Antenna segment system

• US 7,224,985 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Caci, J. Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu X.
• Application Number:
  US10/345,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/404.2, 455/3.02, 455/432.1, 455/457, 455/440, 455/448, 455/433, 455/414.2, 343/795, 343/807, 370/313, 370/208
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/06 Means for the lighting or illuminating of antennas, e.g. for purpose of warning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Disclosed is an antenna segment system for communicating between fixed antenna segments and wireless mobile devices. The antenna segments may be embedded in lighting fixtures distributed in a building. Each lighting fixture may emanate a visible light pattern related to an antenna pattern of an antenna segment embedded in the respective lighting fixture. The system includes a computer that can automatically assign addresses to the distributed antenna segments based on time domain reflection signals returned over a wire path between a controller and the segments.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of antenna segments configured for generating a respective plurality of antenna patterns, each antenna segment being configured for communicating with a mobile device when the mobile device is within its respective antenna pattern;

an antenna controller coupled to the plurality of antenna segments, and being configured for determining a sensing antenna segment sensing the mobile device; and

a computer coupled to the antenna controller, and being configured for determining the location of the mobile device within the system based on the determined antenna segment; and

means for indicating to a user of the mobile device the extent of an antenna pattern, the means for indicating comprising a light reflector;

wherein each of the antenna segments is embedded in a light fixture at a fixed location.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a metallic reflector configured to reflect visible radiation from a light fixture and invisible radiation from an antenna segment embedded in the light fixture.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the metallic reflector is configured to reflect the visible radiation in the same pattern as the invisible radiation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the antenna segments is embedded in a different light fixture at a different physical location.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the different physical locations is located at a different grid point in a defined environment.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the grid points correlate to a global positioning satellite system.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the defined environment is a hotel.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the defined environment is a shopping mall.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein the defined environment is an amusement park.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein the grid is orthogonal.

11. An automatically configurable communication system comprising:

a plurality of antenna segments configured for generating a respective plurality of antenna patterns, each antenna segment being configured for communicating with a mobile device when the mobile device is within its respective antenna pattern;

an antenna controller coupled to the plurality of antenna segments, and being configured for determining the sensing antenna segment; and

a computer coupled to the antenna controller and being configured to implement an automatic address assignment protocol upon initial installation of the communication system, the protocol effective remotely to identify a physical location of each antenna segment using time domain reflection and assign a logical address without physical access to the antenna segments and without pre-assignment of addresses.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of light fixtures located at fixed locations in a building, wherein each antenna segment is embedded in a different one of the light fixtures.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the antenna pattern of each antenna segment is approximately the same as a light pattern emitted from the light fixture in which the respective antenna segment is embedded.

14. A method of automatically assigning addresses in a communication system having a plurality of antenna segments in fixed locations, the method comprising:

generating in an antenna controller a carrier signal and a time domain reflection signal;

propagating the carrier signal and the time domain reflection signal from the antenna controller down a fixed transmission line toward antenna segments attached to the line in fixed locations;

setting a phase lock of the carrier signal in each antenna segment;

returning different time-domain reflection return signals from each antenna segment to the antenna controller receiving time-domain reflection return signals at different times from respective ones of the antenna segments; and

assigning different logical addresses to each of the antenna segments based on the time-domain reflection return signals.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the antenna segments are embedded in a plurality of lighting fixtures.

16. The method of claim 15 in which each antenna segment has an antenna pattern encompassing approximately the same three-dimensional space as a lighting pattern of a lighting fixture in which the antenna segment is embedded.

17. The method of claim 14 in which each antenna segment has an antenna pattern encompassing approximately the same three-dimensional space as the audible range of a signal associated with the respective segment.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is carried out remotely from and without physical access to the antenna segments.