Fundamental research towards high-precision wireless local positioning systems

本研究项目的目的是研究设计和校准基于亚毫米精度的合成孔径技术的高精度无线局部定位系统的新方法和流程。初步研究将集中在天线精度问题上。这里的挑战是确定所有天线的空间和频谱传递函数及其相位中心的位置，其精度要比目前的精度水平高得多。目的是研究测试概念和指标，以表征天线和最佳天线设计的精密无线局部定位系统。基于合成孔径技术的创新校准程序也将是该研究项目的重要组成部分。这些技术不仅可以确定系统天线坐标系中所有天线的相位中心位置，即由于群延迟和相位畸变引起的定向传播时/相移的空间函数，还可以确定定位区域内的原位（即安装在目标定位区域内）绝对参考坐标系中的相位中心位置，其偏差明显小于1mm。新的合成孔径定位算法将被开发，这将纠正先前确定的空间天线传递函数。该项目开发的方法和流程将在79GHz无线电定位系统上进行实验验证。实验验证的目的是利用所开发的方法和流程，在全球范围内首次演示基于合成孔径的亚毫米定位精度的无线局部定位系统。

The aim of this research project is to investigate novel methods and processes for designing and calibrating high-precision wireless local positioning systems based on synthetic-aperture techniques that are capable of operating with sub-millimeter accuracies. Preliminary studies will focus on antenna accuracy issues. The challenge here is to determine the spatial and spectral transfer function for all antennas and the location of their phase centers with an accuracy that is considerably higher than current accuracy levels. The intention is to study test concepts and metrics to characterize antennas and optimal antenna designs for precision wireless local positioning systems. Innovative calibration procedures based on synthetic-aperture techniques will be a vital part of the research project as well. The location of the phase centers, i.e., the spatial function for the directional propagation time-/phase shifts due to group delays and phase distortions for all antennas not only in the system antenna-coordinate system, but also in-situ, i.e., installed in the targeted localization area, in the absolute reference coordinate system in the localization area can be determined with these techniques with a deviation that is significantly less than 1 mm. New synthetic-aperture positioning algorithms will be developed, which will correct a previously determined spatial antenna transfer function. The methods and processes developed in the project will be verified experimentally with a 79GHz radiolocation system. The aim of the experimental verification is to demonstrate with the developed methods and processes, and for the first time worldwide, a wireless local positioning system based on a synthetic aperture operating with sub-millimeter positioning accuracy.