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

• US 9,915,725 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2017
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• 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:
  US15/796,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20180067190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 137 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
• 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:

at least a first antenna configured to;

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

receive, from the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency different from the first frequency, wherein the second center frequency is a harmonic of the first center frequency;

first circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between at least the first antenna and the target device;

a second receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a third RF signal having the second center frequency;

second circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second antenna and the target device;

a third receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a fourth RF signal having the second center frequency;

third circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a third mixed RF signal indicative of a third distance between the third antenna device and the target device; and

at least one processor configured to;

determine the first distance based on the first mixed RF signal;

determine the second distance based on the second mixed RF signal;

determine the third distance based on the third mixed RF signal; and

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

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine at least a two-dimensional location of the target device using the determined first distance, second distance, and third distance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a three-dimensional location of the target device using the determined first distance, second distance, and third distance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least a first antenna consists of a single dual mode antenna.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least a first antenna includes a first transmit antenna and a first receive antenna different from the first transmit antenna.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry comprises:

first signal transformation circuitry comprising at least one frequency multiplier and configured to transform the first RF signal to obtain a first transformed RF signal having the second center frequency; and

a first mixer configured to mix the first transformed RF signal having the second center frequency with the second RF signal to obtain the first mixed RF signal indicative of the first distance between the at least the first antenna and the target device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first center frequency is in a range of 4-6 GHz and the second center frequency is in a range of 8-12 GHz.

8. A system, comprising:

at least a first antenna configured to;

transmit, to a target device, a first linear frequency modulated (LFM) radio-frequency (RF) signal having a first center frequency; and

receive, from the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency different from the first frequency;

first circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the at least the first antenna and the target device;

a second receive antenna configured to receive, from the target device, a third RF signal having the second center frequency;

second circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second receive antenna and the target device; and

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.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first LFM RF signal comprises an LFM chirp.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first center frequency is in a range of 4-6 GHz and the second center frequency is in a range of 8-12 GHz.

11. A system, comprising:

at least a first antenna configured to;

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

receive, from the target device, a second RF signal having a second center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency;

first circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a first mixed RF signal indicative of a first distance between the at least the first antenna and the target device, the first circuitry comprising;

first signal transformation circuitry configured to transform the first RF signal to obtain a first transformed RF signal having the second center frequency; and

a first mixer configured to mix the first transformed RF signal having the second center frequency with the second RF signal to obtain the first mixed RF signal indicative of the first distance;

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

second circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the third RF signal, a second mixed RF signal indicative of a second distance between the second receive antenna and the target device;

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.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second center frequency is twice the first center frequency.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first center frequency is in a range of 4-6 GHz and the second center frequency is in a range of 8-12 GHz.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first RF signal is a microwave RF signal.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

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

third circuitry configured to obtain, based on the first RF signal and the fourth RF signal, a third mixed RF signal indicative of a third distance between the third receive antenna and the target device.

16. The system of claim 15, 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;

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

determine at least a 2D location of the target device using the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising the target device, the target device comprising:

a dual mode antenna configured to receive a fifth RF signal having the first center frequency and transmit a sixth RF signal having the second center frequency; and

circuitry configured to generate the sixth RF signal using the fifth RF signal.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first RF signal is a linear frequency-modulated (LFM) signal.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least a first antenna consists of a single dual mode antenna.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least a first antenna includes a first transmit antenna and a first receive antenna different from the first transmit antenna.