Tag frequency control

• US 8,301,162 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• 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): Anderson, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US12/915,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20110039591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 455/500, 455/68, 455/69, 455/67.1, 455/33.1, 455/70, 455/71, 455/76, 455/10, 455/3.2, 455/265, 455/260, 375/256, 375/200, 375/333, 375/259, 375/239, 370/280, 370/110.1, 370/105.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.42
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0035 detecting errors in frequency or phase

Abstract

A communication system comprising one or more transceiver units of a first type and one or more transceiver units of a second type capable of communicating with the transceiver units of the first type; each transceiver unit of the first type comprising: a frequency comparison unit for comparing the frequency of a signal received from a transceiver unit of the second type with a reference frequency; a feedback signal generator for generating a feedback signal dependent on the result of that comparison; and a transmitter for transmitting that signal to the transceiver unit of the second type; and each transceiver unit of the second type comprising: a local frequency reference unit on which the frequency of signals transmitted by it are dependent; and a frequency adjustment unit for receiving the feedback signal and adjusting the local frequency reference unit in dependence on the feedback signal.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

one or more transceiver units of a first type;

a data store accessible to each transceiver unit of the first type;

two or more transceiver units of a second type, the transceiver units of a second type being capable of communicating with the transceiver units of the first type, and each transceiver unit of the second type comprising a local frequency reference unit on which the frequency of signals transmitted by it are dependent;

wherein;

at least one transceiver unit of the first type comprises;

a frequency comparison unit configured to make a comparison of the frequency of a signal received from a transceiver unit of the second type with a reference frequency and to form an offset signal representative of the offset between the frequency of the signal received from the transceiver unit of the second type with the reference frequency, and

a feedback unit configured to update the data store with feedback data representative of the offset signal in respect of that transceiver unit of the second type; and

each transceiver unit of the first type comprises a frequency adjustment unit configured to adjust a transmit and/or receive frequency of the at least one transceiver unit of the first type for communication with one of the transceiver units of the second type in accordance with feedback data stored in the data store in respect of that transceiver unit of the second type.

2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each transceiver unit of the first type is arranged to communicate with a single one of the transceiver units of the second type at any one time.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each transceiver unit of the first type is a base station.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is an identification unit.

5. The communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type has a unique identity within the system.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is a mobile transceiver.

7. The communication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is a radio tag.

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each transceiver unit of the second type comprises a power source.

9. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is a locationing system and is capable of determining the location of a transceiver unit of the second type relative to each transceiver unit of the first type.

10. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein communication between each transceiver unit of the first type and the transceiver units of the second system is by ultrawideband radio.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication system is such that each transceiver unit of the second type can establish communication with each transceiver unit of the first type only if the operating frequencies of those transceiver units are synchronised to better than 2 ppm.

12. A communication system comprising:

one or more transceiver units of a first type;

two or more transceiver units of a second type, the transceiver units of a second type being capable of communicating with the transceiver units of the first type, and each transceiver unit of the second type comprising a local frequency reference unit on which the frequency of signals transmitted by it are dependent;

wherein at least one transceiver unit of the first type comprises;

a frequency comparison unit configured to compare the frequency of signals received from transceiver units of the second type with a reference frequency and to form an offset signal representative of the average offset between the frequency of the received signals and the reference frequency; and

a frequency adjustment unit for adjusting the reference frequency in accordance with the offset signal.

13. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each transceiver unit of the first type is a base station.

14. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is an identification unit.

15. The communication system as claimed in claim 14, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type has a unique identity within the system.

16. The communication system as claimed in claim 15, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is a mobile transceiver.

17. The communication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein each transceiver unit of the second type is a radio tag.

18. The communication system as claimed in claim 12 wherein each transceiver unit of the second type comprises a power source.

19. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the system is a locationing system and is capable of determining the location of a transceiver unit of the second type relative to each transceiver unit of the first type.

20. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein communication between the transceiver units of the first type and the transceiver units of the second system is by ultrawideband radio.

21. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the communication system is such that each transceiver unit of the second type can establish communication with each transceiver unit of the first type only if the operating frequencies of those transceiver units are synchronised to better than 2 ppm.

22. A method for adjusting the transmit and/or receive frequency of a transceiver unit in a communication system comprising one or more transceiver units of a first type, and two or more transceiver units of a second type, the transceiver units of a second type being capable of communicating with the transceiver units of the first type;

the method comprising;

making a comparison of the frequency of a signal received by a transceiver unit of the first type from a transceiver unit of the second type with a reference frequency;

forming an offset signal representative of the offset between the frequency of the signal received from the transceiver unit of the second type with the reference frequency;

storing feedback data representative of the offset signal in respect of that transceiver unit of the second type; and

adjusting the transmit and/or receive frequency of the transceiver unit of the first type for communication with one of the transceiver units of the second type in accordance with feedback data stored in respect of that transceiver unit of the second type.

23. A method for adjusting a reference frequency of a transceiver unit in a communication system comprising one or more transceiver units of a first type, and two or more transceiver units of a second type, the transceiver units of the second type being capable of communicating with the transceiver units of the first type, each transceiver unit of the second type comprising a local frequency reference unit on which the frequency of signals transmitted by it are dependent;

the method comprising;

comparing the frequency of signals received from transceiver units of the second type with a reference frequency;

forming an offset signal representative of the average offset between the frequency of the received signals and the reference frequency; and

adjusting the reference frequency in accordance with the offset signal.