Method for measuring the distance and/or the relative velocity between two objects

Claim 1

A method of measuring the distance between, and/or the mutual relative speed, of two objects which respectively include a transmitter-receiver unit and a transponder, and in which method a phase comparison is made between a signal transmitted from the transmitter-receiver unit and a signal received in said unit from the transponder, wherein the transmitter-receiver unit is caused to transmit plural signals of microwave frequency, approximately about 2450 MHz; said transmission of plural signals comprising transmitting a first signal having a first frequency; transmitting at least one second signal having a higher or a lower frequency than said first signal; transmitting a third signal having the same frequency as said first mentioned signal; said first, second and third signals being transmitted in succession, all of said first, second and third signals being of microwave frequency as herein set forth, and all of said first, second and third signals, while transmitted, being continuous wave signals whereby, for each said transmitted signal a phase difference φ between the transmitted and received signal is formed, which phase differences correspond to the distance between the transmitter receiver unit and the transponder, characterized in that said second signal includes a first series of signals that form a frequency series of successively rising frequencies and a second series of signals that form a frequency series of successively falling frequencies, said first series, and said second series, being transmitted in succession, whereby a median value (slope L9) is formed of the respective change of the phase difference with the frequency (slope L8;L9) that occurs during the series of rising frequencies and falling frequencies respectively, which median value (slope L9) corresponds to said distance.

Claim 2

A method of measuring the distance between, and/or the mutual relative speed, of two objects which respectively include a transmitter-receiver unit and a transponder, and in which method a phase comparison is made between a signal transmitted from the transmitter-receiver unit and a signal received in said unit from the transponder, wherein the transmitter-receiver unit is caused to transmit plural signals of microwave frequency, approximately about 2450 MHz; said transmission of plural signals comprising transmitting a first signal having a first frequency; transmitting at least one second signal having a higher or a lower frequency than said first signal; transmitting a third signal having the same frequency as said first mentioned signal; said first, second and third signals being transmitted in succession, all of said first, second and third signals being of microwave frequency as herein set forth, and all of said first, second and third signals, while transmitted, being continuous wave signals whereby, for each said transmitted signal a phase difference φ between the transmitted and received signal is formed, which phase differences correspond to the distance between the transmitter receiver unit and the transponder, characterized in that said second signal includes a first series of signals that form a frequency series of successively rising frequencies and a second series of signals that form a frequency series of successively falling frequencies, said first series, and said second series, being transmitted in succession, whereby a median value (slope L9) is formed of the respective change of the phase difference with the frequency (slope L8;L9) that occurs during the series of rising frequencies and falling frequencies respectively, which median value (slope L9) corresponds to said distance.