System and method for radiating RF waveforms using discontinues associated with a utility transmission line

• US 7,256,727 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TDC Acquisition Holdings, Inc (Humatics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Time Domain Corporation (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor; John B.
• Application Number:
  US11/030,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342/52
• US Class Current: 342/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1636 using pulse-type detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A method for processing radio frequency reflections is provided. The method applies an RF waveform to a transmission line that is a conductor used for providing a utility service. The method uses a RF waveform generator to transmit UltraWideband (UWB) RF waveforms through the conductors of a building. The RF waveforms are emitted at emission points that can be impedance discontinuities along the transmission line or impulse radios. The emitted RF waveforms reflect off of objects in the building and are received at reception points that can be impedance discontinuities or impulse radios. These reflections are processed to determine movement of objects within or near the building. Based on the reflections of the RF waveforms, the position of the objects within or near the building can be determined.

Claims

1. A method for radiating radio frequency (RF) waveforms, comprising:

generating an RF waveform;

emitting the generated RF waveform from at least one emission point;

receiving one or more RF reflections of the emitted RF waveform at one or more reception points, wherein at least one of said at least one emission point or said one or more reception points comprises an impedance discontinuity coupled to a utility transmission line that provides a utility service; and

determining at least one of a temporal and a non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections for at least one of locating a target, determining the speed of a target, tracking the motion of a target, detecting an intrusion, detecting the presence of an object or RF profiling an environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections is determined at a first time and a second time and compared to each other.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an angle of arrival of at least one of the one or more RF reflections.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location of the impedance discontinuity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one emission point or the one or more reception points are used to form at least one of a bistatic radar or a monostatic radar arrangement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility service is at least one of a public utility service or a private utility service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility transmission line is at least one of an electrical wiring, a telephone wiring, a cable wiring, audio/visual wiring, a local area network (LAN) wiring, a private branch exchange (PBX) wiring, a girder, a piping, or a metal duct work.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the electrical wiring is Romex®

wiring.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility transmission line is an efficient conductor for frequencies above 300 MHz.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF waveform is generated by at least one of an RF waveform generator coupled to the utility transmission line or a radio transmitter distal to the utility transmission line.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more RF reflections are received by at least one of a radio receiver distal to the utility transmission line or a Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) receiver that is coupled to the utility transmission line.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated RF waveform comprises at least one of an Ultra-wideband (UWB) waveform, a Gaussian pulse waveform, a pulse doublet waveform, a pulse triplet waveform, a pulse quadlet waveform, or a burst of cycles waveform.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated RF waveform is coupled to the utility transmission line using at least one of a Balun, a transformer, or a coupler.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the impedance discontinuity is at least one of an outlet, a switch, a light bulb, a light fixture, a lamp, a ceiling light, a motor, a control system, or a resistance heating.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an emission time for when the RF waveform is emitted from the emission point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the emission time is determined using a TDR technique.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more reception times for when the one or more RF reflections are received at the one or more reception points.

19. A system for radiating radio frequency (RF) waveforms, comprising:

a RF waveform generator associated with at least one emission point, said RF waveform generator generating an RF waveform, said generated RF waveform resulting in at least one emitted RF waveform being emitted from the at least one emission point;

one or more receivers that receive one or more RF reflections of the at least one emitted RF waveform at one or more reception points;

a utility transmission line that provides a utility service, said utility transmission line having an impedance discontinuity coupled thereto, said impedance discontinuity comprising at least one of said at least one emission point or said one or more reception points; and

a processor that determines at least one of a temporal or a non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections for at least one of locating a target, determining the speed of a target, tracking the motion of a target, detecting an intrusion, detecting the presence of an object or RF profiling an environment.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines the at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections at a first time and a second time and compares the at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections determined at the first time to the at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections determined at the second time.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines an angle of arrival of at least one of the one or more RF reflections.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a location of the impedance discontinuity.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines the at least one of the temporal or the non-temporal characteristic of the one or more RF reflections using the at least one emission point or the one or more reception points to form at least one of a bistatic radar and or a monostatic radar arrangement.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the utility service comprises at least one of a public utility service or a private utility service.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the utility transmission line comprises at least one of an electrical wiring, a telephone wiring, a cable wiring, an audio/visual wiring, a local area network (LAN) wiring, a private branch exchange (PBX) wiring, a girder, a piping, or a metal duct work.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the electrical wiring comprises Romex®

wiring.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the utility transmission line comprises an efficient conductor for frequencies above 300 MHz.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the RF waveform generator comprises at least one of a generator that is coupled to the utility transmission line or a radio transmitter distal to the utility transmission line.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more receivers comprise at least one of a Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) receiver that is coupled to the utility transmission line.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the generated RF waveform comprises at least one of an Ultra-wideband (UWB) waveform, a Gaussian pulse waveform, a pulse doublet waveform, a pulse triplet waveform, a pulse quadlet waveform or a burst of cycles waveform.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the generated RF waveform is coupled to the utility transmission line using at least one of a Balun, a transformer, or a coupler.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the impedance discontinuity comprises at least one of an outlet, a switch, a light bulb, a light fixture, a lamp, a ceiling light, a motor, a control system, or a resistance heating.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines an emission time for when the RF waveform is emitted from the emission point.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the processor determines the emission time using a TDR technique.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines one or more reception times for when the one or more RF reflections are received at the one or more reception points.