Distance measurement between two nodes of a radio network

• US 8,965,301 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kluge, Wolfram, Sachse, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): TALUKDER, MD K
• Application Number:
  US14/170,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20140248841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.16, 455/67.11, 455/67.4, 455/260, 455/258
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/84 for distance determination by phase measurement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

A method includes transmitting, by a first node, a first carrier signal and receiving, from a second node, which receives the first carrier signal, a second carrier signal. The first node measures first and second values of a first phase, the first value assigned to a first frequency of the second carrier signal and the second value assigned to a second frequency of the second carrier signal. The first and second frequencies have a frequency difference. A third value of a second phase is assigned to a third frequency of the first carrier signal, and a fourth value of the second phase is assigned to a fourth frequency of the first carrier signal. The third and fourth frequencies have the frequency difference. A distance between the first and second nodes is determined from the frequency difference from the first and second values and from the third and fourth values.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first node, a first carrier signal;

receiving, from a second node, a second carrier signal;

measuring, by the first node, a first value and a second value of a first phase, the first value of the first phase assigned to a first frequency of the received second carrier signal and the second value of the first phase assigned to a second frequency of the received second carrier signal, the first frequency and the second frequency having a frequency difference, a third value of a second phase assigned to a third frequency of the first carrier signal, a fourth value of the second phase assigned to a fourth frequency of the first carrier signal, the third frequency and the fourth frequency having the frequency difference; and

determining a distance between the first node and the second node from the frequency difference from the first value and the second value of the first phase and from the third value and the fourth value of the second phase.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a time synchronization of the measurements of the values so that measurement times of the measurements of the values have a predefined temporal relationship to one another.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a first time interval between a first measurement time of the first value of the first phase and a second measurement time of the second value of the first phase are defined;

a second time interval between a third measurement time of the third value of the second phase and a fourth measurement time of the fourth value of the second phase are defined; and

the first time interval and the second time interval are the same.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the distance comprises calculating, from the first value and the second value of the first phase and from the third value and fourth value of the second phase, a phase difference according to the formula:

Δ

φ

=(φ

_A2−

φ

_B2)−

(φ

_A1−

φ

_B1)

or its algebraic transformations, φ

A1 being the first value of the first phase, φ

A2 being the second value of the first phase, φ

B1 being the third value of the second phase, and φ

B2 being the fourth value of the second phase.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first carrier signal is generated by a first oscillator signal generated by a first reference clock generator and a first phase-locked loop of the first node;

the second carrier signal is generated by a second oscillator signal generated by a second reference clock generator and a second phase-locked loop of a second node;

the first value and the second value of the first phase of the received second carrier signal of the second node are measured relative to a first reference signal of the first reference clock generator by a phase measurement unit of the first node; and

the third value and the fourth value of the second phase of the first carrier signal of the first node are measured relative to a second reference signal of the second reference clock generator by a phase measurement unit of the second node.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising compensating a phase error caused by a generated first reference frequency of the first reference signal and a generated second reference frequency of the second reference signal by performing operations comprising subtracting the second value from the first value of the first phase and the fourth value from the third value of the second phase.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second carrier signals are transmitted according to industry standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second carrier signals are transmitted according to industry standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4.

9. A first node of a radio network, the first node comprising:

a transmitter circuit configured to transmit a first carrier signal;

a receiver circuit configured to receive, from a second node, a second carrier signal;

a first phase measurement unit configured to measure a first value and a second value of a first phase, the first value of the first phase assigned to a first frequency of the received second carrier signal and the second value of the first phase assigned to a second frequency of the received second carrier signal, the first frequency and the second frequency having a frequency difference, a third value of a second phase assigned to a third frequency of the first carrier signal, a fourth value of the second phase assigned to a fourth frequency of the first carrier signal, the third frequency and the fourth frequency having the frequency difference; and

circuitry configured to determine a distance between the first node and the second node from the frequency difference from the first value and the second value of the first phase and from the third value and the fourth value of a second phase.

10. The first node of claim 9, wherein one or more of the first node and the second node are configured to transmit a frame for time synchronization of measurement times.

11. The first node of claim 10, wherein one or more of the first node and the second node comprises a control circuit that is configured to control the measurement times based on the frame for time synchronization by a timer.

12. The first node of claim 9, wherein:

a first control circuit of the first node is configured to control a first measurement time of the first value of the first phase and a second measurement time of the second value of the first phase;

a second control circuit of the second node is configured to control a second time interval between a third measurement time of the third value of the second phase and a fourth measurement time of the fourth value of the second phase are defined; and

a first time interval between the first measurement time and the second measurement time and a second time interval between the third measurement time and the fourth measurement time are the same.

13. The first node of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine the distance by performing operations comprising calculating, from the first value and the second value of the first phase and from the third value and fourth value of the second phase, a phase difference according to the formula:

Δ

φ

=(φ

_A2−

φ

_B2)−

(φ

_A1−

φ

_B1)

or its algebraic transformations, φ

A1 being the first value of the first phase, φ

A2 being the second value of the first phase, φ

B1 being the third value of the second phase, and φ

B2 being the fourth value of the second phase.

14. The first node of claim 9, wherein:

the first node comprises a first reference clock generator for a first phase-locked loop for generating a first oscillator signal for generating the first carrier signal, the second node comprising a second reference clock generator for a second phase-locked loop for generating a second oscillator signal for generating the second carrier signal; and

the first phase measurement unit is configured to measure the first value and the second value of the first phase of the received second carrier signal relative to a first reference signal of the first reference clock generator, the second node comprising a second phase measurement unit configured to measure the third value and the fourth value of a second phase of the first carrier signal relative to a second reference signal of the second reference clock generator.

15. The first node of claim 14, wherein a phase error caused by a generated first reference frequency of the first reference signal and a generated second reference frequency of the second reference signal is compensated by performing operations comprising subtracting the second value from the first value of the first phase and the fourth value from the third value of the second phase.

16. The first node of claim 14, wherein:

the first node is configured to change a carrier frequency of the first carrier signal;

the second node is configured to change a carrier frequency of the second carrier signal; and

the first node is configured to change by the same value a first multiplier factor of the first phase-locked loop for multiplying the first reference frequency of the first reference clock generator, the second node being configured to change a second multiplier factor for multiplying the second reference frequency of the second reference clock generator of the second phase-locked loop.

17. The first node of claim 9, wherein one or more of the following is true:

the second node is configured for measured data transmission of the measured values of the second phase to the first node; and

the first node is configured for measured data transmission of the measured values of the first phase to the second node.

18. The first node of claim 9, wherein the first and second carrier signals are transmitted according to industry standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.1.

19. The first node of claim 9, wherein the first and second carrier signals are transmitted according to industry standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4.