IP Library Granted Patent US 9,995,818
Granted Patent B2
US 9,995,818 · App. 15/017,340 · Granted Jun 12, 2018

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing received signals for locating

Inventors: Robert Boyd (Eidson, TN); Jerald W. English (Rogersville, TN); Thomas L. Richardson (White Pine, TN); Michael A. Wohl (Talbott, TN)
Assignee: ZIH Corp.
G01S5/14G01S5/0205G01S5/0221G01S5/0226G01S5/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,995,818
App. No.
15/017,340
Granted
Jun 12, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example disclosed system for locating a signal source includes a receiver; and a plurality of node devices, wherein the receiver includes processing circuitry configured to perform operations including generating signal timing information including one or more pulses corresponding to a correlation with one or more frequencies based on each of a plurality of wireless signal streams, each of the wireless signal streams including a signal of interest; applying times and one or more determined gains for the signal of interest to permit estimate of a phase of the received signal; obtaining, from a memory device that stores the wireless signal streams, symbols of the signal of interest based on window periods associated with the pulses; formatting the symbols; and determining time-of-arrival information based on the formatted symbols.

Claims (41)

1. A system for locating a signal source, the system comprising:

a receiver; and

a plurality of node devices, wherein the receiver includes processing circuitry configured to perform operations including:

generating signal timing information including one or more pulses corresponding to a plurality of wireless signal streams, each of the wireless signal streams including a signal of interest;

opening a window for an interval that includes a duration of one of the one or more pulses, wherein the signal of interest is stored in memory during the interval;

identifying a location in the memory using timing information associated with the window;

obtaining, from the location in the memory, symbols of the signal of interest;

formatting the symbols; and

determining time-of-arrival information based on the formatted symbols.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the one or more pulses are time-compressed portions of the signal of interest.

3. A system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising providing the time-of-arrival information to a location processing service, wherein the location processing service is configured to determine a location of a source of the signal of interest based on the time-of-arrival information.

4. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein formatting the symbols of the signal of interest comprises formatting the symbols in preparation for determining the location of the source of the signal of interest.

5. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the wireless signal streams originated from at least one of the node devices.

6. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise storing the wireless signal steams in the memory such that the memory operates as a circular buffer for incoming wireless signals.

7. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein formatting the symbols comprises filtering data within the obtained symbols to include only portions of the signal of interest that are associated with the window.

8. A system as defined in claim 1 , wherein identifying the location in the memory comprises providing a memory address based on the window.

9. A method for locating a signal source, the method comprising:

generating, via processing circuitry, signal timing information including one or more pulses corresponding to a plurality of wireless signal streams that originated from at least one node device, each of the wireless signal streams including a signal of interest;

opening, via the processing circuitry, a window for an interval that includes a duration of one of the one or more pulses, wherein the signal of interest is stored in memory during the interval;

identifying, via the processing circuitry, a location in the memory using timing information associated with the window;

obtaining, from the location in the memory, symbols of the signal of interest;

formatting, via the processing circuitry, the symbols; and

determining, via the processing circuitry, time-of-arrival information based on the formatted symbols.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the one or more pulses are time-compressed portions of the signal of interest.

11. A method as defined in claim 9 , further comprising providing the time-of-arrival information to a location processing service, wherein the location processing service is configured to determine a location of a source of the signal of interest based on the time-of-arrival information.

12. A method as defined in claim 9 , wherein formatting the symbols of the signal of interest comprises formatting the symbols in preparation for determining the location of the source of the signal of interest.

13. A method as defined in claim 9 , further comprising storing the wireless signal steams in the memory such that the memory operates as a circular buffer for incoming wireless signals.

14. A method as defined in claim 9 , wherein formatting the symbols comprises filtering data within the obtained symbols to include only portions of the signal of interest that are associated with the window.

15. An apparatus including processing circuitry configured to at least:

generate signal timing information including one or more pulses corresponding to a plurality of wireless signal streams, each of the wireless signal streams including a signal of interest;

open a window for an interval that includes a duration of one of the one or more pulses, wherein the signal of interest is stored in memory during the interval;

identify a location in the memory using timing information associated with the window;

obtain, from the location in the memory, symbols of the signal of interest;

format the symbols; and

determine time-of-arrival information based on the formatted symbols.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein the one or more pulses are time-compressed portions of the signal of interest.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to provide the time-of-arrival information to a location processing service, wherein the location processing service is configured to determine a location of a source of the signal of interest based on the time-of-arrival information.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein formatting the symbols of the signal of interest comprises formatting the symbols in preparation for determining the location of the source of the signal of interest.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein the wireless signal streams originated from at least one of a plurality of node devices.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to store the wireless signal steams in the memory such that the memory operates as a circular buffer for incoming wireless signals.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein formatting the symbols comprises filtering data within the obtained symbols to include only portions of the signal of interest that are associated with the window.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST - 364 - DAY Recorded Mar 5, 2021
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; LASER BAND, LLC; TEMPTIME CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056036/0590 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2020
From: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; LASER BAND, LLC; TEMPTIME CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053841/0212 →
NOTICE OF TRANSFER OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 049675/0049 →
MERGER Recorded Mar 29, 2019
From: ZIH CORP.
To: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048884/0618 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 18, 2018
From: BOYD, ROBERT; ENGLISH, JERALD W.; RICHARDSON, THOMAS L.; WOHL, MICHAEL A.
To: ZIH CORP.
Reel/Frame 045848/0048 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 25, 2017
From: ZIH CORP.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE SUCCESSOR AGENT
Reel/Frame 044616/0736 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 13411220 · Mar 2, 2012
Provisional Application 61449436 · Mar 4, 2011
Related Publication 20160154087A1 · Jun 2, 2016