TRANSMITTING LOCATION INFORMATION OF A BEACON

• US 20100214163A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Command and Control Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Thales-Raytheon Systems Company LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Reyes, Hector M. JR., Nichols, Thomas S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,164,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.250
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/18 Military applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, determining the location of a target of interest includes determining a beacon location of the beacon. The beacon location is transmitted to a sensor. The sensor is operable to determine a sensor location of the sensor. The sensor is further operable to determine a target location of the target according to the beacon location and the sensor location. The target location is distinct from the beacon location.

Claims

1. A beacon comprising:

a location device operable to determine a beacon location of the beacon; and

one or more transmitters operable to transmit the beacon location to a sensor, the sensor operable to determine a sensor location of the sensor and determine a target location of a target according to the beacon location and the sensor location, the target location distinct from the beacon location.

2. The beacon of claim 1, the beacon configured to be deployed at the beacon location by a deployment mechanism.

3. The beacon of claim 1, the location device comprising a global positioning system (GPS) device operable to receive information from one or more GPS satellites to determine the beacon location.

4. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising a radio transmitter operable to transmit the beacon location using a radio frequency signal.

5. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag operable to transmit the beacon location using a radio frequency signal.

6. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising a laser transmitter operable to transmit the beacon location using a laser signal.

7. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising a corner reflector operable to transmit the beacon location using a laser signal.

8. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising an infrared transmitter operable to transmit the beacon location using an infrared signal.

9. The beacon of claim 1, the one or more transmitters comprising an identification friend-or-foe/selective identification feature (IFF/SIF) device.

10. The beacon of claim 1, at least one of the one or more transmitters operable to transmit the beacon location independently of a request for the beacon to transmit the beacon location.

11. The beacon of claim 1, at least one of the one or more transmitters operable to transmit the beacon location in response to a request for the beacon to transmit the beacon location.

12. The beacon of claim 1, the sensor operable to determine the target location by:

determining a b-s range from the sensor to the beacon;

determining a t-s range from the sensor to the target;

determining a b-s-t angle between the target and the beacon with respect to the sensor; and

determining the target location from the b-s range, the t-s range, the b-s-t angle, the sensor location, and the beacon location transmitted by the beacon.

13. The beacon of claim 1, the sensor operable to determine the target location by:

measuring a location of the beacon; and

determining a correction factor from a difference in the measured location of the beacon and the beacon location transmitted by the beacon.

14. The beacon of claim 1, the sensor operable to determine the target location by:

calculating a correction factor from the beacon location; and

applying the correction factor to a target location measurement.

15. The beacon of claim 1, the sensor operable to use the beacon location transmitted by the beacon to calculate a reference point in an image.

16. A method comprising:

determining a beacon location of the beacon; and

transmitting the beacon location to a sensor, the sensor operable to determine a sensor location of the sensor and determine a target location of a target according to the beacon location and the sensor location, the target location distinct from the beacon location.

17. The method of claim 16, deploying the beacon at the beacon location by a deployment mechanism.

18. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising receiving information from one or more GPS satellites to determine the beacon location.

19. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising transmitting the beacon location using a radio frequency signal.

20. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising transmitting the beacon location using a laser signal.

21. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising transmitting the beacon location using an infrared signal.

22. The beacon of claim 16, the method further comprising transmitting the beacon location independently of a request for the beacon to transmit the beacon location.

23. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising transmitting the beacon location in response to a request for the beacon to transmit the beacon location.

24. The method of claim 16, the sensor operable to determine the target location by:

measuring a location of the beacon; and

determining a correction factor from a difference in the measured location of the beacon and the beacon location transmitted by the beacon.

25. A beacon comprising:

a location device operable to determine a beacon location of the beacon; and

one or more transmitters operable to transmit the beacon location to a sensor as a light signal, the sensor operable to determine a sensor location of the sensor and determine a target location of a target according to the beacon location and the sensor location, the target location distinct from the beacon location.

26. The beacon of claim 25, at least one of the one or more transmitters configured to transmit the light signal as an ultraviolet, visible, or infrared light signal.