System and method for providing scanning polarized reference sources

• US 8,164,745 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Inventors: Rastegar, Jahangir S., Spinelli, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyons, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/888,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 356/138, 342/28, 342/62, 342/118, 342/126, 342/146, 342/147, 342/154, 342/157, 342/158, 343/756, 343/757, 343/762, 343/772, 343/775
• US Class Current: 356/138
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/34 based on predetermined target position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/024 using polarisation effects in waveguides H01P1/165; for aerials H01Q, e.g. H01Q15/22, H01Q15/24, H01Q19/195
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control

Abstract

A method of determining an angular orientation of a sensor relative to a source including the steps of amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a desired scanning range, pattern and frequency; detecting the scanning polarized RF reference source at the sensor; and determining the orientation of the sensor based on the detected scanning polarized RF reference source. Similar methods are also provided for determining an angular orientation and/or position of a sensor relative to two or more sources, aligning a mobile sensor relative to a source and homing a sensor relative to a predetermined plane and/or point.

Claims

1. A method of determining an angular orientation of a sensor relative to a source, the method comprising:

amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

detecting the scanning polarized RF reference source at the sensor; and

determining the orientation of the sensor based on the detected scanning polarized RF reference source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two polarized RF carrier signals are in a GHz range.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more synchronized polarized RF carrier signals with the predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation obtain a periodic scanning range, rate and frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more synchronized polarized RF carrier signals with the predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation obtain a non-periodic scanning range, rate and frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is accomplished by peak detection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the scanning range, pattern and frequency are chosen with peaks that are sharper than a simple harmonic sine wave to facilitate the peak detection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is accomplished by pattern matching.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining is accomplished by choosing predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency to facilitate the pattern detection.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining is accomplished by rejecting noise.

10. A method of aligning a mobile sensor relative to a source, the method comprising:

amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

determining a mean direction of the scanning polarized RF reference source;

determining a direction of a line passing through the sensor and parallel with the direction of the mean direction of the scanning polarized RF reference source; and

determining an offset of the line from the mean direction of the scanning polarized RF reference source.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising moving the sensor until the offset is a predetermined value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined value is substantially zero.

13. A method of homing a sensor relative to a predetermined plane, the method comprising:

amplitude modulating at least first and second synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a first predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a first scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

amplitude modulating at least third and fourth synchronized polarized RF carrier signals with a second predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a second scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

determining a first mean direction of the first scanning polarized RF reference source;

determining a second mean direction of the second scanning polarized RF reference source, wherein the first and second mean directions are not parallel; and

moving the sensor relative to a plane intersection of the first and second mean directions based on a detection of the first and scanning polarized RF reference sources at the sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising varying the direction of the first and/or second directions to vary a position of the plane intersection.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the moving of the sensor relative to a plane intersection comprises moving the sensor towards the plane intersection.