Granted Patent B2

US 12,418,321 · App. 18/054,552 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Inventor: Eberhard Wahl (Weilheim an der Teck, DE)

Assignee: TRUMPF WERKZEUGMASCHINEN SE + CO. KG

H04B1/7163H04W64/00

Abstract

Claims (79)

1. A location system for interacting with a localizing sensor operatable in an ultra-wideband localization operation mode requiring computation of position information based on received ultra-wideband beacon signals received by the localizing sensor, the location system comprising:

an ultra-wideband infrastructure configured to enable localization for the ultra-wideband localization operation mode, the ultra-wideband infrastructure comprising: a plurality of stationary transmitters configured to emit the ultra-wideband beacon signals into a localizing zone;

a discovery infrastructure configured to perform a wireless communication of infrastructure data to the localizing sensor, the discovery infrastructure comprising at least one discovery signal transceiver configured to:

receive a discovery advertisement signal emitted from the localizing sensor; and

in response to receiving the discovery advertisement signal, send a provisioning signal comprising the infrastructure data to the localizing sensor, wherein the infrastructure data comprises information on the plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure; and

a controller configured to control operation of the ultra-wideband infrastructure and the discovery infrastructure, wherein the controller comprises a processor, and a data storage, wherein:

the data storage is configured to store the infrastructure data that is required to operate the localizing sensor in the ultra-wideband localization operation mode in accordance with an ultra-wideband framing protocol, and

the processor is configured to control the at least one discovery signal transceiver to send the provisioning signal to the localizing sensor in response to the receiving the discovery advertisement signal.

2. The location system of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure data comprises at least one of:

information of positions of the stationary transmitters within the localizing zone; or

timing information with respect to the ultra-wideband beacon signals emitted from the stationary transmitters, or

wherein the discovery infrastructure is further configured to receive information on the localizing sensor from the controller.

3. The location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one discovery signal transceiver is configured to wirelessly receive or transmit at least one of:

an advertisement signal configured to initiate a first wireless communication with a specific one of a plurality of localizing sensors entering the localizing zone;

a first provisioning signal configured to provide the infrastructure data to the specific one of the plurality of localizing sensors; or

a closing signal configured to close an ultra-wideband communication when the specific one of the plurality of localizing sensors leaves the localizing zone.

4. The location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one discovery signal transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate in a frequency range around 2.4 GHz and is configured to use an exchange protocol based on Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy, or Zigbee.

5. The location system of claim 1 , wherein an area associated with the controller is divided into a plurality of zones,

wherein a first zone of the plurality of zones is associated with:

a first subgroup of the plurality of stationary transmitters; and

a first discovery signal transceiver for communicating first infrastructure data associated with the first zone, and

wherein a second zone of the plurality of zones is associated with:

a second subgroup of the plurality of stationary transmitters; and

a second discovery signal transceiver for communicating second infrastructure data associated with the second zone.

6. The location system of claim 5 , wherein the second discovery signal transceiver is configured to communicate to the first discovery signal transceiver that a localizing sensor acknowledged receipt of the infrastructure data associated with the second zone.

7. The location system of claim 1 , wherein the localizing sensor is one of a plurality of localizing sensors, the plurality of localizing sensors being operatable in at least one of a first mode requiring emission of ultra-wideband response signals from a respective localizing sensor, or a second mode requiring the computation of the position information based on the received ultra-wideband beacon signals received by a respective localizing sensor, wherein:

the ultra-wideband infrastructure further comprises:

a plurality of stationary receivers configured to receive the ultra-wideband beacon signals and the ultra-wideband response signals emitted from a first group of the plurality of localizing sensors operated in the first mode; and

the controller further comprises a data output, wherein:

the infrastructure data stored in the data storage is required to operate the plurality of localizing sensors in the first mode and the second mode, and

the processor is further configured to:

receive timing information for the ultra-wideband beacon signals and the ultra-wideband response signals, and calculate from the timing information position data of the first group of localizing sensors within the localizing zone; and

output the position data at the data output for use in at least one industrial application.

8. The location system of claim 7 , wherein the infrastructure data further comprises at least one of:

information of positions of the stationary receivers within the localizing zone;

a slot number associated with a respective one of the plurality of localizing sensors for being operated in the first mode;

a localization rate associated te a the respective one of the plurality of localizing sensors; or

the first mode or the second mode in which the respective one of the plurality of localizing sensors is to be operated.

9. The location system of claim 7 , wherein one of the plurality of stationary transmitters and one of the plurality of stationary receivers are configured as:

a transceiver stationary installed in the localizing zone at a fix position, or

a mobile transceiver forming a respective localizing sensor operated in the first mode, wherein the mobile transceiver is positioned in the localizing zone and does not move during an execution of an ultra-wideband localization operation.

10. The location system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of stationary transmitters is configured to emit the ultra-wideband beacon signals in accordance with an ultra-wideband framing protocol that defines a superframe to include:

a predefined number of beacon slots,

a pre-predefined number of ranging slots separated from the beacon slots by a predefined number of banned slots, and

at least one rendezvous slot.

11. The location system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of stationary transmitters is configured to emit the ultra-wideband beacon signals in accordance with an ultra-wideband framing protocol that includes up to several hundred time slots in a hyperframe structure, and wherein, based on the hyperframe structure, the first group of localizing sensors operated in the first mode is configured to emit the ultra-wideband response signals at a plurality of localization rates comprising rates at 8 Hz, 1 Hz, and 0.2 Hz.

12. The location system of claim 7 , wherein the second mode is set to perform a self-localization at a localization rate given by a time duration of the-a superframe or smaller.

13. The location system of claim 7 , wherein one of the plurality of stationary transmitters and one of the plurality of stationary receivers are implemented as a transceiver configured to receive the ultra-wideband beacon signals and the ultra-wideband response signals, and to transmit ultra-wideband repeater beacon signals.

14. The location system of claim 7 , wherein the ultra-wideband framing protocol defines a hyperframe comprising a predefined number of superframes, and different localization rates are implemented by using selected ones of the superframes in the hyperframe.

15. The location system of claim 14 , wherein for a highest localization rate, each superframe is used, and subgroups of equally spaced superframes are used for other localization rates.

16. The location system of claim 1 , wherein the location system further comprises at least one of:

a plurality of localizing sensors, each localizing sensor configured to wirelessly communicate with the discovery infrastructure to receive the infrastructure data, and

operate in at least one of two ultra-wideband localization operation modes, or

at least one further mobile device that is configured to wirelessly communicate with the discovery infrastructure to receive the infrastructure data,; and compare the infrastructure data with environment data that the mobile device derives from imaging an environment of the mobile device with an image acquisition system.

17. A method for operating a localizing sensor in an ultra-wideband localization operation mode for computation of position information by the localizing sensor, the method comprising:

sending with the localizing sensor a discovery advertisement signal;

in response to the discovery advertisement signal, receiving, with the localizing sensor, a provisioning signal including infrastructure data by wireless communication from a discovery infrastructure, wherein the infrastructure data is configured for operation of the localizing sensor within an ultra-wideband infrastructure in the ultra-wideband localization operation mode and comprises information on a plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure;

receiving with the localizing sensor ultra-wideband beacon signals emitted from the plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure;

deriving with the localizing sensor timing information from the ultra-wideband beacon signals; and

calculating with the localizing sensor, from the timing information, position data of the localizing sensor using the infrastructure data.

18. A method for interacting with a localizing sensor being operatable within an ultra-wideband infrastructure in at least one of two ultra-wideband localization operation modes, the two ultra-wideband localization operation modes comprising a first mode requiring emission of ultra-wideband response signals from the localizing sensor, and a second mode requiring computation of position information based on ultra-wideband beacon signals received by the localizing sensor, the method comprising:

storing infrastructure data on the ultra-wideband infrastructure that is required to operate the localizing sensor in the two ultra-wideband localization operation modes, wherein the infrastructure data comprises information on a plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure; and

operating a discovery infrastructure to perform a wireless communication of the infrastructure data to the localizing sensor, the wireless communication comprising:

receiving a discovery advertisement signal emitted from the localizing sensor, and

sending in response a provisioning signal including the infrastructure data; and

operating the ultra-wideband infrastructure to enable the-localizing:

with the first mode by,

with the plurality of stationary transmitters, emitting ultra-wideband beacon signals into a localizing zone; and

with a plurality of stationary receivers, receiving the ultra-wideband beacon signals and ultra-wideband response signals emitted from the localizing sensor if operated in the first mode;

receiving timing information for the ultra-wideband beacon signals and the ultra-wideband response signals from the plurality of stationary receivers;

calculating from the timing information position data of the localizing sensor within the localizing zone; and

outputting the position data for use in at least one industrial application;

or

with the second mode by, with a the plurality of stationary transmitters, emitting ultra-wideband beacon signals into the localizing zone.

19. A method for operating a localizing sensor within an ultra-wideband infrastructure, the method comprising:

sending with the localizing sensor a discovery advertisement signal;

in response to the discovery advertisement signal, receiving with the localizing sensor a provisioning signal including infrastructure data on an ultra-wideband infrastructure by wireless communication from a discovery infrastructure, wherein the infrastructure data is configured for operation of the localizing sensor within the ultra-wideband infrastructure and comprises information on a plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure

receiving with the localizing sensor ultra-wideband beacon signals emitted from the plurality of stationary transmitters of the ultra-wideband infrastructure; and

emitting with the localizing sensor ultra-wideband response signals in response to the ultra-wideband beacon signals at response time points set with respect to reception time points of the ultra-wideband beacon signals using the infrastructure data.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (22)

Cited By (1)

US 12,704,584