Patent ID: 7130243
Filing Date: 2006-10-31
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. A method of locating one or more reflectors in a region of interest, comprising: using a transmitter to transmit a radio frequency or acoustic wave to a reflector; using a set of receivers to receive a set of reflected signals; calculating the path distance of each reflected signal; defining an ellipse contour associated with each reflected signal, with the transmitter at one focus and the receiver of that signal at the other; representing the region of interest as a first cell; representing the cell as a point in the cell; calculating the fit of the point to each ellipse contour; if the point fits a sufficient number of ellipse contours, dividing the cell into smaller cells, each cell represented by a point in the cell; repeating the calculating step for each new cell; and determining the location of a reflector from the location of any cell containing a point that fits a sufficient number of ellipse contours.