal transmitter by receiver antennae of first and second stations;

calculating, by each of the first and second stations, timing or phase difference data based on the wireless transmission of RF signals received from the mobile RF signal transmitter;

transmitting, by the first station, a wireless transmission of RF signals that convey the timing or phase difference data calculated by the first station;

receiving, by the second station, the wireless transmission of RF signals that convey the timing or phase difference data calculated by the first station; and

calculating, by the second station, a position of the mobile RF-signal transmitter based on the timing or phase difference data calculated by the second station, the timing or phase difference data calculated by and received from the first station, and a relative position of the first station with respect to the second station when the first station received the wireless transmission of RF signals from the mobile RF signal transmitter.