System and method for enhanced point-to-point direction finding
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for determining a range between two or more units using a chirp signal, the system comprising:
- a first unit including a first transmitter, a first receiver and a first processor, wherein the first unit is configured to transmit a control signal and a first signal to a second unit with the first transmitter, wherein there is a time base difference between the first unit and the second unit and the control signal time synchronizes the second unit to the first unit such that the time base difference is bounded; and
the second unit including a second transmitter, a second receiver and a second processor, wherein the second unit is configured to;
receive and convert a first transmitted signal comprising at least the first signal to a second signal with the second receiver; and
determine a first sum of a trip delay and the time base difference between the first and the second unit with the second processor based on a frequency ramp of the first signal, propagation speed of the first signal, the frequency of the second signal, and an intermediate frequency used by the second receiver; and
transmit a third signal to the first unit with the second transmitter;
wherein the first unit is configured to;
receive and convert a second transmitted signal comprising at least the third signal to a fourth signal with the first receiver;
determine a second sum of the trip delay and a negative value of the time base difference between the first and the second unit with the first processor based on a frequency ramp of the third signal, propagation speed of the third signal, the frequency of the fourth signal, and an intermediate frequency used by the first receiver;
receive the value of the first sum with the first receiver from the second unit and determine the trip delay with the first processor based on the first sum and the second sum; and
determine the range between the first unit and the second unit with the first processor based on the trip delay and the propagation speed of the first and third signals;
wherein both the first signal and the third signal comprise at least one chirp signal that changes in frequency over the period of the chirp signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system, device and method that enables units to communicate with each other and point to each other'"'"'s location without requiring line-of-sight to satellites or any other infrastructure. Further, the system, device and method are able to operate outdoors as well as indoors and overcome multipath interference in a deterministic algorithm, while providing bearings at three dimensions, not only location but actual direction.
-
Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A system for determining a range between two or more units using a chirp signal, the system comprising:
-
a first unit including a first transmitter, a first receiver and a first processor, wherein the first unit is configured to transmit a control signal and a first signal to a second unit with the first transmitter, wherein there is a time base difference between the first unit and the second unit and the control signal time synchronizes the second unit to the first unit such that the time base difference is bounded; and the second unit including a second transmitter, a second receiver and a second processor, wherein the second unit is configured to; receive and convert a first transmitted signal comprising at least the first signal to a second signal with the second receiver; and determine a first sum of a trip delay and the time base difference between the first and the second unit with the second processor based on a frequency ramp of the first signal, propagation speed of the first signal, the frequency of the second signal, and an intermediate frequency used by the second receiver; and transmit a third signal to the first unit with the second transmitter; wherein the first unit is configured to; receive and convert a second transmitted signal comprising at least the third signal to a fourth signal with the first receiver; determine a second sum of the trip delay and a negative value of the time base difference between the first and the second unit with the first processor based on a frequency ramp of the third signal, propagation speed of the third signal, the frequency of the fourth signal, and an intermediate frequency used by the first receiver; receive the value of the first sum with the first receiver from the second unit and determine the trip delay with the first processor based on the first sum and the second sum; and determine the range between the first unit and the second unit with the first processor based on the trip delay and the propagation speed of the first and third signals; wherein both the first signal and the third signal comprise at least one chirp signal that changes in frequency over the period of the chirp signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A unit for determining a range between the unit and one or more other units using a chirp signal, the unit comprising:
-
a transmitter for transmitting signals to the other units; a receiver for receiving signals from the other units, wherein at least one of the signals is a control signal, wherein there is a time base difference between the unit and one of the other units that transmitted the control signal, and further wherein the control signal time synchronizes the unit to the one of the other units such that the time base difference is bounded; and a processor for processing the received signals, wherein the unit is configured to; convert a first received signal received from the one of the other units to a second signal with the receiver; and determine a first sum of a trip delay and the time base difference between the unit and the one of the other units with the processor based on a frequency ramp of the first received signal, propagation speed of the first received signal, the frequency of the second signal, and an intermediate frequency used by the receiver; transmit a third signal to the one of the other units with the transmitter; receive a value of a second sum with the receiver from the one of the other units, wherein the second sum is the trip delay plus a negative value of the time base difference between the unit and the one of the other units; determine the trip delay with the processor based on the first sum and the second sum; and determine the range between the unit and the one of the other units with the processor based on the trip delay and the propagation speed of the first received signal and the third signal; wherein both the first received signal and the third signal comprise at least one chirp signal that changes in frequency over the period of the chirp signal. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
Specification