Wireless distance measurement system and wireless terminal

• US 8,165,248 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukagawa, Takashi, Nakagawa, Yoichi, Mukai, Hirohito
• Primary Examiner(s): Ha, Dac
• Application Number:
  US12/639,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20100183063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 375/141, 375/147, 375/149, 375/354, 375/355, 375/358, 375/340, 455/404.2, 455/440, 455/456.1, 455/67.11, 342/46, 342/47, 342/85, 342/109, 342/118, 342/119, 342/131, 342/132, 342/134
• US Class Current: 375/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength

Abstract

A wireless distance measurement system and wireless terminal improve the accuracy of distance measurement when the UWB communication scheme is used. In wireless terminal 200, a route of signals varies between a distance measuring operation and a synchronization establishing operation, and, when the distance measuring operation is performed, a detection result is inputted to comparator 208 without passing through integrator 204. By this means, the distance measuring operation of wireless terminal 200 does not involve integration processing, so that delay time due to integration processing is not produced and, consequently, it is possible to improve the accuracy of distance measurement. Further, the distance measuring operation uses the integration result acquired integrator 204 for a comparison reference voltage used in comparator 208. By this means, the integration result removing noise signal components from a detection signal is used for the comparison reference voltage, so that the comparison reference voltage is optimized. Consequently, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of distance measurement.

Claims

1. A wireless distance measurement system that comprises a wireless base station and a wireless terminal and that measures a distance between the wireless base station and the wireless terminal using a pulse signal, wherein:

the wireless terminal comprises;

a receiving section that receives a pulse signal sequence transmitted from the wireless base station;

a detector that detects the received pulse signal sequence and outputs a detection signal;

a synchronization establishing section that comprises;

an integrator that integrates the detection signal per receiving timing candidate and outputs an integration result; and

a detecting section that detects a synchronization timing with the wireless base station based on the integration result; and

a distance measurement processing section that comprises;

a holding section that holds the integration result;

a comparator that outputs a binary signal matching an input signal using the integration result held in the holding section as reference data; and

a pulse generating section that generates a transmission pulse signal based on the binary signal outputted from the comparator;

the wireless base station comprises a calculating section that measures a time lag between a transmission timing for the pulse signal sequence and a receiving timing for a pulse signal sequence transmitted from the wireless terminal based on a pulse signal transmitted at the transmission timing, and calculates the distance based on the measured time lag; and

a route of signals varies between a distance measuring operation and a synchronization establishing operation in the wireless terminal, and, when the distance measuring operation is performed, the detection signal is inputted to the comparator without passing through the integrator.

2. The wireless distance measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless terminal further comprises:

an amplifier that amplifies a pulse signal sequence inputted to the detector; and

a timing controlling section that powers on the amplifier at the synchronization timing, and powers off the amplifier at timings other than the synchronization timing in a distance measuring period in which the distance measuring operation is performed.

3. The wireless distance measurement system according to claim 2, wherein the timing controlling section powers on the integrator in a synchronization establishing period in which the synchronization establishing operation is performed, and powers off the integrator in the distance measuring period.

4. The wireless distance measurement system according to claim 2, wherein the timing controlling section powers on the integrator at a second synchronization timing detected in the synchronization establishing section, and powers off the integrator at timings other than the second synchronization timing in a second synchronization establishing period included in the distance measuring period.

5. The wireless distance measurement system according to claim 1, wherein:

the holding section holds an integration result acquired from the synchronization timing, in a synchronization establishing period in which the synchronization establishing operation is performed; and

the comparator uses the integration result held in the synchronization establishing period, as the reference data in a distance measuring period in which the distance measuring operation is performed.

6. The wireless distance measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless base station further comprises:

a receiving section that receives the transmission pulse signal transmitted from the wireless terminal;

a section that samples the transmission pulse signal transmitted from the wireless terminal at a cycle shorter than a cycle for transmitting a pulse signal forming the pulse signal sequence, and integrates the sampled signal; and

a detecting section that detects the receiving timing based on the sampled signal.

7. A wireless terminal comprising:

a receiving section that receives a pulse signal sequence;

a detector that detects the received pulse signal sequence and outputs a detection signal;

a synchronization establishing section that comprises;

an integrator that integrates the detection signal per receiving timing candidate and outputs an integration result; and

a detecting section that detects a synchronization timing with a wireless base station based on the integration result; and

a distance measurement processing section that comprises;

a holding section that holds the integration result;

a comparator that outputs a binary signal matching an input signal using the integration result held in the holding section as reference data; and

a pulse generating section that generates a transmission pulse signal based on the binary signal outputted from the comparator,

wherein a route of signals varies between a distance measuring operation and a synchronization establishing operation and, when the distance measuring operation is performed, the detection signal is inputted to the comparator without passing through the integrator.

8. The wireless terminal according claim 7, further comprising:

an amplifier that amplifies a pulse signal sequence inputted to the detector; and

a timing controlling section that powers on the amplifier at the synchronization timing, and powers off the amplifier at timings other than the synchronization timing in a distance measuring period in which the distance measuring operation is performed.

9. The wireless terminal according to claim 8, wherein the timing controlling section powers on the integrator in a synchronization establishing period in which the synchronization establishing operation is performed, and powers off the integrator in the distance measuring period.

10. The wireless terminal according to claim 7, wherein:

the holding section holds an integration result acquired from the synchronization timing, in a synchronization establishing period in which the synchronization establishing operation is performed; and

the comparator uses the integration result held in the synchronization establishing period, as the reference data in a distance measuring period in which the distance measuring operation is performed.