Transceiver devices and related communication and navigation methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10227116-B2
Application number	US-201615386107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 29, 2015
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A system and a method, as well as a positioning and wearable devices for determining the distance and position of devices communicating with each other over a medium, the system, are disclosed. At least one remote device comprises first processing unit, at least one transmitter functionally connected to the first processing unit and adapted to transmit signals over a medium, and at least one receiver functionally connected to the first processing unit and adapted to receive signals over said medium. At least two wearable devices, each comprising a second processing unit and wireless communication means capable of receiving and sending data signals over said medium, are also provided. The remote device is adapted to determine the distance to at least two wearable devices, to determine the direction to said at least two wearable devices based on at least two different bearings taken from said at least one remote device to each wearable device, to calculate the position of said at least two wearable devices relative to the remote device, and to communicate the position of at least one first wearable device to a second wearable device. The wearable devices are adapted to process the position of a first wearable device in their processing unit and to present to the user of a second wearable device an indication of direction and distance to said first wearable device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for determining the distance to and position of devices communicating with each other over a medium, the system, comprising:
at least one remote device comprising a first processing unit, at least one transmitter functionally connected to the first processing unit and adapted to transmit signals over a medium, and at least one receiver functionally connected to the first processing unit and adapted to receive signals over said medium,
at least two wearable devices, each comprising a second processing unit and a wireless communication means capable of receiving and sending data signals over said medium, wherein
said remote device is adapted to:
measure the distance to at least two wearable devices,
determine the direction to said at least two wearable devices based on at least two different bearings taken from said at least one remote device to each wearable device,
calculate the position of said at least two wearable devices relative to the remote device;
communicate said relative positions of at least a first wearable device and a second wearable device to the second wearable device;

said second wearable device being adapted to
process the relative position of said first wearable device and the relative position of said second wearable device in said second processing unit in order to calculate an indication of direction and distance from said second wearable device to said first wearable device and to present the indication to a user of said second wearable device.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said remote device is adapted to store the time when sending a data signal over said medium and to determine the distance to said wearable devices based on the time of travel of signals between the devices.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said remote device is adapted to send a data signal over said medium to said wearable devices and to determine the distance to said wearable devices based on the signal strength of the response signals received from said wearable devices.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said remote device is adapted to determine the direction to said wearable devices based on the intersection point of at least two different bearings taken from said remote device to each wearable device.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said remote device is adapted to determine the direction to said wearable devices based on at least two different bearings to each wearable device taken by at least two receivers functionally coupled to the processing unit of the remote device.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein said at least two receivers are spaced apart from each other and are signal direction sensitive.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one receiver comprises a rotating direction sensitive sensor.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a data signal transmitted from said remote device to said wearable device comprise an identification code by which a wearable device identifies itself as the recipient of said data signal.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a data signal transmitted from said wearable device to said remote device comprise an ID code by which a wearable device identifies itself as the transmitter of said data signal.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the ID code of said wearable device is a predetermined time delay that must pass between receiving data and sending a response.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein signals transmitted from said remote device to a plurality of wearable devices comprise data on the position of the wearable devices, whereby each of said plurality of wearable devices is configured to calculate and display the direction and distance to any other said wearable device.

12. A method for determining the distance to and position of devices communicating with each other over a medium, comprising the steps of:
providing a at least one remote device and at least two wearable devices, each device comprising a processing unit and wireless communication means functionally adapted to transmit and receive signals over said medium, the method comprising in said remote device the steps of:
measuring the distance to at least two wearable devices,
determining the direction to said at least two wearable devices based on at least two different bearings taken from said at least one remote device to each wearable device,
calculating the position of said at least two wearable devices relative to the remote device;
communicating said relative position of at least a first wearable device and a second wearable device to the second wearable device; and

relative position of said first wearable device and the relative position of said second wearable device in said second wearable device in order to calculate an indication of direction and distance from said second wearable device to said first wearable device and to present it to a user of said second wearable device.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of determining the distance to said wearable devices is performed by storing the time when sending a data signal over said medium and to determine the distance to said wearable devices based on the time of travel of signals between the devices.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of determining the distance to said wearable devices is performed by sending a data signal from said remote device to said wearable devices over said medium and by determining the distance to said least two wearable devices based on the signal strength of the response signals received from said wearable devices.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of determining the direction to said wearable devices is based on the intersection point of at least two different bearings to each wearable device taken from said remote device to each wearable device.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of determining the direction to said wearable devices is based on at least two different bearings to each wearable device taken by at least two receivers functionally coupled to the processing unit of said at least one remote device.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the direction to said at least two wearable devices are based on bearing taken from two signal direction sensitive receivers being spaced apart from each other.

18. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said remote device is determining the direction to said at least two wearable devices by using at least one receiver with a rotating direction sensitive sensor.

19. The method according to claim 12 , wherein an identification code by which a wearable device identifies itself as the recipient of a data signal transmitted from said remote device to said wearable device is included in said data signal.

20. The method according to claim 12 , wherein an ID code by which a wearable device identifies itself as the transmitter of a data signal is included in said data signal transmitted from said wearable device to said remote device.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the ID code of said wearable device is used a predetermined time delay that must pass between receiving data and sending a response.

22. The method according to claim 12 , wherein data on the position of each wearable device is included in the signals transmitted from said remote device to a plurality of wearable devices, w

Assignees

• Suunto Oy

Inventors

• Lindman Erik

Classifications

• G01S5/0226

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G01S3/782

  Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction · CPC title

• H04L29/08306

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B63C11/26 Primary

  Communication means, {e.g. means for signalling the presence of divers}(electric communication in general H04) · CPC title

• B63C11/22

  carried by diver · CPC title