SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING ITEMS AND PLACES

• US 20090251363A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iSeeLoc, Inc.
• Original Assignee: iSeeLoc, Inc.
• Inventors: Zohar, Sharon, Zohar, Avi
• Granted Patent: US 9,389,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.220
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/52 using a receiving antenna moving, or appearing to move, in a cyclic path to produce a Doppler variation of frequency of the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/54 the apparent movement of the antenna being produced by coupling the receiver cyclically and sequentially to each of several fixed spaced antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders

Abstract

A locator includes a base unit and a handheld unit. The base unit, which is typically stationary, includes an FSK transceiver and printed circuit antennas. The handheld unit, which is typically mobile, also includes an FSK transceiver and printed circuit antennas. The handheld unit computes at least one bearing to the base unit over multiple frequencies and transmitting antennas, processes statistics of bearing results, determines a cyclic average of the bearing results, calculates an overall variance, assesses quality of a computed bearing result based on the overall variance, and upon assessing, either displays the computed bearing result or disqualifies the computed bearing. The handheld unit computes a height difference between the base unit and the handheld unit. The height difference is calculated using altimeters within the units. Alternatively, the height difference is calculated using GPS.

Claims

1. A system for locating items and places, the system comprising:

a. a base unit including a first transceiver and a first set of printed circuit antennas; and

b. a handheld unit including a second transceiver, a second set of printed circuit antennas, and a mechanism to calculate bearing to the base unit and to display the bearing on the handheld unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first set of printed circuit antennas and the second set of printed circuit antennas is an array of omni-directional antennas.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first transceiver and the second transceiver is an FSK transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit sends a beacon signal used by the second transceiver to calculate the bearing.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein Doppler effect based measurements are used to calculate the bearing.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the bearing is a cyclic average of bearing results.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the bearing is computed over multiple transmitted carrier frequencies and transmitting antennas.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit further includes at least one of a cigarette lighter plug and an outlet plug.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit further includes a socket splitter.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to swivel about a portion of a power connector of the base unit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld unit further includes a GPS component configured to extend an outdoor range of the handheld unit, wherein the handheld unit is able to operate without the GPS component.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld unit is able to at least one of visually and audibly present directional information to a user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the directional information includes a graphical arrow which is graphically filled proportionally to a received power as an indication of a distance between the handheld unit and the base unit.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld unit is a stand alone device, an add-on to or is integrated with an electronic device.

15. A method of using a locator, the method comprising:

a. transmitting a first set of information from a first unit to a second unit by using a narrow band transmission protocol;

b. receiving the first unit transmission at the second unit;

c. transmitting a second set of information from the second unit to the first unit upon a first ID match;

d. receiving the second unit transmission at the first unit; and

e. presenting data at the first unit to a user upon a second ID match, the data comprising directional information to the second unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second set of information is periodically transmitted.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmissions are FSK modulated and demodulated.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the data further includes a graphical arrow which is graphically filled proportionally to a received power as an indication of a distance between the first unit and the second unit.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the data further includes a bearing computed by the second unit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the bearing is calculated using Doppler effect based measurements.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the bearing is a cyclic average of bearing results.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the bearing is computed over multiple transmitted carrier frequencies and transmitting antennas.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the data further includes a calculated height difference between the first unit and the second unit.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the calculated height difference is based on GPS.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the calculated height difference is based on a pressure difference between the first unit and the second unit.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the presenting includes the first unit beeping at a beep rate proportional to a received power as an indication of a distance between the first unit and the second unit.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the presenting includes presenting different sounds for different information.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the first unit is a handheld locator unit having a first set of planar antennas, and the second unit is the base locator unit having a second set of planar antennas.

29. A method of overcoming multipath effects, the method comprising:

a. computing at least one bearing to a first unit over multiple frequencies and transmitting antennas;

b. processing statistics of bearing results;

c. determining a cyclic average of the bearing results;

d. calculating an overall variance;

e. assessing quality of a computed bearing result based on the overall variance; and

f. upon assessing, either displaying the computed bearing result on a second unit or disqualifying the computed bearing.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein a bearing result deviating from the cyclic average by a predetermined amount is removed before determining the cyclic average.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the first unit is a base unit and the second unit is a handheld unit, wherein the base unit and the second unit are used to locate items and places.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein each of the first unit and the second unit includes a set of planar antennas.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein each of the first unit and the second unit includes an FSK transceiver.

34. A handheld unit comprising an FSK transceiver, a set of printed circuit antennas, and a feedback module configured to provide directional information from the handheld unit to a reference point.

35. The handheld unit of claim 34, wherein the set of printed circuit antennas is an array of omni-directional antennas.

36. The handheld unit of claim 34, wherein the directional information is at least one of audibly and visually presented.

37. The handheld unit of claim 34, further comprising an altimeter, a antenna switching circuitry, a display, a keypad, and speakers.

38. The handheld unit of claim 34, further comprising a GPS component configured to extend an outdoor range of the handheld unit, wherein the handheld unit is able to operate without the GPS component.

39. The handheld unit of claim 38, wherein the GPS component is configured to calculate location and a height difference between the handheld unit and the reference point.

40. The handheld unit of claim 34, wherein the directional information includes a bearing computed over multiple transmitted carrier frequencies and transmitting antennas.