Multi-channel TDOA system

• US 8,576,829 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeroscout Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aeroscout Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aljadeff, Daniel, Amsalem, Reuven, Lavi, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US11/835,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20080037512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/328, 370335-336, 370/338, 370/345, 370/350, 370/503, 370508-510, 370/512, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/502, 342/442, 342/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless network has at least one wireless unit which transmits messages in multiple channels. The messages are synchronously transmitted using a transmit clock signal. The at least one wireless unit starting transmission of the messages at intervals consisting of at least one of one or multiple periods of the transmit clock signal. A plurality of location receivers are used for receiving the messages at different channels transmitted by the wireless units within the wireless network and determining a time of arrival for the received messages. At least one master unit is used for receiving the time of arrival from each of the location units. The location of the wireless unit is to be determined on the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted messages at the location units.

Claims

1. A wireless network comprising:

a wireless unit which synchronously transmits messages in multiple channels using a transmit clock signal, the wireless unit starting transmission of the messages at intervals comprising of at least one of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal so that transmission of two of the messages is separated by a time interval of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal, wherein the wireless unit does not transmit during the time interval;

a plurality of location receivers for receiving the messages in one of at least two different channels, said messages transmitted by the wireless unit within the wireless network and determining a time of arrival for the received messages; and

at least one master unit for receiving the time of arrival from each of the location receivers to determine a location of the wireless unit based on the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted messages at the location receivers.

6. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of location receivers comprise a mechanism that estimates clock frequency of the wireless unit.

7. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmitted messages by said wireless unit include information related to the interval between two or more transmitted messages.

8. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmission intervals consist of one or more periods of a window clock, said window clock being derived from the transmit clock and synchronized to it.

9. A wireless network in accordance with claim 8 wherein said window clock period is programmable and said programmable period is transmitted as part of the message data.

10. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmission intervals are fixed and wherein a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) process is done on a first channel only.

11. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmitted messages are transmitted in a variable order of channels.

12. A wireless network in accordance with claim 11 wherein said transmitted messages include information on a next channel to be used.

13. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmitted messages are transmitted as a response to an external request or event.

14. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transmitted messages are transmitted within time slots as specified by a WLAN Access Point or any other element managing traffic in the wireless network.

15. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of location receivers is part of a WLAN Access Point.

16. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of location receivers reports an estimated clock frequency of said wireless unit to the master unit for use to improve the TDOA accuracy.

17. A wireless network in accordance with claim 1 wherein the wireless unit is a tag device.

2. A wireless network in accordance with claim wherein the wireless unit comprises:

a communication controller which generates data to be transmitted; and

a transmitter coupled to the communication controller to modulate the data and transmit the messages in a programmed channel, the transmitter starting transmission of the messages at intervals consisting of at least one of one or multiple periods of the transmit clock signal.

3. A wireless network in accordance with claim 2 wherein the wireless unit further comprises;

a counter coupled to the communication controller to count cycles of the transmit clock signal; and

wherein the communication controller clears and enables the counter to start counting when transmission of a first message starts, the communication controller samples and reads a counter value when transmission of a second message on a different channel starts, the counter continuing counting clock cycles.

4. A wireless network in accordance with claim 2 further comprising a timing circuit coupled to the transmitter to provide synchronization of the transmit messages.

5. A wireless network in accordance with claim 4 wherein the timing circuit comprises:

a clock divider coupled to the transmit clock signal for generating a window clock signal, wherein the window clock signal and the transmit clock signal are synchronized; and

a flip-flop device coupled to the communication controller, the flip flop device receiving start and stop transmission signals and outputting the synchronized start transmission signal on an edge of the window clock.

18. A method for accurately measuring the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of messages transmitted at different channels in a multiple-channel wireless network comprising:

synchronously transmitting the messages in multiple channels using a transmit clock signal of a wireless unit, the transmitting of the messages occurring at intervals consisting of at least one of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal so that transmission of two of the messages is separated by a time interval of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal, wherein the wireless unit does not transmit during the time interval;

receiving the messages transmitted by the wireless unit by a plurality of location receivers within the wireless network on at least two different channels;

determining a time of arrival data for the received messages by the plurality of location receivers;

receiving time of arrival data by at least one master unit; and

determining a location of the wireless unit based on the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted messages.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising adding data related to an interval between the transmitted messages into the transmitted messages.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein transmitting the messages at intervals further comprises transmitting the messages at intervals wherein the intervals of transmission comprises at least one of one or more periods of a window clock, the window clock being derived from the transmit clock and synchronized to the transmit clock.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the window clock period is programmable and the programmable period is transmitted as part of the message data.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein transmitting the messages at intervals further comprises transmitting the messages at intervals that are fixed and wherein a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) process is done on a first channel.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the transmitted messages are transmitted in a variable order of channels.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said transmitted messages include information regarding a next channel to be used.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the transmitted messages are transmitted as a response to an external request or event.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein said transmitted messages are transmitted within time slots as specified by a WLAN Access Point or any other element managing traffic in the wireless network.

27. The method of claim 18 further comprising estimating, by at least one of the plurality of location receivers, a transmitter clock frequency.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising reporting, by at least one of the plurality of location receivers, the estimated clock frequency of said wireless unit to a master unit for use in improving the TDOA accuracy.

29. A wireless unit for synchronously transmitting messages in multiple channels of a wireless data communication system that is configured to locate the wireless unit, the wireless unit comprising:

a communication controller which generates data to be transmitted; and

a transmitter coupled to the communication controller to modulate the data and transmit the messages in a programmed channel of multiple channels of the data communication system to location receivers that provide time of arrival data relating to the messages used to determine the location of the wireless unit by a Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted messages, the transmitter starting transmission of the messages at intervals consisting of at least one of one or more periods of a transmit clock signal so that transmission of two of the messages is separated by a time interval of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal, wherein the transmitter does not transmit during the time interval.

31. A wireless unit as specified in claim 29 further comprising a timing circuit coupled to the transmitter to provide synchronization of the transmit signals.

30. A wireless unit that synchronously transmits messages in multiple channels of a multiple channel wireless data communication system including wireless units that communicate with one or more location receivers, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to locate the wireless unit, the wireless unit comprising:

a communication controller that generates data to be transmitted; and

a transmitter coupled to the communication controller to modulate the data and transmit the messages in a programmed channel, the transmitter starting transmission of the messages at intervals consisting of at least one of one or multiple periods of a transmit clock signal,

wherein the wireless unit further comprises a counter coupled to the communication controller to count cycles of the transmit clock signal, and

wherein the communication controller clears and enables the counter to start counting when transmission of a first signal starts, the communication controller samples and reads a counter value when transmission of a second signal on a different channel starts, and the counter continuing counting clock cycles.

32. A wireless unit that synchronously transmits messages in multiple channels of a multiple channel wireless data communication system including wireless units that communicate with one or more location receivers, the wireless communication system configured to locate the wireless unit, the wireless unit comprising:

a communication controller that generates data to be transmitted;

a transmitter coupled to the communication controller to modulate the data and transmit the messages in a programmed channel, the transmitter starting transmission of the messages at intervals consisting of at least one of one or multiple periods of a transmit clock signal; and

a timing circuit coupled to the transmitter to provide synchronization of the transmit signals, the timing circuit comprising;

a clock divider coupled to the transmit clock signal for generating a window clock signal, wherein the window clock signal and the transmit clock signal are synchronized, and

a flip-flop device coupled to the communication controller, the flip flop device receiving start and stop transmission signals and outputting the synchronized start transmission signal on an edge of the window clock.

33. A wireless network comprising:

a wireless unit that synchronously transmits messages in multiple channels using a transmit clock signal, the wireless unit starting transmission of the messages at intervals comprising of at least one of one or multiple periods of the transmit clock signal, wherein the wireless unit comprises a communication controller that generates data to be transmitted and a counter coupled to the communication controller to count cycles of the transmit clock signal, wherein the communication controller clears and enables the counter to start counting when transmission of a first message begins and samples and reads a counter value when transmission of a second message on a different channel begins, and the counter continuously counts clock cycles;

a plurality of location receivers for receiving the messages in one of at least two different channels, said messages transmitted by the wireless unit within the wireless network and determining a time of arrival for the received messages; and

at least one master unit for receiving the time of arrival from each of the location receivers, whereby a location of the wireless unit is determined based on a Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted messages at the location receivers.

34. A method for synchronously transmitting messages at different channels in a multiple-channel wireless data communication system configured to determine the location of a wireless unit, comprising:

transmitting a first message by the wireless unit to a first location receiver that determines a first time of arrival data for the first message that is used by a master unit, wherein transmitting the first message includes;

clearing and enabling a counter that counts cycles of a transmit clock signal to start counting when transmission of the first message begins; and

transmitting a second message on a different channel by the wireless unit to a second location receiver that determines a second time of arrival data for the second message that is used by the master unit to determine a location of the wireless unit based on a Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of the transmitted first and second messages, wherein transmitting the second message includes;

sampling and reading a counter value when transmission of the second message on the different channel begins while the counter continues to count clock cycles,

wherein the first and second messages are synchronized using the transmit clock signal and the first and second messages are transmitted at intervals comprising of at least one of one or multiple periods of the transmit clock signal.

35. A system for determining the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) of messages transmitted at different channels in a multiple-channel wireless data communication system comprising:

a receiving component that receives first time of arrival information from a first location receiver and second time of arrival information from a second location receiver, wherein the first time of arrival information corresponds to a first message transmitted by a wireless unit over a first channel to the first location receiver and the second time of arrival information corresponds to a second message transmitted by the wireless unit over a second channel to the second location receiver, wherein the wireless unit starts transmission of the first and second messages at intervals including at least one of one or more periods of a transmit clock signal so that transmission of the first and second messages is separated by a time interval of one or more periods of the transmit clock signal, and wherein the wireless unit does not transmit during the time interval; and

a processing component that determines, based on the first and second time of arrival information, the TDOA of the first and second messages at the first and second location receivers.