System and method for determining an orientation or position of a receiver relative to an emission device

• US 9,945,930 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lambda:4 Entwicklungen GmbH
• Original Assignee: Lambda:4 Entwicklungen GmbH
• Inventors: Reimann, Rnne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lett, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/832,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20160041253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 455 6716
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/026 using moving transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/84 for distance determination by phase measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/143 by vectorial combination of signals derived from differently oriented antennae
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/48 the waves arriving at the antennas being continuous or intermittent and the phase difference of signals derived therefrom being measured
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• 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: G01S 7/35 Details of non-pulse systems
• 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 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method, device, system and use for determining a distance, location and/or orientation including the at least relative determination of a position of at least one object using at least two active anchors. A first signal is emitted by a first of the two anchors and is received at the object and by a second of said two anchors. A phase measurement is performed at said second anchor and wherein a distance determination with respect to said first anchor is performed and/or the distance from said first anchor to said second anchor is known. A second, particularly electromagnetic, signal is emitted from said second anchor, and information on phase measurement and distance between said first and second anchors is made available to a computation unit and at least one phase measurement respectively of said first and second signal is performed at said object and made available to said computation unit.

Claims

1. A method to determine a propagation direction for an electromagnetic wave field, the method enabling numerous receivers to determine their location simultaneously without having to make their location or their presence known, said method comprising:

providing an emitter with at least one emission-device arrangement;

wherein the at least one emission-device arrangement includes s different emission devices or includes different places or different orientations of the at least one emission-device arrangement;

emitting m electromagnetic signal sequences from the s different emission devices or places or orientations;

wherein the m signal sequences include A against each other de-correlated signals, wherein the A signals have a known phase relation to each other; and

wherein s is greater than or equal to two, wherein A is greater than or equal to two and wherein m is greater than or equal to two; and

the A signals are emitted at different frequencies, polarizations or amplitudes for the de-correlation of the signal sequences against each other;

providing at least one receiver of the numerous receivers;

receiving the A signals with the at least one receiver; and

using an emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement for calculating with a computing unit a propagation direction of the m signal sequences from the emitter to the at least one receiver as seen relatively from the emitter by calculating, with a computing unit, a distance between the emission characteristic and a matrix;

said matrix being generated or calculated from at least two not completely correlated measurement vectors of the at least one receiver of the reception of the m signal sequences of the emission device;

wherein said emission characteristic indicates which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a first orientation and which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a second orientation;

the first and second orientations being defined relative to the s emission devices or to the emission positions or orientations to which signal relations are to be received.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

emitting the A signals at least partially chronologically off-set from each other or emitting several signal sequences of two or more A signals simultaneously via at least one emission device of the s different emission devices.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of emitting the A signals includes emitting one signal of several signal sequences simultaneously via the emission device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

using measurements of at least two of the A signals of one of the m signal sequences as measuring vectors at the receiver;

using the matrix calculated in the computing unit or in a second computing unit, where the matrix is elaborated or calculated from n not fully correlated measuring vectors of the m signal sequences; and

determining the propagation direction of the A signals of the m signal sequences to the receiver where n at least is equal to two.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of using the matrix comprises using an auto-correlation matrix (AKM).

6. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of calculating the propagation direction further comprises:

performing a distance calculation between the matrix and the emission characteristic.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the step of performing the distance calculation includes projecting between a sub-space of the matrix and the emission characteristic.

8. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of elaborating or calculating the matrix using a number of n not fully correlating measuring vectors that is equal to a number of emitted de-correlated signals.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of using the emission characteristic comprises:

using an emission characteristic containing at least one two-dimensional object having dimensions of s×

2; and

indicating by each line which signal or signal relation is to be received in the emission from one of the s emission devices.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

using at least two emission-device arrangements with at least two emission devices; and

determining the propagation direction of the A signals of the m signal sequences to the at least one receiver.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, determining a position or orientation of the at least one receivers based on the propagation direction and a location or orientation of the emitter.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

performing in the computing unit a distance calculation via projection between an Eigen-vector-(sub)space of an auto-correlation matrix AKM and the emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

multiplying an element of the emission characteristic with an inverse matrix.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the at least one receiver comprises providing a mobile receiver.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of utilizing an emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement comprises utilizing an emission characteristic in the form of at least one matrix that is programmed in, calculated in or transmitted to the computing unit.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

determining at least relative upper power limits of wave-field portions when the at least one matrix is an auto-correlation matrix AKM of measurement vectors and on the basis of Eigen values of said AKM.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of determining at least relative upper power limits of wave-field portions includes dividing each associated linear coefficient of the emission characteristic which is emitted into a subspace by a square thereof.

18. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of using the emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement comprises using the emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement to calculate the location or orientation of the receiver relative to the emitter.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of using the emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement comprises using the emission characteristic of the emission-device arrangement and the location or orientation of the emitter to determine the location or orientation of the receiver.

20. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the propagation direction further comprises:

storing at least one emission characteristic of each of the at least two emission devices in the computing unit;

or

providing programming in the computing unit to calculate the at least one emission characteristic of each of the at least two emission devices; and

using the stored or calculated at least one emission characteristics in the computing unit to calculate an orientation or a location of said receiver.

21. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the numerous receivers is a mobile telephone.

22. A device for the at least relative orientation or at least relative position determination of a receiver in an electromagnetic wave field;

said device comprising;

a reception device; and

at least one stored emission characteristic of each of at least two emission devices;

or a means for calculation of the at least one emission characteristic of each of the at least two emission devices;

or the reception of such emission characteristics and a means for the calculation of an orientation or a location of said reception device by calculating, with a computing unit, a distance between a matrix and the emission characteristic, the matrix being generated or calculated from at least two not completely correlated measurement vectors of the reception device of the m signal sequences of the emission device;

wherein said emission characteristic indicates which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a first orientation and which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a second orientation;

the first and second orientations being defined relative to the s emission devices or to the emission positions or orientations to which signal relations are to be received.

23. The device as defined in claim 22, wherein the reception device is a mobile telephone.

24. A use of at least one emission characteristic of an emission-device arrangement with at least two emission devices, comprising:

generating an electromagnetic emission of at least two emission sequences having signals with a known phase relation from the at least two emission devices, wherein the signals are emitted at different frequencies, polarizations or amplitudes for the de-correlation of the signal sequences against each other;

determining a propagation direction of signals from the emission-device arrangement to a reception device by calculating, with a computing unit, a distance between the emission characteristic and a matrix generated or calculated from at least two not completely correlated measurement vectors of the reception device of the at least two signal sequences of the emission device;

wherein said emission characteristic indicates which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a first orientation and which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a second orientation;

the first and second orientations being defined relative to the s emission devices or to the emission positions or orientations to which signal relations are to be received.

25. The use as defined in claim 24, wherein the step of generating the matrix comprises generating an auto-correlation matrix.

26. The use as defined in claim 24, wherein the step of determining an orientation or a location of the reception device or of the emission based on the propagation direction and the location or orientation of the emitter is included.

27. The use as defined in claim 24, wherein the reception device is a mobile telephone.

28. A system for the least relative orientation or at least relative position determination of a receiver enabling numerous receivers to determine their location simultaneously, without having to make their location or their presence known, said system comprising:

at least one emission-device arrangement with s emission devices or equipped for an emission at s positions or in s orientations; and

equipped for emission of m de-correlated electromagnetic signal sequences providing at least two respective signals, wherein A signals provide a known phase relation to each other and are being emitted via different emission devices or at different positions or orientations of the emission devices, wherein the A signals are at different frequencies, polarizations or amplitudes for the de-correlation of the signal sequences against each other;

at least one receiver of the numerous receivers; and

at least one stored emission characteristic of the at least one emission device arrangement or a means for the calculation of an emission characteristic of the at least one emission device arrangement or means for the transmission of measurement values of the at least one receiver and means to determine a propagation direction of the m signal sequences from the emission devices to the at least one receiver as seen relatively from the emission device arrangement; and

wherein s is at least two and A is at least two; and

a computing unit for calculating a distance between a matrix and the emission characteristic, the matrix being generated or calculated from at least two not completely correlated measurement vectors of the at least one receiver of the reception of the m signal sequences of the emission device;

wherein said emission characteristic indicates which signal or respectively signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a first orientation and which signal or signal relations are to be received when the emitter is arranged in a second orientation;

the first and second orientations being defined relative to the s emission devices or to the emission positions or orientations to which signal relations are to be received.

29. The system as defined in claim 28, wherein each of the numerous receivers is a mobile telephone.