Calibration of a location system

• US 8,193,984 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubisense Incorporated (IQGeo Group Plc)
• Original Assignee: Ubisense Incorporated (IQGeo Group Plc)
• Inventors: Ward, Andrew Martin Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US12/297,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 342/387, 342/465
• US Class Current: 342/387
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

A location system comprising a plurality of base units for enabling the locating of a device by means of one or more location signals communicated between the device and the base units and signal processing equipment for: i. determining the location of the device in dependence on the manner in which the location signal(s) is/are received and ii. deriving calibration data for calibrating the system in dependence on the manner in which the location signal(s) is/are received.

Claims

1. A location system comprising:

a plurality of base units at known locations for enabling the locating of a device by means of one or more location signals communicated between the device and the base units; and

signal processing equipment configured to;

(i) determine the location of the device in dependence on the time-difference-of-arrival and angle-of-arrival of the location signal(s) as received by the base units; and

(ii) derive calibration data for calibrating the clocking of each base unit from the time-difference-of-arrival and angle-of-arrival of the location signal(s) as received by the base units, wherein

the signal processing unit is configured to derive the calibration data independently of any reference timing generator that is external to a subsystem consisting of the plurality of base units and the device, and

the calibration data defines a timing offset in the clocking of each base unit relative to a reference clock.

2. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location system is configured to receive location signal(s) as a time-varying waveform, and the location signal(s) used to determine the location of the device and the location signal(s) used to derive the calibration data are contemporaneous parts of the waveform.

3. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the base units comprises a central clock and each base unit receives a timing signal from the central clock for clocking the base unit.

4. The location system as claimed claim 1, wherein one of the base units is arranged to derive the calibration data and to determine the position of the device in dependence on the derived calibration data.

5. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each base unit comprises a respective clock and each base unit is arranged to calibrate the clocking of its respective clock in dependence on the calibration data.

6. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the signal processing equipment is arranged to determine an average timing offset for a base unit from successive location signals communicated between the device and the base unit, and

the base unit is arranged to calibrate its clocking in dependence on the average offset.

7. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each base unit comprises a timing generator and is arranged to determine the time-of-arrival of one or more location signal(s) as received by the base unit.

8. The location system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the signal processing equipment is arranged to determine the location of the device in dependence on the time of arrival of the one or more location signals at each of the base units and the timing offset in the clocking of each base unit as defined by the calibration data.

9. The location system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the signal processing equipment is arranged to store calibration data derived from a location signal communicated at a first point in time and to determine the location of a device at a second, subsequent point in time in dependence on the timing offsets defined by the stored calibration data and the manner in which one or more location signals communicated at the second point in time is/are received.

10. The location system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base units are arranged to determine the angle-of-arrival of one or more location signal(s) as received by the base units.

11. A method for locating a device in a location system comprising the device and a plurality of base units at known positions for enabling the locating of the device, the method comprising the steps of:

communicating one or more location signals between the device and the base units;

determining the location of the device in dependence on the time-difference-of-arrival and angle-of-arrival of the location signal(s) as received by the base units; and

deriving calibration data for calibrating the clocking of each base unit from the time-difference-of-arrival and angle-of-arrival of the location signal(s) as received by the base units, wherein

the calibration data is derived independently of any reference timing generator external to a subsystem consisting of the base units and the device, and

the calibration data defines a timing offset in the clocking of each base unit relative to a reference clock.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising clocking each base station by means of a timing signal provided by a central clock.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising calibrating the system in dependence on the calibration data.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising calibrating the clocking of each base unit in dependence on the calibration data.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising determining an average timing offset for a base unit from successive location signals communicated between the device and the base unit and calibrating the clocking of the base unit in dependence on the average offset.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising determining the time-of-arrival of one or more location signal(s) as received by the base units.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising determining the location of the device in dependence on the time of arrival of the one or more location signals at each of the base units and the timing offset in the clocking of each base unit as defined by the calibration data.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising storing calibration data derived from a location signal communicated at a first point in time and determining the location of a device at a second, subsequent point in time in dependence on the timing offsets defined by the stored calibration data and the manner in which one or more location signals communicated at the second point in time is/are received.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising determining the angle-of-arrival of one or more location signal(s) as received by the base units.