Positioning systems

• US 20070167169A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Simons, Paul, Martin, Wilcox
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention provides a method for installing a positioning system, the positioning system comprising two or more base stations (BS1 to BS4), and comprises the steps of; collocating the base stations (BS1 to BS4); quantifying any lack of synchronisation between the clocks of the base stations; relocating one or more of the base stations (BS2′ to BS4′) to their fixed, operational positions and measuring the time of flight of a signal from each of the relocated base stations; determining from the time of flight and quantified lack of synchronisation data the relative separation of the base stations (BS1, BS2′ to BS4′) and hence the configuration of the installed positioning system, and recording the configuration of the installed positioning system. Data defining the configuration of the system can be relayed to a mobile transceiver in the vicinity of the installed positioning system and, along with time of flight measurements of signals emitted by the individual base stations, and data quantifying any real time lack of synchronisation of the clocks of the base stations, can be used by the transceiver to position itself within the geographical area defined by the positioning system.

Claims

1. A method for installing a positioning system, the positioning system comprising two or more base stations the method comprising the steps of:

collocating the base stations

quantifying any lack of synchronisation between the clocks of the base stations,

within a minimal time period, relocating one or more of the base stations to their fixed, operational positions and measuring the time of flight of a signal from each of the relocated base stations to at least one other base station,

determining from the time of flight and quantified lack of synchronisation data the relative separation of the base stations and hence the configuration of the installed positioning system, and

recording the configuration of the installed positioning system.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein after the quantifying step, and before the relocating step, the clocks of the base stations are synchronised.

3. A positioning system comprising:

a plurality of base stations

means for quantifying any lack of synchronisation between the clocks of the base stations when collocated,

means for determining the relative separation of the base stations when relocated to their fixed, operational positions, and

means for recording a configuration of the system defined by the relative separations of the base stations.

4. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 including a base station operable as a location measurement unit for E-OTD type positioning.

5. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 comprising 3 or more base stations.

6. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 comprising 5 or more base stations.

7. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 comprising 7 or more base stations.

8. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the base stations are removably dockable to each other.

9. A positioning system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the remaining base stations are symmetrically, removably dockable about the reference base station.

10. A positioning system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means for quantifying and means for recording are embodied in the reference base station.

11. A base station configured to perform the method of:

(i) determining any lack of synchronicity in the clocks of a plurality of base stations when collocated with those base stations in a first position; and

either;

(ii) after relocating one or more of the base stations, determining the relative position of the base stations from range measurements taken between the base stations after relocation and the lack of synchronicity determined in step (i)

or;

(iii) after synchronisation the base stations and subsequently relocating of one or more of the base stations, determining the relative position of the base stations from range measurements taken between the base stations after relocation.