Location system

• US 20060033662A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubisense Incorporated (IQGeo Group Plc)
• Original Assignee: Ubisense Incorporated (IQGeo Group Plc)
• Inventors: Ward, Andrew Martin Robert, Webster, Paul Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02213 Receivers arranged in a network for determining the position of a transmitter

Abstract

A portable location device for use in a location system, the device comprising a transmitter for transmitting ultra-wideband signals, a receiver for receiving non-ultra-wideband signals and a control unit coupled to the receiver for controlling the operation of the device in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

Claims

1. A portable location device for use in a location system, the device comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting ultra-wideband signals;

a receiver for receiving non-ultra-wideband signals; and

a control unit coupled to the receiver for controlling the operation of the device in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

2. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is arranged to control the rate at which the ultra-wideband signals are transmitted in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

3. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is arranged to control the channel over which the ultra-wideband signals are transmitted in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

4. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is arranged to control the channel over which the non-ultra-wideband signals are received in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

5. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is arranged to transmit the ultra-wideband signals periodically and the control unit is arranged to stop the transmitter from transmitting those periodic ultra-wideband signals until a non-ultra-wideband signal of a predetermined type is received by the receiver.

6. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is arranged to start the transmitter transmitting the ultra-wideband signals when the receiver receives a non-ultra-wideband signal of a predetermined type.

7. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ultra-wideband signals are suitable for allowing the location of the portable location device to be calculated.

8. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ultra-wideband signals are radio signals.

9. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-ultra-wideband signals are radio signals.

10. A portable location device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further capable of transmitting non-ultra-wideband signals.

11. A portable location device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transmitter is capable of transmitting non-ultra-wideband signals containing an identifier that identifies the portable location device.

12. A portable location device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the location device is arranged to periodically transmit an ultra-wideband signal and to transmit a non-ultra-wideband signal containing the identifier within a predetermined time of the transmission of the ultra-wideband signal.

13. A location system comprising:

a plurality of receivers for receiving ultra-wideband signals from a portable device;

a location unit for determining the location of the portable device in dependence on the ultra-wideband signals received by the receiver; and

a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the portable device in the form of non-ultra-wideband signals.

14. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transmitter is arranged to periodically transmit the non-ultra-wideband signals.

15. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transmitter is arranged to broadcast or multicast the non-ultra-wideband signals to a plurality of portable devices.

16. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the receiver is capable of receiving non-ultra-wideband signals.

17. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transmitter is arranged to transmit a non-ultra-wideband signal directed to a specific portable device in response to receiving a non-ultra-wideband signal from that device.

18. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the location unit is arranged to attribute an ultra-wideband signal received at the receiver as being from a specific portable device in response to receiving a non-ultra-wideband signal identifying that device within a predetermined time of receiving the ultra-wideband signal.

19. A location system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the location reference device comprises a handover unit, the handover unit being arranged to determine when handover of a tag from the location reference device to another location reference device is required and the transmitter being arranged to transmit a non-ultra-wideband signal indicating that handover is required to that tag if the handover unit determines that handover is required.

20. A location system and a portable location device, the location system comprising:

a plurality of receivers for receiving ultra-wideband signals; and

a transmitter for transmitting non-ultra-wideband signals;

and the portable location device comprising;

a transmitter for transmitting ultra-wideband signals;

a receiver for receiving non-ultra-wideband signals; and

a control unit coupled to the receiver for controlling the operation of the device in dependence on the received non-ultra-wideband signals.

21. A location system and a portable location device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the location reference device comprises a location unit for determining the location of the portable location device in dependence on ultra-wideband signals received from the transmitter of the portable location device at at least some of the receivers of the location system.

22. A location system and a portable location device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the transmitter of the location system is arranged to periodically transmit non-ultra-wideband signals for reception at a receiver of the portable location device.

23. A location system and a portable location device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the receiver of the location system is capable of receiving non-ultra-wideband signals and the transmitter of the portable location device is capable of transmitting non-ultra-wideband signals.

24. A location system and a portable location device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the location system comprises a plurality of base stations each comprising one of the receivers and a handover unit, the handover unit being arranged to determine when handover of the portable location device from one of the base stations to another base station is to be performed and the system is arranged so that when such a determination is made the transmitter of the location system transmits a non-ultra-wideband handover signal to the portable location device, and the control unit of the portable location device is arranged to change the channel on which it transmits ultra-wideband signals in response to reception of the handover signal by the receiver of the device.