Sonitor Technologies as

General Electric Company

Universitetet I Oslo

Vingmed Sound A/s

University of Oslo

Sverre Holm

Rune Holm

Ole Hovind

Hongxia Yao

Svein Rostad

Data communication apparatus comprising transmission means adapted to transmit data as the ratio of pairs of frequencies between objects that are moving relative to one another. It is particularly applicable to acoustic data communications at ultrasound frequencies in air.

Data communications

A zone location system with ultrasound US transmitters S, S, Slocated in respective zones Z, Z, Zsuch as rooms of a building B. Preferably, the US transmitters are time-multiplexed so that each of them in turn transmits a US signal US with a unique ID code USID represented therein. The portable tag PT includes an ultrasound receiver USR arranged to receive the US signal. Based on the received US signal, the portable tag PT measures a strength of the received US signal. The portable tag PT also measures a parameter related to a movement of the portable tag PT, e.g. a Doppler shift based on the received US signal. Further, the portable tag extracts the USID. Then it transmits a wireless Radio Frequency signal RFS with its own ID PTID, the USID and first and second data values D, Drepresenting the signal strength and the movement related parameters. A processor P connected to a Radio Frequency receiver RFR receives the data from the portable tag PT and determines a connection between PTID and the zone Zin which it is present based on the USID. Further, the processor utilizes data Dand Dto calculate an estimated position POS within the zone Z. Especially, estimated distance between US transmitter Sand portable tag PT and velocity of the portable tag may be estimated based on Dand D, thus assisting in estimating the position POS of the portable tag PT. The system may further be combined with a Radio Frequency based positioning system, e.g. an RF signal strength based system, thereby enhancing the resolution of the estimated position POS of the portable tag PT. Further, such combined system help location in complicated and changing environments and in situations where the portable tag PT may be out of reach for US signals, e.g. when attached to a paper file enclosed in a box.

Ultrasound zone location system with high capacity

A method and a system for detection and position determination of chips, which transmit ultrasound signals in a room. The system comprises electronic identification chips, which are attached to objects that have to be monitored. Each chip is equipped with a transmitter and a receiver. The signals are received by a plurality of detector units, which are connected to a detector base unit that registers and interprets the signals transmitted form the identification chips. Detector base units located in different rooms are interconnected in a network and transmit processed information to one or more central units for further interpretation and sorting. The special feature of the invention is that line interference is substantially removed, and it is possible to determine position even though the identification chips are in motion.

System and method for position determination of objects

The invention relates to a method and a system for monitoring and position determination of objects and/or living beings within an area, such as, e.g. a room in a building or a road tunnel. The system comprises a plurality of identification tags equipped with an ultrasonic receiver and radio transmitter which is attached to the objects that have to be monitored. The identification tags receive ultrasonic signals whose arrival time they measure. This information together with the identification tags'ID code are transmitted by radio waves to a central unit which calculates the position of each of the identification tags.

Ultrasonic locating system

The invention relates to a method and a system for monitoring and position determination of objects and/or living beings within an area, such as, e.g. a room in a building. The system comprises a plurality of electronic units, called identification tags, which are attached to the objects that have to be monitored. Each identification tag has its own identification code (ID code) and is equipped with an ultrasonic transmitter, radio transmitter and radio receiver. The ultrasonic signals are received by one or more master and slave units which calculate transit time differences of ultrasonic pulses. This information together with the identification tags' ID code, identification of the room in which it is located, and any additional information are transmitted to a central processing unit which calculates the identification tag's position and presents it to a user of the system.

Ultrasonic tracking and locating system

A method for obtaining an increased update rate in an indoor acoustic positioning system for determining the position of one or more identification tags, comprising transmitting from an identification tag an acoustic spread spectrum sequence that is unique to the identification tag, receiving the spread spectrum sequence in a detector unit and recording the arrival time of the spectrum sequence, and comparing the spectrum sequence with stored values of the spectrum sequences used by all the identification tags in the positioning system.

Method and system for increased update rate in acoustic positioning

An ultrasound imaging device comprising a set of bins, wherein each bin includes a set of transducer elements. Additionally, a set of mode switches or multiplexers are associated with the set of bins, wherein the set of mode switches or multiplexers configure the set of transducer elements in each bin to form either a one-dimensional array providing a two-dimensional scan mode or a two-dimensional array providing a three-dimensional scan mode.

Multi-dimensional transducer array apparatus

An ultrasound imaging system uses a synthetic transmit aperture method with prefocused subapertures. The transmit aperture is divided into several subapertures. Transmission is done sequentially on each subaperture while receiving on the full aperture. The received data sets are then combined using the appropriate delays. In this way the focusing performance of a composite focusing system using a number of focal zones equal to the square of the number of subapertures is achieved. The gain is an increase in the frame rate which is also equal to the number of subapertures used.

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Asker, Norway

Sverre Holm