Method for determining a signal origin

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a signal origin (1), wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving at least one signal (2) by means of a first receiving unit (3) having at least three first receivers (4), wherein a signal point (S1-S6) is determined on the basis of the one received signal (2); receiving at least one signal (2) by means of a second receiving unit (5) having at least three second receivers (6), wherein another signal point (P1-P6) is determined on the basis of the received signal (2), wherein it is determined whether the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are in sync with one another, and the signal origin (1) is determined on the basis of the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6).

Description

[0001] Method for determining a signal origin

[0002] The invention relates to a method for determining a signal origin. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for determining a signal origin and to the use of the method in one- or multi-dimensional position determination.

[0003] A variety of devices are known from the prior art by means of which the position of an object in space can be determined. A device 9, shown in Figure 1, is known which has a transmitter and a receiver unit with three receivers. Neither the transmitter nor the receiver unit are shown in Figure 1. The transmitter emits transmitted signals 12, in particular sound pulses, which propagate spherically. The sound pulses strike the object 13 and are reflected by the object 13. It is assumed that the reflected sound waves propagate spherically from a point, which is referred to below as signal origin 1. The reflected signals 2, in particular sound waves, are received by the three receivers of the receiver unit.

[0004] The distance between device 9 and object 13 is determined based on the propagation time between a point in time at which the sound pulse is emitted and another point in time at which the echo, i.e., the reflected sound wave, is received. A solid angle of object 13 is determined from a phase difference between the sound waves received by the individual receivers. As a result, a signal origin 1 can be determined based on the received signals 2. In particular, the position of signal origin 1 in space can be determined.

[0005] In most applications of the device 9, the object 13 is located in an environment with one or more external signal sources 14. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 2. The external signal source 14 can be an external sound source. The external sound source can emit signals 2 that are directly received by the device 9. Alternatively or additionally, reflections of the signals 2 emitted by the external sound source can be received by the device 9. The receivers of the device 9 thus receive the sound waves reflected by the object 13 as well as the sound waves emitted by the external sound source 14. The device then determines three signal points S1, S2, S3 on the basis of the received sound waves. As can be seen from Figure 2, only the signal point S1 corresponds to the signal origin, i.e. the object point from which the reflected sound propagates spherically. The remaining two signal points S2 and S3 are false signals.The false signals result from the receivers not being synchronized with the external sound source, so determining the position of signal origin 1 using time-of-flight measurement leads to erroneous results. The direction of the received signal can be determined using the phase differences of the receivers in the receiving unit. The directions of the received signals are shown in Figure 2 as straight lines on which the signal points S1-S3 are located.

[0006] An external signal source can be an ultrasound source. The external signal source can be another active sensor that emits transmission signals and is not coupled to the device. As already explained above, with such an arrangement, no statement can be made regarding the distance of the object 13 from the device 9, since the external signal source does not transmit a transmission signal synchronized with the device. Therefore, a time-of-flight measurement leads to inaccurate results because the device 9 does not know whether the received signal 2 originates from the object 13 or from the external signal source 14.

[0007] In order to be able to determine the position of the object precisely, the false signals must therefore be filtered out. This is currently achieved by performing multiple measurements and detecting false signals based on the measurement results. However, the known methods have the disadvantage that filtering out the false signals is computationally intensive and thus takes a long time. Furthermore, the known methods have low reliability, and the calculation of multiple measurements increases latency. In this respect, the device 9 cannot be used in applications such as a moving robot and / or a motor vehicle, in which the position of the object must be determined quickly in order to be able to make a decision regarding the direction of travel and / or speed based on the determined position.An object of the invention is therefore to provide a method in which the signal origin can be determined quickly and reliably.

[0008] This object is achieved by a method for determining a signal origin, the method comprising the following steps:

[0009] Receiving at least one signal by a first receiving unit having at least three first receivers, wherein a signal point is determined on the basis of the one received signal,

[0010] Receiving at least one signal by a second receiving unit having at least three second receivers, wherein another signal point is determined on the basis of the received signal, wherein it is determined whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with each other and the signal origin is determined depending on the signal point and the other signal point.

[0011] A further object of the invention is to provide a device by means of which a signal origin can be quickly determined.

[0012] The object is achieved by a device for determining a signal origin with a first receiving unit for receiving at least one signal, which has at least three first receivers, a second receiving unit for receiving at least one signal, which has at least three second receivers and a computer device which determines one signal point on the basis of the signal received by the first receiving unit and another signal point on the basis of the signal received by the second receiving unit, wherein the computer device determines whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with one another and determines the signal origin depending on the signal point and the other signal point.

[0013] According to the invention, it was recognized that time-consuming filtering out of false signals through repeated measurements is not required, thereby reducing the latency of the device. In particular, it was recognized that a signal origin can be easily determined if two receiver units are used, which, based on the received signals, determine signal points and other signal points that are classified according to whether or not they are synchronous with one another. In particular, signal point pairs of mutually synchronous signal points are determined. As explained in more detail below, the signal origin can be determined quickly and precisely based on the classification or the signal point pairs, even if a large number of signal points are determined by the first and second receiver units.In this respect, the method can also be used in applications such as a moving robot and / or a motor vehicle, where a rapid determination of the signal origin and thus the position of the signal origin in space is necessary.

[0014] The signal origin is understood to be a real object, in particular an object point, from which the signals received by the first and second receiver units originate. The signal origin can be a physical object from which the transmission signals reflect. The transmission signal can be reflected for the first time by the physical object. Alternatively, the physical object can also reflect a transmission signal that has already been reflected several times. Alternatively, the signal origin can be a signal source from which a transmission signal is emitted, which is received, in particular directly, by the first and second receiver units. The signal source can be another transmitter that transmits a transmission signal. Alternatively or additionally, the signal source can be any source from the environment of the device.

[0015] A signal point is understood to be a point in space determined by the first receiver unit based on the received signal. As described above, in most cases the signal point does not correspond to the signal origin. In other words, the signal point can be a fictitious point resulting from the asynchronicity of the transmission signal emitted by the device and the received signal. The other signal point is determined by the second receiver unit based on the same or a different received signal. Analogous to the signal point, the other signal point can be a fictitious point that does not correspond to the signal origin. The first and second receiver units are arranged at a distance from one another in at least one spatial direction, in particular a maximum of two spatial directions.This means that the first receivers of the first receiver unit and the second receivers of the second receiver unit can receive the signal at different times. Likewise, the individual first receivers receive the signal at different times, and the individual second receivers also receive the signal at different times. The first receiver unit, in particular the first receivers, and the second receiver unit, in particular the second receivers, can be arranged in one plane. A more detailed arrangement of the first and second receivers is described in more detail below.

[0016] For the purposes of the invention, a signal point and another signal point are synchronous with one another if the received signal used to determine the signal point and the other signal point originates from the same signal origin. Furthermore, the transmission signal reflected by the object, i.e. the received signal used to determine the signal point and the other signal point, must originate from the same transmitter of the device. Furthermore, the transmission of the transmission signal via the transmitter and the reception of the signal are synchronized with one another. In other words, the transmission time is known to the device, in particular to the first and second receiver units. The invention exploits the fact that signals propagate spherically from the signal origin. Thus, a signal point and a signal point synchronous with it lie on the same wavefront of the signal.When a wave propagates in a medium, a wavefront is a spherical surface on which all points have the same travel time to the signal origin.

[0017] As explained in more detail below, there are various ways to check whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with each other, even if the position of the signal origin is not known.

[0018] In contrast, two signal points that do not originate from the same signal source are referred to as asynchronous below. In this case, the signals received by the first and second receiver units are different reflections, or the received signals originate from one or more different external sound sources. Furthermore, asynchronous signal points can originate from the same signal source. In this case, the receiver units receive a received signal that is asynchronous to the transmitted signal, or the direct sound of an external sound source that is asynchronous to the transmitted signal. With asynchronous signal points, the transmission time of the received signal is unknown to the device.

[0019] As a result, by detecting the signal point and the other signal point that are synchronous with each other, the received signals that originate from the same signal origin can be detected.

[0020] The computing device may have at least one processor or be a processor. Furthermore, the computing device may be part of a circuit board.

[0021] In one embodiment, the computing device can decide whether or not to determine the signal origin depending on the determination result. In particular, the computing device cannot determine the signal origin if the signal point and the other signal point are asynchronous to each other. However, the computing device can determine the signal origin if the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous to each other. As a result, the computational effort can be reduced by classifying the signal points into synchronous or asynchronous signal points. Thus, only the synchronous signal points can be used to determine the signal origin, and the remaining signal points can be filtered out as false signals.

[0022] The first receiver unit can detect multiple signal points. The second receiver unit can detect multiple other signal points. Accordingly, the first and second receiver units can receive multiple signals and, based on the received signals, determine the signal points and the other signal points. As a result, a plurality of signal points and other signal points can be determined and used for the previously described determination of the signal origin. After the signal points and the other signal points have been determined, it can be determined which signal points and other signal points are synchronous with one another. This occurs before the signal origin is determined, whereby the signal points and other signal points that are synchronous with one another are used to determine the signal origin. The first signal points determined by the first receiver unit are not classified among one another.Likewise, the second signal points determined by the second receiver unit are not classified among themselves.

[0023] In one embodiment, in order to determine signal points and other signal points that are synchronous with one another, it can be determined starting from one signal point whether another signal point is located in a predetermined area around the signal point. Similarly, starting from another signal point, it can be determined whether a signal point is located in a predetermined area around the other signal point. This can be carried out for all signal points and / or other signal points. This approach is suitable because it has been recognized that signal points and other signal points that are synchronous with one another cannot be arbitrarily far apart. The predetermined area can be a sphere with the signal point or the other signal point as the center. As a result, the computational effort is reduced because, for example, starting from one signal point, every other signal point no longer has to be checked to see whether it is synchronous with the signal point.

[0024] The computer device can determine that a signal point and another signal point are synchronous with one another if a first distance between the signal point and a line point and a second distance between the other signal point and the point satisfy a predetermined condition. The condition can be that the first distance and the second distance have the same value or differ from one another by a predetermined range. Focusing on the distance between the point and the signal point and / or the other signal point offers the advantage that it can be determined precisely whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with one another. Two signal points are synchronous if they do not exceed a predetermined distance. In this case, the points can almost lie one on top of the other. However, exact alignment is often not possible due to noise from the first and second receivers.The phase difference between the received signals plays no role in the assessment, which makes the classification accurate. The specified range takes into account the fact that the first and second receivers of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit, respectively, are noisy, and thus the distances will not always match exactly mathematically.

[0025] The computational effort can be further reduced by checking whether the signal point and the other signal point are separated from each other by a specified distance along a circular arc containing the signal point and the other signal point. The circular arc can be part of a sphere with a center point located on the connecting line, in particular on the middle of the connecting line, between the first and second receiving units. The check can be performed before or after the previously described distance check.

[0026] If the signal point and the other signal point are spaced apart by a specified distance, a further check can be performed to determine whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronized. If the distance between the signal point and the other signal point is greater than the specified distance, the test can be aborted. This check ensures that not all signal points and / or other signal points are used to determine the signal origin.

[0027] The point can be arranged on a connecting line between the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit. The connecting line can run between a center point of the first receiving unit and a center point of the second receiving unit. The center point of the first receiving unit can be in a center point of a triangle spanned by the first receivers. The center point of the second receiving unit can be in a center point of a triangle spanned by the second receivers. In the event that one or both receiving units have more than three receivers, the center point can be the center point of an area spanned by the receivers. Alternatively or additionally, the connecting line can run between a first receiver of the first receiving unit and a second receiver of the second receiving unit. The point can be a center point of the connecting line.In a special embodiment, to check whether a signal point and another signal point are synchronized, a signal point line can be determined that passes through the signal point and the other signal point. As already described above, the signal point and the other signal point can be spaced apart from each other within a predetermined range, so that not all signal points and / or other signal points need to be considered.

[0028] The computer device can determine that the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with one another if a perpendicular line to the signal point line runs through the midpoint of the connecting line between the first and second receiving units or runs through a predetermined range around a midpoint of the connecting line between the first and second receiving units. In this way, it is easy to determine whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with one another. The method can be used alternatively or in addition to the previously described method for classifying the signal points and the other signal points. The predetermined range takes into account that the first and second receivers of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit, respectively, are noisy, so that the perpendicular line does not run exactly through the midpoint.

[0029] In a further embodiment for checking whether a signal point and another signal point are synchronized with one another, a first straight line can be determined which runs through at least one signal point and the first receiving unit. The first straight line can run through a center point of the first receiving unit or through a first receiver of the first receiving unit. The center point of the first receiving unit can be in the center point of a triangle spanned by the first receivers. In addition, a second straight line can be determined which runs through at least one other signal point and the second receiving unit. The second straight line can run through a center point of the second receiving unit or through a second receiver of the second receiving unit. The center point of the second receiving unit can be in the center point of a triangle spanned by the second receivers.If one or both receiving units have more than three receivers, the center point can be the center point of an area spanned by the receivers. The first and second straight lines can run such that they intersect at a point. Alternatively, the first and second straight lines can run such that they are skew to each other. In this case, another perpendicular line can be determined that is perpendicular to the first and second straight lines and has the shortest distance between the first and second straight lines. The point can be a point on the perpendicular line, where the point can be a center point of the perpendicular line. The lines can run skew to each other due to noise from the receivers.

[0030] In this method, the computing device can determine that the signal point and the other signal point are synchronized with one another if a first distance between the other point and the signal point and a second distance between the other point and the other signal point satisfy a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition can be that the first distance between the other point and the signal point and the second distance between the other point and the other signal point have the same value or differ from one another by a predetermined range. The predetermined range takes into account that the first and second receivers of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit, respectively, are noisy and thus the distances will not always mathematically match exactly.

[0031] This makes it easy to determine whether the signal point and the other signal point are synchronous with each other. This method exploits the spherical propagation of the signal from the signal origin. Due to spherical propagation, the distances between synchronous signal points and other signal points must be equal or nearly equal. This method can be used as an alternative to or in addition to the previously described method for classifying the signal points and the other signal points.

[0032] In a special embodiment, the signal origin can be determined after determining which signal points and other signal points are synchronous with each other. In particular, the signal origin can be determined taking into account the determination result. The signal origin can be determined after a signal point pair has been determined. Alternatively, all signal point pairs can be determined first and then the signal origin or origins can be determined. Thus, it is possible for multiple signal origins to exist if multiple signal point pairs are determined.

[0033] To determine the signal origin, the computer device can determine the position of the signal point and the other signal point synchronous to the signal point. The computer device can specify that the signal origin corresponds to the position of the signal point and / or the other signal point if the positions of the signal point and the other signal point are the same or differ from each other by a specified range. The position of the signal point and / or the other signal point in space is referred to as the position.

[0034] In an alternative or additional approach, a first straight line can be determined that passes through a signal point and the first receiving unit. The first straight line can pass through a center point or a first receiver of the receiving unit. Furthermore, a second straight line can be determined that passes through another signal point, synchronous to the signal point, and the second receiving unit. The second straight line can pass through a center point or a second receiver.

[0035] The computer device can specify that the signal origin corresponds to the intersection point between the first and second other straight lines. This occurs when the first and second other straight lines intersect. As a result, the signal origin corresponds to the point described above.

[0036] In the event that the first other straight line and the second other straight line are skew to each other, the signal origin may correspond to the other point on the other perpendicular line described above.

[0037] In a particular embodiment, the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit can be activated at the same time. "Activated" means that the two receiving units can receive and evaluate signals from this point in time. Before this point in time, the first and second receiving units are in an inactive state in which no signals are received and evaluated. The point in time at which the first and second receiving units are activated can correspond to a point in time at which a transmission signal is emitted by a transmitter of the device. Activating the two receiving units at the same time makes it possible to classify signal points as synchronous or asynchronous to one another and / or to detect whether the received signals originate from the same signal source.In this respect, the signal origin can be easily determined by activating both receiving units at the same time.

[0038] The device can have a transmitter for emitting a transmission signal. The device can be designed as a single piece. In this case, the two receiving units and the transmitter can be arranged in or on a housing of the device. Alternatively, the device can be designed as multiple pieces. In this case, the two receiving units and the transmitter can be designed as separate components. The components can be electrically or electronically connected to the computer device.

[0039] In one embodiment of the device, a first receiver or a second receiver can also function as a transmitter. In this case, the device does not have a separate transmitter; instead, the transmission function is performed by a first or second receiver. Such a device is designed to be compact.

[0040] The transmitter can be designed such that the transmitted signal is a wave, in particular a pressure wave, preferably a sound wave, or an electromagnetic wave. Accordingly, the received signal is a wave, in particular a pressure wave, preferably a sound wave, or an electromagnetic wave. The transmitter can be an ultrasound source.

[0041] The transmitter can be arranged between the first and second receiving units. The transmitter can be arranged on the connecting line, in particular on the middle of the connecting line, between the first and second receiving units. Furthermore, the transmitter can be arranged at the center point of the device. This arrangement is advantageous if the device has a circular housing. The device can have more than two receiving units, in particular three receiving units. The individual receiving units can be identical to the first and / or second receiving unit described above. With a circular design of the device and the provision of more than two receiving units, the measurement accuracy is increased. The calculation is thus carried out several times with two receiving units in each case and an average of the calculated signal points is formed.The receiving units differ from one another during the calculation. This approach can reduce noise. An arrangement with three receiving units offset by 120° from each other is advantageous because this improves accuracy in all three spatial directions.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment, the transmitter can be located at a different location. However, the transmitter must be positioned such that the signal originating from the signal source can be received by both receiving units.

[0043] The first receiving unit, in particular the first receivers, and the second receiving unit, in particular the second receivers, can be arranged in the same plane. The transmitter can be arranged in the same plane as the first receivers and / or the second receivers.

[0044] The distance between the first receivers can be at most, in particular less than, half a wavelength of the received signal. Similarly, the distance between the second receivers can be at most, in particular less than, half a wavelength of the received signal.

[0045] The first and second receivers can be arranged such that at least two first receivers of the first receiving unit and / or at least two second receivers of the second receiving unit are arranged on a straight line. The transmitter can be arranged on the same straight line. In this case, at least one first receiver of the first receiving unit and / or at least one second receiver of the second receiving unit can be arranged at a distance from the straight line. Such a device has a compact design. According to one aspect of the invention, the method according to the invention is used for one- or multi-dimensional, preferably three-dimensional, position determination, in particular by means of a device according to the invention. In particular, the method can be used in a, in particular autonomously, moving robot and / or motor vehicle.In the robot and / or motor vehicle, the determined signal origin can be used to control the direction and / or speed of travel.

[0046] The figures show the subject matter of the invention schematically, with identical or equivalent elements generally being provided with the same reference numerals. Here:

[0047] Fig. 1 shows an arrangement known from the prior art consisting of a device with a transmitter and a receiver unit and an object,

[0048] Fig. 2 shows an arrangement known from the prior art consisting of a device with a transmitter and a receiver unit, an object and an external sound source,

[0049] Fig. 3 shows a device according to the invention according to a first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a first variant,

[0050] Fig. 4 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a second variant,

[0051] Fig. 5 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a third variant,

[0052] Fig. 6 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a fourth variant,

[0053] Fig. 7 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines a signal origin according to a first variant,

[0054] Fig. 8 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines a signal origin according to a second variant,

[0055] Fig. 9 is a plan view of a device according to the invention according to the first embodiment,

[0056] Fig. 10 is a plan view of a device according to the invention according to a second embodiment and Fig. 11 is a plan view of a device according to the invention according to a third embodiment.

[0057] In the arrangement shown in Figure 3, the object 13 shown in Figure 2 and the external signal source 14 are not shown. Figure 3 shows a plurality of signal points S1-S6 and other signal points P1-P6, which are determined by the device 9 based on the received signals 2 (not shown). This is explained in more detail below.

[0058] The device 9 differs from the device shown in Figures 1 and 2 in that it has two receiving units, namely a first receiving unit 3 and a second receiving unit 5. The first receiving unit 3 serves to receive at least one signal 2 and has three first receivers 4. The second receiving unit 5 also serves to receive at least one signal 2 and also has three second receivers 6. The first and second receivers 4, 6 are not shown in Figure 3. The first and second receiving units 3, 5 can also have more than three first and second receivers 4, 6.

[0059] The device 9 also has a computer 10 that determines a signal point S1-S6 based on the signal 2 received by the first receiving unit 3 and another signal point P1-P6 based on the signal 2 received by the second receiving unit 5. The computer 10 is electrically or electronically connected to the first receiving unit 3 and the second receiving unit 5. The computer 10 is arranged within a housing 15 of the device 9. The first receiving unit 3, in particular the first receivers, and the second receiving unit 5, in particular the second receivers, are arranged on or in the housing 15. As explained in more detail below, the computer 10 determines whether the signal point S1-S6 and the other signal points P1-P6 are synchronous with one another and determines a signal origin 1 depending on the signal point S1-S6 and the other signal point P1-P6.

[0060] In Figure 3, signal points S1-S6, which were determined based on signals 2 received by the first receiving unit 3, are shown as circular shapes. The other signal points P1-P6, which were determined based on signals 2 received by the second receiving unit 5, are rectangular.

[0061] The following describes the determination of signal point pairs according to a first procedure. The starting point is the first signal point S1. The computer device 10 checks a predetermined area 7, which is shown as circular in Figure 3 and corresponds to a sphere in three-dimensional space, to determine whether other signal points are located in the predetermined area. In the present case, a first other signal point P1 and a second other signal point P2 are located in the predetermined area 7.

[0062] In a next step, a check is performed to determine whether a first distance r1 between a center point M and the first signal point S1 corresponds to a second distance r2 between the center point M and the first other signal point P1 or deviates from each other by a predetermined range. Furthermore, a check is performed to determine whether the first distance r1 corresponds to a third distance r3 between the center point M and the second other signal point P2 or deviates from each other by a predetermined range. The center point M lies on a connecting line 8, shown in dashed lines in Figure 3, between the first receiving unit 3 and the second receiving unit 5.

[0063] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, it is determined that the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are at the same or substantially the same distance from the center point M. Therefore, the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point R1 are synchronous with each other. In contrast, the third distance r3 between the second other signal point P2 differs significantly from the first distance r1 between the center point M and the first signal point P1, so that the first signal point S1 and the second other signal point P2 are considered asynchronous with each other.

[0064] In a final step, it can be checked whether the distance of the first other signal point from the first signal point S1 along a circular arc line 16 corresponds to a predetermined distance. This is the case in Figure 3, so the computer device 10 determines that the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are synchronous with each other. The circular arc line 16 is part of a sphere (not shown in detail) with the center point M, which is located on the connecting line 8.

[0065] The above steps are repeated for all signal points S2-S6 and / or the other signal points P1-P6. It is determined that a fourth signal point S4 and a third other signal point P3 are synchronous with each other.

[0066] Fig. 4 shows the device 9 according to the first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a second procedure. Analogous to the procedure discussed in Figure 3, a signal point S1-S6 can first be determined, and based on this, the other signal points P1-P6 can be determined that are arranged in a predetermined area 7 around the signal point S1-S6.

[0067] According to the second procedure, a signal point line g is determined that runs through the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1. Subsequently, a perpendicular line I is determined and a check is made as to whether the perpendicular runs through the center point M or through a predefined area around the center point M. As a result, a check is made as to whether a perpendicular I to the signal point line g exists that runs through the center point M or through a predefined area around the center point M. This is the case in Figure 4, so that the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are synchronized with one another. The perpendicular line I is perpendicular to the signal point line g.

[0068] In addition, Figure 4 shows another signal point line g 1shown in dashed lines, which runs through a sixth signal point S6 and a sixth other signal point P6. As can be seen from Figure 4, another perpendicular line I' does not run through the center point or through a predetermined area around the center point M. Accordingly, the sixth signal point S6 and the third other signal point P6 are asynchronous to each other.

[0069] The above steps are repeated for all signal points S2-S6 and / or the other signal points P1-P6.

[0070] Fig. 5 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines signal point pairs according to a third procedure. Analogous to the procedure discussed in Figure 3, a signal point S1-S6 can first be determined, and based on this, the other signal points R1-P6 can be determined, which are arranged in a predetermined area 7 around the signal point S1-S6.

[0071] In the third approach, a first straight line g1 is determined, which runs through the first receiving unit 3, in particular through a center point of the first receiving unit 3, and the first signal point S1. The center point corresponds to a center point of a triangle (not shown) spanned by the three first receivers. Furthermore, a second straight line g2 is determined, which runs through the second receiving unit 5, in particular a center point of the second receiving unit, and the second signal point S2. The center point corresponds to a center point of a triangle (not shown) spanned by the three second receivers.

[0072] As can be seen from Figure 5, the two straight lines intersect at a point P. In a next step, it is checked whether the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are equidistant from the other point P or whether the distance differences lie within a predetermined range. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are arranged on the arc line of the same circle k1 around the other point P, so that the condition is met. In this case, the computing device 10 determines that the first signal point S1 and the first other signal point P1 are synchronous with one another.

[0073] Figure 5 also shows a third straight line g1' and a fourth straight line g2', which intersect at a further point P'. The third straight line g1' passes through the first receiving unit 3 and a sixth signal point S6, and the fourth straight line passes through the second receiving unit 5 and a fourth other signal point P4. As can be seen from Figure 5, the third signal point S3 and the fourth other signal point S4 do not lie on the arc line of the same other circle k2, so that the distance between the sixth signal point S6 and the further point P' differs significantly from the distance between the fourth other signal point P4 and the further point P'. Therefore, the computer device 10 determines that the third signal point S3 and the fourth other signal point P4 are asynchronous to one another and thus do not form a signal point pair. The previously described method also works if the straight lines are skew relative to one another.In this case, point P is defined as the center point of another perpendicular line perpendicular to the first and second lines g1, g2 and having the shortest distance between the first and second lines g1, g2. A device for performing the method on skew lines is shown in Figure 6.

[0074] As can be seen from Figure 6, the first and second straight lines g1, g2 run skew relative to each other. Figure 6 shows the other perpendicular line 11, which runs perpendicular to the first and second straight lines g1, g2. The other perpendicular line 11 is located at a position where the first and second straight lines g1, g2 are at their shortest distance from each other.

[0075] Point P is located on the other perpendicular line 11. In particular, point P can be the midpoint of the other perpendicular line 12. A check is performed to determine whether the distance between point P and the first signal point S1 corresponds to the distance between point P and the first other signal point P1, or whether the difference lies within a specified range. If the condition is met, the first and the first other signal point S1, P1 are synchronous with each other. This is the case in the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0076] The above steps are repeated for all signal points S2-S6 and / or the other signal points P1-P6.

[0077] Fig. 7 shows the device 9 according to the first embodiment, which determines a signal origin 1 according to a first procedure. As can be seen from Figure 3, the fourth signal point S4 and the third other signal point P3 are arranged very close to one another. This means that the position of the fourth signal point S4 corresponds to the position of the third other signal point P3 or differs from one another by a permissible, predetermined distance. The computer device 10 determines that the signal origin 1 is also arranged in the area, for example in the middle between the fourth signal point S4 and the third other signal point P3. In Figure 6, the signal origin 1 is shown as an object point of an object 13 from which the transmitted signal is reflected.

[0078] Alternatively, the signal origin 1 can also be a sound source.

[0079] Fig. 8 shows the device according to the first embodiment, which determines a signal origin using a second procedure. This procedure also starts from the detected signal point pairs. Thus, in Figure 7, the first signal point S1 and the first signal point R1 detected in Figure 3 are used as the starting point. A first straight line g1 a is drawn between the first receiving unit 3 and the first signal point S1, and a second straight line g1 a is drawn between the second receiving unit 5 and the first signal point R1. The intersection point of the two straight lines corresponds to the signal origin 1, which in this case is also an object point of an object 13. As a result, the signal origin corresponds to the point P determined in Figure 5.

[0080] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that point P shown in Figure 6 corresponds to the signal point origin. This results from the fact that the distance between point P and the first signal point S1 corresponds to the distance between point P and the first other signal point P1, or the distance difference lies within a specified range.

[0081] Fig. 9 shows a plan view of a device 9 according to the first embodiment of the invention. The device 9 has a rectangular housing. Two of the three first receivers are arranged on a straight line g3. The third first receiver 4 is arranged at a distance from the straight line g3. The transmitter 11 and two of the three second receivers 6 are also arranged on the straight line g3. The third second receiver is arranged at a distance from the straight line g3. All receivers are arranged in the same plane. In particular, all receivers are arranged on the same side of the housing of the device 9.

[0082] Fig. 9 shows the connecting line 8 between the first receiving unit 3 and the second receiving unit 5. The connecting line 8 runs between a center point of a triangle d1 spanned by the first receivers 4 and a center point of a triangle d2 spanned by the second receivers 6. Fig. 10 shows a plan view of a device 9 according to the invention according to a second embodiment. The device differs from the device shown in Figure 9 in that it, in particular the housing 15, has a circular cross-section, whereas the housing 15 of the embodiment shown in Figure 9 is rectangular. A further difference is that the device has three receiving units 3, 5, 17, each of the receiving units 3, 5, 17 having at least three receivers. In addition, the device 9 has a transmitter 11 which is arranged at the center point of the device.The receivers of the three receiving units and the transmitters are arranged in the same plane.

[0083] Fig. 1 1 shows a plan view of a device according to the invention according to a third embodiment. The third embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 9 in that the housing 15 has a square cross-section. A further difference is that the first receiving unit 3 and the second receiving unit 4 are offset from one another. Thus, a straight line g3 running through two first receivers 4 does not run coaxially with a straight line g3 running through two second receivers 6, but the two straight lines are offset from one another. Furthermore, the transmitter 1 1 is not arranged on either of the two straight lines g3.

[0084] LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0085] 1 Signal origin

[0086] 2 received signal

[0087] 3 first receiving unit

[0088] 4 first recipients

[0089] 5 second receiving unit

[0090] 6 second recipients

[0091] 7 specified area

[0092] 8 connecting lines

[0093] 9 Device

[0094] 10 Computer setup

[0095] 1 1 transmitter

[0096] 12 Transmission signal

[0097] 13 objects

[0098] 14 External signal source

[0099] 15 housings

[0100] 16 circular arc line

[0101] 17 third receiving unit g signal point line g' further signal point line g1 first line g1 a first other line g2 second line g2a second other line g3 line g1' third line g2' fourth line k1 circle k2 other circle

[0102] I Plumb line

[0103] II other perpendicular line r1 first distance r2 second distance r3 third distance

[0104] P point

[0105] P' further point

[0106] M Center of the connecting line

[0107] S1 -S6 first to sixth signal point

[0108] P1 -P6 first to sixth other signal point

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Method for determining a signal origin (1 ), wherein the method comprises the following steps: Receiving at least one signal (2) by a first receiving unit (3) which has at least three first receivers (4), wherein a signal point (S1-S6) is determined on the basis of the one received signal (2), Receiving at least one signal (2) by a second receiving unit (5) which has at least three second receivers (6), wherein another signal point (P1-P6) is determined on the basis of the received signal (2), wherein it is determined whether the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are synchronous to each other and the signal origin (1) is determined depending on the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a. depending on the determination result, the signal origin (1) is determined or not, and / or that b. the signal origin (1) is not determined if the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are asynchronous to each other, and / or that c. the signal origin (1) is determined if the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are synchronous to each other.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that several signal points (S1-S6) and several other signal points (P1-P6) are determined.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that it is determined which signal points (S1-S6) and other signal points (P1-P6) are synchronous to each other, in particular before the signal origin (1) is determined.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that a. starting from a signal point (S1-S6), it is determined whether another signal point (P1-P6) is arranged in a predetermined area (7) around the signal point (S1-S6) and / or that b. starting from another signal point (P1-P6), it is determined whether a signal point (S1-S6) is located in a specified area (7) around the other signal point (P1-P6).

6. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it is specified that a. a signal point (S1-S6) and another signal point (P1-P6) are synchronized to each other if a first distance (r1) between the signal point (S1-S6) and a point and a second distance (r2) between the other signal point (P1-P6) and the point (A) satisfy a predetermined condition, wherein the point is arranged on a connecting line (8) between the first receiving unit (3) and the second receiving unit (5) and / or that b. the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along a circular arc line containing the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6).

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the point is a midpoint (M) of the connecting line (8).

8. Method according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that a signal point line (g) is determined which passes through a signal point (S1 -S6) and another signal point (P1 -P6).

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that it is specified that the signal point (S1 -S6) and the other signal point (P1 -P6) are synchronous to each other if a perpendicular line (I) to the signal point line (g) passes through a midpoint (M) of a connecting line (8) between the first and second receiving unit (3, 5) or passes through a predetermined area around a midpoint (M) of a connecting line (8) between the first and second receiving unit (4, 5).

10. Method according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that a first straight line (gl) is determined which is defined by at least one signal point (S1-S6) and the first receiving unit (4) and a second straight line (g2) is determined which passes through at least one other signal point (P1 -P6) and the second receiving unit (5). 1 1. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the first and second lines (gl, g2) run such that a. they intersect at a point (P) or that b. they are skew to each other, wherein a point (P) lies on another perpendicular line (11) to the first line (g1) and the second line (g2).

12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that it is specified that the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are synchronous to each other if a first distance between the point (P) and the signal point (S1-S6) and a second distance between the other point (P) and the other signal point (P1-P6) satisfy a predetermined condition.

13. Method according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a. the signal origin (1 ) is determined after a signal point (S1 - S6) and another signal point (P1 - P6) have been determined which are synchronous to each other and / or that b. the signal origin (1 ) is determined after it has been determined which signal points (S1 - S6) and other signal points (P1 - P6) are synchronous to each other and / or that c. the signal origin (1) is determined taking into account the result of the determination.

14. Method according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the position of the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) synchronous to the signal point (S1-S6) is determined, wherein the signal origin (1) corresponds to the position of the signal point (S1-S6) and / or the other signal point (P1-P6) if the position of the signal point (S1-S6) and the position of the other signal point (P1-P6) are the same or differ from each other by a predetermined range.

15. Method according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a first other straight line (g1 a) is determined which passes through a signal point (S1 -S6) and the first receiving unit (3), and a second other straight line (g2a) is determined which passes through another signal point (P1 -P6) which is synchronous to the signal point (S1 -S6), and the second receiving unit (5).

16. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that the signal origin (1) is the intersection point between the first and second other line (g1 a, g2a).

17. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that a. the first receiving unit (3) and the second receiving unit (5) are activated at the same time and / or that b. a time at which the first and second receiving unit (3, 5) are activated corresponds to a time at which a transmit signal is emitted.

18. Device (9), in particular for carrying out a method according to one of claims 1 to 17, for determining a signal origin (1) comprising a first receiving unit (3) for receiving at least one signal (2) comprising at least three first receivers (4), a second receiving unit (5) for receiving at least one signal (2) comprising at least three second receivers (6) and a computer unit (10) which determines a signal point (S1-S6) on the basis of the signal (2) received by the first receiving unit (3) and another signal point (P1-P6) on the basis of the signal (2) received by the second receiving unit (5), wherein the computer unit (10) determines whether the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6) are synchronous with each other and determines the signal origin (1) depending on the signal point (S1-S6) and the other signal point (P1-P6).

19. Device (9) according to claim 18, characterized in that the device (9) has a transmitter (11) for emitting a transmission signal (12).

20. Device (9) according to claim 19, characterized in that a. the transmitter (11) is configured such that the transmitted signal (12) is a wave, in particular a pressure wave, preferably a sound wave, or an electromagnetic wave and / or that b. a first receiver (4) of the first receiving unit (3) or a second receiver (6) of the second receiving unit (5) functions as a transmitter (1 1) and / or that c. the received signal (2) is a wave, in particular a pressure wave, preferably a sound wave, or an electromagnetic wave.

21. Device (9) according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that a. the transmitter (1 1) is arranged between the first and second receiving unit (3, 5) and / or that b. the transmitter (11 ) is arranged at the center of the device (9).

22. Device (9) according to one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that a. the first receiving unit (3) and the second receiving unit (5) are arranged in the same plane and / or that b. the first receivers (4) and the second receivers (5) are arranged in the same plane and / or that c. the transmitter and the first receiving unit (3) and the second receiving unit (5) are arranged in the same plane.

23. Device (9) according to one of claims 18 to 22, characterized in that a. the distance between the first receivers (4) is at most, in particular less than, half a wavelength of the received signal (2) and / or that b. the distance between the second receivers (5) is at most, in particular less than, half a wavelength of the received signal (2).

24. Device (9) according to one of claims 18 to 22, characterized in that at least two first receivers (4) of the first receiving unit (3) and / or at least two second receivers (6) of the second receiving unit (5) are arranged on a straight line (g3).

25. Device (9) according to claim 24, characterized in that a. the transmitter (1 1) is arranged on the straight line (g3) and / or that b. at least one first receiver (4) of the first receiving unit (3) and / or at least one second receiver (6) of the second receiving unit (5) is arranged at a distance from the line (g3).

26. Use of a method according to one of claims 1 to 17 for one- or multi-dimensional, preferably three-dimensional, position determination, in particular by means of a device (9) according to one of claims 18 to 25.

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