Manual positioning device

• US 9,335,147 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Sgarz, Heiko, Zibold, Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S
• Application Number:
  US13/699,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94, 702/150, 455/63.1, 340/12.52, 700/295
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4008 of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4017 of HF systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4052 by simulation of echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4065 involving a delay line

Abstract

A manual positioning device includes at least one receiver, a reference network, a first switch, and at least one second switch. The at least one second switch, together with the first switch, is configured to switch at least two different reference signal paths for determining reference signals on the reference network.

Claims

1. A hand-held locating apparatus for detecting an object in a medium, the hand-held locating apparatus comprising:

a signal generator having an output, the signal generator being configured to generate a locating signal at the output of the signal generator;

a first receiver having an input, the first receiver being configured to convert signals received at the input of the first receiver into digital signals;

a first antenna configured to transmit the locating signal and receive a first measurement signal, the first measurement signal including reflections of the locating signal off an object in the medium;

a reference network having a first port and a second port, the second port being connected to a first switch, the reference network including a filter, a balancing element, and an attenuator configured to form a circuit between the first port and the second port that emulates a channel for signals transmitted and received by the first antenna with reference to a predetermined disturbance variable in the channel;

a first separating filter having a first port connected to a second switch, a second port connected to the first switch, and third port connected to the input of the receiver, the first separating filter being configured to couple signals received at the first port to the second port and to couple signals received at the second port to the third port;

the first switch configured to, in a first switching state of the first switch, connect the second port of the first separating filter to the second port of the reference network and, in a second switching state of the first switch, connect the second port of the first separating filter to the antenna; and

the second switch configured to, in a first switching state of the second switch, connect the output of the signal generator to the first port of the first separating filter.

2. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a first transmission and reception path is defined from the signal generator to the first separating filter to first antenna, emitting from the first antenna and reflecting back to the first antenna to first separating filter and to the receiver, the first reference signal path being formed when the first switch is in the second switching state of the first switch and the second switch is in the first switching state of the second switch; and

the hand-held locating apparatus further comprises a computation unit connected to the signal generator and to the first receiver, the computation unit being configured to, when the first transmission and reception path is formed, (i) operate the signal generator to generate the locating signal, (ii) receive the first measurement signal via the first receiver, and (iii) detect the object based on the first measurement signal.

3. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a terminating element having an input, the terminating element being configured to absorb signals at the input of the terminating element and minimize reflection of the signals at the input of the terminating element,

wherein the second switch is further configured to, (i) in the first switching state of the second switch, connect the input of the terminating element to the first port of the reference network and, (ii) in a second switching state of the second switch, connect the input of the terminating element to the first port of the first separating filter and connect the output of the signal generator to the first port of the reference network.

4. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

a first reference signal path is defined from the signal generator to the first separating filter and to the reference network, the first reference signal path being formed when the first switch is in the first switching state of the first switch and the second switch is in the first switching state of the second switch; and

the computing unit is configured to, when the first reference signal path is formed, (i) operate the signal generator to generate the locating signal, (ii) receive a crosstalk signal via the first receiver, and (iii) determine a crosstalk between the first reference signal path and the first receiver, the crosstalk being a coupling of signals received at the first port of the first separating filter to the first receiver.

5. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

the second switch is configured to, in a second switching state of the second switch, connect the output of the signal generator to the first port of the reference network;

a second reference signal path is defined from the signal generator to reference network to the first separating filter to the first receiver, the second reference signal path being formed when the first switch is in the first switching state of the first switch and the second switch is in the second switching state of the second switch; and

the computing unit is configured to, when the second reference signal path is formed, (i) operate the signal generator to generate the locating signal, (ii) receive a normalization signal via the first receiver and (iii) determine a normalization factor, the normalization signal being the locating signal passed through the reference network to emulate the first measurement signal when no object is present in the medium, the normalization factor being a quotient representing a component of the normalization signal.

6. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the computing unit is further configured to determine a compensated first measurement signal by modifying the first measurement signal received from the first antenna based on the determined crosstalk and the determined normalization factor.

7. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the computation unit is further configured to convert the first measurement signal received from the first antenna from a time-domain to a frequency domain.

8. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second receiver having an input, the second receiver being configured to convert signals received at the input of the second receiver into digital signals;

a second antenna configured to transmit the locating signal and receive a second measurement signal, the second measurement signal including reflections of the locating signal off an object in the medium;

a second separating filter having a first port connected to the second switch, a second port connected to a third switch, and third port connected to the input of the second receiver, the second separating filter being configured to couple signals received at the first port to the second port and to couple signals received at the second port to the third port

the third switch configured to, (i) in a first switching state of the third switch, connect the second port of the second separating filter to the first port of the reference network and, (ii) in a second switching state of the third switch, connect the second port of the second separating filter to the second antenna,

wherein the second switch is further configured to, in the first switching state of the second switch, connect the signal generator to the first port of the second separating filter.

9. The hand-held locating apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the computation unit is configured to determine a crosstalk and a normalization factor simultaneously.