Mobile device utilizing time of flight for localization

• US 9,220,078 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voll, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Voll, Inc.
• Inventors: Bietz, Steven Lee, Acosta-Cazaubon, Jesus
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, TED M
• Application Number:
  US14/795,232
• Time in Patent Office: 166 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others

Abstract

A method for synchronizing a clock of a frequency originator device (FOD) and a clock of a frequency receiver device (FRD), the method including disposing an information storage device at a known distance from the FOD, wherein a broadcast frequency of the FOD and the known distance are configured to be stored in the information storage device; obtaining by the FRD, the known distance between the FOD and the FRD and the broadcast frequency of the FOD; receiving a broadcast of the FOD by said FRD at the broadcast frequency according to the FRD'"'"'s clock time at T2, wherein the broadcast was made at time t1 according to the FOD'"'"'s clock time; calculating a time of flight (TOF) based on the known distance and the broadcast speed; and incorporating a time correction=T2−(t1+TOF) in calculations of TOF between the FOD and the FRD.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing a clock of a frequency originator device and a clock of a frequency receiver device, said method comprising steps of:

(a) disposing an information storage device at a known distance from said frequency originator device, wherein a broadcast frequency of said frequency originator device and said known distance are configured to be stored in said information storage device;

(b) obtaining by said frequency receiver device, said known distance between said frequency originator device and said information storage device and said broadcast frequency of said frequency originator device, from said information storage device;

(c) setting said frequency receiver device to receive broadcasts at said broadcast frequency;

(d) receiving a broadcast of the frequency originator device by the frequency receiver device at the frequency receiver device'"'"'s clock time of T2, wherein the broadcast was made at the frequency originator device'"'"'s clock time of t1;

(e) calculating a time of flight (TOF) based on the known distance and the speed of the broadcast; and

(f) incorporating a time correction=T2−

(t1+TOF) in calculations of TOF between the frequency originator device and the frequency receiver device.

2. The method of claim 1, said information storage device is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

3. The method of claim 2, said RFID tag is a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step further comprises decrypting said broadcast by said frequency receiver device, whereby if said broadcast is determined to be an intended message, said calculating and incorporating steps continue to be executed and if said broadcast is determined to be an unintended message, said calculating and incorporating steps will not be executed.

5. A method for determining the location of a mobile device with respect to only two frequency originator devices, said mobile device having at least two frequency receiver devices disposed at a fixed distance from one another and a heading indicating device, each of said only two frequency originator devices is disposed at a known location, said method comprising steps of:

(a) obtaining a distance between each of said at least two frequency receiver devices and each of said only two frequency originator devices based on a time of flight (TOF) between said one of said at least two frequency receiver devices and said one of said only two frequency originator devices;

(b) establishing a pattern of an output of said heading indicating device with respect to said distances obtained in said obtaining step; and

(c) comparing said pattern of an output of said heading indicating device to a plurality of possible patterns corresponding to a plurality of possible locations of said mobile device, whereby if one of said plurality of possible patterns matches said pattern, said pattern indicates the location of said mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said pattern of said output of said heading indicating device comprises the side, one of said distances obtained in said obtaining step is disposed with respect to said output of said heading indicating device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said output of said heading is the north heading.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said heading indicating device is a device selected from the group consisting of a magnetometer, a gyrocompass, a gyroscope-enabled magnetometer and any combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of said only two frequency originator devices is a music box.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising decrypting at least one message from one of said only two frequency originator devices, whereby if said at least one message is determined to be an intended message, said steps (a)-(c) continue to be executed and if said at least one message is determined to be an unintended message, said steps (a)-(c) will not be executed.