Wireless communications system including a wireless device locator and related methods

• US 7,110,779 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2004
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nera Innovations Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billhartz, Thomas Jay, Krishna, Vivek, Kopman, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/767,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20050170843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/41.2, 4554561-457, 455/67.13, 455/63.4, 455/67.16, 455/550.1, 455/562.1, 455/575.7, 370/328, 370/352, 342457-458
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A wireless communications system may include a plurality of wireless communications devices and a wireless device locator. More particularly, the wireless device locator may include at least one antenna and a transceiver connected thereto, and a controller for cooperating with the transceiver for transmitting a plurality of location finding signals to a target wireless communications device from among the plurality thereof. The target device may transmit a respective reply signal for each of the location finding signals. Additionally, the controller may also cooperate with the transceiver for receiving the reply signals, and it may determine a propagation delay associated with the transmission of each location finding signal and the respective reply signal therefor based upon a known device latency of the target device. As such, the controller may estimate a range to the target device based upon a plurality of determined propagation delays.

Claims

1. A wireless communications system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communications devices each having a device type associated therewith from among a plurality of different device types, each WLAN device having a unique identifier (UID) associated therewith, and each device type having a known device latency associated therewith; and

a wireless device locator comprising

at least one antenna and a transceiver connected thereto, and

a controller for cooperating with said transceiver for transmitting a plurality of location finding signals to a target wireless communications device from among said plurality of wireless communications devices and inserting the UID for said target wireless communications device in each of the location finding signals;

said target wireless communications device transmitting a respective reply signal for each of said location finding signals based upon the UID in the location finding signals;

said controller of said wireless device locator also for cooperating with said transceiver for receiving the reply signals,

determining a propagation delay associated with the transmission of each location finding signal and the respective reply signal therefor based upon the known device latency of said target wireless communications device, and

estimating a range to said target wireless communications device based upon a plurality of determined propagation delays.

2. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said controller estimates the range based upon an average of the propagation delays.

3. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said target wireless communications device generates unsolicited signals including the UID thereof;

wherein said controller cooperates with said transceiver to receive at least one unsolicited signal from said target device; and

wherein said controller determines the UID for said target wireless communications device from the at least one unsolicited signal.

4. The wireless communications system of claim 3 wherein said controller determines the device type of said target wireless communications device based upon the UID thereof.

5. The wireless communications system of claim 4 wherein the UIDs comprise media access control (MAC) addresses of respective wireless communications devices, and wherein said controller determines the device type of said target wireless communications device based upon the MAC address thereof.

6. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas;

and wherein said controller cooperates with said plurality of antennas to determine a bearing to said target wireless communications device based upon at least one of the received reply signals.

7. The wireless communications system of claim 6 wherein the bearing is a three-dimensional bearing.

8. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said at least one antenna comprises at least one directional antenna.

9. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said wireless device locator further comprises a portable housing carrying said at least one antenna, said transceiver, and said controller.

10. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications devices comprise wireless local area network (WLAN) devices.

11. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications devices comprise mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) devices.

12. The wireless communications system of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications devices comprise cellular communications devices.

13. A wireless communications system comprising:

a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) devices each having a device type associated therewith from among a plurality of different device types, each WLAN device having a unique identifier (UID) associated therewith, and each device type having a known device latency associated therewith; and

a wireless device locator comprising

at least one antenna and a transceiver connected thereto, and

a controller for cooperating with said transceiver for transmitting a plurality of location finding signals to a target WLAN device from among said plurality of WLAN devices and inserting the UID for said target wireless communications device in each of the location finding signals;

said target WLAN device transmitting a respective reply signal for each of said location finding signals based upon the UID in the location finding signals;

said controller of said wireless device locator also for

cooperating with said transceiver for receiving the reply signals,

determining a propagation delay associated with the transmission of each location finding signal and the respective reply signal therefor based upon the known device latency of said target WLAN device, and

estimating a range to said target WLAN device based upon an average of a plurality of determined propagation delays.

14. The wireless communications system of claim 13 wherein said target WLAN device generates unsolicited signals including the UID thereof;

wherein said controller cooperates with said transceiver to receive at least one unsolicited signal from said target WLAN device; and

wherein said controller determines the UID for said target WLAN device from the at least one unsolicited signal.

15. The wireless communications system of claim 14 wherein said controller determines the device type of said target WLAN device based upon the UID thereof.

16. The wireless communications system of claim 15 wherein the UIDs comprise media access control (MAC) addresses of respective WLAN devices, and wherein said controller determines the device type of said target WLAN device based upon the MAC address thereof.

17. The wireless communications system of claim 13 wherein said at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas;

and wherein said controller cooperates with said plurality of antennas to determine a bearing to said target WLAN device based upon at least one of the received reply signals.

18. A wireless device locator for locating a target wireless communications device having a unique identifier (UID) associated therewith, the wireless device locator comprising:

at least one antenna and a transceiver connected thereto; and

a controller for

cooperating with said transceiver for transmitting a plurality of location finding signals to the target wireless communications device, inserting the UID for the target wireless communications device in each of the location finding signals, and receiving a respective reply signal for each of said location finding signals generated by the target wireless communications device based upon the UID in the location finding signals,

determining a propagation delay associated with the transmission of each location finding signal and the respective reply signal therefor based upon a known device latency of the target wireless communications device, and

estimating a range to the target wireless communications device based upon a plurality of determined propagation delays.

19. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein said controller estimates the range based upon an average of the propagation delays.

20. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein the target wireless communications device generates unsolicited signals including the UID thereof;

wherein said controller cooperates with said transceiver to receive at least one unsolicited signal from the target device; and

wherein said controller determines the UID for the target wireless communications device from the at least one unsolicited signal.

21. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein said at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas;

and wherein said controller cooperates with said plurality of antennas to determine a bearing to the target wireless communications device based upon at least one of the received reply signals.

22. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein said at least one antenna comprises at least one directional antenna.

23. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein said wireless device locator further comprises a portable housing carrying said at least one antenna, said transceiver, and said controller.

24. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) device.

25. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) device.

26. The wireless device locator of claim 18 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a cellular communications device.

27. A method for locating a target wireless communications device from among a plurality of wireless communications devices, each wireless communications device having a device type associated therewith from among a plurality of different device types, each WLAN device having a unique identifier (UID) associated therewith, and each device type having a known device latency associated therewith, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of location finding signals to the target wireless communications device, inserting the UID for the target wireless communications device in each of the location finding signals, and receiving a respective reply signal for each of the location finding signals generated by the target wireless communications device based upon the UID in the locations signals;

determining a propagation delay associated with the transmission of each location finding signal and the respective reply signal therefor based upon the known device latency of the target wireless communications device; and

estimating a range to the target wireless communications device based upon a plurality of determined propagation delays.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the controller estimates the range based upon an average of the propagation delays.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the target wireless communications device generates unsolicited signals including the UID thereof;

and further comprising;

receiving at least one unsolicited signal from the target device; and

determining the UID for the target wireless communications device from the at least one unsolicited signal.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising determining the device type of the target wireless communications device based upon the UID thereof.

31. The method of claim 27 further comprising determining a bearing to the target wireless communications device based upon at least one of the received reply signals.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) device.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) device.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein the target wireless communications device comprises a cellular communications device.