Integrated active pulsed reflector for an indoor local positioning system

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Silvan Wehrli - , ETH Zurich (Author)
  • Roland Gierlich - , Siemens AG (Author)
  • Jörg Hüttner - , Siemens AG (Author)
  • David Barras - , ETH Zurich (Author)
  • Frank Ellinger - , Chair of Circuit Design and Network Theory (Author)
  • Heinz Jäckel - , ETH Zurich (Author)

Abstract

This paper presents an indoor localization system based on a frequency modulated continuous wave radar in the industrialscientificmedical band at 5.8 GHz. An integrated active pulsed reflector behaves as a backscatter by regenerating the incoming phase with phase coherent startup at a constant frequency. The base station (BS) determines the distance to this reflector with a round-trip time-of-flight measurement. The active pulsed reflector is built around a switchable and tunable oscillator. The circuit has been fully integrated in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology. Outdoor measurements revealed a positioning accuracy of 15 cm, while in a harsh multipath environment with omnidirectional antennas a positioning accuracy of 32.88 cm was measured. The localization system is capable of detecting multiple reflectors at the same time, and no synchronization between BSs is needed.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5392976
Pages (from-to)267-276
Number of pages10
JournalIEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques
Volume58
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2010
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Chirp radar, Distance measurement, FM continuous wave (FMCW) secondary radar approach, Frequency modulated (FM) radar, Indoor multipath propagation environment, Radar scattering, Tunable oscillators