Distance estimation using phase information

1. A system for estimating a distance to an object, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting RF signals from a location of an object;

measurement equipment, including a receiver, for receiving the transmitted RF signals as corresponding received RF signals and measuring a plurality of phase differences at different frequencies between the transmitted RF signals and the corresponding received RF signals;

a processor configured to

calculate normalized phases from the plurality of phase differences;

calculate corrected phases by resolving one or more ambiguities from the normalized phases;

obtain a characteristic curve using the corrected phases; and

provide an estimate of the distance based on the characteristic curve and the corrected phases.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a given one of the corrected phases is calculated by adding an integer multiple of an ambiguity factor to a given one of the normalized phases to resolve the one or more ambiguities of the given one of the normalized phases.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ambiguity factor is a phase value equivalent to a wavelength of a given one of the transmitted RF signals.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ambiguity factor is a phase value equivalent to a half of a wavelength of a given one of the transmitted RF signals.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein a difference between two of the corrected phases for a given one of the different frequencies is less than the ambiguity factor, and wherein the ambiguity factor is selected from the group consisting of a phase value equivalent of a wavelength of a given one of the transmitted RF signals and a phase value equivalent of a half of the wavelength of the given one of the transmitted RF signals.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the transmitted RF signals are transmitted using a plurality of wavelengths, and wherein the corrected phase for a largest wavelength from among the plurality of wavelengths is less than the ambiguity factor for the largest wavelength.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the transmitted RF signals are transmitted using a plurality of wavelengths, and wherein the corrected phase for a smallest wavelength from among the plurality of wavelengths is less than the ambiguity factor for the smallest wavelength.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the corrected phases are calculated to follow the characteristic curve.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein a mean squared difference between the corrected phases and the characteristic curve is minimized.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein a slope of the characteristic curve is obtained by maximizing a likelihood of the characteristic curve given the corrected phases.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein a slope of the characteristic curve is obtained using least square curve fitting.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmitted RF signals are transmitted using a plurality of wavelengths, and wherein the characteristic curve, relating to the normalized phases versus the plurality of wavelengths, is an affine function.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmitted RF signals are transmitted using a plurality of wavelengths, and wherein the characteristic curve, relating to the normalized phases versus the plurality of wavelengths, is a hyperbolic function.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein a given one of the corresponding received RF signals at the measurement equipment is a reflected signal off of the object.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein a given one of the corresponding received RF signals at the measurement equipment is a backscattered signal from the object.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the measurement equipment uses polarization to distinguish between a backscatter signal and a reflected signal.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the estimate of the distance has an uncertainty that is an integer multiple of an uncertainty factor.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ambiguities are resolved by performing an intra-frequency ambiguity resolution process and an inter-frequency ambiguity resolution process relative to the normalized phases.

19. A computer-implemented method for estimating a distance between an object and measurement equipment, comprising:

measuring, by the measurement equipment, a plurality of phase differences at different frequencies between transmitted Radio Frequency (RF) signals from a location of the object and corresponding received RF signals at the measurement equipment;

calculating, by a processor, normalized phases from the plurality of phase differences;

calculating, by the processor, corrected phases by resolving one or more ambiguities from the normalized phases;

obtaining, by the processor, a characteristic curve using the corrected phases; and

providing, by the processor, an estimate of the distance based on the characteristic curve and the corrected phases.

20. A computer program product for estimating a distance between an object and measurement equipment, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

measuring, by the measurement equipment, a plurality of phase differences at different frequencies between transmitted Radio Frequency (RF) signals from a location of the object and corresponding received RF signals at the measurement equipment;

calculating, by a processor, normalized phases from the plurality of phase differences;

calculating, by the processor, corrected phases by resolving one or more ambiguities from the normalized phases;

obtaining, by the processor, a characteristic curve using the corrected phases; and

providing, by the processor, an estimate of the distance based on the characteristic curve and the corrected phases.