Localization for low cost sensor network

Wireless devices, systems and approaches or methods having the capability of determining the location of a given wireless device. An example system includes a wireless device that generates at least one pulse as a part of an output signal, and the at least one pulse is captured by anchor devices and used, in a time of arrival approach, to determine the location of the example device. The at least one pulse may be generated during a designated portion of an otherwise normally modulated message. Another example system includes an anchor node that generates a directional output signal, the direction output signal including data indicating its direction, and the directions of output signals from plural anchor nodes when pointed at a wireless device are used to determine the location of the wireless device. Combinations of the pulse and directional antenna systems, devices used within each of these systems, and approaches associated with these systems are also included.

BACKGROUND

The present application is related to copending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/163,105, entitled LOCALIZATION IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR WIRELESS DEVICES, filed on Oct. 5, 2005.

The present invention is related to the field of wireless networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to efforts to determine the location of devices within a wireless network.

Wireless networks may be used in a number of contexts. One type of wireless network includes at least one base node and a number of distributed nodes. The distributed nodes may be used, for example, to capture and send data to the base node(s). In some such systems, the distributed nodes relay sensor information captured at the distributed nodes, if the distributed nodes are themselves sensors, or sensor information gathered from sensor nodes in communication with the distributed nodes. Approaches for localizing individual nodes in a wireless network are desired, for example, such that the origin of data collected at individual nodes may be identified, and/or such that internodal communications can be mapped in an efficient manner.

SUMMARY

An illustrative example system includes a wireless device that generates a pulse as a part of an output signal. In the illustrative example, the pulse is captured by anchor devices having known locations and used, in a time of arrival approach, to determine the location of the example device. Another illustrative example system includes an anchor node that generates a directional output signal, the direction output signal including data indicating its direction, and the directions of output signals from plural anchor nodes when pointed at a wireless device are used to determine the location of the wireless device. Combinations of the pulse and directional antenna systems, devices used within each of these systems, and approaches or methods associated with these systems are also included.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1is a diagram of a wireless system. The system includes a number of distributed nodes10and a number of anchor nodes12,14,16. The anchor nodes12,14,16provide points of reference for indicating where the distributed nodes10are located. For instance, in some examples the anchor nodes12,14,16may include GPS components for determining global position. In other examples, the “global” location is less relevant than relative position, for instance, among the distributed nodes10and anchor nodes12,14,16. It should be noted that only a portion of an illustrative system is shown; an example system may be of any size and may include any number of devices.

In an illustrative example, the system may define one or more coordinate systems based upon the locations of the anchor nodes12,14,16. For instance, the position of anchor node A112may be chosen as a point of origin for a coordinate system used to define the system, with the location of other devices in the system defined with respect to this coordinate system. Such a coordinate system may be chosen arbitrarily for the purposes of providing a reference coordinate system for defining locations.

In some illustrative examples, some or all of the distributed nodes10may be leaf nodes and some or all of the anchor nodes12,14,16may be infrastructure nodes as defined in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/870,295, entitled WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH CHANNEL HOPPING AND REDUNDANT CONNECTIVITY, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The distributed nodes10are, in some examples, energy constrained devices operating with limited capacity power supplies, such as batteries. In some instances, some or all of the distributed nodes10may be reduced function devices, and some or all of the anchor nodes12,14,16may be full function devices, in accordance with how those terms are used by those skilled in the art. Some or all of the nodes in the system may also operate according to other communication protocols such as Bluetooth®, Zigbee® or various IEEE® 802.11 protocols, for example, as well as being adapted to operating using a number of such protocols.

FIG. 2illustrates an anchor node capable of producing a directed wireless output signal or beacon. The illustrative anchor node20is shown relative to an arbitrary coordinate system22. The illustrative anchor node20is adapted to produce a beacon, shown at24, having directional characteristics. In an illustrative example, the beacon24can be moved or rotated by the illustrative anchor node20with respect to the coordinate system22. In some examples, the movement may be effected by a mechanical device. In other examples, a phased array antenna is used to cause movement of the beacon24without corresponding mechanical motion.

In an illustrative example, the beacon24includes data packets that indicate the angle x, shown at26, of the beacon24with respect to the coordinate system22at the time each data packet is produced. The beacon data packets may also include location information for the anchor node20generating the beacon24. Thus, for instance, at a first time a first data packet can be generated and sent as part of the beacon24, with the first data packet indicating an angle x between the beacon24and a reference line at the time the first packet is sent, as well as data for the location of the anchor node20that produces the beacon24. At another time, a second data packet can be generated and sent as part of the beacon24. The second data packet may indicate another angle, not equal to x, between the beacon24and the reference line at the time the second packet is sent, as well as location information for the anchor node20.

As shown at28, the beacon24may have an intensity profile that varies with position. For most directional antennae, there will be a center lobe or peak in the beacon where signal strength will be greatest, and side peaks (not shown) may also appear. The signal strength profile28may be used to determine when the directional antenna is directed at a target, by observing when the peak intensity occurs.

FIG. 3is a geometric representation of an illustrative example. The location of node30can be determined using a first anchor node32and a second anchor node34. A coordinate system36is shown for illustrative purposes with first anchor node32located at (0,0), and second anchor node34located at (d1, d2). Two distances d1and d2define the relative locations of the first anchor node32and the second anchor node34. Using a directed signal as shown inFIG. 2, the angle of transmission when node30is within the main lobe of each beacon can be found, since the angle and location of transmission is included in data packets that form part of the beacons38,40from the anchor nodes32,34. As such, angles a1and a2can be defined, both with reference to the arbitrary coordinate system36. Angle a3is also defined, a3being the supplement of a2. Extending a line from the node30beyond the second anchor node34, as shown, allows a distance, y, to be defined along a coordinate axis, as shown. The distance, y, is then found by adding a quantity, x, to d1. The quantity, x, may be found using the formula shown.

Turning toFIG. 4, a perpendicular from node30can be dropped and a distance m defined as shown. Using cotangents, distances m and n can be defined, again using the coordinate system36, to determine the location of the node30in the coordinate system36.

The example analysis ofFIGS. 3 and 4is merely illustrative of one geometric approach that can work to determine the location of node30with respect to the anchor nodes32,34. It may be understood that another anchor node may be added to the illustrative example such that localization in a three-dimensional sense can be performed as well.

In one approach, a first anchor node A1may be at location (x1, y1), and a second anchor node A2may be at location (x2, y2). The two anchor nodes may generate a directional signal along a 360-degree sweep, for example, such that all the distributed nodes covered in the network become aware of their angular bearing with respect to the known reference points of the two anchor nodes. For an arbitrary node at location (x, y), anchor node A1may indicate an angle θ1from its location at x1, y1. With respect to anchor node A1, the distributed node may infer its location as a straight line passing through (x1, y1) having a slope of tan(θ1). The resulting formula is:
y−y1=(x−x1)*tan(θ1)

Similarly, from anchor node A2, the distributed node receives angle θ2as well as data indicating the position of anchor node A2at (x2, y2). Again, the distributed node may infer its location along a straight line passing through (x2, y2) having a slope of tan(θ2). The resulting formula is:
y−y2=(x−x2)*tan(θ2)

Using these equations and solving for x gives:
x=(y2−y1−x2*tan(θ2)+x1*tan(θ1))/(tan(θ1)−tan(θ2))

The value calculated from this formula for x can then be used to determine y from either of the other formulas. Once the distributed nodes have determined their own positions, this data may be sent to a central controller, gateway node or other destination. The introduction of redundant anchor nodes may increase the robustness of the localization approach as well as introducing a higher likelihood of greater accuracy. Alternatively, the distributed nodes may communicate the received location data to a central processing node that determines the location (for example, using an arbitrary coordinate system) of each node in the network.

In further examples, localization in a third dimension may be performed. Localization in two dimensions basically uses a narrow pencil beacon with very low azimuth and elevation angle. The beacon, in two dimensions, may be equivalent to a line if the beacon width is very low. Two such beacons may be used for localization in two dimensions, with the located point being the point of intersection of the two beacons, since two lines intersect at a point. From a signal generation perspective, for example using phased-array antennae, this beacon can be generated by using a n*m grid of antenna elements where n and m are greater than 1.

Localization in three dimensions may instead use a “fan” beacon, which may be a beacon that is more or less a plane. Such a beacon may have either a very high azimuth angle and a low elevation angle, or a very high elevation angle and a very low azimuth angle. At least three such “fan” beacons may be used for three dimensional localization, with each beacon sweeping the X, Y and Z axis. The localization approach can be based on the fact that two planes intersect to form a line and a plane intersects with a line to form a point. This type of “planar” beacon may be generated by using a linear array of n*1 elements in a phased array antenna.

FIGS. 5A-5Billustrate node localization for another illustrative example. In this example, a single pulse or signal from node50will arrive at the four shown anchor nodes52,54,56,58at four times t1, t2, t3, t4. In an illustrative example, the anchor nodes52,54,56,58have highly accurate clocks and are closely synchronized. The relative locations of the anchor nodes52,54,56,58are known, for instance, from the use of GPS or other location finding approaches. The anchor nodes52,54,56,58may be placed at predetermined locations in some examples. The node50may have a cheaper and/or less accurate clock, but can still be accurately located in the illustrative example. Specifically, the arrival times of a pulse generated at node50and received by nodes52,54,56, and58, can be used to find the location of the node50.

For instance, an iterative approach of determining the location of node50, in two dimensions, may include setting up a number of equations and solving each using a variable. Specifically, using the variables t1, t2, t3, t4as the arrival times, t0as the signal transmission time, C as the speed with which the transmission travels, values for t0may be substituted into the following formulae, and graphical or numerical analysis used to determine a likely location for the device50:
d1=C(t1−t0)
d2=C(t2−t0)
d3=C(t3−t0)
d4=C(t4−t0)

The fourth anchor node is used since the time of sending of the message, t0, is not accurately known. If t0was accurately known, then only three anchor nodes would be needed, however, this would entail the use of a highly synchronized clock on node50. If node50is a low-cost node, a highly synchronized clock may not be provided. In some examples, node50may identify a time of transmission, t0′, which may be only loosely or approximately synchronized, and the iterative approach may be performed by beginning with a time estimation within a possible or predefined error range for t0.

Referring toFIG. 5B, calculating the distances d1, d2, d3, d4can yield the circles shown for each of the anchor nodes52,54,56,58. When each of the circles intersect (or when the circles come as close to intersecting as they will, depending upon the accuracy desired and the accuracy that the system clocks allow), the location found indicates the location of the node50. While four anchor nodes52,54,56,58are used to find the location in two dimensions in the example ofFIGS. 5A-5B, a fifth anchor node may be use to resolve the location of a node50in a third dimension.

FIGS. 6A-6Dare graphic representations of node generated signals used in some illustrative examples. In a first example, inFIG. 6A, a sinusoidal carrier is clamped from its point of peak amplitude (90 degrees) to its next zero (180 degrees). In another example, inFIG. 6B, the sinusoidal carrier is clamped to zero around its peak amplitude, creating a “notch” in the sinusoidal signal. For example, for a 2.4 GHz carrier signal, the period for the carrier is in the range of 0.4 ns, and the “notch” may be provided with a width in the range of 20 ps. Different ranges and frequencies are also contemplated within the scope of the illustrative example. In yet another example, inFIG. 6C, a notch is again created, this time by clamping the signal to its negative maximum when it would otherwise be at its positive maximum amplitude.FIG. 6D(which is horizontally expanded to better show the signal) shows superposition of a higher frequency monopulse on the sinusoidal carrier. Each of these forms of creating a dramatic, but short-lived, perturbation in the sinusoidal carrier frequency may be used to create a pulse for localization of a node. The portion of the sinusoid that is clamped or otherwise modified may vary as desired.

In another illustrative example, a portion of the carrier signal wave is modified in a manner that contradicts the manner of carrier wave modulation in use. For instance, superposition of a signal (FIG. 6D) is inconsistent with an amplitude modulation protocol. Clamping a portion of a carrier signal (FIG. 6A) is inconsistent with a frequency modulation protocol. Any such modification may be considered the provision of a pulse, including each of the formats shown inFIGS. 6A-6D.

FIG. 7is a block diagram for an illustrative approach of sending a locator pulse. Specifically, the block diagram illustrates parts of a communication that may occur between first and second wireless devices. The communication may include a preamble84, a message or data portion86, and a postamble88. The postamble88follows the message86and may include data needed for verifying accurate receipt of the message (for example, parity or frame check sequence data). The preamble84may include addressing data, information related to the size of the message/data86, and various other data.

As noted inFIG. 7, in the illustrative example the pulse used in finding the location of a generating node may be located in the postamble88. A flag may appear in the preamble84, in the message/data86, and/or in the postamble88, with the flag indicating that a locator pulse is coming in the postamble. By placing the locator pulse as part of the postamble88, circuitry for detecting the locator pulse can be selectively activated/enabled while the communication is occurring, which may improve the ability of receiving devices to detect the clamped signal from among the non-clamped portions. The pulse may be placed in the postamble while the preamble or body of the message indicates which node is sending the message and seeking to be localized.

FIG. 8is a partial schematic representation for an illustrative distributed node. The transmitter portion of the illustrative distributed node device is shown. The circuitry90includes a carrier generator92which may be any suitable circuit for producing a carrier signal (usually a sinusoidal signal) at or about a desired communication frequency. A modulator94encodes the signal from the carrier generator92using data signals coming from a data generator96, again using suitable components and approaches for modulating a signal for wireless transmission. The output of the modulator94is then amplified using a power amplifier98, and is distributed to the air using an antenna100. The power amplifier98can take any suitable form, as well as the antenna. It should be noted that in some illustrative examples the antenna100need not be a directional antenna as shown above in association with other examples.

Also shown inFIG. 8is a clamping circuit102. The clamping circuit102is used to clamp a portion of the carrier signal. This may be performed, as shown, on the signal as it comes from the carrier generator92, as a part of the modulator94, on the signal coming out of the modulator94, or by disabling the amplifier98. The clamp102may also operate on the signal coming from the power amplifier98just before the signal goes to the antenna100. In some examples, the clamp102comprises an analog device having a high speed switch coupled to a reference voltage or ground. For instance, the clamp102may include sense circuitry for sensing a portion of the carrier signal and, when enabled, the clamp102may operate to sense a part of the carrier signal (a peak, a highest slope point, or a zero crossing, for example) and close a switch, clamping the sensed signal for a predetermined period of time or amount of the phase of the carrier signal. Rather than clamping the sensed (carrier) signal, the clamp102may be replaced by a pulse circuit that provides a pulse for superposition over the carrier signal, with the pulse being of a different form/shape than would normally be part of the carrier modulation.

In another example, the clamp102is coupled to a first location to sense the signal before it reaches the power amplifier98, but operates to clamp the signal coming out of the power amplifier98. In this way, operation of the clamp102may sense the carrier signal and use the periodicity of the carrier signal to determine how long to clamp the signal. Since the device90may be adapted to operate on different channels or using varying output frequencies, such an adaptive clamp102may prove useful.

In yet another example, the clamp102is coupled to digital logic from a device controller and clamps the signal for a predetermined, yet relatively short (between a fraction of a cycle up to a few cycles of the carrier signal) period of time.

In addition to the above discussion, rather than clamping the sensed (carrier) signal, the clamp102may be replaced by a pulse circuit that provides a pulse for superposition over the carrier signal, with the pulse being of a different form/shape than would normally be part of the carrier modulation. In another illustrative example, multiple pulses may be applied within a time zone defined in the postamble where information about the relative time locations of the pulses is first coded within the structure of the pulses. This may provide additional opportunities for the receiving devices to detect one or more of the pulses successfully.

FIG. 9is a partial schematic representation for an illustrative anchor node. The portion of the anchor node110used for receiving signals is shown. Specifically, signal is captured with an antenna112. The signal from the antenna112is then amplified using a power amplifier114, and passed to a demodulator116to extract data from the received signal. These portions of the circuit may take a variety of forms.

The anchor node110further includes a localization pulse detector118. The localization pulse detector118may include circuitry adapted to observe the sinusoidal nature of received signal and identify when a localization pulse appears on the carrier or sinusoid. In some illustrative examples, the localization pulse detector118may include its own independent antenna or amplifier, separate from antenna112or amplifier114. As shown inFIG. 6, the localization pulse82may be incorporated in a departure from sinusoidal signal. For example, the signal is clamped for a period of time. In some examples the localization pulse detector118is coupled to a system clock that is closely synchronized to system clocks for other anchor nodes. Using high speed devices in the localization pulse detector118, the relative time of arrival for the localization pulse82(FIGS. 6A-6D) can then be determined.

In some examples, the circuitry further includes an end-of-frame detector120that determines when a data frame is about to end. The end-of-frame detector may then provide a signal to the localization pulse detector118identifying the time in the message where the one or more localization pulses may to be found.

FIG. 10is a block diagram for an illustrative approach. Operations by a distributed node and an anchor node are shown separately inFIG. 10. From a start block130, the distributed node begins generating a message (which may include the distributed nodes source address), as shown at132. As a part of the message, for example, in the postamble of the message, the distributed node then generates a localization pulse, as shown at134. This may end the distributed node's part in the localization process, as shown at136, unless the distributed node performs later calculations to actually determine its location.

As indicated by the arrow, the anchor node may start its portion of the localization approach while the distributed node is generating a message, as shown at140. The anchor node(s) may proceed with normal packet reception including observation of the source address, observing for indicators that may be in the data portion of the message (or preamble or elsewhere) specifying whether a timing pulse will be included and locating the beginning of the postamble to begin searching for the timing pulse. The anchor nodes activate respective localization pulse detectors, as shown at142, if necessary. In some examples, the localization pulse detector circuitry may be always-on, and does not need activation. Generating a signal that identifies the beginning of the postamble and/or indicating that one or more localization pulses are coming may improve the likelihood that the one or more localization pulses will be correctly detected and their time of arrival will be accurately measured. The anchor nodes then note the time of arrival of the localization pulse, as shown at144. Then, the times of arrival for three or more anchor nodes are compared, as shown at146. The location of the distributed node is then determined, as shown at148, by comparing the time of arrival to the times of arrival at other anchor nodes for packets received with the same source address. The approach ends as noted at150.

The comparison and determination steps146,148may be performed by any node having the computational capacity for such steps. For example, one of the anchor nodes may gather data related to the localization pulse times of arrival from other anchor nodes and perform the comparison and determination steps146,148. In another example, the distributed node receives timing information back from the anchor nodes in response to the localization pulse and performs the comparison and determination steps146,148.

In yet another example, the times of arrival data may be transmitted to yet another node for performing the comparison and determination steps146,148. For instance, a wireless network may include a particular node used for mapping out of communication routes within the system. This node may be a dedicated node, or it may perform other functions and simply include extra functionality for performing steps146148. In another example, the wireless system may include a gateway or base node that performs steps146,148, or the gateway or base node may transmit the localization information to an out-of-network device.

FIG. 11illustrates a combination system. The system creates localization redundancy and hence flexibility, as well as likely allowing for better accuracy. The system200may include a number of anchor nodes and a number of distributed nodes. A first anchor node202is shown as capable of producing a directional beacon204in accordance with the illustrative examples shown above inFIGS. 2,3A-3B, and4. The first anchor node202is also capable of receiving a pulse output, as shown by the circuitry at206, for localization in accordance with the illustrative examples ofFIGS. 5A-5B, and6-10. A second anchor node210is shown as including apparatus capable of providing a directional beacon210, but may or may not include the pulse detection circuitry. A first distributed node214is illustrated as a basic node having directional beacon reception capabilities, and may or may not include pulse generation circuitry. A second distributed node216includes pulse generation circuitry as shown at218, but need not be capable of receiving messages. A third anchor node220includes the pulse detection circuitry, as shown at222, but may or may not include directional signal capabilities.

As can be seen inFIG. 11, there are various combinations available. In some examples, a “dummy” distributed node can generate a localization pulse as part of a message it generates according, for example, to a schedule, though the dummy distributed node may lack message reception circuitry/capability. The system may also include an anchor node with the task of keeping other anchor nodes in accurate time synchronization. Use of anchor nodes such as anchor node202, having both directional output204and pulse detection circuitry206may allow flexibility in the kind of distributed nodes214,216that are compatible with the system. Alternatively, use of distributed nodes having both reception and pulse generation circuitry218allows different anchor nodes to be used as well.

In another use of the combination, a single node216may be localized using both a pulsed time of arrival approach as well as a directional approach such that two anchor nodes having the capabilities of node202may estimate a position of a single node216in three dimensions. For example, defining a coordinate system having an axis passing from a first anchor node to a second anchor node, the directional approaches herein can use two anchor nodes to find a line on which a distributed node must lie. If the anchor nodes produce directional outputs having central lobes that may be characterized as generally planar in three dimensions, the line on which the distributed node must lie is the intersections of the planar outputs. The intersection(s) of this line with the shape of possible locations for the distributed node that can be determined, in three dimensions, using the pulse approach, will provide a limited number of possible locations for the distributed node.

In yet another use combination, the directional antenna in anchor node202may be used as a receiving antenna, rather than sending, with element204indicating a swath of greater antenna sensitivity. Signals generated within the antenna focus area204will be received at higher amplitude, while signals generated elsewhere may not be sensed. In some instances, the anchor node202may have plural antennae, with one antenna used to receive a localization pulse, while the directional antenna is used during data transfer from a node to be located, such as node216, to observe the direction that the localization pulse is coming from. In this manner, a direction and range for the device216, with respect to device202, may be determined by device202, itself. This information may be used to reduce the number of anchor nodes needed for localizing a given node.

In yet additional illustrative examples, a combination of pulsed and directional beacon localization may enable anchor nodes to observe clock characteristics of a node being localized. For example, if a distributed node generates a pulse signal and indicates the time of transmission relative to a synchronization time, the anchor nodes may use the pulse signal and/or directional beacon-based localization data to determine, according to the highly synchronized anchor node clocks, when the distributed node generated the pulse signal. The calculated time of transmission may be compared to the time indicated by the distributed node to observe the accuracy of the distributed node clock. Such data may in turn be used to trouble-shoot a system in which a communications schedule is used to move data.

In a combination example, the directional antenna of certain anchor nodes enables distributed nodes to identify their own location from the directional data packets transmitted by the anchor nodes, but without any specific bi-directional communication with the particular anchor nodes. Analogously, pulse-based approaches allow the anchor nodes to identify the location of distributed nodes without any further specific communication with them. The combination example allows location identification throughout a system without specific bi-directional communication between at least some of the pairs of devices that would, in some older approaches, need to establish bi-directional communication.

It should be noted that one of the physical limitations to the directional beacon approaches is that, as the directional beacon propagates, it tends to spread, making localization at greater distances less likely to be highly accurate for the directional beacon approach. Within an environment in which clusters occur or where several networks are distributed from one another, pulse approaches may be used to observe positions of devices in other clusters or networks, while directional approaches may be used to observe locations within a local network or cluster of devices. With this in mind, another illustrative example performs a first estimate of location using one of the directional or pulse approaches, and subsequently determines which approach is better suited to providing a best estimate of location.

In yet another example, a system of existing anchor nodes is used to initialize a new anchor node by the use of one or both of the directional and pulse-based approaches of determining node location. In such an example, the new anchor node is adapted to perform the functions of a distributed node for at least one of the directional and/or pulse-based approaches of determining node location. In one such example, localization may be performed using a directional approach for the new anchor node in order to provide verification of node locations for several anchor nodes in the system including the new anchor node. For example, if the new node has a location that is determined by the use of a time of arrival approach, a directional approach may be used to verify the new node location as well as determining whether there may be inaccuracies in the position information related to other anchor nodes.

Another illustrative example includes a system for localization in a wireless sensor network having a plurality of wireless nodes adapted to transceive wireless signals. The illustrative network comprises a plurality of anchor nodes adapted to be configured with reference positional information, the anchor nodes having at least one directional antenna to broadcast positional information through at least one unidirectional wireless signal path, and a plurality of sensor nodes equipped with wireless transceivers for communication, the sensor nodes including a processor configured to capture directional and location information from at least two anchor nodes for determining the location of the sensor nodes. The system may further comprise a central processor for receiving data related to captured directional and location information from the sensor nodes and determine the location of the sensor nodes. In another example, the sensor nodes may be adapted to determine their position with reference to the anchor nodes from captured directional and location information.

In some examples of the pulse-based approaches, the one or more pulses may be proved at locations other than the postamble. While an advantage of the postamble use is that the message will have already undergone a FCS (frame check sequence) and the receiving devices will already be aware that the message is a good message, this does not necessarily limit the present invention to providing the pulse at that location. There are other suitable locations in a message that may also be used. Some examples include, for example, the end of the preamble, just after the start of the frame delimiter, or elsewhere. The pulse may be provided at a location generally within a data portion of the message as well. In some instances, the pulse is provided at a location in the message where the carrier has a constant format. For example, the receiving device demodulator may, prior to and during pulse delivery, see a series of zeroes or ones, rather than a changing signal. This may also be one form of providing an indication that the localization is about to be received, as in, the demodulator may output “n” series of zeroes or ones, with the localization pulse appearing in one or more of the series. One may indicate when the appropriate series of demodulator outputs will begin. There may be a number of ways to provide such indicators, as well as a plurality of locations within a message that are suitable for providing a localization pulse.

Yet another combination example is one in which the pulse localization instances for anchor nodes and/or distributed nodes are included in a system which also includes an anchor node having directional signal capture. The system may include an anchor node that includes a directional antenna capable of preferential signal capture along a first direction. In such an example, the directional anchor node is adapted to cause the directional antenna to change the direction of the preferential signal capture, the second anchor node being adapted to determine a direction from which a received signal is generated. For this example, the source location for the pulsed output may also be determined with reference to the directional antenna reception. This data may be combined, again, with data from the pulsed output instances to further improve system accuracy, reliability, or flexibility.

In the present specification, some or the matter may be of a hypothetical or prophetic nature although stated in another manner or tense.

Further, although the invention has been described with respect to a least one illustrative example, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present specification. It is therefore the intention that the appended claims be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications.