US 8,009,099 B2Granted

System and methods for direction finding using a handheld device

AssigneeNokia Corporation

InventorsKimmo Kalliola, Klaus Doppler, Hannu Kauppinen, Joni Jantunen, Jani Ollikainen, Tuukka Lehtiniemi, Antti Kainulainen, Juha O. Juntunen

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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.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device, comprising:

an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas;
a switching device, coupled to at least the antenna array, configured to select each of the plurality of antennas in the antenna array in sequence when performing direction of arrival determination;
a receiver, coupled to at least the switching device, configured to receive signal information from the antenna array, wherein the signal information is a communication signal capable of conveying communication information comprising at least one of audio information and video information to and from the device;
a controller configured to determine source identification information based on the received signal information;
and
a display configured to display a list of targets based on the source identification information, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a relative direction towards one of the displayed targets by calculating a direction of arrival estimation based on the received signal information, and to display the relative direction on the display, and further wherein the device is wireless communication device capable of at least one of long-range, short-range and near-field communications.

3 more elements

A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code configured to cause a wireless communication device capable of at least one of long-range, short-range and near-field communications to select each of a plurality of antennas in an antenna array in sequence when performing direction of arrival determination;
code configured to cause the wireless communication device to receive signal information from the antenna array, wherein the signal information is a communication signal capable of conveying communication information comprising at least one of audio information and video information;
code configured to cause the wireless communication device to determine source identification information based on the received signal information;
code configured to cause the wireless communication device to display a list of targets based on the source identification information;
code configured to cause the wireless communication device to determine a relative direction towards one of the displayed targets by calculating a direction of arrival estimation based on the received signal information;
and
code configured to cause the wireless communication device to display the relative direction on the display.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/631,561Filed 4 Dec 2009 · division
Priority: 21 Feb 2006
Published: US 2010/0085257 A18 Apr 2010
Granted: 30 Aug 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G01S 3/46
Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction: using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference…
G01S 5/04
Using radio waves: position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
H04B 5/77
Specially adapted for specific purposes: for interrogation
H04B 7/086
Weighted combining: using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming

Family

Application11/357,165Parent of this division · filed 21 Feb 2006
US 2010/0085257 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Apr 2010
US 7,667,646 B2Parent of this division
US 2007/0197229 A1Published application
US 8,009,099 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.