Radio geo-location system with advanced first received wavefront arrival determination
First Claim
1. A system for identifying the locations of objects within a monitored environment, using time-of-arrival differentiation for transmissions from tags disposed with said objects, as detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations for said monitored environment comprising:
- for each of said objects, a respective tag disposed therewith containing a tag transmitter which is operative to transmit a signal encoded with information representative of the identification of said each object;
each of said plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations having a plurality of mutually diverse antennas coupled to associated tag transmission readers which are operative to detect said signals transmitted by said tag transmitter;
reader output processors operative to process signals detected by associated tag transmission readers and to determine which signals received by said tag transmission readers are first-to-arrive signals as transmitted from said tag transmitter; and
an object location processor coupled to said reader output processors, and being operative to carry out time-of-arrival differentiation of said first-to-arrive signals transmitted from said tag transmitter as detected by said plurality of tag transmission readers, so to locate said object within said environment.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An asset management radio location system uses time-of-arrival differentiation for random and repetitive spread spectrum, short duration pulse `blinks` from object-attached tags, to provide a practical, continuous identification of the location of each and every object within an environment of interest, irrespective whether the object is stationary or moving. Correlation-based RF processors determine which signals received spatially diverse antennas coupled to tag transmission readers are first-to-arrive signals as transmitted from any blinking tag. An object location processor carries out time-of-arrival differentiation of first-to-arrive transmissions from any blinking tag to determine where the respective object is located within the environment.
-
Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A system for identifying the locations of objects within a monitored environment, using time-of-arrival differentiation for transmissions from tags disposed with said objects, as detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations for said monitored environment comprising:
-
for each of said objects, a respective tag disposed therewith containing a tag transmitter which is operative to transmit a signal encoded with information representative of the identification of said each object; each of said plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations having a plurality of mutually diverse antennas coupled to associated tag transmission readers which are operative to detect said signals transmitted by said tag transmitter; reader output processors operative to process signals detected by associated tag transmission readers and to determine which signals received by said tag transmission readers are first-to-arrive signals as transmitted from said tag transmitter; and an object location processor coupled to said reader output processors, and being operative to carry out time-of-arrival differentiation of said first-to-arrive signals transmitted from said tag transmitter as detected by said plurality of tag transmission readers, so to locate said object within said environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for identifying locations of objects within a monitored environment, using time-of-arrival differentiation for a transmission from a tag disposed with one of said objects, as detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations for said monitored environment comprising the steps of:
-
(a) transmitting from a tag transmitter coupled with a respective one of said objects a signal encoded with information representative of the identification of said object; (b) at each of said plurality of spaced apart tag transmission monitoring locations, receiving said signal at a plurality of mutually diverse antennas; (c) coupling signals received by said plurality of mutually diverse antennas to associated tag transmission readers which are operative to detect said signal transmitted by said tag transmitter; (d) processing signals detected by said tag transmission readers and determine which signals received by said tag transmission readers are first-to-arrive signals as transmitted from said tag transmitter; and (e) conducting time-of-arrival differentiation processing of said first-to-arrive signals to locate said respective object within said environment. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification