System and method for tracking and locating a person, animal, or machine

• US 9,140,557 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ENSCO, Incorporated (Teris LLC)
• Original Assignee: ENSCO, Incorporated (Teris LLC)
• Inventors: Taylor, David W. A. Jr., Farnsworth, Bradley David, Faulkner, William Todd, Foster, Christopher Matthew, Alwood, Robert Barlow
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/107,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20140203970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 701/470, 370/252, 342/357.57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/183 Compensation of inertial measurements, e.g. for temperature effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/185 for gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/84 for distance determination by phase measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A system and method for estimating the position of an object, such as a person, animal, or machine. The system includes first and second inertial measurement units, a first and second originator antennas, and a first and second transponder antennas. The system uses data from the inertial measurement units to estimate a position of the object. The system also calculates a range measurement between the first originator antenna and first transponder antenna. The system calculates a first CPD measurement between the second transponder antenna and the first originator antenna, and a second CPD measurement between the second originator antenna and the first transponder antenna. The range measurement and at least one CPD measurement are used to update a Kalman filter for estimating the position of the object. The system determines also updates the Kalman filter when one of the inertial measurement units is in a zero-velocity condition.

Claims

1. A method for performing a carrier phase difference measurement comprising:

transmitting a first wireless signal from a first originator antenna of an originator device to a first transponder antenna and a second transponder antenna of a transponder device, the first transponder antenna and the second transponder antenna having a known relative separation;

receiving said first wireless signal at said first transponder antenna and said second transponder antenna; and

calculating a first differential distance, based on said first wireless signal received at said first transponder antenna and said second transponder antenna,

wherein said first differential distance is the difference between a first distance and a second distance,

wherein said first distance is the distance between the first originator antenna and said first transponder antenna, and

wherein said second distance is the distance between said first originator antenna and said second transponder antenna.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

calculating said first distance; and

updating an estimate of a position using said first distance and said first differential distance.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting a second wireless signal from said first transponder antenna to said first originator antenna and a second originator antenna of said originator device;

receiving said second wireless signal at said first originator antenna and said second originator antenna;

calculating a second differential distance, based on said second wireless signal received at said first originator antenna and said second originator antenna,

wherein said second differential distance is the difference between said first distance and a third distance,

wherein said third distance is the distance between said first transponder antenna and said second originator antenna;

wherein said estimating said position further includes using said second Differential distance.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating said first differential distance comprises computing the difference between a first carrier phase received at said first transponder antenna and a second carrier phase received at said second transponder antenna.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

calculating said first carrier phase by computing a first in-phase channel signal and a first quadrature channel signal based on said first wireless signal received by said first transponder antenna, and

calculating said second carrier phase by computing a second in-phase channel signal and a second quadrature channel signal based on said first wireless signal received by said second transponder antenna.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein calculating said first carrier phase comprises calculating the arctangent of said first quadrature signal over said first in-phase channel signal, and

wherein calculating said second carrier signal comprises calculating the arctangent of said second quadrature signal over said second in-phase channel signal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating said first differential distance comprises calculating the difference between a first baseband phase of said first wireless signal received at said first transponder antenna and a second baseband phase of said first wireless signal received at said second transponder antenna.

8. A system for performing a carrier phase difference measurement comprising:

a transponder device comprising

a first transponder antenna configured to receive a first wireless signal from a first originator antenna of an originator device, and

a second transponder antenna configured to receive the first wireless signal from the first originator antenna, the first transponder antenna and the second transponder antenna having a known relative separation;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed on the processor, perform the step of calculating a first differential distance based on the first wireless signal received at the first transponder antenna and the second transponder antenna,

wherein the first differential distance is the difference between a first distance and a second distance,

the first distance being the distance between the first originator antenna and the first transponder antenna, and

the second distance being the distance between the first originator antenna and the second transponder antenna.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the instructions further perform the steps of:

calculating the first distance; and

updating an estimate of a position using the first distance and the first differential distance.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first transponder antenna is further configured to transmit a second wireless signal from the first transponder antenna to the first originator antenna and a second originator antenna of the originator device;

and

wherein the instructions further perform the steps of;

calculating a second differential distance based on the second wireless signal received at the first originator antenna and the second originator antenna,

the second differential distance corresponding to the difference between the first distance and a third distance, the third distance being the distance between the first transponder antenna and the second originator antenna, and

estimating the position using the second differential distance.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein calculating the first differential distance comprises computing the difference between a first carrier phase received at the first transponder antenna and a second carrier phase received at the second transponder antenna.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further perform the steps of:

calculating the first carrier phase by computing a first in-phase channel signal and a first quadrature channel signal based on the first wireless signal received by the first transponder antenna, and

calculating the second carrier phase by computing a second in-phase channel signal and a second quadrature channel signal based on the first wireless signal received by the second transponder antenna.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein calculating the first carrier phase comprises calculating the arctangent of the first quadrature signal over the first in-phase channel signal, and

calculating the second carrier signal comprises calculating the arctangent of the second quadrature signal over the second in-phase channel signal.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein calculating the first differential distance comprises calculating the difference between a first baseband phase of the first wireless signal received at the first transponder antenna and a second baseband phase of the first wireless signal received at the second transponder antenna.