WIRELESS LOCATION DETECTION AND/OR TRACKING DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20120280862A1
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tonti, James G., MOFFATT, Christopher Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/386
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/79 Systems using random coded signals or random pulse repetition frequencies , e.g. "Separation and Control of Aircraft using Non synchronous Techniques" [SECANT]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder

Abstract

The wireless detection beacon is for use with a Radio Frequency (RF) interrogator transmitting at a first frequency and receiving at a second frequency. The wireless detection beacon includes a substrate, a power supply carried by the substrate, an antenna assembly carried by the substrate, and a local oscillator (LO) carried by the substrate and configured to be powered by the power supply to provide an LO signal at a third frequency. A mixer is carried by the substrate and coupled to the antenna assembly and the LO. The mixer is configured to generate an outgoing beacon signal to the antenna assembly at the second frequency based upon mixing an incoming signal from the RF interrogator at the first frequency with the LO signal at the third frequency.

Claims

1. A wireless detection beacon for use with a Radio Frequency (RF) interrogator transmitting at a first frequency and receiving at a second frequency, the wireless detection beacon comprising:

a substrate;

a power supply carried by said substrate;

an antenna assembly carried by said substrate;

a local oscillator carried by said substrate and configured to be powered by said power supply to provide a local oscillator signal at a third frequency; and

a mixer carried by said substrate and coupled to said antenna assembly and the local oscillator, said mixer configured to generate an outgoing beacon signal to the antenna assembly at the second frequency based upon mixing an incoming signal from the RF interrogator at the first frequency with the local oscillator signal at the third frequency.

2. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, wherein said mixer is configured to generate the outgoing beacon signal as a mixing product signal at the second frequency, said second frequency comprising a difference/sum of the first and third frequencies and operable for range and direction finding by the RF interrogator.

3. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, wherein said mixer is configured to generate the outgoing beacon signal by re-radiating the incoming signal mixed with the local oscillator signal and without any decoding of the incoming signal.

4. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, wherein said an antenna assembly comprises an input antenna configured to receive the incoming signal, and an output antenna configured to transmit the outgoing beacon signal, said mixer being coupled therebetween.

5. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first filter coupled between said input antenna and said mixer; and

a second filter coupled between said mixer and said output antenna.

6. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, further comprising an amplitude modulation circuit configured to modulate said outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

7. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 6, wherein said amplitude modulation circuit comprises a Pseudorandom Noise (PN) generator.

8. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 7, wherein said PN generator comprises a Linear Feedback Shift Register.

9. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, further comprising a frequency modulation circuit configured to modulate said outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

10. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 9, wherein said frequency modulation circuit comprises a chirp generator.

11. The wireless detection beacon according to claim 1, further comprising a quadrature modulation circuit configured to complex modulate said outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

12. A wireless detection system comprising:

a Radio Frequency (RF) interrogator configured to transmit at a first frequency and receive at a second frequency; and

a wireless detection beacon comprising

a substrate,

a power supply carried by said substrate,

an antenna assembly carried by said substrate,

a local oscillator carried by said substrate and configured to be powered by said power supply to provide a local oscillator signal at a third frequency, and

a mixer carried by said substrate and coupled to said antenna assembly and the local oscillator, said mixer configured to generate an outgoing beacon signal to the antenna assembly at the second frequency based upon a mix of an incoming signal from the RF interrogator at the first frequency with the local oscillator signal at the third frequency;

said RF interrogator configured to perform range and direction finding of the wireless detection beacon based upon a received beacon signal at the second frequency.

13. The wireless detection system according to claim 12, wherein said mixer is configured to generate the outgoing beacon signal as a mixing product signal at the second frequency comprising one or more of differences and sums of integer multiples of the first and third frequencies and permitting the range and direction finding by the RF interrogator.

14. The wireless detection system according to claim 12, wherein said mixer is configured to generate the outgoing beacon signal by re-radiating the incoming signal mixed with the local oscillator signal and without any decoding of the incoming signal.

15. The wireless detection system according to claim 12, wherein said antenna assembly comprises an input antenna configured to receive the incoming signal, and an output antenna configured to transmit the outgoing beacon signal, said mixer being coupled therebetween.

16. The wireless detection system according to claim 12, further comprising an amplitude modulation circuit configured to modulate said outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

17. The wireless detection system according to claim 12, further comprising a frequency modulation circuit configured to modulate said outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

18. A method for wireless detection comprising:

using a Radio Frequency (RF) interrogator to transmit at a first frequency and receive at a second frequency; and

providing a wireless detection beacon comprising

a substrate,

a power supply carried by said substrate,

an antenna assembly carried by said substrate,

a local oscillator carried by said substrate and configured to be powered by said power supply to provide a local oscillator signal at a third frequency, and

a mixer carried by said substrate and coupled to said antenna assembly and the local oscillator, said mixer configured to generate an outgoing beacon signal to the antenna assembly at the second frequency based upon mixing an incoming signal from the RF interrogator at the first frequency with the local oscillator signal at the third frequency;

performing range and direction finding of the wireless detection beacon with the RF interrogator based upon a received beacon signal at the second frequency.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the mixer generates the outgoing beacon signal as a mixing product signal at the second frequency defined by a difference/sum of the first and third frequencies and permitting range and direction finding by the RP interrogator.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the mixer generates the outgoing beacon signal by re-radiating the incoming signal mixed with the local oscillator signal and without any decoding of the incoming signal.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the antenna assembly comprises an input antenna receiving the incoming signal, and an output antenna transmitting the outgoing beacon signal.

22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing amplitude modulation of the outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing frequency modulation of outgoing beacon signal at the second frequency.