TRANSMITTER-RECEIVER CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR DISTANCE MEASUREMENT BETWEEN A FIRST NODE AND A SECOND NODE OF A RADIO NETWORK

• US 20100167661A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: KLUGE, Wolfram, Sachse, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/649,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20100167661A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.160
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/84 for distance determination by phase measurement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0065 using measurement of signal travel time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A transmitter-receiver circuit and a method for distance measurement between a first node and a second node of a radio network is provided, wherein a mode of the first node and a mode of the second node are switched from a normal mode for communication in the radio network to a mode for distance measurement, wherein, in the mode for distance measurement for a transit time measurement, a radio signal is transmitted by the first node and received by the second node and a radio signal is transmitted by the second node and received by the first node and a first distance value is determined by measuring the transit time of the radio signals. In the mode for distance measurement, for a phase measurement an unmodulated carrier signal is transmitted as a radio signal by the first node and received by the second node and an unmodulated carrier signal is transmitted as a radio signal by the second node and received by the first node and a second distance value is determined by measurement and calculation from four values of the phases for different frequencies of the radio signals. Whereby, the distance between the first node and the second node is calculated from the first distance value of the transit time measurement and the second distance value of the phase measurement.

Claims

1. A method for distance measurement between a first node and a second node of a radio network, the method comprising

switching a mode of the first node and a mode of the second node from a normal mode for communication in the radio network to a mode for distance measurement,

transmitting a radio signal by the first node that is received by the second node and transmitting a radio signal by the second node that is received by the first node and determining a first distance value by measuring the transit time of the radio signals;

transmitting a first unmodulated carrier signal by the first node that is received by the second node;

transmitting a second unmodulated carrier signal by the second node that is received by the first node;

measuring a first value and a second value of a first phase by the first node, the first value of the first phase being assigned to a first frequency of the received second carrier signal and the second value of the first phase being assigned to a second frequency of the received second carrier signal, the first frequency and the second frequency having a frequency difference;

measuring a third value and a fourth value of a second phase by the second node, the third value of the second phase being assigned to a third frequency of the received first carrier signal and the fourth value of the second phase being assigned to a fourth frequency of the received first carrier signal, the third frequency and the fourth frequency having the frequency difference;

determining a second distance value from the frequency difference from the first value and the second value of the first phase and from the third value and the fourth value of the second phase; and

calculating the distance between the first node and the second node from the first distance value and the second distance value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an ambiguity of the second distance value is resolved by evaluating the first distance value.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a command for distance measurement is transmitted by the first node and received by the second node, and wherein the mode for distance measurement is started by the second node upon receipt of the command for distance measurement.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the normal mode the results of the phase measurement and/or the transit time measurement are transmitted from the second node to the first node.

6. A system of a radio network which has a first node and a second node and is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1.

5. A transmitter/receiver circuit of a node of a radio network, the circuit comprising:

an arithmetic unit configured to shift from a normal mode for communication in the radio network to a mode for distance measurement with agreement with another node of the radio network,

wherein, in the mode for distance measurement, a first distance value is determined by a transit time measurement via a sent radio signal and another received radio signal,

wherein, in the mode for distance measurement, a second distance value is determined from a first value and a second value of a first measured phase and from a third value and a fourth value of a second phase,

wherein the first value is assigned to a first frequency and the second value is assigned to a second frequency of a first unmodulated carrier signal,

wherein the first frequency and the second frequency have a frequency difference,

wherein the third value is assigned to a third frequency and the fourth value is assigned to a fourth frequency of a second unmodulated carrier signal,

wherein the third frequency and the fourth frequency have the frequency difference, and

wherein a distance to another node of the radio network is calculated based on the first distance value of the transit time measurement and the second distance value of the phase measurement.