Positioning system that uses signals from a point source

• US 20060061469A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Skyfence Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Skyfence Incorporated
• Inventors: Judell, Neil, Jaeger, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/231,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20060061469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1012 Zone surveillance means, e.g. parking lots, truck depots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/66 Radar-tracking systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• 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 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4021 of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child

Abstract

Systems for tracking, containing, and controlling moving objects such as vehicles, boats, airplanes, animals, and people use wireless RF or microwave signals to calculate position within a predefined boundary. The system has antennas in a location, and has processing for determining location either on a device on the mobile device or at a base station. The boundary can be arbitrary and can be learned during a set-up process.

Claims

1. A system for tracking one or more mobile objects with receivers in a monitored area comprising:

a base station including;

a plurality of antennas encompassing an area smaller than the monitored area,

a single transmitter for transmitting a spread spectrum signal,

the antennas receiving a signal from mobile objects,

one or more correlators for determining a delay time between each received signal and the original spread spectrum signal,

the base station determining relative position of the mobile object to the base station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the spread spectrum signal is a direct sequence spread spectrum signal, wherein the antennas receive frequency-shifted signals, the base station further comprising one or more frequency shifters for converting the received signals back to the transmitted original direct sequence spread spectrum domain.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas are implemented as one antenna with a multiplexer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station includes memory for storing a representation of a set of boundaries for the objects being tracked.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the base station compares a determined position of the mobile unit with the boundary and provides an action including one of an alarm or corrective signal in response.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising logic to determine the action to be taken based on whether the proximity of the mobile object to the boundary, and whether mobile object is inside or outside boundary.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a receiver mounted on the mobile object, the receiver receiving signals from the base station, including one of an audio alarm, a signal to disable the object, and/or an electric shock.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the base can provide different actions, depending on proximity to the boundary and/or whether the mobile object is inside or outside the boundary.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station has a learning mode that allows a user to define a boundary by moving a receiver to locations on a perimeter of the boundary and identifying to the base station locations along the boundary, the base station storing information about the boundary.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the base station stores exclusion zones within the boundary, the exclusion zones being treated as area outside of the boundary.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas are no more than 3 meters apart and arranged in a configuration other than a straight line.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the antennas are no more than 1 meter apart.

13. The system of claim 1, further including one or more phase lock loops and Doppler phase measurement logic to provide subranging.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the spread spectrum signal is a direct sequence spread spectrum signal.

15. A method comprising using the system of claim 1 for monitoring position and providing corrective action based on the position of the mobile object.

16. A method comprising using the system of claim 1 for continuously tracking and controlling movement of the mobile object.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the base station provides signals to cause the mobile object to move in a desired manner.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the base station receives, from the mobile object, continuous motion feedback for control of mobile objects.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the base station has memory for storing a representation of a route to travel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the base station provides signals to indicate to the mobile object direction, motion, and stopping.