Position Determination System and Method for Operating

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

This patent describes a position-determining system and its method of operation that enables precise tracking of a mobile object's position using a small, low-power transmitter attached to the object and at least two stationary receivers. Unlike traditional hyperbolic navigation systems (e.g., Decca), signals are transmitted only from the object's location, and stationary receivers measure the phase differences to determine the object's coordinates. The system can use radio or optical signals and is particularly accurate as each coordinate is determined by dedicated pairs of receivers, and further receiver pairs can enhance accuracy and robustness.

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

• Tracking the positions of sports equipment such as golf balls or clubs for performance analysis and training.
• Monitoring and recording rapid hand or body movements in medical diagnostics, such as detecting tremors in Parkinson's disease patients.
• High-precision motion capture in physics labs or research experiments at small spatial scales.
• Player and object tracking on sports fields for automated decision systems (e.g., offside detection in soccer).
• Industrial automation requiring precise location tracking of components or tools within workspaces.
• Studying the mechanics of moving objects in educational settings, e.g., pendulum dynamics or demonstrations of motion laws.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables highly accurate position measurement, down to the millimeter scale, even in small lab settings.
• Requires only a very small, lightweight, and low-power transmitter on the moving object, facilitating miniaturization and reducing interference with the object's dynamics.
• All phase difference measurements and complex calculations are handled by stationary receivers, simplifying the mobile unit.
• System can be expanded with more receivers for increased accuracy and robustness against signal interference or obstructions.
• Can operate with either radio or modulated optical signals, allowing flexibility to bypass regulatory frequency allocations or adapt to specific application constraints.
• System architecture and measurement method reduce the need for multiple frequencies and complicated frequency management found in traditional hyperbolic navigation.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a position-determining system and to a method for the operation thereof. The position-determining system comprises at least one transmitter connected to the object, at least two stationary receivers and means for determining the phase difference with which the signal of the transmitter arrives at the two receivers. Contrary to conventional radio direction finding (Decca direction finding), transmission is effected only at the location of the mobile object. As a result, only a transmitter having very small dimensions and very small power consumption is required at the location of the mobile object. In order to determine at least one spatial coordinate of the object position, the operating method uses at least one pair of two stationary receivers, between which the measurement range for the object position at said spatial coordinate is located. It was recognised that the position can be determined with great accuracy if the three spatial coordinates thereof are determined separately from one another by at least one receiver pair respectively.