US 7,612,717 B2
ULB location system for rescuing avalanche victims
Norbert Daniele, Montbonnot (France); and Benoit Denis, Grenoble (France)
Assigned to Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Paris (France)
Appl. No. 11/628,620
PCT Filed Jun. 07, 2005, PCT No. PCT/FR2005/001388
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Dec. 06, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2006/003294, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2006.
Claims priority of application No. 04 51118 (FR), filed on Jun. 07, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2007/0176826 A1, Aug. 02, 2007
Int. Cl. G01S 3/02 (2006.01); H04W 24/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 342—465  [455/456.1] 31 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for locating a UWB transmitter, without a previously-set position reference, using at least one first set of n UWB searching transceivers, n≧3, said method comprising:
A) synchronizing the UWB searching transceivers in a grouped state, deploying the searching transceivers at different points, and estimating the relative distances between the searching transceiver;
B) receiving, by the transceivers, signals transmitted by the transmitter to be located;
C) calculating, by the transceivers, respectively, n durations between arrival time of signals transmitted by the transmitter to be located, and a reference time common to the searching transceivers;
D) then, transmitting, to one of the transceivers, the durations calculated, relating to the signals transmitted by the transmitter to be located and received by the other transceivers;
E) calculating the relative position, with respect to the searching transceivers, of the transmitter to be located according to the time of travel of the signals, transmitted by the transmitter to be located, to the searching transceivers, and said relative distances between the searching transceivers.