Determining the Position of Sensor Nodes of a Sensor Network

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a method and system for determining the relative position of sensor nodes within a sensor network. The technique uses signals (such as TV or cellular broadcast signals) that are received by at least two sensor nodes. By analyzing the time differences and angles at which these signals arrive at each node, along with reference frequency synchronization, the system can calculate the relative positions of the nodes with high accuracy—without needing GPS, special hardware, or prior knowledge of transmitter locations.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Smart metering for utilities (electricity, gas, water) to determine and manage sensor node locations accurately without manual mapping or GPS.
• Industrial and factory automation where deploying sensors indoors or in complex environments requires precise relative positioning for monitoring and control.
• Asset tracking or inventory management in large warehouses or facilities by facilitating accurate node localization for mobile or fixed assets.
• Building automation and environmental monitoring systems that need to map sensor readings to precise locations indoors where GPS is unavailable.
• Deployment of wireless sensor networks in disaster recovery scenarios (e.g., within collapsed structures) for rapid node localization.
• Smart agriculture for precise placement and tracking of soil, weather, or equipment sensors across a field.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Highly accurate position determination (down to a few centimeters possible) without GPS or line-of-sight with satellites.
• Works indoors and in environments where traditional positioning systems like GPS fail or are unreliable.
• No need for costly and complex receiver hardware; uses widely available broadcast signals (e.g., DVB, LTE, FM radio).
• Reduces manual effort and errors involved in mapping or inputting sensor positions manually.
• Minimizes the impact of atmospheric variations compared to GPS, leading to more reliable measurements.
• Scales efficiently for large networks, as only relative signal behaviors between nodes need to be measured.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining the position of a first sensor node relative to a second sensor node, wherein the first and the second sensor nodes are communicatively connected to each other and are a constituent part of a sensor network, comprising the method steps: reception of signal sections of transmitted signals from at least two transmitters by the first and the second sensor node, beginning at a time t1 for a time period tRX; determining the angle of incidence of the transmitted signals to at least one of the sensor nodes; determining the distance between the sensor nodes from the propagation time differences of the transmitted signals from the at least two transmitters received at the first and second sensor nodes; determining the position of the first sensor node relative to the second sensor node from the distance between the sensor nodes and the angle of incidence of the transmitted signals, wherein the sensor nodes determine the time t1 and the time period tRX in relation to a reference frequency which is derived from the received transmitted signal from at least one of the transmitters.