System and Method for Identification of Communication Devices

• US 20090069027A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Ribardo, Thomas G. JR., Owechko, Yuri, Young, Darrell L., Brock, Eddie R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for identifying a communication device includes a signal generator coupled to a transmit horn and a computing system coupled to a receive horn through a receiver. The signal generator is operable to generate an excitation waveform from the transmit horn such that the communication device passively reflects a response waveform. The computing system is operable to receive the response waveform from the communication device and compare the response waveform to a plurality of reference waveforms to determine the identity of the communication device.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a wireless telephone comprising:

a signal generator operable to generate a time deterministic, spectrally noncoherent waveform from a transmit horn such that the wireless telephone passively reflects a response waveform, the time deterministic, spectrally noncoherent waveform having a range of frequencies approximately at the operating frequencies of the wireless telephone; and

a computing system coupled to a receive horn through a receiver, the computing system being operable to;

scan the deterministic, spectrally noncoherent waveform through an azimuthal or elevational extent;

receive the response waveform from the wireless telephone; and

compare the response waveform to a plurality of reference waveforms to determine the identity of the wireless telephone and the operating mode of the wireless telephone.

2. A system for identifying a communication device comprising:

a signal generator operable to generate an excitation waveform from a transmit horn such that the communication device passively reflects a response waveform; and

a computing system coupled to a receive horn through a receiver, the computing system being operable to;

receive the response waveform from the communication device; and

compare the response waveform to a plurality of reference waveforms to determine the identity of the communication device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is further operable to compare a response peak amplitude and a relative response time of the response waveform to a reference peak amplitude and a reference time of the reference waveform respectively.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computing system is operable to compare the response peak amplitude to the reference peak amplitude and response time to the reference time using a k-nearest-neighbor algorithm.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the reference waveform is recorded from the communication device is an operating state that is selected from the group consisting of turned on, turned off, active association with a communication network, no active association with a communication network, and the communication device is not present.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is further operable to compare a response power spectral density of the response reference waveform to a sample power spectral density of a sample waveform.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing system is further operable to provide, using a display, visual information regarding the identity of the communication device in the event that the communication device is identified.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the reference waveform is stored in a system memory of the computing system.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmit horn and the receive horn has a generally directional field pattern, the computing system being further operable to scan the directional field pattern through an azimuthal or elevational extent.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein transmit horn comprises an array of transmit horns and the receive horn comprises an array of receive horns, the computing system being further operable to electronically scan the array of transmit horns and the array of receive horns.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication device is a wireless telephone.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the signal generator is an ultra-wide bandwidth transmitter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal generator is further operable to generate the excitation waveform having a range of frequencies approximately at the operating frequencies of the communication device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal generator is further operable to generate a time deterministic, spectrally noncoherent waveform.

15. A computer implemented method for identifying a communication device comprising:

transmitting an excitation waveform such that the communication device reflects a response waveform;

receiving the response waveform from the communication device; and

comparing the response waveform to a plurality of reference waveforms to determine the identity of the communication device.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15, further comprising creating one of the plurality of reference waveforms by storing the response waveform in a system memory.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 15, further comprising scanning the excitation waveform through an azimuthal or elevational extent.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein comparing the response waveform to the plurality of reference waveforms further comprises identifying the operating mode of the communication device.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein transmitting an excitation waveform further comprises transmitting a time deterministic, spectrally noncoherent waveform.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein comparing the response waveform to the plurality of reference waveforms further comprises comparing a response power spectral density of the response waveform to a reference power spectral density of the reference waveform.