Radio-frequency localization techniques and associated systems, devices, and methods

• US 9,903,939 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2017
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Inventors: Charvat, Gregory L., Mindell, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US15/676,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20170371026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0215 Interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/247 with frequency mixer, e.g. for direct satellite reception or Doppler radar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/10 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0492 circularly polarised
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 : for interrogation
• 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 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 : locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A system comprising synchronization circuitry, a first interrogator, and a second interrogator. The first interrogator includes a transmit antenna; a first receive antenna, and circuitry configured to generate, using radio-frequency (RF) signal synthesis information received from the synchronization circuitry, a first RF signal for transmission by the transmit antenna, and generate, using the first RF signal and a second RF signal received from a target device by the first receive antenna, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a distance between the first interrogator and the target device. The second interrogator includes a second receive antenna, and circuitry configured to generate, using the RF signal synthesis information, a third RF signal; and generate, using the third RF signal and a fourth RF signal received from the target device by the second receive antenna, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a distance between the second interrogator and the target device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of interrogator devices including first and second interrogator devices, each of the first and second interrogator devices comprising;

at least one radio-frequency (RF) antenna configured to transmit RF signals to and receive RF signals from a target device;

transmit circuitry configured to generate RF signals having a first center frequency for transmission to a target device by the at least one antenna;

receive circuitry configured to process RF signals having a second center frequency received, from the target device, by the at least one antenna, the second center frequency being different from the first center frequency; and

a controller configured to control operation of the plurality of interrogator devices in accordance with a staggered trigger schedule at least in part by;

controlling the first interrogator device to transmit, to the target device, a first RF signal having the first center frequency;

after the first interrogator device has started transmitting the first RF signal and before the first interrogator device has completed transmitting the first RF signal, controlling the second interrogator device to transmit, to the target device, a second RF signal having the first center frequency.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of interrogator devices further comprises a third interrogator device;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the plurality of interrogator devices in accordance with the staggered trigger schedule by;

after the second interrogator device has started transmitting the second RF signal and before the second interrogator device has completed transmitting the second RF signal, controlling the third interrogator device to transmit a third RF signal to the target device.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the plurality of interrogator devices further comprises a fourth interrogator device;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the plurality of interrogator devices in accordance with the staggered trigger schedule by;

after the third interrogator device has started transmitting the third RF signal and before the third interrogator device has completed transmitting the third RF signal, controlling the fourth interrogator device to transmit a fourth RF signal to the target device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the second interrogator device to start transmitting the second RF signal within 200 microseconds of having controlled the first interrogator device to start transmitting the first RF signal.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the first interrogator device is configured to:

receive, from the target device, a third RF signal having the second center frequency; and

generate, using the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the first interrogator device and the target device, and wherein the second interrogator device is configured to;

receive, from the target device, a fourth RF signal having the second center frequency; and

generate, using the second RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second interrogator device and the target device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

determine the first distance using the first mixed RF signal;

determine the second distance using the second mixed RF signal; and

determine a location of the target device using the first distance and the second distance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first RF signal is a linear frequency modulated (LFM) signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first interrogator device further comprises a semiconductor die and the transmit circuitry and the receive circuitry is integrated with the semiconductor die.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna of the first interrogator device is a single dual mode antenna.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna of the first interrogator device comprises a transmit antenna and a receive antenna different from the transmit antenna.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second center frequency is a harmonic of the first center frequency.

12. A system, comprising:

a first interrogator device comprising at least a first radio-frequency (RF) antenna configured to transmit RF signals to and receive RF signals from a target device;

a second interrogator device comprising at least a second RF antenna configured to transmit RF signals to and receive RF signals from the target device;

a controller configured to control operation of at least the first and second interrogator devices in accordance with a staggered trigger schedule at least in part by;

controlling the first interrogator device to transmit a first RF signal to the target device;

after the first interrogator device has started transmitting the first RF signal and before the first interrogator device has completed transmitting the first RF signal, controlling the second interrogator device to transmit a second RF signal to the target device, wherein the first interrogator device is configured to;

receive a third RF signal from the target device; and

generate, using the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the first interrogator device and the target device, wherein the second interrogator device is configured to;

receive a fourth RF signal from the target device; and

generate, using the second RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second interrogator device and the target device.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a third interrogator device,

wherein the controller is further configured to perform;

after the second interrogator device has started transmitting the second RF signal and before the second interrogator device has completed transmitting the second RF signal, controlling the third interrogator device to transmit a third RF signal to the target device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

determine the first distance using the first mixed RF signal;

determine the second distance using the second mixed RF signal; and

determine a location of the target device using the first distance and the second distance.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one first antenna comprises a dual mode antenna.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one first antenna comprises a first transmit antenna and a first receive antenna different from the first transmit antenna.

17. A method, comprising:

controlling a first interrogator device to transmit, to a target device, a first radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency;

after the first interrogator device has started transmitting the first RF signal and before the first interrogator device has completed transmitting the first RF signal, controlling a second interrogator device to transmit, to the target device, a second RF signal having the first center frequency;

receiving, from the target device and using the first interrogator device, a third RF signal having a second center frequency different from the first center frequency;

receiving, from the target device and using the second interrogator device, a fourth RF signal having the second center frequency;

generating, using the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the first interrogator device and the target device; and

generating, using the second RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second interrogator device and the target device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the first distance using the first mixed RF signal;

determining the second distance using the second mixed RF signal; and

determining a location of the target device using the first distance and the second distance.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

after the second interrogator device has started transmitting the second RF signal and before the second interrogator device has completed transmitting the second RF signal, controlling a third interrogator device to transmit, to the target device, a fifth RF signal;

receiving, from the target device and using the third interrogator device, a sixth RF signal; and

generating, using the fifth RF signal and the sixth RF signal, a third mixed RF signal indicative of a third distance between the third interrogator device and the target device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining the third distance using the third mixed RF signal,

wherein determining the location of the target device is performed by also using the third distance.