Cable tracking by electromagnetic emission

US10382094B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Petra Sabine Buehrer · St. Leon-Rot, DE
• Florian Graf · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE
• Thorsten Muehge · Mainz, DE
• Tim U. Scheideler · Thalheim, CH
• Raphael Waltert · Zürich, CH

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 28, 2017
• Grant date: Aug 13, 2019
• Expiry date: Nov 28, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W40/38
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and system for tracking a course of a cable using electromagnetic waves. A first transceiver sends to a second transceiver a first signal wirelessly in a linear line. The second transceiver sends back to the first transceiver the first signal in the linear line. A first distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver is determined by determining a total transmission time for a first wireless signal travelling from the first transceiver to the second transceiver and back to the first transceiver. A second signal, aligned with the first signal, is transmitted from the first transceiver into the cable. The second transceiver receives the second signal wirelessly from the cable. A second distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver is determined by comparing a phase difference between the first signal received by the second transmitter and the second signal received by the second transmitter.