Systems and methods for geographic positioning using radio spectrum signatures

• US 20080258974A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dan John Glen Nephin, Glenn Patrick Hauck, Jackson Kit Wang
• Original Assignee: Dan John Glen Nephin, Glenn Patrick Hauck, Jackson Kit Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Jackson Kit, Nephin, Dan John Glen, Hauck, Glenn Patrick
• Application Number:
  US11/973,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20080258974A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting

Abstract

Methods, radios, components thereof, and other devices for localizing a geographic position of a radio receiver are provided. A current radio signature is obtained. The current radio signature comprises a plurality of measured signal qualities that collectively represent a frequency spectrum. Each measured signal quality in the plurality of measured signal qualities corresponds to a portion of the frequency spectrum. The current radio signature is compared with a plurality of reference radio signatures. Each reference radio signature in the plurality of reference radio signatures is associated with a global position. When the comparing identifies a unique match between the current radio signature and a reference radio signature in the plurality of reference radio signatures, the radio receiver is deemed to be localized to the global position associated with the reference radio signature.

Claims

1-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A radio having a memory, the memory comprising:

a radio signature lookup table, said radio signature lookup table comprising a plurality of reference radio signatures, each reference radio signature in said plurality of reference radio signatures associated with a global position;

means for localizing a geographic position of the radio comprising instructions for obtaining a current radio signature by scanning a contiguous range of frequencies in said frequency spectrum, wherein said current radio signature comprises a plurality of measured signal qualities that collectively represent said frequency spectrum, each measured signal quality in said plurality of measured signal qualities corresponding to a portion of said frequency spectrum;

means for comparing said current radio signature to said plurality of reference radio signatures;

a radio display table, wherein said radio display table comprises information for each global position in a plurality of global positions; and

means for updating information in said radio display table.

55. The radio of claim 54, the memory further comprising:

means for obtaining information from said radio display table as a function of an identity of a reference radio signature uniquely identified by said means for comparing.

57. The radio of claim 54, the memory further comprising means for updating a reference radio signature in said radio signature lookup table.

58. The radio of claim 54, wherein said radio signature lookup table and said means for localizing a geographic position of the radio are embedded in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

65. The radio of claim 54, the memory further comprising means for populating said radio signature lookup table.

66. The radio of claim 65, wherein a reference radio signature in said radio signature lookup table is populated by said instructions for populating using a propagation model.

67. The radio of claim 65, wherein a reference radio signature in said radio signature lookup table is populated by said instructions for populating using an empirical model.

56. (canceled)

59-64. -64. (canceled)