Disclosed embodiments relate, generally, to beacon systems where a locator beacon is used as a marker for a location of interest, and improving false positive immunity in such beacon systems. Confiner beacons are included in such beacon systems to confine a triggering area for triggering a location indication for a location of interest marked by a locator beacon. In other embodiments, arbitrarily shaped triggering areas are defined using confiner beacons. In other embodiments, errant locator signals are identified and handled (e.g., ignored).

A location system comprising: a location network comprising a plurality of reference nodes and at least one controller. Each reference node is operable to transmit a respective beaconing signal from which a respective measurement can be taken by a mobile device for use in determining a location of the mobile device. The at least one controller is configured to control whether and/or how often one or more signals of the location system are transmitted to be used in determining the location of the mobile device, the control being based on feedback from at least one determination of the location of the mobile device relative to the reference nodes.

A location system comprising: a location network comprising a plurality of reference nodes and at least one controller. Each reference node is operable to transmit a respective beaconing signal from which a respective measurement can be taken by a mobile device for use in determining a location of the mobile device. The at least one controller is configured to control whether and/or how often one or more signals of the location system are transmitted to be used in determining the location of the mobile device, the control being based on feedback from at least one determination of the location of the mobile device relative to the reference nodes.

A sympathetic emergency beacon system including a receiver for emergency beacon transmissions and a transmitter to relay transmissions. Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), and Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) are used in emergency scenarios to provide location information regarding downed personnel, vessels, or aircraft. These signals notify search and rescue operations of the location of the distress signal. The sympathetic beacon system computes precise position information regarding the received signal and transmits this computed position information to search and rescue operators for more quickly locating the emergency situation. By automatically relaying the distress signal through a plurality of passive receivers, the present invention strengthens the reliability of emergency locating systems.

A system for determining a distance between a receiver and a transmitter are disclosed herein. The transmitter includes a first antenna array having a first spatial orientation and is configured to transmit a signal. The receiver includes a second antenna array and an orientation sensor to determine a second spatial orientation of the second antenna array and is configured to receive the signal. A logic circuit is configured compare the first spatial orientation to the second spatial orientation to determine a relative orientation of the second antenna array; determine an angle of arrival of the signal; identify, based on the relative orientation of the second antenna array and the angle of arrival of the signal, a received signal strength compensation value; and calculate a distance between the transmitter and the receiver based on a measured received signal strength of the signal and the identified compensation value.

An improved wearable locator has an ultra-low power RF transceiver, GPS receiver, cellular network RF transceiver, processor, programmable non-volatile memory, LCD display, accelerometer and rechargeable battery. To ensure that the locator is within a perimeter, it can cooperate with a subordinate unit that includes an ultra-low power RF transceiver, processor, power supply, DC charging output, rechargeable battery, visual, audible and tactile enunciators and pushbutton, and can be plugged into an outlet or be unplugged and be mobile. Other wireless units can be used to define a perimeter.

An improved wearable locator has an ultra-low power RF transceiver, GPS receiver, cellular network RF transceiver, processor, programmable non-volatile memory, LCD display, accelerometer and rechargeable battery. To ensure that the locator is within a perimeter, it can cooperate with a subordinate unit that includes an ultra-low power RF transceiver, processor, power supply, DC charging output, rechargeable battery, visual, audible and tactile enunciators and pushbutton, and can be plugged into an outlet or be unplugged and be mobile. Other wireless units can be used to define a perimeter.

Head-mounted augmented reality (AR) devices can track pose of a wearer's head to provide a three-dimensional virtual representation of objects in the wearer's environment. An electromagnetic (EM) tracking system can track head or body pose. A handheld user input device can include an EM emitter that generates an EM field, and the head-mounted AR device can include an EM sensor that senses the EM field. EM information from the sensor can be analyzed to determine location and/or orientation of the sensor and thereby the wearer's pose. The EM emitter and sensor may utilize time division multiplexing (TDM) or dynamic frequency tuning to operate at multiple frequencies. Voltage gain control may be implemented in the transmitter, rather than the sensor, allowing smaller and lighter weight sensor designs. The EM sensor can implement noise cancellation to reduce the level of EM interference generated by nearby audio speakers.

The relation between realization effort for a positioning system on the one hand and positioning accuracy on the other hand is improved by using, for determining the position of a mobile portable device, two sensors within the device, namely one sensor for detecting the movement of the mobile portable device as well as one sensor for detecting the approximation of the mobile portable device to one or several reference beacons, wherein, from a knowledge of a position of the one or several reference beacons by means of data provided by the sensor detecting the movement, the position of the mobile portable device relative to the one or several reference beacons is calculated.

A mobile device and base station are enabled to support improved positioning accuracy in the presence of phase noise in high frequency radio network, such as in 5G New Radio network operating in mmWave. Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS) may be transmitted with Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) and used for positioning and/or used to correct the phase offset between symbols in the PRS. A request may be made to transmit PTRS alone or with the PRS, or that the PRS is transmitted with a specific PRS frame structure, e.g., with a specific comb value, that minimizes the impact of phase noise. The PTRS or a phase ramp of the staggered symbols in the PRS may be used to estimate and correct the phase offset. Less than all of the symbols transmitted in the PRS may be used to generate positioning measurements to minimize the impact of phase noise.