System and methods for direction finding using a handheld device

• US 7,667,646 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Juntunen, Juha O, Doppler, Klaus, Kainulainen, Antti, Jantunen, Joni, Kauppinen, Hannu, Ollikainen, Jani, Lehtiniemi, Tuukka, Kalliola, Kimmo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H
• Application Number:
  US11/357,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20070197229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 342/443, 342/417
• US Class Current: 342/417
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for indicating the relative direction of a target object or location as determined from the current position of a wireless communication device. The system employs Direction of Arrival determination using an antenna array for indicating the direction of a target device and includes facilities to activate a location-indicating transmission in a target device, the ability to request that a location-indicating transmission be activated in a remote target device, relevant information reception from a target device and the display of all potential target devices within effective transmission range of the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving transmissions comprising target identification information and data configured for use in direction of arrival estimation from targets within transmission range of a searching device;

displaying, on the searching device, a list of targets from which transmissions were received;

sending, if a desired target is missing from the list of targets, a wireless request message to activate a transmission or change transmitted signal properties in the desired target from the searching device so that the desired target may appear in the list of targets;

selecting, on the searching device, a target from the list of targets;

determining a direction from which determining, at the searching device, a relative direction from which the transmissions corresponding to the selected target were received based only on the received transmissions; and

indicating, on the searching device, the relative direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmissions from targets are received via wireless communication selected from the group consisting of short-range communication and long-range communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the short-range wireless communication is selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth™

, BTLEE/BluLite, ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4, WLAN, UWB, and UHF RFID communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmissions include specific information related to a target aside from target location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the specific information related to the target is displayed when the device is selected on the searching device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message is sent via wireless communication to remotely activate a transmission in the desired target or change transmitted signal properties in the desired target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message is sent via wireless communication to request that the owner of the desired target grant permission to locate the target, which if accepted, results in the activation of a transmission for the desired target or a change in the transmitted signal properties of the desired target.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a current location for the searching device with respect to the target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmissions contain at least information about the target location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmissions are encrypted to be accessed by authorized devices only.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the current orientation of the searching device.

12. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code configured to receive transmissions comprising target identification information and data configured for use in

direction of arrival estimation from targets within transmission range of a searching device;

code configured to display, on the searching device, a list of targets from which transmissions were received;

code configured to send, if a desired target is missing from the list of targets, a wireless request message to activate a transmission or change transmitted signal properties in the desired target from the searching device so that the desired target may appear in the list of targets;

code configured to select, on the searching device, a target from the list of targets;

code configured to determine, at the searching device, a relative direction from which the transmissions corresponding to the selected target were received based only on the received transmissions; and

code configured to indicate, on the searching device, the relative direction.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the transmissions include specific information related to a target aside from target location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the specific information related to the target is displayed when the device is selected on the searching device.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the request message is sent via wireless communication to remotely activate a transmission in the desired target or change transmitted signal properties in the desired target.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the request message is sent via wireless communication to request that the owner of the desired target grant permission to locate the target, which if accepted, results in the activation of a transmission for the desired target.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising displaying a current location for the searching device with respect to the target.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the transmissions contain at least information about the target location.

19. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the transmissions are encrypted to be accessed by authorized devices only.

20. A system, comprising:

targets;

a searching device;

the searching device receiving transmissions comprising target identification information and data configured for use in direction of arrival estimation from the targets within transmission range of a searching device;

the searching device displaying, on the searching device, a list of the targets from which transmissions were received;

the searching device sending, if a desired target is missing from the list of targets, a request message to activate a transmission in the missing target or change transmitted signal properties in the desired target so that the missing target may appear in list of active targets;

the searching device further selecting a target from the list of targets, determining a relative direction from which the transmissions corresponding to the selected target were received based only on the received transmissions and indicating the relative direction.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the searching device is wireless communication device capable of communicating via at least one of long-range, short-range or near field communication.