System and method of locating a radio frequency (RF) tracking device using a calibration routine

• US 9,482,741 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Min, Guohua, Hill, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Harry
• Application Number:
  US14/158,896
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 342/465, 342/463
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Position tracking systems and methods for tracking a physical location of a radio frequency (RF) transmitter include an RF transmitter transmitting an RF signal from a plurality of known locations. At least four RF receiver antennae are disposed at unknown locations within range of the RF transmitter to receive the RF signals transmitted from the plurality of known locations. A receiver station in communication with the at least four RF receiver antennae initially calibrates a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the plurality of known locations and on information acquired in response to the RF signals received at the at least four RF receiver antennae.

Claims

1. A position tracking system for tracking a physical location of a radio frequency (RF) transmitter, the position tracking system comprising:

an RF transmitter transmitting an RF signal from each of a plurality of known locations where the RF transmitter is placed in turn;

at least four RF receiver antennae disposed at undetermined locations within range of the RF transmitter to receive the RF signals transmitted from the plurality of known locations; and

a receiver station in communication with the at least four RF receiver antennae, the receiver station initially calibrating a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the plurality of known locations and on information acquired in response to the RF signals received at the at least four RF receiver antennae, the receiver station being configured to compute dynamically a position of an RF-transmitting device based on the calibrated relative positions of the RF receiver antennae after initial calibration.

2. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the receiver station comprises:

a controller unit computing time difference of arrival measurements for the RF signal transmitted from each of the plurality of known locations and received at each of the at least four RF receiver antennae; and

a computing system determining the relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the computed time difference of arrival measurements and on the plurality of known locations.

3. The position tracking system of claim 1, further comprising an apparatus providing a three-dimensional calibration template with a predefined set of reference points, the apparatus being disposed relative to the receiver station such that each reference point corresponds to one of the plurality of known locations from which the RF transmitter transmits the RF signal.

4. The position tracking system of claim 3, wherein the receiver station refers to a known three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional calibration template when the RF transmitter is placed at each reference point of the calibration template.

5. The position tracking system of claim 3, wherein the RF transmitter is placed at each of the reference points of the calibration template to perform an initial calibration of the relative positions of the at least four RF receiver antennae.

6. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of known locations are all on a same plane.

7. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein a distance between each of the RF receiver antennae is fixed.

8. A method for tracking a physical location of a radio frequency (RF) transmitting device, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least four RF receiver antennae disposed at undetermined locations, an RF signal transmitted in turn from each of a plurality of known locations by an RF transmitter; and

calibrating a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the plurality of known locations and information acquired in response to the RF signals received at the at least four RF receiver antennae and

dynamically computing the physical location of the RF-transmitting device based on the relative positions of the at least four RF receiver antennae after the calibrating of the relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein calibrating a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae includes:

computing time difference of arrival measurements for the RF signal transmitted from each of the plurality of known locations and received at each of the at least four RF receiver antennae; and

computing the relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the computed time difference of arrival measurements and on the plurality of known locations.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising positioning a three-dimensional calibration template with a predefined set of reference points relative to a given reference point such that each reference point of the predefined set corresponds to one of the plurality of known locations from which the RF transmitter transmits the RF signal.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising referring to a known three-dimensional model of the calibration template when the RF transmitter is placed at each reference point of the calibration template.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing the RF transmitter at each of the reference points of the calibration template to perform an initial calibration of the relative positions of the RF receiver antennae.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of known locations are all on a same plane.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a distance between each of the RF receiver antennae is fixed.

15. A radio frequency (RF) receiver station for tracking a physical location of an RF-transmitting, tracked device, the receiver station comprising:

a controller unit in communication with at least four RF receiver antennae disposed at undetermined locations, the controller unit computing a set of time difference of arrival measurements for each of at least four different transmissions of RF signals from the tracked device and received at each of the at least four RF receiver antennae; and

a computing system in communication with the controller unit to receive therefrom the sets of time difference of arrival measurements, the computing system including memory that stores a position location for each of a plurality of known locations and associates each set of time difference of arrival measurements with one of the known locations, the computer system further comprising a processor configured to compute a relative position of each RF receiver antenna with respect to the other RF receiver antennae based on the plurality of known locations and the sets of time difference of arrival measurements, the computing system being further configured to compute dynamically the physical location of the RF-transmitting tracked device based on the computed relative ions of the at least four RF receiver antennae after initial calibration.

16. The RF receiver station of claim 15, further comprising an apparatus providing a three-dimensional calibration template with a predefined set of reference points, the apparatus being disposed relative to the computing system such that each reference point corresponds to one of the plurality of known locations.

17. The RF receiver station of claim 16, wherein the memory stores a three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional calibration template.