Determining emitter locations

• US 20190037520A1
• Filed: 08/20/2018
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HawkEye 360, Inc. (Advance Publications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: HawkEye 360, Inc. (Advance Publications Incorporated)
• Inventors: O'Shea, Timothy James, McGwier, Robert W., McCarthy, Nicholas Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 10,440,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0246 involving frequency difference of arrival or Doppler measurements G01S5/02685 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

First information corresponding to a radio signal received at a first sensing device from a candidate location is obtained. Second information corresponding to a radio signal received at a second sensing device from the candidate location is obtained. A first relationship between the first sensing device and the candidate location and a second relationship between the second sensing device and the candidate location are determined. A first inverse and a second inverse of respectively the first and second relationships are obtained. A first estimate of the radio signal at the first sensing device is determined from the first information and the first inverse. A second estimate of the radio signal at the second sensing device is determined from the second information and the second inverse. Energy emitted from the candidate location is measured based on the first estimate and the second estimate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, from a first sensing device, first information corresponding to a radio signal received at the first sensing device from a candidate location;

obtaining, from a second sensing device, second information corresponding to a radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location;

determining that a clock corresponding to the first sensing device is synchronized with a clock corresponding to the second sensing device;

determining a first relationship between the first sensing device and the candidate location and a second relationship between the second sensing device and the candidate location;

obtaining a first inverse of the first relationship and a second inverse of the second relationship;

determining a first estimate of the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location based on the first information and the first inverse, and a second estimate of the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location based on the second information and the second inverse; and

conditioned on determining that the clock corresponding to the first sensing device is synchronized with the clock corresponding to the second sensing device, measuring an energy emitted from the candidate location based on the first estimate and the second estimate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first relationship between the first sensing device and the candidate location comprises:

determining a delay associated with the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location; and

determining a Doppler offset associated with the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location,

wherein at least one of the delay or the Doppler offset is determined based on a known trajectory of the first sensing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the first inverse of the first relationship comprises:

determining an inverse of the delay associated with the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location; and

determining an inverse of the Doppler offset associated with the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first inverse of the first relationship comprises:

obtaining a prediction of the candidate location;

obtaining knowledge of a trajectory of the first sensing device;

determining a position of the first sensing device at a first time based on the knowledge of the trajectory; and

obtaining the first inverse of the first relationship based on the prediction of the candidate location and the position of the first sensing device at the first time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first estimate of the radio signal comprises:

computing a convolution of;

(i) the first information corresponding to the radio signal received at the first sensing device and (ii) the first inverse of the first relationship that is based on the prediction of the candidate location and the position of the first sensing device at the first time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second relationship between the second sensing device and the candidate location comprises:

determining a delay associated with the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location; and

determining a Doppler offset associated with the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location,

wherein at least one of the delay or the Doppler offset is determined based on a known trajectory of the second sensing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein obtaining the second inverse of the second relationship comprises:

determining an inverse of the delay associated with the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location; and

determining an inverse of the Doppler offset associated with the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location,

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second inverse of the second relationship comprises:

obtaining a prediction of the candidate location;

obtaining knowledge of a trajectory of the second sensing device;

determining a position of the second sensing device at a first time based on the knowledge of the trajectory; and

obtaining the second inverse of the second relationship based on the prediction of the candidate location and the position of the second sensing device at the first time,

wherein determining the second estimate of the radio signal comprises computing a convolution of;

(i) the second information corresponding to the radio signal received at the second sensing device and (ii) the second inverse of the second relationship that is based on the prediction of the candidate location and the position of the second sensing device at the first time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first estimate of the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location based on the first inverse comprises (i) applying one or more of a time interpolation, re-sampling and shifting process to the first inverse, and (ii) mixing the first inverse with a local digital oscillator, and

wherein determining the second estimate of the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location based on the second inverse comprises (i) applying one or more of a time interpolation, re-sampling and shifting process to the second inverse, and (ii) mixing the second inverse with a local digital oscillator,

10. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the energy emitted from the candidate location based on the first estimate and the second estimate comprises determining a distance metric between the first estimate and the second estimate, and measuring the energy as a function of the distance metric,

wherein the distance metric is based on a coherent reception of the radio signal at the first sensing device and the second sensing device, and

wherein the coherent reception of the radio signal is based on the clock corresponding to the first sensing device being synchronized with the clock corresponding to the second sensing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the distance metric includes one of an L2 error distance, and IN error distance or a complex cross power distance.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring energy emitted from a plurality of candidate locations, wherein radio signals from the plurality of candidate locations are received at a plurality of sensing devices including the first sensing device and the second sensing device, and wherein information corresponding to the radio signals from the plurality of candidate locations are obtained from the plurality of sensing devices;

generating an energy profile for a geographic region based on the measurement of energy emitted from the plurality of candidate locations;

determining an energy density for the geographic region, wherein the energy density is proportional to a number of the candidate locations corresponding to which emitted energy are measured;

identifying a first search area in the geographic region associated with a first candidate location based on the determination of the energy density; and

performing a search in the first search area for target signal transmitter associated with the first candidate location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the search for signal transmitters in the first search area comprises:

determining a highest value of energy emitted from candidate locations in the first search area; and

identifying a candidate location corresponding to the highest value of energy as actual location of the target signal transmitter.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the search for signal transmitters in the first search area comprises:

determining a highest value of energy emitted from candidate locations in the first search area; and

identifying a candidate location corresponding to the highest value of energy;

determining a second search area in the geographic region associated with the identified candidate location, wherein the second search area corresponds to a sub-region of the first search area;

performing a search in the second search area for the target signal transmitter;

determining a highest value of energy emitted from candidate locations in the second search area; and

identifying a candidate location corresponding to the highest value of energy as actual location of the target signal transmitter.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing energy emitted from candidate locations in the first search area to a threshold energy value;

determining a subset of candidate locations in the first search area with emitted energy greater than the threshold energy value;

identifying a second search area associated with the subset of candidate locations; and

performing a search in the second search area for the target signal transmitter.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensing device includes a sensor on a first mobile platform that is communicably coupled to a ground receiving station, wherein obtaining the first information corresponding to the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location comprises obtaining, at the ground receiving station, the first information from the first mobile platform,

wherein the second sensing device includes a sensor on a second mobile platform that is communicably coupled to the ground receiving station, and wherein obtaining the second information corresponding to the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location comprises obtaining, at the ground receiving station, the second information from the second mobile platform.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first mobile platform and the second mobile. platform include at least one of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite, a Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellite, a nano satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a terrestrial vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first information corresponding to the radio signal received at the first sensing device from the candidate location comprises obtaining, at a computing unit onboard the first sensing device, the first information corresponding to the radio signal from a sensor coupled to the first sensing device,

wherein the first sensing device is communicably coupled to the second sensing device, and wherein obtaining the second information corresponding to the radio signal received at the second sensing device from the candidate location comprises:

receiving, at a network interface of the first sensing device from the second sensing device, the second information from the second sensing device; and

sending, from the network interface of the first sensing device to the computing unit onboard the first sensing device, the second information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sensing device and the second sensing device include at least one of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite, a Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellite, a nano satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a terrestrial vehicle, a spacecraft or a mobile platform.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the clock corresponding to the first sensing device and the clock corresponding to the second sensing device are synchronized with a reference clock, and

wherein determining that the clock corresponding to the first sensing device is synchronized with the clock corresponding to the second sensing device comprises:

receiving, from the first sensing device, a first signal indicating that the clock corresponding to the first sensing device is synchronized with the reference clock;

receiving, from the second sensing device, a second signal indicating that the clock corresponding to the second sensing device is synchronized with the reference clock; and

determining, based on receiving the first signal and the second signal, that the clock corresponding to the first sensing device is synchronized with the clock corresponding to the second sensing device.