Back to results
US 6,556,942 B1Granted
Short range spread-spectrum radiolocation system and method
AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC
InventorStephen F. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC
InventorStephen F. Smith
Estimating the term…
A short range radiolocation system and associated methods that allow the location of an item, such as equipment, containers, pallets, vehicles, or personnel, within a defined area. A small, battery powered, self-contained tag is provided to an item to be located. The tag includes a spread-spectrum transmitter that transmits a spread-spectrum code and identification information. A plurality of receivers positioned about the area receive signals from a transmitting tag. The position of the tag, and hence the item, is located by triangulation. The system employs three different ranging techniques for providing coarse, intermediate, and fine spatial position resolution. Coarse positioning information is provided by use of direct-sequence code phase transmitted as a spread-spectrum signal. Intermediate positioning information is provided by the use of a difference signal transmitted with the direct-sequence spread-spectrum code. Fine positioning information is provided by use of carrier phase measurements. An algorithm is employed to combine the three data sets to provide accurate location measurements.
A method of determining a location of a tag, comprising:
A computer program comprising computer program means adapted to perform the steps of developing a coarse ranging of the location of a tag by determining a phase of a spread-spectrum code sequence that is transmitted by the tag to a plurality of receivers by modulating a carrier with a spread-spectrum code;
An apparatus, comprising:
An apparatus for determining a location of a tag, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.