NETWORK ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR THE RADIO LOCATION OF OBJECTS WITHIN A CONFINED SPACE

• US 20170245236A1
• Filed: 01/11/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Balluff Verwaltungsges mbH
• Original Assignee: Balluff Verwaltungsges mbH
• Inventors: HELDMAIER, Matthias, SCHUERZINGER, Andreas, SCHWEIZER, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,867,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2618 using hybrid code-time division multiple access [CDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/02 by periodical registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

In a network arrangement for carrying out a location of locating objects that are arranged in a confined space and are able to be moved, the location being carried out by pulsed radio signals, wherein at least three communication-technically autarkic reference nodes that are spatially distributed and form a communication network are arranged in the confined space a communication protocol enables a location object that is arranged in the confined space to be localized by a trilateration carried out by a distance-based trilateration that is carried out by the at least three reference nodes.

Claims

1. A network arrangement for carrying out a location of locating objects that are arranged in a confined space (115) and are able to be moved, said location being carried out by means of pulsed radio signals, wherein at least three reference nodes (135-155) that are communication-technically autarkic, spatially distributed and form a communication network are arranged in the confined space (115), comprising a communication protocol, by means of which the management of at least one locating object (300-320) arranged in the confined space (115) is able to be carried out, wherein the at least one locating object (300-320) is able to located by means of a distance-based trilateration that is carried out by the at least three reference nodes (135-155).

2. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the communication protocol depicts the respective topology of the communication network.

3. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the confined space (115) is divided into at least two network segments, between which re-registrations of participants or locating objects are possible.

4. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a location object (300-320) arranged in the confined space (115) is communication-technically assigned to one of the at least three reference nodes (135-155) at a given point in time.

5. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, in addition to the at least three reference nodes (135-155), an administration node (100) is arranged in the confined space (115), by means of which the at least three reference nodes (135-155) and the arranged locating objects (300-320) as appropriate, are managed with communication technology.

6. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein “

broadcast”

signals are sent to participants of the communication network, by means of which signals changes in particular in the communication network are communicated.

7. The network arrangement according to claim 6, wherein changes in the communication network are registrations, deregistrations and re-registrations of participants.

8. The network arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the broadcast signals contain information about a global network topology and/or comprise the reference nodes present in the communication network and/or a clear identification code that is independent of the respective position of a participant in the communication network and/or a local code that is independent of the position of a participant in the communication network and/or further global network information.

9. The network arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the global network information comprises the position of a participant in the confined space (115) in a coordinate system suitable for localization.

10. The network arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least three reference nodes (135-155) are arranged (125) or formed to be communication technically linked to be linear, star-shaped or circular.

11. The network arrangement according to claim 10, wherein at least two linear chains (125, 130) of reference nodes (135-155, 160-180) are arranged in the confined space (115).

12. The network arrangement according to claim 1, comprising dynamic participant management, in which time slot plans and/or topology information about the communication network is dynamically provided to the participants.

13. A method for operating a network arrangement for locating at least one location object (300-320) by means of “

trilateration”

by pulsed radio signals, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one location object (300-320) is managed by means of a dynamic participant management, wherein time slot plans and/or topology information about the communication network is dynamically provided.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a dynamic time slot allocation is carried out by a suitable combination of both a time division multiple access method (TDMA) and by means of a code division multiple access method (CDMA).

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein global information about the global network topology is sent to the participant by means of a “

broadcast”

communication.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the signals transmitted by means of broadcast communication additionally comprise information about registrations, deregistrations and/or re-registrations.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the broadcast communication comprises an error-redundant forward broadcast of global information and of identification information of active participants.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein registrations, deregistrations and/or re-registrations of participants are communicated to the administration nodes by means of a return broadcast.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the combination of forward broadcast and return broadcast ensures that a participant not uniquely reached by the forward broadcast is not excluded from participating in the communication and does not interrupt the communication with other participants.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein a locating object newly registered in the localization network or segment listens to the broadcast communication in the network via a first communication channel in order to receive an overview of present reference nodes, and the location object communicates asynchronously with a reference node selected from the broadcast communication via a second communication channel, in order to cause the reception in the network.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the selected reference node allocates a preliminary code to the registered location object and provides global information about the network topology.

22. A computer program that is configured to carry out each step of a method according to claim 13.

23. A machine readable data storage device, on which a computer program according to claim 22 is stored.