A phase measurement radio positioning system for indoor use

I present here the detailed design for a low frequency radio navigation system called the Building Positioning System (BPS). This system is designed to work indoors, where the microwave radio signals of the Global Positioning System (GPS) cannot be received. Potential applications for this system range from asset tracking, security, and human-computer interface, to robot navigation and the management of services as diverse as medical care and postal delivery. I first present the issues surrounding its conceptual design and then describe in detail the component level implementation of the prototype BPS system, which I have designed and built but not yet tested as a whole. I also discuss the test procedures which will accompany the deployment of that prototype system in its initial configuration in its test building, as well as further research that is required to make the system scalable and manufacturable. Thesis Supervisor: Neil Gershenfeld Title: Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences A Phase Measurement Radio Positioning System for Indoor Use Reynolds 3 Acknowledgements I wish to thank the many people who have treated me with kindness and generosity over the past 23 years, especially my mother and father, and brother. Their contageous love of knowledge, family, friends, and our world and its people continuously renews my respect for them. They have created in me impossible dreams and unachievable aspirations which will guide me forward forever. I must also thank my friends of all species, especially Marisa and Papua, for their trust, friendship, love, and understanding. This document, the thoughts which it contains, and the person I am, are shaped in no small part by Neil Gershenfeld, Joe Paradiso, Susan Bottari, my wonderful labmates, and the many people who toil under, around, and beyond the vision of Nicholas Negroponte and MIT to create what constitutes for me a nearly perfect working, living, and learning environment. Rehmi Post contributed his time, talents, and wit to the debugging of the CPU module and its software development environment. This work is supported by the Things That Think Consortium of the MIT Media Lab. The author is the recipient of a Motorola Fellowship and wishes to thank the many Motorolans who have been so exceptionally friendly and generous with their time, knowledge, and resources. A Phase Measurement Radio Positioning System for Indoor Use Reynolds 4 Table of