Geo-locating of wireless devices using a binning function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11709249-B2
Application number	US-202217899032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2022
Priority date	Jul 28, 2020
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

A method for determining a geo-location of a target station is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of RTTs over a plurality of successive time intervals. Each successive time interval is equal to a predetermined amount of time. The plurality of RTTs is placed into a plurality of bins. Each bin has a predetermined time width and a count of RTTs placed in the bin. A bin with a highest count of RTTs (maxCb) and another bin with a next highest count of RTTs are selected and a maximum count ratio determined. The bin with maxCb to a maximum bin value is set based at least on a predetermined threshold of the maximum count ratio. During a next successive time interval, the RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value are selected to determine the geo-location of the target station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a geo-location of a target station using a plurality of round-trip times (RTTs) of signals transmitted by a measuring station to the target station, and response signals received from the target station corresponding to the transmitted signals, the plurality of RTTs being placed into a plurality of bins, each bin having a count of RTTs placed in the bin, the method comprising:
selecting a bin with a highest count of RTTs (maxCb) and another bin with a next highest count of RTTs (nextCb);
determining a maximum count ratio as maxCb/nextCb;
setting the bin with maxCb to a maximum bin value based at least on a predetermined threshold of the maximum count ratio; and
selecting the RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value to determine the geo-location of the target station.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each bin of the plurality of bins has a predetermined time width (T W ), and the method further includes:
determining an average value of the RTTs in each bin of the plurality of bins, the average value corresponding to the bin; and
for each RTT (RTT n ) of the plurality of RTTs:
placing the RTT n into the bin that corresponds to the average value if a difference between the RTT n and the average value is one of less than and equal to half of the T W of the bin.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein each RTT n has a receipt time, the receipt time being a time at which the corresponding RTT is received at the measuring station, the method further including:
for each RTT in each bin:
determining a time difference between a present time and the receipt time of the RTT; and
removing, from each bin, each RTT for which the time difference is greater than a preset time interval; and

updating the average value of the RTTs in each bin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of:
the determining of the time difference and the removing of each RTT are performed after a predetermined amount of time (T 1 ) has elapsed; and
the method further includes at least one of:
receiving the plurality of RTTs over a plurality of successive time intervals, each successive time interval being equal to T 1 ;
selecting the bin with maxCb and another bin with nextCb is performed after T 1 has elapsed.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further includes:
if the difference between the RTT n and the average value is greater than half of T W of each bin of the plurality of bins:
creating a new bin and including the new bin in the plurality of bins; and
adding the RTT n to the new bin.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes:
creating a first bin for a first RTT and including the first bin in the plurality of bins, the first RTT being an RTT that is first received by the measuring station; and
placing the first RTT in the first bin.

7. The method of claim 1 , the method further including:
determining the geo-location of the target station based at least on the selected RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value are selected during a next successive time interval associated with the plurality of RTTs.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring station is an airborne measuring station.

10. A wireless device, WD, configured to determine a geo-location of a target station using a plurality of round-trip times (RTTs) of signals transmitted by a measuring station to the target station and response signals received from the target station corresponding to the transmitted signals, the plurality of RTTs being placed into a plurality of bins, each bin having a count of RTTs placed in the bin, the WD comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
select a bin with a highest count of RTTs (maxCb) and another bin with a next highest count of RTTs (nextCb);
determine a maximum count ratio as maxCb/nextCb;
set the bin with maxCb to a maximum bin value based at least on a predetermined threshold of the maximum count ratio; and
select the RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value to determine the geo-location of the target station.

11. The WD of claim 10 , wherein each bin of the plurality of bins has a predetermined time width (T W ), and the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine an average value of the RTTs in each bin of the plurality of bins, the average value corresponding to the bin;
for each RTT (RTT n ) of the plurality of RTTs:
place the RTT n into the bin, B, that corresponds to the average value, if a difference between the RTT n and the average value is one of less than and equal to half of the T W of the bin.

12. The WD of claim 11 , wherein each RTT n has a receipt time, the receipt time being a time at which the corresponding RTT is received at the measuring station, the processing circuitry being further configured to:
for each RTT in each bin:
determine a time difference between a present time and the receipt time of the RTT; and
remove, from each bin, each RTT for which the time difference is greater than a preset time interval; and

update the average value of the RTTs in each bin.

13. The WD of claim 12 , wherein at least one of:
the determining of the time difference and the removing of each RTT are performed after a predetermined amount of time (T 1 ) has elapsed; and
the processing circuitry is further configured to at least one of:
cause the WD to receive the plurality of RTTs over a plurality of successive time intervals, each successive time interval being equal to T 1 ;
select the bin with maxCb and another bin with nextCb is performed after T 1 has elapsed.

14. The WD of claim 11 , the processing circuitry being further configured to:
if the difference between the RTT n and the average value is greater than half of T W of each bin of the plurality of bins:
create a new bin and including the new bin in the plurality of bins; and
add the RTT n to the new bin.

15. The WD of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
create a first bin for a first RTT and including the first bin in the plurality of bins, the first RTT being an RTT that is first received by the measuring station; and
place the first RTT in the first bin.

16. The WD of claim 10 , the processing circuitry being further configured to:
determine the geo-location of the target station based at least on the selected RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value.

17. The WD of claim 10 , wherein the RTTs that are placed in the bin that is set to the maximum bin value are selected during a next successive time interval associated with the plurality of RTTs.

18. The WD of claim 10 , wherein the measuring station is an airborne measuring station.

19. An airborne measuring station configured to determine a geo-location of a target station using a plurality of round trip times (RTTs) associated with the target station, the airborne measuring station comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
place the plurality of RTTs into a plurality of bins, each bin, B, having a predetermined time width (T W ) and a count of RTTs placed in the bin;
select a bin with a highest count of RTTs (maxCb) and another bin with a next highest count of RTTs (nextCb);
determine a maximum count ratio as maxCb/nextCb;
set the bin with maxCb to a maximum bin value based at least on a pred

Assignees

• Sr Tech Inc

Inventors

• Passler Mark
• Romanow Steven
• Smith Graham

Classifications

• G01S13/767 Primary

  Responders; Transponders (teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26) · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• G01S13/765 Primary

  with exchange of information between interrogator and responder · CPC title