Radio frequency positioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10915718-B2
Application number	US-201816230988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) positioning system comprises transceivers, positioning tags, processing units and a computing host. One or multiple positioning tags are attached to a target object being located. When the transceivers first generate and transmit transmission signals, one or multiple tag antennas in the positioning tag receive the transmission signals and transmit back modulated signals. The transceivers then receive and transmit the modulated signals to the processing units. The processing units are configured to obtain received signals, and calculate frequency differences based on the received signals and the transmission signals. The computing host calculates position coordinates of tag antennas based on the frequency differences, and then calculates the orientation of the target object being located according to the position coordinates of the tag antennas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio frequency (RF) positioning system comprising:
a plurality of transceivers;
at least one positioning tag;
at least one processing unit; and
a computing host; wherein
each transceiver includes
a radiating circuit connected to a radiating antenna, and the radiating circuit generating a transmission signal which is transmitted to the outside through the radiating antenna; and
a receiving circuit connected to a receiving antenna, and through the receiving antenna, the receiving circuit receiving a modulated signal transmitted by the at least one positioning tag;

wherein the at least one positioning tag includes
at least one tag circuit each respectively connected to a corresponding tag antenna, and the tag circuit receiving the transmission signals transmitted by each transceiver through the corresponding tag antenna, and mixing an identification code exclusive to the corresponding tag antenna with the received transmission signals to generate the modulated signals, and transmitting the modulated signals to the outside through the corresponding tag antenna;

wherein the at least one processing unit, connected to each transceiver, includes
an identification circuit that provides an identification code corresponding to the tag antenna; and
a plurality of processing circuits whose number is the same as the number of the transceivers, wherein, according to the identification code provided by the identification circuit, each one of the plurality of the processing circuits is configured to obtain a received signal from the modulated signal transmitted by the corresponding transceiver, and calculates a frequency difference between the transmission signal of the same transceiver and the received signal; and

wherein the computing host, connected to each of the at least one processing unit and receiving the frequency differences calculated by each of the plurality of processing circuits, calculates distances between the tag antenna and each transceiver according to the frequency differences, and calculates a position coordinate of the tag antenna according to known position coordinates of each transceiver.

2. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of radiating circuits of the plurality of transceivers respectively generate transmission signals of different frequencies.

3. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of radiating circuits of the plurality of transceivers generate transmission signals in a time-division frequency-division manner, and the frequencies of the transmission signals transmitted at the same time do not overlap.

4. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one positioning tag includes a plurality of tag circuits, and each of the tag circuits is connected to a corresponding tag antenna.

5. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one positioning tag is a plurality of positioning tags, and the number of the processing units is the same as the total number of the tag antennas.

6. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the computing host is configured to calculate the orientations of the plurality of positioning tags according to the position coordinates of the plurality of tag antennas of the plurality of positioning tags.

7. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the total number of the tag antennas is the same as the number of the tag circuits.

8. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the computing host is configured to calculate the orientation of the at least one positioning tag according to the position coordinates of the plurality of tag antennas of the at least one positioning tag.

9. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one positioning tag is a plurality of positioning tags, and the number of the processing units is the same as the total number of the tag antennas.

10. The RF positioning system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the computing host is configured to calculate at least one orientation according to the position coordinates of the at least one tag antenna of each of the plurality of positioning tags.

Assignees

• Metal Ind Res & Dev Ct

Inventors

• An Nai-Chun
• Lin Yuan-Chih
• Tsai Hsiu-An
• Chen Shuo-Ching
• Lin Chih-Lung

Classifications

• G06K19/07773

  Antenna details (antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22) · CPC title

• G01S13/878

  Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector (G01S13/874 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06K7/10475 Primary

  arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices · CPC title

• G01S13/88

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title

• G01S13/825

  with exchange of information between interrogator and responder · CPC title