SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR DIRECTION FINDING USING A HANDHELD DEVICE

• US 20100085257A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: DOPPLER, Klaus, LEHTINIEMI, Tuukka, JUNTUNEN, Juha O., KAUPPINEN, Hannu, KAINULAINEN, Antti, OLLIKAINEN, Jani, JANTUNEN, Joni, KALLIOLA, Kimmo
• Granted Patent: US 8,009,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/443
• 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 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0056 for use in interrogation, identification or read/write systems record carriers G06K7/00, G06K19/00; for railways B61L3/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for indicating the relative direction of a target object or location as determined from the current position of a wireless communication device. The system employs Direction of Arrival determination using an antenna array for indicating the direction of a target device and includes facilities to activate a location-indicating transmission in a target device, the ability to request that a location-indicating transmission be activated in a remote target device, relevant information reception from a target device and the display of all potential target devices within effective transmission range of the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas;

a switching device, coupled to at least the antenna array, configured to select each of the plurality of antennas in the antenna array;

a receiver, coupled to at least the switching device, configured to receive signal information from the antenna array; and

a controller configured to determine source identification information based on the received signal information; and

a display configured to display a list of targets based on the source identification information, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a relative direction towards one of the displayed targets by calculating a direction of arrival estimation based on the received signal information, and to display the relative direction on the display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna array is incorporated within the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna array is externally attachable to the device in a predetermined orientation.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the switching device switches between the plurality of antennas in the antenna array in rapid progression.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the switching device sequentially feeds signal information from antennas in the antenna array to the receiver, for processing the signal information by the controller to determine a relative direction to a target.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises two or more receivers including a receiver for receiving the source identification information and another receiver for processing the direction of arrival estimation based on the received signal information.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the two or more receivers further comprise a receiver for processing communication information conveyed within the received signal information.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a wireless communication device capable of at least one of long-range, short-range and near-field communications.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the signal information is a communication signal capable of conveying communication information to and from the device.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the communication information comprises at least one of audio information and video information.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a UHF RFID scanner configured to trigger the activation of a signal in a target by scanning the target.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving wireless signals from position markers into a device;

receiving schematic information via wireless communication into the device;

displaying a list of position markers from which the wireless signals were received on the device;

selecting, on the device, a position marker from the list of position markers; and

indicating, on the device, the relative direction towards the selected position marker, with respect to the schematic information, from the current position of the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the position markers are located within a building and the schematic information pertains to the interior of the building.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting a position marker results in information related to the selected position marker being displayed on the searching device.

15. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code configured to cause a device to receive wireless signals from position markers;

code configured to cause the device to receive schematic information via wireless communication;

code configured to cause the device to display a list of position markers from which the wireless signals were received;

code configured to allow for selection, on the device, of a position marker from the list of position markers; and

code configured to cause the device to indicate the relative direction towards the selected position marker, with respect to the schematic information, from the current position of the device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the position markers are located within a building and the schematic information pertains to the interior of the building.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein selecting a position marker results in information related to the selected position marker being displayed on the device.

18. A system comprising:

a device comprising an antenna array including a plurality of antennas;

position markers located within a building;

the device receiving wireless signals into the antenna array from the position markers and further receiving schematic information pertaining to the inside of the building via wireless communication;

the device further displaying a list of the position markers and providing the ability to select a position marker from the list of position markers; and

the device further indicating the relative direction towards the selected position marker, with respect to the inside of the building as described by the schematic information, from the current position of the device.