Circular Antenna Array Positioning Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current indoor location-based services using wireless communication technologies face inaccuracies in distance measurement due to environmental factors and are limited by antenna configurations, particularly linear arrangements, which restrict signal measurement to specific directions, leading to poor positioning accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A wireless device with a circular arrangement of antennas, where each antenna is configured to surround a reference point with equal intervals, computes signal strengths and phase angles to determine positioning angles, enhancing measurement accuracy by processing composite signals from indicated antennas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If linear antenna configuration is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to restricted signal measurement directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by arranging antennas in a circular configuration around the reference point, replacing the linear arrangement with a curved geometric structure. This circular arrangement enables signal measurement from multiple directions simultaneously, fundamentally improving positioning accuracy while maintaining relatively simple device complexity through the use of a regular polygon geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear antenna arrangement to a two-dimensional circular configuration. By adding the spatial dimension of radial arrangement around the reference point, the system can measure signals from multiple angular directions, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple linear structure and accurate multi-directional measurement.
2Device complexity
If RSSI-based distance measurement is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to environmental factor influences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the RSSI-based electromagnetic signal strength measurement with phase angle measurement based on time difference of arrival. This replacement of measurement mechanism eliminates the susceptibility to environmental factors that affect RSSI, thereby improving distance measurement accuracy while maintaining relatively simple device complexity through computational processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measured parameter from signal strength (RSSI) to phase angle difference. By measuring the phase difference of signals arriving at different antennas and calculating time difference of arrival from these phase measurements, the system achieves more accurate distance measurement that is less sensitive to environmental variations compared to RSSI-based methods.
3Measurement precision
If circular antenna arrangement with multiple phase angles is computed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to signal processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent computes multiple phase angles between different antenna pairs, which is more than the single angle needed for basic positioning. This excessive computation of redundant phase angle measurements provides multiple data points that can be processed to filter out errors and achieve higher positioning accuracy, while the additional computational complexity is manageable through systematic processing of the extra measurements.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless device includes an antenna circuit and a controller. The antenna circuit includes a plurality of antennas. Each of the plurality of antennas is configured to surround a reference point and arrange with an equal interval between each other. The controller is coupled to the antenna circuit and configured to compute a strength of a signal of each of the plurality of antennas to choose a plurality of indicated antennas from the plurality of antennas; compute the signal of each two of the plurality of indicated antennas to obtain a plurality of composite signals; and compute a plurality of phase angles according to the plurality of composite signals to compute a positioning angle by using the plurality of phase angles.