Locating system
First Claim
1. A system for locating moveable elements within a total area comprising:
- a plurality of transponders, each carried by one of said moveable elements and each being responsive to an associated identification code;
means for paging said area with one of said identification codes;
a network of communication stations spaced throughout said area, each including means for receiving response signals sent from within a detection area associated with the communication station and means for communicating with a master station;
said master station including means for priming said network of communication stations by providing each communication station with said one of said identification codes;
each of said communication stations including means for comparing said one of said identification codes with said response signals that are received, wherein said master station locates a moveable element to within the intersection of the detection areas of the communication stations which received a response signal that matched said one of said identification codes.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A locating system and method in which a network of communication stations are spread over a surveillance area. Each moveable element is provided with a transponder having an associated identification code. A paging signal sent out over the surveillance area is picked up by the transponders and the one with the identification code provided in the page responds. The response is made at a frequency different from the page. The response is picked up by the nearest communication stations. A master station communicates with the communication stations at a frequency different from that used by the paging signal or the transponder. The master station which interrogates all the communication stations locates the paged transponder to within a sector bordered by the communication stations that received the response from the transponder. The communication stations can be subdivided into three or more interspersed arrays.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A system for locating moveable elements within a total area comprising:
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a plurality of transponders, each carried by one of said moveable elements and each being responsive to an associated identification code; means for paging said area with one of said identification codes; a network of communication stations spaced throughout said area, each including means for receiving response signals sent from within a detection area associated with the communication station and means for communicating with a master station; said master station including means for priming said network of communication stations by providing each communication station with said one of said identification codes; each of said communication stations including means for comparing said one of said identification codes with said response signals that are received, wherein said master station locates a moveable element to within the intersection of the detection areas of the communication stations which received a response signal that matched said one of said identification codes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for locating moveable elements within an area comprising:
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at least three arrays of communication stations, said arrays being interspersed over said area so as to define a plurality of sectors within said area each bounded by at least one communication station from each of three of said arrays; a plurality of transponders, each carried by one of said moveable elements and each having means to transmit a response signal in response to an associated identification code; means for paging said area with one of said identification codes; each communication station having means for generating a receipt signal when a transponder transmits a response signal from within a sector bordering said communication station and means for communicating with a master station, wherein said master station locates a moveable element to within a sector bounded by whichever communication stations generate a receipt signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for locating moveable elements within an area comprising the steps of:
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providing each moveable element with a transponder, each transponder having a unique associated identification code; paging said area with one of said identification codes; generating a response signal at the transponder which is associated with said one of said identification codes; transmitting said response signal from the transponder which is associated with said one of said identification codes; detecting said response signal at one or more fixed communication stations in a network of communication stations spaced apart throughout said area; and communicating with said network of communication stations to identify the communication stations which detected said response signal so as to locate the moveable element, which was provided within the transponder associated with said one of said identification codes, to within the intersection of areas each defined by a detectable distance readiating from each of the communication stations which detected said response signal. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for locating moveable elements within a total area comprising:
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a network of communication stations spaced apart throughout said total area so as to subdivide said total area into a plurality of contiguous sectors each defined by three communication stations, each communication station including means for receiving response signals sent from within one of said sectors defined in part by said communication station and means for communicating with a master station; a plurality of transponders each carried by one of said moveable elements and each for transmitting one of said response signals in response to receiving an associated identification code; and means for paging said area with one of said identification codes; wherein said master station locates a moveable element to within one or two sectors for which all of the communication stations defining said one or two sectors received a response signal from the transponder carried by said moveable element. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification