System and method for monitoring assets, objects, people and animals utilizing impulse radio

• US 20030052776A1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Time Domain Corporation (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Richards, James L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,900,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02216 Timing or synchronisation of the receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/6908 using time hopping

Abstract

An asset, object, person or animal monitoring system and associated method for monitoring assets, objects, people or animals utilizing impulse radio techniques. The asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of the present invention can vary the duty cycles of the impulse radio transmitters, by both manual and automatic means, to adapt to varied requirements.

Claims

1. A method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system, comprising:

synchronizing an internal clock means associated with an impulse radio transmitter to a timing means;

synchronizing an internal clock means associated with an impulse radio receiver to a timing means corresponding to said timing means used to synchronize said impulse radio transmitter;

transmitting impulse radio transmissions at a predetermined time, said predetermined time being determined by said internal clock associated with said impulse radio transmitter; and

listening by said impulse radio receiver for said impulse radio transmissions at a time corresponding to said predetermined transmission times of said impulse radio transmitter.

2. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said timing means is an clock means synchronized with UTC time.

3. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said synchronizing of said internal clock means associated with an impulse radio transmitter and impulse radio receiver to a timing means is accomplished by an infrared current time transfer.

4. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said synchronizing of said internal clock means associated with an impulse radio transmitter and impulse radio receiver to a timing means is accomplished by an optical current time transfer.

5. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said synchronizing of said internal clock means associated with an impulse radio transmitter and impulse radio receiver to a timing means is accomplished by an RF wireless current time transfer.

6. A method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system including at least two impulse radio transmitters, comprising:

receiving an impulse radio transmission, said impulse radio transmission containing information about which impulse radio transmitter is transmitting; and

listening for subsequent impulse radio transmissions according to predetermined transmission intervals associated with said impulse radio transmitter.

7. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 6, further comprising monitoring for additional impulse radio transmissions from distinct impulse radio transmitters for a predetermined time.

8. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 6, further comprising monitoring for additional impulse radio transmissions from distinct impulse radio transmitters until a predetermined number of distinct impulse radio transmitters have been transmitted.

9. A method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system, comprising:

transmitting impulse radio transmissions at least once during a predetermined interval;

listening for impulse radio transmissions at least during a time interval corresponding to the impulse radio transmission interval.

10. The method of impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system of claim 9, wherein said listening interval is increased by anticipated inaccuracies due to clock drift or timing inaccuracies.

11. An apparatus for impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system, comprising:

an internal clock synchronizing means associated with an impulse radio transmitter, said internal clock synchronizing means synchronizing said impulse radio transmitter to a timing means, said impulse radio transmitter transmits impulse radio transmissions at a predetermined time, said predetermined time being determined by said internal clock associated with said impulse radio transmitter; and

an internal clock synchronizing means associated with an impulse radio receiver, said internal clock synchronizing means synchronizing said impulse radio receiver to a timing means corresponding to said timing means used to synchronize said impulse radio transmitter, said impulse radio receiver listens for said impulse radio transmissions at a time corresponding to said predetermined transmission times of said impulse radio transmitter.

12. An apparatus for impulse radio duty cycle variation and synchronization for an impulse radio asset, object, person or animal monitoring system, comprising:

an impulse radio transmitter, said impulse radio transmitter transmits impulse radio transmissions at least once during a predetermined interval;

an impulse radio receiver, said impulse radio receiver listens for impulse radio transmissions at least during the interval corresponding to the impulse radio transmission interval.