Post-mission high accuracy position and orientation system
Granted: December 21, 2010
Patent Number:
7855678
A method of generating post-mission position and orientation data comprises generating position and orientation data representing positions and orientations of a mobile platform, based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data and inertial navigation system (INS) data acquired during a data acquisition period by the mobile platform, using a network real-time kinematic (RTK) subsystem to generate correction data associated with the data acquisition period, and correcting the…
Farm apparatus having implement sidehill drift compensation
Granted: November 30, 2010
Patent Number:
7844378
An apparatus and method using GPS for dynamically adjusting side-to-side positioning of a farm implement along a geographical path.
Laser light detector with reflection rejection algorithm
Granted: November 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7838808
A modulated laser light detector that converts laser light energy into electrical signals which exhibit a frequency that is substantially the same as the laser light modulation frequency, in which these signals allow the detector unit to determine a position where the laser light is impacting upon a photodiode array. A superheterodyne receiver circuit is used to provide high gain at an improved signal-to-noise ratio to improve the range at which the modulated laser light signal can be…
Sample decimation in a GNSS receiver
Granted: November 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7830993
Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for processing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. In one embodiment, at least one wide-band Radio Frequency (R/F) filter of a signal processing pathway is utilized to pass a plurality of signals from a plurality of satellite navigation systems as a combined signal set. The plurality of signals of the plurality of satellite navigation systems is split based upon the respective frequency of each of the…
Method of mobile radio positioning aided by single fan self-surveying laser transmitter
Granted: October 5, 2010
Patent Number:
7808626
A method of mobile radio positioning aided by a single fan self-surveying laser transmitter (SF_SS_LT), wherein a rover comprises a mobile radio positioning system (Mobile_RADPS) integrated with a mobile laser detector; and wherein THE SF_SS_LT comprises a single fan laser transmitter and a positioning system integrated with the single fan laser transmitter. The method comprises: (A) performing self-surveying of the (SF_SS_LT); (B) generating a single fan laser beam by using the single…
Mobile control apparatus
Granted: September 21, 2010
Patent Number:
7801553
Vehicle maintenance-related services are provided from a server over a wide area network, such as the Internet. Under one method, a server that is accessible over the wide area network through a wireless communication link is provided. Then, in a vehicle, an apparatus is provided to collect, over a data bus in the vehicle, data relating to an operation of the vehicle. The data received from the data bus is then communicated to the server over the wireless communication link. Based on the…
GNSS time fraction calibration of a real time clock
Granted: September 7, 2010
Patent Number:
7791534
A generic navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal receiver having a fast time to first fix by calibrating a low power always-on real time clock (RTC). The receiver includes an RTC calibrator having a fraction calculator. The RTC calibrator may also include a time expander. Before the receiver is powered off, the fraction calculator uses the fine resolution of GNSS time for determining a time fraction for RTC time. When the receiver is powered back on, the time expander uses an estimate…
Position determination system and method
Granted: August 24, 2010
Patent Number:
7783423
An improved position determination system and method are described. The method includes determining that a failure to generate an acceptable GNSS position fix has occurred. In response to determining that the failure to generate an acceptable GNSS position fix has occurred, terrestrial positioning information is accessed which is derived from at least one broadcast signal. A second position fix based upon the terrestrial positioning information is generated.
Position determination system using radio and laser in combination
Granted: August 3, 2010
Patent Number:
7768450
A combined radio and laser positioning system comprising: a network of ground based radio communication devices, a laser transmitter configured to generate at least one laser beam, and at least one user unit. Each user unit comprises a radio receiver configured to receive at least one ranging radio signal transmitted by at least one ground based radio communication device, a laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam generated by the laser transmitter, and a processor…
Combination laser detector and global navigation satellite receiver system
Granted: July 27, 2010
Patent Number:
7764365
A combination laser detector and global navigation satellite antenna has a laser detector positioned in a known and fixed relationship with the nominal phase center of an included global navigation satellite antenna. The offsets for these elements may be fixed, simplifying set up.
Mobile radio modem
Granted: July 27, 2010
Patent Number:
D620486
GNSS signal processing methods and apparatus
Granted: July 13, 2010
Patent Number:
7755542
Methods and apparatus for processing of data from a network of GNSS reference stations are presented. An ionosphere-free, federated geometry filter is employed so that computation time increases only linearly with the increase in number of reference stations, significantly reducing processing time as compared to a centralized filter approach.
Ambiguity estimation of GNSS signals for three or more carriers
Granted: June 29, 2010
Patent Number:
7746272
Methods and apparatus are provided for factorized processing of a set of GNSS signal data derived from signals having at least three carriers. A geometry filter is applied to the set of GNSS signal data using a geometry carrier-phase combination to obtain an array of ambiguity estimates for the geometry carrier-phase combination and associated statistical information. A bank of ionosphere filters is applied to the set of GNSS signal data using a geometry-free ionosphere carrier-phase…
Method for substituting at least one high quality position measurement taken before an interrupting event with a set of upgraded low quality position measurements provided by the same source of measurements after the interrupting event
Granted: June 29, 2010
Patent Number:
7747384
A method for substituting at least one high quality position measurement of an object taken before an interrupting event with a set of upgraded low quality position measurements of the object provided by the same source of measurements after the interrupting event. The method comprises the following steps: (A) obtaining at least one high quality position measurement of the object provided by a source of measurements before the interrupting event; (B) saving at least one high quality…
Controllable external to internal antenna switching algorithm and circuit for position reporting device
Granted: June 22, 2010
Patent Number:
7742874
A method for configuring an electronic device comprising: (A) substantially continuously detecting motion of the electronic device using an initiating device disposed within the electronic device, the electronic device further comprising a position determining component, and a wireless communications component; (B) substantially continuously receiving at least one external radio signal by using an initially selected antenna of the position determining component; (C) if reception of at…
Nudged broadcast orbit drift correction
Granted: June 15, 2010
Patent Number:
7737887
In method of correcting for drift in a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, a broadcast orbit in use at the GNSS receiver is nudged based on a first message received from a GNSS base station. The nudging creates a first nudged broadcast orbit for a GNSS satellite, the first nudged broadcast orbit being more precise than the broadcast orbit. A second message is received from the GNSS base station. Information included in the second message is employed to determine a drift…
Conveying orbit information via ambiguous position information
Granted: June 15, 2010
Patent Number:
7737888
In a method of conveying information regarding an orbit used at a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) base station to a GNSS receiver, a satellite position is determined for a particular time from an orbit of a GNSS satellite. An ambiguity value is extracted from the satellite position. The ambiguity value is extracted based upon a satellite position determination margin of error of a GNSS receiver. The ambiguity value is encoded into an encoded ambiguity value which is assembled…
Method for obtaining location information of a mobile unit using a wireline telephone number
Granted: June 15, 2010
Patent Number:
7738878
A position determination method in a mobile unit uses the telephone number of a wireline telephone and a reverse phone-book operation for determining the location of a mobile unit. In one embodiment, a method for determining the location of a mobile unit using a telephone number of a wireline telephone in the vicinity of the mobile unit includes receiving at a server the telephone number transmitted from the mobile unit using wireless communication through a data network, retrieving an…
Automated utility supply management system integrating data sources including geographic information systems (GIS) data
Granted: June 15, 2010
Patent Number:
7739138
An automated management system for managing data, outage repair, load switching, job workflow and crew dispatching, crew workflow, installation, maintenance and restoration of utility services by integrating geographic information systems (GIS) data with many other data sources so as to gather, transform, manipulate, analyze, and produce desired information for continuously supplying utility and relevant services. The data sources include customer information systems (CIS) and billing…
Integrated guidance system
Granted: June 1, 2010
Patent Number:
7729853
An integrated guidance system is disclosed. The integrated guidance system includes a position determination system adapted for determining a current position. Additionally, the integrated guidance system further includes a lightbar device adapted for providing a visual representation of the deviation of the current position from a desired path to guide movement along the desired path. Furthermore, the integrated guidance system has a data input device, and a display device for…
