Location system

• US 8,175,799 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Douglas Edward Woehler
• Original Assignee: Douglas Edward Woehler
• Inventors: Woehler, Douglas Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US10/685,364
• Time in Patent Office: 3,129 Days
• Field of Search: 701/205, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/214, 701/223, 701/300, 701/301, 701/400, 701/408, 701/516, 701/517, 340/901, 340/961, 340/905, 340/903, 340/907, 340/945, 340/952, 340/953, 340/956, 340/958, 340/972, 340/982, 340/983, 340/988, 340/990, 340/993, 342/29, 342/30, 342/32, 342 52- 54, 342/58
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0045 Transmission from base station to mobile station G01S5/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a ground surface location system for identifying an object and its location within a coverage area. The ground surface location system includes a location transmitter and a location identifier. The location transmitter is positioned at a location within the coverage area and has a physical location code corresponding to the location stored therein, and is configured to provide an optical signal representative of the physical location code. The location identifier is adapted to couple to the object and has an object identification code representative of the object stored therein, and is configured to receive the optical signal and to transmit an identification signal representative of the physical location code and the object identification code.

Claims

1. A ground surface location and identification system comprising:

a location transmitter positioned at a location within a coverage area and having stored therein a physical location code corresponding to the location and configured to provide an optical signal representative of the physical location code; and

a location identifier configured to couple to a moveable object and having an object identification code representative of the object stored therein, and configured to receive the optical signal and to transmit, via a wireless transmitter, an identification signal representative of the physical location code and the object identification code.

2. The ground surface location system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of location transmitters positioned at a plurality of locations within the coverage area, each location transmitter having stored therein a corresponding physical location code representative of the location at which it is positioned and each configured to transmit an optical signal representative of the corresponding physical location code.

3. The ground surface location system of claim 2, wherein the location identifier is further configured to receive a plurality of optical signals and to transmit a signal representative of the object identification code and the physical location code of the location transmitter to which the location identifier is in closest proximity.

4. The ground surface location system of claim 1, wherein the location transmitter further comprises:

a light source configured to receive power from a power source; and

a location encoder having the physical location code stored therein and configured to generate the optical signal by turning the power to the light source on and off based on the physical location code.

5. The ground surface location system of claim 4, wherein the light source comprises a light emitting diode (LED) array.

6. The ground surface location system of claim 4, wherein the light source comprises a laser diode.

7. The ground surface location system of claim 4, wherein the location encoder comprises:

a power switch connectable to the power source and having a control gate and configured to provide power to the light source;

a microcontroller having the physical location code stored therein and configured to provide to the control gate a power switch control signal representative of the physical location code that causes the power switch to turn the power to the light source on and off to generate the optical signal.

8. The ground surface location system of claim 7, wherein the light source is turned on and off at a flash rate above a maximum rate perceptible to humans.

9. The ground surface location system of claim 7, wherein the power switch control signal comprises a serial data stream encoded with the physical location code by the signal processor using the Manchester coding scheme.

10. The ground surface location system of claim 9, wherein the power switch control signal provides a fifty percent duty cycle to the power switch.

11. The ground surface location system of claim 4, wherein the location transmitter further comprises:

an infrared setup port configured to receive an infrared signal representative of a physical location code and to provide the physical location code to the location encoder.

12. The ground surface location system of claim 1, wherein the location identifier further comprises:

an optical receiver configured to receive and convert the optical signal to an electrical signal;

a signal processor having the object identification code stored therein and receiving the electrical signal and providing an object location code representative of the object identification code and the physical location code; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the identification signal, wherein the identification signal is representative of the object location code.

13. The ground surface location system of claim 12, wherein the optical receiver further comprises:

a plurality of optical sensors each configured to receive and convert a separate optical signal representative of a physical location code into a corresponding electrical signal.

14. The ground surface location system of claim 13, wherein the signal processor is configured to receive the corresponding electrical signal from each optical sensor of the plurality of optical sensors and to provide an object location code representative of the object identification code and the physical location code of the location transmitter to which the location identifier is in closest proximity.

15. The ground surface location system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data receiving system configured to receive the identification signal and to provide identification of the object and its location within the coverage area on a visual display.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the airfield guidance marker is a Federal Aviation Association airfield guidance marker.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

18. An airfield ground surface location system comprising:

a location transmitter positioned at a location on an airfield and comprising;

a light source configured to receive power from a power source; and

a location encoder having a physical location code (PLC) representative of the location stored therein and configured to generate an optical signal encoded with the PLC by turning the power to the light source on and off based on the PLC; and

a location identifier configured to couple to a vehicle and comprising;

an optical receiver configured to receive and convert the optical signal to an electrical signal;

a signal processor having a vehicle code representative of the vehicle stored therein and configured to decode the PLC from the electrical signal and to provide a vehicle location code representative of the vehicle code and the PLC; and

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit an identification signal representative of the vehicle location code.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a plurality of location transmitters positioned at a plurality of locations within the coverage area, each location transmitter having stored therein a corresponding physical location code representative of the location at which it is positioned and each configured to transmit an optical signal representative of the corresponding physical location code.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the location identifier is further configured to receive a plurality of optical signals and to transmit a signal representative of the object identification code and the physical location code of the location transmitter to which the location identifier is in closest proximity.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the light source comprises an a light emitting diode (LED) array.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the light source comprises a laser diode.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the light fixture comprises an airfield guidance marker.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the location encoder comprises:

a power switch connectable to the power source and having a control gate and configured to provide power to the light source;

a microcontroller having the physical location code stored therein and configured to provide to the control gate a power switch control signal representative of the physical location code that causes the power switch to turn the power to the light source on and off to generate the optical signal.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the light source is turned on and off at a flash rate above a maximum rate perceptible to humans.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the power switch control signal comprises a serial data stream encoded with the physical location code by the signal processor using the Manchester coding scheme.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the power switch control signal provides a fifty percent duty cycle to the power switch.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the location transmitter further comprises:

an infrared setup port configured to receive an infrared signal representative of a physical location code and to provide the physical location code to the location encoder.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the optical receiver further comprises:

a plurality of optical sensors each configured to receive and convert a separate optical signal representative of a physical location code into a corresponding electrical signal.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the signal processor is configured to receive the corresponding electrical signal from each optical sensor of the plurality of optical sensors and to provide an object location code representative of the object identification code and the physical location code of the location transmitter to which the location identifier is in closest proximity.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and the object identification code includes a tail number component and flight number component associated with the aircraft, wherein the tail number component is stored in the location identifier and the location identifier is further configured to receive the flight number component from a memory within the aircraft.

32. The system of claim 18, wherein the location identifier is adapted to couple to an underbody of the aircraft.

33. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a data receiving system configured to receive the identification signal and to provide identification of the object and its location within the coverage area.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the data receiving system provides identification of the corresponding object and its location within the coverage area on a visual display, wherein the identification includes a tail number and a flight when the object is an aircraft.

35. An airfield ground surface location system comprising:

a plurality of airfield guidance markers, each airfield guidance marker positioned at a location on an airfield and providing guidance illumination for visually directing aircraft on the airfield, each airfield guidance marker including;

a light source providing the visual guidance illumination; and

a location encoder having a physical location code representative of the location at which airfield guidance marker is position stored therein and configured to modulate the light source to optically encode the visible guidance illumination with the physical location code, wherein location encoder modulates the light source at a frequency imperceptible to human vision so that the light source simultaneously provides the visual guidance illumination and physical location code with the physical location code being imperceptible to human vision; and

a location identifier coupled to an aircraft and having an aircraft code representative of the aircraft stored therein, the location identifier including;

an optical receiver configured to receive the visible guidance illumination and to detect the physical location code encoded therein; and

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit an identification signal representative of the vehicle identification code and the detected physical location code to a surface movement control system.