Methods and systems for spatial filtering transmitters and receivers capable of simultaneous communication with one or more receivers and transmitters, respectively, the receivers capable of outputting source directions to humans or devices. The methods and systems use spherical wave field partial wave expansion (PWE) models for transmitted and received fields at antennas and for waves generated by contributing sources. The source PWE models have expansion coefficients expressed as functions of directional coordinates of the sources. For spatial filtering receivers a processor uses the output signals from at least one sensor outputting signals consistent with Nyquist criteria representative of the wave field and the source PWE model to determines directional coordinates of sources (wherein the number of floating point operations are reduced) and outputs the directional coordinates and communications to a reporter configured for reporting information to humans. For spatial filtering transmitters a processor uses known receiver directions and source partial wave expansions to generate signals for transducers producing a composite total wave field conveying communications to the specified receivers. The methods and communications reduce the processing required for transmitting and receiving spatially filtered communications.

The present invention relates to an amplitude goniometer comprises P receiver channels, P being greater than or equal to 2, each receiver channel being identified by an index p, each receiver channel comprising an antenna coupled to a receiver chain followed by at least two digital receiver modules each comprising an analogue-to-digital conversion module associated with a respective sampling frequency, each sampling frequency not complying with the Shannon criterion and not being a multiple of another frequency, N being the number of frequencies, N being greater than or equal to 2, each frequency being referenced by an index n, the amplitude goniometry estimator working from the amplitudes of the signals originating from at least Q adjacent receiver channels of the P receiver channels, Q being at most equal to P, the sampling frequencies being associated with the analogue-to-digital conversion modules of the Q adjacent receiver channels.

In examples, systems and methods for direction finding of electromagnetic signals are described. The device includes a first antenna configured to receive electromagnetic energy. The device also includes a second antenna configured to separately receive the same electromagnetic energy. The device further includes a radome located in a receiving pathway of the first antenna, where the radome is configured to cause a predetermined phase shift that varies based on an angular position of the receiving pathway. The device includes 1 or more radio receivers to receive the signals independently from the antennas. Additionally, the direction finding device includes a processor configured to determine an angle of arrival of the electromagnetic energy based on a comparison of a phase of the electromagnetic energy received by the first antenna to a phase of the electromagnetic energy received by the second antenna.

The disclosed computer-implemented method may include determining a wireless identifier associated with a vehicle computing device coupled to a vehicle, transmitting wireless signals for receipt by an antenna included in the vehicle computing device, establishing a wireless connection to the vehicle computing device via one or more of the wireless signals using the wireless identifier, receiving, via the wireless connection, bearing information that indicates a bearing of the vehicle computing device relative to the requestor computing device, the bearing information being based on an angle of arrival of the one or more wireless signals received by the antenna, and displaying information describing a location of the vehicle relative to the requestor computing device based at least in part on the bearing information. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A direction finding (DF) system and technique using a switched network architecture to couple a first plurality of antenna elements to a second, fewer, plurality of channels of an RF receiver. The RF receiver provides signals to a DF processor which combines data sampled at phase centers of the plurality of array elements. Such combined data samples may be used to estimate a direction of a received signal. The antenna elements may be configured into subarrays and a switch network couples different groups of subarrays to the RF receiver channels during different dwell times. Data collected during each dwell may be used to generate a spatial sample covariance matrix (SCM) and multiple spatial SCMs may be combined to provide aggregate covariance matrix values. A DF processor uses values from the aggregate covariance matrix to provide an output signal indicative of the direction of a received signal.

A direction finding (DF) system and technique using a switched network architecture to couple a first plurality of antenna elements to a second, fewer, plurality of channels of an RF receiver. The RF receiver provides signals to a DF processor which combines data sampled at phase centers of the plurality of array elements. Such combined data samples may be used to estimate a direction of a received signal. The antenna elements may be configured into subarrays and a switch network couples different groups of subarrays to the RF receiver channels during different dwell times. Data collected during each dwell may be used to generate a spatial sample covariance matrix (SCM) and multiple spatial SCMs may be combined to provide aggregate covariance matrix values. A DF processor uses values from the aggregate covariance matrix to provide an output signal indicative of the direction of a received signal.

A communication system for vehicles includes a first communication device disposed at a trailer and a second communication device disposed at a vehicle. The communication device wirelessly transmits a communication to the second communication device, and the second communication device receives the transmitted communication from the first communication device. Responsive to processing of the transmitted communication received by the second communication device, the communication system determines an angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle. The first and second communication devices may include first and second dedicated short range communication devices. One of the devices may include spaced apart antennae, whereby the system may determine the angle of the trailer via triangulation based on an antenna of one of the communication devices and the spaced apart antennae of the other of the communication devices.

A communication system for vehicles includes a first communication device disposed at a trailer and a second communication device disposed at a vehicle. The communication device wirelessly transmits a communication to the second communication device, and the second communication device receives the transmitted communication from the first communication device. Responsive to processing of the transmitted communication received by the second communication device, the communication system determines an angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle. The first and second communication devices may include first and second dedicated short range communication devices. One of the devices may include spaced apart antennae, whereby the system may determine the angle of the trailer via triangulation based on an antenna of one of the communication devices and the spaced apart antennae of the other of the communication devices.

A method and computer for pointing a beam of a directional antenna located above ground is disclosed. A method includes receiving a beam width 2, and determining an angle .sub.max where .sub.max+ is an angle for a projection of maximum signal strength on the ground. .sub.max is based on the beam width 2 and tilt angle . The method also includes determining an effective ground beam width defined by a total relative gain of the directional antenna and the above the ground to ground range being at half the maximum signal strength on the ground at angles above and below .sub.max. The method further includes determining a ground footprint of the beam based at least on part on the determined effective ground beam width, and causing the antenna to be pointed based at least in part on the determined ground footprint of the beam.

A split architecture is disclosed for determining the location of a wireless device in a heterogeneous wireless communications environment. A detector within the device or another component of the environment receives signals including parameters for a localization signal of the device. The parameters describe known in advance signals within the signals. Additional metadata including each frame start of the signals and assistance data and auxiliary information are also received. The known in advance signals are detected based on the parameters of the localization signal. Samples extracted from the known in advance signals are then processed and compressed and sent with other collect data to a locate server remote from the detector. The location server uses that information as well as similar information about the environment to calculate the location of the device, as well as perform tracking and navigation of the device, and report such results to the environment.