Assisted direction finding apparatus
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a method for measuring and indicating a true direction of a tracked object. The invention also relates to an apparatus and a tracking system utilizing the method. The invention also relates to a direction determination circuitry and to a computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable code, which is utilized in the direction determination circuitry. In the method a radio-bearing device shows all the time on a display true directions wherefrom a radio-bearing have been taken. The direction of the maximum signal strength measurement is highlighted on the display.
1. A method comprising:
turn of a radio-bearing device in the horizontal plane;
determining after a turn an angle of magnitude of the turn and a geographic direction of the radio-bearing device;
determining if a signal has been received from the determined geographic direction;
determining the received signal strength;
saving the received signal strength with the determined geographic direction;
determining a maximum received signal strength from all measured signals strengths; and
showing the determined geographic directions and a geographic direction of the maximum received signal strength on a display of the radio-bearing device in their true directions.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the geographic direction of the radio-bearing device is determined by utilizing an electronic compass.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein received signal strengths are determined from each determined geographic direction by utilizing a received signal strength detector.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein after a turn of the radio-bearing device all determined geographic directions are shown on the display according to their actual geographic directions.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the direction wherefrom the maximum received signal strength measurement has been got is highlighted on the display of the radio-bearing device.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the radio-bearing device is utilized for tracking a dog.
7. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver with a signal strength detector;
an electronic compass configured to determine and indicate a geographic direction;
a display unit;
a processor; and
a memory including a computer program code;
the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
determine a direction and an angle of magnitude of a turn and a geographic direction of the apparatus in the horizontal plane;
determine a signal strength received from the determined geographic direction;
save the determined signal strength with the determined geographic direction;
determine a maximum received signal strength from all received signal strengths; and
show the determined geographic directions and a geographic direction of the maximum received signal strength on the display of the apparatus in their true directions.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the direction and the magnitude of the angle of the turn and the geographic direction of the apparatus after the turn are configured to be determined by the electronic compass.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , which is configured to show on the display in their actual geographic directions all geographic directions which have been determined by the electronic compass.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the determined geographic directions are configured to be turned on the display to an opposite direction than the determined direction of the turn of the apparatus.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the geographic directions on the display are configured to be turned an equal magnitude of the angle as the apparatus has been turned between two consecutive compass readings.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , where in the apparatus is a tracking device of a dog.
13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , where in the display is an LCD, an OLEO or a LED display.
14. A direction determination circuitry configured to:
determine a turn in the horizontal plane;
determine a direction and an angle of magnitude of the turn;
determine and indicate after the turn a geographic direction;
determine a signal strength received from the indicated geographic direction;
save the determined signal strength measurement with the indicated geographic direction;
determine a maximum received signal strength from all determined signal strength measurements; and
show the determined geographic directions and highlight a geographic direction of the maximum determined signal strength on a display in their true directions.
15. The direction determination circuitry according to claim 14 , wherein the geographic direction and the magnitude of the angle of the turning is configured to be determined from an output of an electronic compass.
16. The direction determination circuitry according to claim 15 , which is configured to show on a display of an apparatus all determined geographic directions in their actual geographic directions.
17. The direction determination circuitry according to claim 16 , which is configured to turn the determined geographic directions on the display to an opposite direction than the determined direction of the turn of the apparatus.
18. The direction determination circuitry according to claim 17 , which is configured to turn the determined geographic directions on the display by an equal magnitude of the angle as the apparatus has been turned between two consecutive compass readings.
19. A tracking system comprising:
transmitter carried by an object to be tracked; and
a directional receiver comprising:
a means for determining and indicating a geographic direction;
a means for determining a received signal strength;
a means for saving the received signal strength with the determined geographic location;
a means for showing all geographic directions wherefrom signals have been determined; and
a means for showing the determined geographic directions and highlight a geographic direction of a maximum received signal strength on a display of the directional receiver in their true directions.
20. The tracking system according to claim 19 , wherein the means for determining and indicating a geographic direction comprises an electronic compass.
21. The tracking system according to claim 19 , wherein the means for showing all geographic directions are configured to show all determined geographic directions in their actual geographic directions on the display of the directional receiver.
22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-executable components comprising:
computer readable code for determining a direction and an angle of magnitude of the turn of an apparatus in the horizontal plane;
computer readable code for determining after the turn a geographic direction of the apparatus;
computer readable code for determining a signal strength received from the determined geographic direction;
computer readable code for saving the received signal strength and determined geographic direction;
computer readable code for determining a maximum received signal strength from all received signals; and
computer readable code for showing the determined geographic directions and a geographic direction of the maximum received signal strength on a display of an apparatus in their true directions.
23. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 22 , which further comprises:
computer readable code for turning the determined geographic directions on the display of the apparatus to an opposite direction than the determined direction of the turning of the apparatus; and
computer readable code for turning the determined geographic directions on the display by an equal magnitude of the angle as the apparatus has been turned between two consecutive compass readings.