Integrated radio direction finding and GPS receiver tracking system

• US 6,094,164 A
• Filed: 04/13/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US09/059,780
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 342/457, 342/357, 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

An integrated radio direction finding and GPS receiver tracking system. In one embodiment, a transmitter device is attached to an object to be located. The transmitter device transmits a signal. The transmitted signal is received by a portable, user-totable tracking unit. The portable, user-totable tracking unit uses the received signal to determine at least the bearing of the object from the portable, user-totable tracking unit. A position generating system is coupled to the portable, user-totable tracking unit to generate the position information of the portable, user-totable tracking unit. The bearing of the object from the portable, user-totable tracking unit and the position information of the portable, user-totable tracking unit is transmitted from the portable, user-totable tracking unit to a base station. The base station processes the bearing of the transmitter device from the portable, user-totable tracking unit and the position information of the portable, user-totable tracking unit to provide information to be employed during the location of the object.

Claims

1. An object locating system comprising:

a transmitter device coupled to an object to be located, said transmitter device adapted to transmit a signal therefrom,

a portable, user-totable, tracking unit adapted to receive said signal transmitted by said transmitter device, said portable, user-totable tracking unit further including a tracking component adapted to determine the range and bearing of said transmitter device from said portable, user-totable tracking unit, said portable, user-totable tracking unit further including a transceiver integral therewith,

a position determining system coupled to said portable, user-totable tracking unit, said position determining system generating position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit, said transceiver adapted to transmit said range and bearing of said transmitter device and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit,

a base station communicatively coupled to said portable, user-totable tracking unit, said base station including a receiver adapted to receive said range and bearing of said transmitter device from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit, said base station further including a position processor adapted to calculate the position of said object to be located using said received range and bearing of said transmitter device from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

2. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said signal is transmitted from said transmitter device when said transmitter device is activated.

3. The object locating system of claim 2 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit is adapted to activate said transmitter device such that said transmitter device transmits said signal.

4. The object locating system of claim 1 further including a plurality of transmitter devices coupled to a respective plurality of objects to be located.

5. The object locating system of claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of transmitter devices is adapted to transmit a different signal therefrom such that each of said respective plurality of objects has a unique signal associated therewith.

6. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit is further adapted to determine the velocity of said object with respect to said portable, user-totable tracking unit by measuring the Doppler shift of said signal transmitted by said transmitter device and received by said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

7. The object locating system of claim 1 further including a plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units adapted to receive said signal transmitted by said transmitter device, each of said plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units further adapted to determine the range and bearing of said object therefrom, each of said plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units communicatively coupled to said base station.

8. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said transmitter device is coupled to a person.

9. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit is disposed on a person.

10. The object locating system of claim 1 further including a plurality of base stations, each of said plurality of base stations adapted to be communicatively coupled to said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

11. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said position determining system is selected from the class of satellite-based radio navigation systems consisting of the Global Positioning System and the Global Orbiting Navigation System.

12. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said position determining system is selected from the class of ground-based radio navigation systems consisting of LORAN, Shoran, Decca, and TACAN.

13. The object locating system of claim 1 wherein said base station further includes a base station transmitter for transmitting said calculated position of said object to a desired location.

14. A method for locating an object comprising the steps of:

coupling a transmitter device to an object to be located,

transmitting a signal from said transmitter device,

receiving said signal transmitted by said transmitter device at a portable, user-totable tracking unit,

determining from said signal received at said portable, user-totable tracking unit the range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit,

generating position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit using a position determining system coupled to said portable, user-totable tracking unit,

transmitting said range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit from said portable, user-totable tracking unit to a base station,

processing at said base station said range and bearing of said transmitter device from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit to calculate the position of said object to be located. transmitter devices transmits a different signal therefrom such that each of said respective plurality of persons to be located has a unique signal associated therewith.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of transmitting said signal from said transmitter device further includes transmitting said signal from said transmitter device when said transmitter device is activated.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 further including the step of:

activating said transmitter device to transmit said signal using said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of coupling a transmitter device to an object to be located further includes coupling a transmitter device to a person.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

coupling a plurality of transmitter device to a respective plurality of persons, wherein each of said plurality of transmitter devices transmits a different signal therefrom such that each of said respective plurality of persons to be located has a unique signal associated therewith.

19. The method as recited in claim 14 further including the step of:

determining the velocity of said object with respect to said portable, user-totable tracking unit by measuring the Doppler shift of said signal transmitted by said transmitter device and received by said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

20. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of receiving said signal transmitted by said transmitter device at said portable, user-totable tracking unit further includes receiving said signal transmitted by said transmitter device at a plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units, each of said plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units further adapted to determine the range and bearing of said object therefrom.

21. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of receiving said signal transmitted by said transmitter device at said portable, user-totable tracking unit further includes receiving said signal at a portable, user-totable tracking unit coupled to a person.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein said step of receiving said signal at said portable, user-totable tracking unit coupled to a person further includes receiving said signal at a plurality of said portable, user-totable tracking units coupled to a respective plurality of persons.

23. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein said step of determining from said signal received at said portable, user-totable tracking unit the range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit, further includes determining said range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit at a plurality of locations as said portable, user-totable tracking unit is moved by said person.

24. The method as recited in claim 23 further including receiving said signal at a plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units at a plurality of respective locations as said plurality of portable, user-totable tracking units are moved by said respective plurality of person to a respective plurality of locations.

25. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of transmitting said range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information of said portable, user-totable tracking unit from said portable, user-totable tracking unit to a base station further includes transmitting said range and bearing of said object from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information of said portable, user-totable tracking unit from said portable, user-totable tracking unit to at least one of a plurality of base stations.

26. The method as recited in claim 14 further including the step of:

transmitting said calculated position of said object from said base station to a desired location.

27. A portable, user-totable tracking unit comprising:

a direction determining system adapted to determine the orientation of said portable, user-totable tracking unit;

a position determining system coupled to said direction determining system, said position determining system adapted to generate position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit;

a tracking component coupled to said position determining system, said tracking component adapted to determine the range and bearing of an object to be located by said portable, user-totable tracking unit; and

a transceiver component coupled to said tracking component, said transceiver component adapted to transmit said range and bearing of said object to be located from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information indicating the position of said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

28. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said transceiver component is adapted to be communicatively coupled to a base station such that said transceiver unit is adapted to transmit said range and bearing of said transmitter device from said portable, user-totable tracking unit and said position information of said portable, user-totable tracking unit to said base station.

29. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said transceiver component is adapted to be communicatively coupled to a base station such that said transceiver unit is adapted to receive information from said base station.

30. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 29 wherein said transceiver component is adapted to be communicatively coupled to a base station such that said transceiver unit receives from said base station position information on said object to be located.

31. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit is further adapted to activate a transmitter device on said object to be located such that said tracking unit receives a signal transmitted by said transmitter device and uses said signal to determine the range and bearing of said object to be located from said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

32. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit further includes a Doppler calculator adapted to determine the velocity of said object to be located with respect to said portable, user-totable tracking unit by measuring the Doppler shift of a signal transmitted by a transmitter device coupled to said object to be located and received by said portable, user-totable tracking unit.

33. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said portable, user-totable tracking unit is a hand-held portable unit.

34. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said position determining system is selected from the class of satellite-based radio navigation systems consisting of the Global Positioning System and the Global Orbiting Navigation System.

35. The portable, user-totable tracking unit of claim 27 wherein said position determining system is selected from the class of ground-based radio navigation systems consisting of LORAN, Shoran, Decca, and TACAN.

36. The portable, user-totable tracking system of claim 27 wherein said tracking component determines the range to said object to be located by measuring the time of arrival of signals transmitted from a transmitter device coupled to said object to be located.