Wide band radio-frequency localization devices and associated systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090944-B1
Application number	US-201815954968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 17, 2018
Priority date	Feb 12, 2018
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A device comprising: a radio frequency (RF) coupler comprising input, output, and coupled ports; an antenna capable of receiving RF signals having a first center frequency and transmitting RF signals having a second center frequency, the antenna connected to the RF coupler to provide received RF signals to the input port of the RF coupler and transmit RF signals received at the input port via coupling to signals received at the coupled port; and signal transformation circuitry having an input connected to the output port of the RF coupler to receive RF signals provided by the antenna to the input port and an output connected to the coupled port, the signal transformation circuitry configured to transform first RF signals having the first center frequency received from the output port to second RF signals having the second center frequency and to provide them to the coupled port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A target device, comprising:
a radio frequency (RF) coupler comprising an input port, an output port and a coupled port;
an antenna capable of receiving, from an interrogator device, RF signals having a first center frequency and transmitting RF signals having a second center frequency different from the first center frequency, the antenna connected to the RF coupler to provide received RF signals to the input port of the RF coupler and to transmit, to the interrogator device, RF signals received at the input port via coupling to signals received at the coupled port; and
signal transformation circuitry having an input connected to the output port of the RF coupler to receive RF signals provided by the antenna to the input port and an output connected to the coupled port, the signal transformation circuitry configured to transform first RF signals having the first center frequency received from the output port to second RF signals having the second center frequency and to provide the second RF signals to the coupled port.

2. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the RF coupler comprises:
a main line having the input port at a first end and the output port at a second end; and
a coupled line having the coupled port at a first end and an isolated port at a second end.

3. The target device of claim 2 , wherein the antenna is connected to the RF coupler to provide received RF signals to the input port of the RF coupler and to transmit RF signals received from the input port via coupling of the main line and the coupled line.

4. The target device of claim 2 , wherein the main line and the coupled line are coupled transmission lines.

5. The target device of claim 2 , wherein the main line and the coupled line comprise striplines.

6. The target device of claim 2 , wherein the main line and the coupled line comprise microstrips.

7. The target device of claim 2 , wherein the main line and the coupled line have a coupling loss of 5-15 dB.

8. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured to receive RF signals in a range of 4.0-7.5 GHz and transmit RF signals in a range of 8.0-15 GHz.

9. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured to receive C-band RF signals and transmit X-band RF signals.

10. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured to receive RF signals in a range of 50-70 GHz and transmit RF signals in a range of 100-140 GHz.

11. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises Archimedean spiral antenna.

12. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises an exponential spiral antenna.

13. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises a sinuous antenna.

14. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises a log-periodic antenna.

15. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises a circularly polarized antenna.

16. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is a single-port antenna.

17. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the signal transformation circuitry comprises at least one frequency multiplier.

18. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the signal transformation circuitry is configured to transform first RF signals having the first center frequency received to second RF signals having the second center frequency that is a harmonic of the first center frequency.

19. The target device of claim 18 , wherein the harmonic is the first harmonic of the first center frequency.

20. The target device of claim 1 , wherein the second center frequency is a harmonic of the first center frequency.

21. A method performed by a target device comprising a radio frequency (RF) antenna, an RF coupler having an input port, and output port, and a coupled port, and signal transformation circuitry, the method comprising:
receiving, via the RF antenna from an interrogator device, a wireless RF signal having a first center frequency;
providing, from the RF antenna to the input port of the RF coupler, a first RF signal generated based on the wireless RF signal and having the first center frequency;
generating, using the RF coupler and based on the first RF signal, a second RF signal having the first center frequency and providing the second RF signal to the signal transformation circuitry via the output port of the RF coupler;
generating, using the signal transformation circuitry and based on the second RF signal, a third RF signal having the second center frequency and providing the third RF signal to the coupled port of the RF coupler; and
generating, using the RF coupler, a fourth RF signal having the second center frequency and providing the fourth RF signal to the RF antenna, for transmission to the interrogator device, via the input port of the RF coupler.

Assignees

• Humatics Corp

Inventors

• Charvat Gregory L
• Zai Andrew Habib
• Montoya Christopher Ryan

Classifications

• G01S19/00

  Satellite radio beacon positioning systems; Determining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems · CPC title

• G01S13/82

  wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted · CPC title

• H04B1/50

  using different frequencies for the two directions of communication · CPC title

• H04B1/0053

  with common antenna for more than one band · CPC title

• H04B17/27 Primary

  for locating or positioning the transmitter · CPC title