DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ORIENTATION AND POSITIONING

• US 20180107288A1
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XYZ INXYZ Interactive Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: XYZ INXYZ Interactive Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: LOHBIHLER, Andrew H., KOSIC, Michael, BURTEA, Valentin M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,452,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/784 using a mosaic of detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/186 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

Methods and devices for, among other applications, locating an emitter, comprises an array of receivers configured in different angular positions about the array relative to a corresponding array location axis, to receive a signal from the emitter having at least one burst containing a train of pulses, and at least one processor configured to profile pulse count values at each receiver, from one receiver to another in the array in relation to their respective angular positions, to designate a maximum peak angular position associated with a maximum pulse count value, and to attribute the peak angular position to an angular emitter location.

Claims

1-100. -100. (canceled)

101. A system for locating an emitter, comprising:

a plurality of spaced receivers, each of the receivers having an angular position coordinate value, stored in memory, associated with a designated angle of the receiver relative to a reference axis;

each receiver configured to receive at least one locating signal from the emitter, the locating signal including, at least in part, a plurality of pulses in at least one train of pulses;

at least one locator processor, in communication with the spaced receivers, the at least one locator processor configured to;

process the locating signal received at each receiver in a group of receivers in respective locating signal-receiving positions, to form a pulse count value in relation to a count of pulses above a pulse strength threshold;

form a pulse count profile whose coordinates include the pulse count values and corresponding angular locations; and

attribute a designated angular position coordinate value, corresponding to a maximum pulse count value in the pulse count profile, as a location value representative of at least the heading of the emitter.

102. A system as defined in claim 101, wherein the pulses in the train of pulses vary in pulse strength from one pulse to another, the locator processor configured to attribute a range value to the locating signal emitter, according to the maximum pulse count value.

103. A system as defined in claim 102, the locator processor configured to attribute at least the heading value to an emitter identifier to form a first set of emitter locating coordinates, and to store the first set in memory.

104. A system as defined in claim 103, wherein first set includes the range value.

105. A system as defined in claim 104, the locator processor configured, for at least a second clock increment, to form a second set of emitter locating coordinates, and to store the second set in memory.

106. A system as defined in claim 101, the locator processor configured to access the emitter identifier from the emitter or from memory.

107. A system as defined in claim 101, wherein the locator processor is configured to calculate the angular position value according to:

Angular Position Value=SUM [A[i]*E[i]]/SUM [E[i]],

for i=1, . . . , N

where “

i”

is the index of each receiver;

N is the total number of receivers;

A[i] is the angular position value of the receiver “

i”

; and

E[i] is the pulse count value of the receiver “

i”

.

108. A system as defined in claim 101, wherein the designated angular position value corresponds to an angular position value of a receiver registering the maximum pulse count value.

109. A system as defined in claim 108, wherein the designated angular position value is adjacent an angular position value of at least one receiver.

110. A system as defined in claim 101, further comprising at least one emitter processor, in communication with the emitter, and configured to enable the emitter to emit the locating signal with or without the emitter identifier.

111. A system as defined in claim 110, the emitter processor configured to enable the emitter to emit the locating signal intermittently, continuously or following receipt of an interrogatory or synchronizing signal.

112. A system as defined in claim 110, the emitter processor configured to enable the emitter to emit the locating signal at a carrier frequency selected from the group comprising:

near infrared, far infrared, visible, ultra-violet, high frequency radio, ultra-wideband radio, and ultrasonic.

113. A system as defined in claim 105, the locator processor configured to initiate an action in relation to the first and or second sets of coordinates.

114. A system as defined in claim 113, wherein the action includes deploying a drive train.

115. A system as defined in claim 114, wherein the action is an audio or graphical message.

116. A system as defined in claim 115, the local processor configured to select the action according to a received instruction.

117. A system as defined in claim 101, further comprising a beacon with a body defining one or more surface regions, further comprising a plurality of the emitters located on said one or more surface regions.

118. A system as defined in claim 101, wherein the receivers are aligned, at least in part, along a curve relative to the reference axis.

119. A system as defined in claim 118, wherein the receivers are organized in adjacent rows, wherein the receivers in each row receive locating signals at different angular positions corresponding to different heading angle values, at a common designated elevation angle, of the emitter.

120. A system as defined in claim 119, wherein the receivers are organized in adjacent rows, wherein the receivers in each row receive locating signals at different angular positions corresponding to different heading angle values, at a common designated elevation angle, of the emitter, according to:

Heading=SUM [A[i]*E[i,j]]/SUM [E[i,j]], for i=1, . . . , N

Elevation=SUM [B[j]*E[i,j]]/SUM [E[i,j]], for j=1, . . ., M

for (i,j) being the index of each receiver, and N is the total number of heading receiver elements, and M is the total number of elevation receiver elements.

A[i] is the fixed heading angle of the receiver element “

i”

.

B[j] is the fixed elevation angle of the receiver element “

j”

.

E[i,j] is the IR pulse energy received at receiver element “

(i,j)”

.

123. A method of interacting a target object with a tracking object, comprising:

providing a tracking object with an array of spaced receivers to be positioned relative to a tracking location, each of the receivers having an angular position value associated with a designated angle of the receiver relative to a reference axis, and at least one action output to initiate an action in relation to the target object;

enabling the receivers to receive a locating signal from an emitter onboard a target object, the locating signal including, at least in part, a plurality of pulses in a train of pulses;

assembling pulse count values, each associated with a count of pulses received by those receivers oriented in signal-receiving positions relative to the target object;

associating the angular positions of the signal receiving receivers to their corresponding pulse count values to identify an angular position corresponding to a maximum pulse count value, as an angular target location of the target object; and

enabling the action output, in relation to the angular target location.

124. A method as defined in claim 123, wherein the pulses in the train of pulses vary in strength from one pulse to another, further comprising identifying a range of the target object relative the reference axis, according to the maximum pulse value.

125. A method as defined in claim 123, wherein the action output is operatively coupled to a drive train for displacing the tracking object.

126. A method as defined in claims 123, further comprising:

a. for a first time period, mapping a first waypoint relative to the angular location; and

b. enabling the action output includes enabling the drive train to displace the tracking object toward the first waypoint.

127. A method as defined in claim 126, further comprising:

c. for a second time period, identifying an updated angular position of the target object;

d. mapping a second waypoint relative to the updated annular position; and

e. enabling the drive train to displace the tracking object toward the second waypoint.

128. A method as defined in claim 127, wherein the mapping includes accessing a stored geographical descriptor corresponding to an interim value according to one of the waypoints, and correcting the interim value according to the angular location to form the waypoint.