System and method for monitoring objects, people, animals or places

• US 8,730,014 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cedar Ridge Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Cedar Ridge Research LLC
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LITTLEJOHN JR, MANCIL H
• Application Number:
  US13/797,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.2, 340/10.31, 340/572.1, 340/572.9, 342/42, 342/43, 342/45, 342/51
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/756 using a signal generator for modifying the reflectivity of the reflector G01S13/758 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• 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: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An improved system and method for monitoring objects, people, animals, or places uses a passive Modulating Reflector (MR) tag where a characteristic of an antenna is modified according to a time-varying pattern by a modulating network thereby causing the reflective characteristics of the antenna to vary in accordance with the time-varying pattern. When an interrogator transmits an RF waveform that impinges on the antenna, the return signal reflecting off the antenna is modulated in accordance with the time-varying pattern allowing a remote receiver to demodulate information from the modulated return signal. The antenna is embedded in a dielectric material. The MR tag can be used with a wide variety of tag-interrogator configurations employing monostatic and/or bistatic radar techniques to allow monitoring, locating, and/or tracking of objects, people, animals, or place with which MR tags are associated.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring, comprising:

associating a modulating reflector tag with one of a person, an animal, an object, or a place, said modulating reflector tag including an antenna structure, a retro reflector, and a dielectric material, said antenna structure having at least one characteristic modified in accordance with a pattern intended to convey information about one of said person, said animal, said object, or said place, said modulating reflector tag being located at a first location;

receiving by said modulating reflector tag an interrogation signal having been transmitted towards said modulating reflector tag by an interrogator located at a second location different from said first location, said antenna structure reflecting energy from said interrogation signal, said energy comprising backscatter energy and forward scatter energy, said retro reflector retro reflecting at least some of said forward scatter energy along with said back scatter energy as a return signal to said interrogator, said retro reflector increasing the amount of reflected energy that is returned to said interrogator independent of the angle between said interrogator and said retro reflector;

wherein said retro reflector is embedded in said dielectric material.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a range between said first location and said second location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining said first location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first location is determined using at least one of a plurality of transmitting locations or a plurality of receiving locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said person comprises one of:

an emergency responder;

military personnel;

a firefighter;

an employee;

a soldier;

a prisoner;

a swat team member;

a survivor;

or

a friend.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said animal comprises one of:

a pet;

or

a farm animal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said object comprises one of:

a vehicle;

inventory;

cargo;

a train;

a ship;

a semi trailer;

an aircraft;

a plane;

a helicopter;

an unmanned air vehicle;

an unmanned ground vehicle;

a weapon;

a tank;

a rocket launcher;

equipment;

a black box;

a land mine;

instrumentation for virtual gaming;

instrumentation for intra-body monitoring;

a sensor;

a life raft;

or

a life preserver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said place comprises one of:

a location within a shipyard;

a location within an airport;

a location within a railroad yard;

a location within a manufacturing facility;

or

a location within a storage facility.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating said modulating reflector tag with a sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using said information pertaining to said person, animal, object, or place for at least one of;

situational awareness;

identification of friend versus foe;

or

command and control purposes.

11. A modulating reflector tag located at a first location, comprising:

an antenna structure, said antenna structure having at least one characteristic modified in accordance with a pattern intended to convey information about one of a person, an animal, an object, or a place;

a retro reflector; and

a dielectric material, said modulating reflector tag receiving an interrogation signal having been transmitted towards said modulating reflector tag by an interrogator located at a second location different from said first location, said antenna structure reflecting energy from said interrogation signal, said energy comprising backscatter energy and forward scatter energy, said retro reflector retro reflecting at least some of said forward scatter energy along with said back scatter energy as a return signal to said interrogator, said retro reflector increasing the amount of reflected energy that is returned to said interrogator independent of the angle between said interrogator and said retro reflector;

wherein said retro reflector is embedded in said dielectric material.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a position of one of said person, said animal, said object, or said place is determined.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said person comprises one of:

an emergency responder;

military personnel;

a firefighter;

an employee;

a soldier;

a prisoner;

a swat team member;

a survivor;

or

a friend.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said animal comprises one of:

a pet;

or

a farm animal.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said object comprises one of:

a vehicle;

inventory;

cargo;

a train;

a ship;

a semi trailer;

an aircraft;

a plane;

a helicopter;

an unmanned air vehicle;

an unmanned ground vehicle;

a weapon;

a tank;

a rocket launcher;

equipment;

a black box;

a land mine;

instrumentation for virtual gaming;

instrumentation for intra-body monitoring;

a sensor;

a life raft;

or

a life preserver.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said place comprises one of:

a location within a shipyard;

a location within an airport;

a location within a railroad yard;

a location within a manufacturing facility;

or

a location within a storage facility.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a sensor associated with said modulating reflector tag.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein said information pertaining to one of said person, said animal, said object, or said place is used for at least one of:

situational awareness;

identification of friend versus foe;

or

command and control purposes.