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Title: Short range radio locator system

Abstract

A radio location system comprises a wireless transmitter that outputs two megahertz period bursts of two gigahertz radar carrier signals. A receiver system determines the position of the transmitter by the relative arrival of the radar bursts at several component receivers set up to have a favorable geometry and each one having a known location. One receiver provides a synchronizing gating pulse to itself and all the other receivers. The rate of the synchronizing gating pulse is slightly offset from the rate of the radar bursts themselves, so that each sample collects one finely-detailed piece of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver each pulse period. Thousands of sequential pulse periods provide corresponding thousand of pieces of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver, in expanded, not real time. Therefore the signal processing can be done with relatively low-frequency, inexpensive components. A conventional microcomputer is then used to find the position of the transmitter by geometric triangulation based on the relative time-of-flight information. 5 figs.

Inventors:
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
415755
Patent Number(s):
5589838
Application Number:
PAN: 8-510,979
Assignee:
Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 31 Dec 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
44 INSTRUMENTATION, INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS; RANGE FINDERS; DESIGN; RADIO EQUIPMENT; DISTANCE; DATA PROCESSING; TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD

Citation Formats

McEwan, T E. Short range radio locator system. United States: N. p., 1996. Web.
McEwan, T E. Short range radio locator system. United States.
McEwan, T E. Tue . "Short range radio locator system". United States.
@article{osti_415755,
title = {Short range radio locator system},
author = {McEwan, T E},
abstractNote = {A radio location system comprises a wireless transmitter that outputs two megahertz period bursts of two gigahertz radar carrier signals. A receiver system determines the position of the transmitter by the relative arrival of the radar bursts at several component receivers set up to have a favorable geometry and each one having a known location. One receiver provides a synchronizing gating pulse to itself and all the other receivers. The rate of the synchronizing gating pulse is slightly offset from the rate of the radar bursts themselves, so that each sample collects one finely-detailed piece of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver each pulse period. Thousands of sequential pulse periods provide corresponding thousand of pieces of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver, in expanded, not real time. Therefore the signal processing can be done with relatively low-frequency, inexpensive components. A conventional microcomputer is then used to find the position of the transmitter by geometric triangulation based on the relative time-of-flight information. 5 figs.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1996},
month = {12}
}