Position location system and method
US6259404A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S1/045
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A position location system includes multiple base stations spaced over a region. A remote unit within the region transmits a locating signal which is received by the base stations. The base stations report amplitude, phase and time data related to the locating signal to a control station. The control station includes a processor and memory that combine the data from all of the participating base stations to directly compute an optimal estimate of the location of the portable unit. The control station generates a locator function based upon the probability that the portable unit is located at a particular position. By optimizing the locator function, the error in the computation is minimized to produce an accurate position estimate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.