Determining Positional Information

• US 20080204322A1
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Solutions Limited (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Solutions Limited (DXC Technology Company)
• Inventors: Phillips, Desmond Keith, Utsi, Vincent Arne, Bell, Charles Peter, Burchett, Michael Hugh, Russ, Nicholas Simon, Geoghegan, Alexandra Joanna, Oswald, Gordon Kenneth Andrew, Del Mistro, Mario
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• 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 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders

Abstract

Apparatus for determining positional information relating to an object, comprising: means for receiving, comprising a plurality of receiving elements; detection means for detecting signals received at the receiving elements and for generating output signals representative of the received signals; and processing means operable to apply, for each receiving element, a process to the output signal generated from the signal received at that receiving element separately from any output signal generated from a signal received at any other receiving element, so as to obtain a respective value of a parameter representative of the signal received at that receiving element, the processing means being further operable to compare the values of the parameter thus obtained so as to, obtain positional information relating to the object.

Claims

1. :

Apparatus for determining positional information relating to an object, comprising;

a receiver comprising a plurality of receiving elements;

a detector for detecting signals received at the receiving elements and for generating output signals representative of the received signals; and

a processor operable to apply, for each receiving element, a process to the output signal generated from the signal received at that receiving element separately from any output signal generated from a signal received at any other receiving element, so as to obtain a respective value of a parameter representative of the signal received at that receiving element, the processor being further operable to compare the values of the parameter thus obtained so as to obtain positional information relating to the object.

2. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is one of phase and time.

3. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process to be applied by the processor is dependent upon a characteristic, or an expected characteristic, of the signals.

4. :

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the characteristic, or expected characteristic, is at least one of frequency, phase, bandwidth, and pulse width.

5. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process to be applied by the processor is dependent upon a characteristic, or expected characteristic, of the object, and preferably is dependent upon the distance, or the expected distance, of the object from the receiver.

6. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selector adapted to select the process to be applied by the processor from a plurality of possible processes.

7. :

Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein;

the apparatus comprises memory for storing a plurality of sets of process data; and

the selector is adapted to select one set of process data from the plurality of sets of process data, thereby to select the process to be applied by the processor.

8. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the process to be applied by the processor in dependence upon at least one previously obtained value of the parameter and/or in dependence upon previously obtained positional information relating to the object.

9. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process comprises a matched filter.

10. :

Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the process comprises applying a filter to the output signal at a plurality of different time offsets and selecting a time offset in dependence upon the outputs from the filter.

11. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the processor comprises application of a matched filter to detect the interval between signals received by a plurality of the receiving elements, whereby to determine an angular position of the object.

12. :

Apparatus according to claim 9, comprising a matched filter generator for generating the matched filter in dependence upon the shape of the at least one time varying signal, and preferably in dependence upon the shape of the envelope of the at least one time varying signal.

13. :

Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the matched filter generator is adapted to fit the shape of the at least one time varying signal, or the envelope of the at least one time varying signal to a function, preferably to a quadratic function.

14. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver and detector are adapted to receive and detect a signal having a bandwidth greater than 5%, 10% or 20% of its frequency.

15. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each signal has a characteristic frequency of between 0.5 GHz and 24 GHz, preferably between 2 GHz and 12 GHz, and more preferably between 5.8 GHz and 7.2 GHz.

16. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signals are pulsed signals.

17. :

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each pulsed signal comprises at least five cycles, and preferably comprises at least 10, 20, 50, 100 or 500 cycles.

18. :

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each pulsed signal has a pulse length of greater than 2 ns, preferably greater than at least one of 5 ns, 10 ns, 20 ns, and 50 ns.

19. :

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the signals comprise a pulse train having a characteristic repetition frequency of between 2 MHz and 20 MHz, possibly between 5 MHz and 15 MHz, and possibly between 10.5 MHz and 13.5 MHz.

20. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positional information is an angular position of the object.

21. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting a probe signal towards the object, and wherein the receiver is adapted to receive a reflection of the probe signal from the object.

22. :

Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit a different signal to the signal transmitted by a transmitter associated with the object.

23. :

Apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising an encoder for encoding the probe signal, whereby it can be distinguished from the signal received from the object.

24. :

Apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a circuit for determining the positional information of an object irradiated by the probe signal.

25. :

Apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a comparator for comparing the positional information of the irradiated object to positional information relating to at least one known object, whereby anomalous objects can be identified.

26. :

Apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising an alert signal generator for generating an alert signal in dependence on the result of the comparison.

27. :

Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the or each object includes or comprises an object incorporating a transmitter.

28. :

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signals are signals transmitted by a transmitter associated with the object.

29. :

Apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the signals transmitted by the transmitter associated with the object are Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals.

30. :

A method of determining positional information relating to an object, comprising;

receiving signals at a plurality of receiving elements;

detecting signals received at the receiving elements and for generating output signals representative of the received signals; and

processing, for each receiving element, the output signal generated from the signal received at that receiving element separately from any output signal generated from a signal received at any other receiving element, so as to obtain a respective value of a values of the parameter thus obtained so as to obtain positional information relating to the object.

31-89. -89. (canceled)

90. :

Apparatus for determining positional information relating to an object, comprising;

means for receiving, comprising a plurality of receiving elements;

detection means for detecting signals received at the receiving elements and for generating output signals representative of the received signals; and

processing means operable to apply, for each receiving element, a process to the output signal generated from the signal received at that receiving element separately from any output signal generated from a signal received at any other receiving element, so as to obtain a respective value of a parameter representative of the signal received at that receiving element, the processing means being further operable to compare the values of the parameter thus obtained so as to obtain positional information relating to the object.