Wireless relay station for radio frequency-based tracking system
AssigneePosition Imaging, Inc.
InventorEdward L. Hill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
System and methods of tracking a position of a mobile device with an electromagnetic signal-transmitting antenna include receiving electromagnetic signals from the transmitting antenna of the mobile device by a plurality of receiver antennae of a base station and by one or more receiver antennae of a relay station. The relay station transmits to the base station timing information associated with the electromagnetic signals received by the one or more receiver antennae of the relay station. The base station computes a position of the transmitting antenna of the mobile device based on timing information computed from the electromagnetic signals received by the plurality of receiver antennae of the base station and on the timing information received from the relay station.
Claims21
A method of tracking a position of a mobile device with an electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna, the method comprising:
- receiving, by one or more relay receiver antennae of a relay station and by a plurality of spatially separated base receiver antennae in communication with a base station, electromagnetic signals transmitted by the electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna of the mobile device;
- transmitting, by the relay station to the base station, first timing information associated with the electromagnetic signals received by the one or more relay receiver antennae of the relay station;
- and
- determining, by the base station, a physical position of the electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna of the mobile device based on second timing information acquired from the electromagnetic signals received by the plurality of spatially separated base receiver antennae in communication with the base station and on the first timing information transmitted from the relay station to the base station.
A relay station, comprising:
- two or more receiver antennae that receive first electromagnetic signals transmitted by a transmitting antenna of a mobile device;
- and
- two or more transmitter antennae transmitting timing information related to the first electromagnetic signals received by the two or more receiver antennae;
- a processor configured to operate in a first mode in which the processor directs the two or more transmitter antennae to each transmit a device signature at a different frequency from the other transmitter antennae, and to operate in a second mode in which the processor obtains the timing information from the first electromagnetic signals received by the two or more receiver antennae and directs the two or more transmitter antennae to transmit second electromagnetic signals carrying the timing information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.