A 3D-Location System Optimized for Simple Static and Mobile Devices

: This article focuses on 3D-location systems based on ultrasound time-of-flight (TOF) measurements. Commonly, location systems localize mobile devices with base stations. However, our concept is primarily oriented to simple static devices, especially sensors measuring local physical quantities. Normally the sensor-identification, established at system setup, allows to link sensor data and sensor location. Using locally measured TOFs of ultrasonic signals instead of an explicit identification, the device directly transmits measurement data together with information about its own location. This enables a receiving base station to identify the device by calculating its location. Moreover, this principle can also be applied for mobile devices. Copyright ©2005 IFAC