System and method for built-in testing of a GPS receiver
Granted: September 29, 2009
Patent Number:
7596465
Built-in test equipment (BITE) incorporated in a GPS receiver for providing a loop forward test. The loop forward test capability may be combined with a loop backward capability to provide a comprehensive built-in test (BIT) capability for the signal path in a GPS receiver. A code generator generates deterministic test code signals such as C/A code, P code and pseudo M code that are used to modulate one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers to produce RF test signals. The RF test signals…
Mobile radio positioning aided by single fan laser
Granted: September 29, 2009
Patent Number:
7595867
The method of mobile radio positioning aided by a single fan laser comprising: generating a single sloping fan beam by using a stationary fan laser transmitter positioned in a location with known coordinates; detecting the single sloping fan beam by using the mobile laser detector; receiving the averaged low-passed filtered estimate of angular rate of the laser beam; receiving the plurality of main time tags; receiving the plurality of additional time tags; and timing the fan laser beam…
Rotating laser transmitter
Granted: September 15, 2009
Patent Number:
7587832
The transmitter has a generally flat, circuit board stator, a rotor including a plurality of magnets mounted in a ring around a central opening, and a bearing, supporting the rotor for rotation about an axis that extends through the central opening, A pentaprism assembly including an optics holder is mounted on the rotor for rotation therewith. The pentaprism assembly receives a beam of laser light through the central opening and redirects at least a portion of the laser light outward in…
GNSS signal processing with frequency-dependent bias modeling
Granted: September 15, 2009
Patent Number:
7589668
Three new methods are presented to improve floating solutions and ambiguity resolution for multiple global satellite navigation systems (GNSS), one of which may be an FDMA-based GNSS such as GLONASS: (1) modeling of the hardware-related differential clock error between two (or more) different GNSS, (2) modeling the frequency-dependent biases present in frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) GNSS, and (3) an ambiguity resolution method called Scoreboard Partial Fixing (SPF). The…
GPS node locator using an intermediate node location for determining location of a remote node
Granted: September 15, 2009
Patent Number:
7589671
A network-aided GNSS node locator for receiving GNSS signal samples. A GNSS positioning system may include a GNSS remote node for sampling a GNSS signal and transmitting the GNSS signal samples through a communication network having an intermediate node. The GNSS node locator receives the GNSS signal samples through the communication network, geolocates the intermediate node from a node ID, and uses the GNSS signal samples with the intermediate node geographical location for determining…
Method and system for managing and delivering web content to internet appliances
Granted: September 15, 2009
Patent Number:
7590681
A method and a system allow presentation of web pages to an internet appliance (e.g., a hand-held computer, a mobile telephone, or a digital personal assistant) according to user preferences. The user preferences are captured by a management server, which provides a web page customization service in conjunction with a document manager, which parses the web pages to identify information units. The customized web pages are stored in a database using a standardized hypertext document…
Preventing unauthorized distribution of media content within a global network
Granted: September 1, 2009
Patent Number:
7584353
One embodiment of the invention is a method for providing media content while preventing its unauthorized distribution. The method includes transmitting from a client to an administrative node a request for delivery of an instance of media content (IMC); determining which content source (CS) of a plurality of CSs to provide delivery of the IMC, provided the client is authorized to receive the IMC; transmitting to the client an access key and a location of the IMC; transmitting from the…
Medium hopping data transmitter
Granted: August 25, 2009
Patent Number:
7580389
A first communication device (e.g., the communication device that is sending data) monitors a radio channel in a predetermined set of radio channels. A message is transmitted on the first radio channel if the first radio channel is unoccupied. A second radio channel from the predetermined set of channels is checked if the first radio channel is occupied. The message is sent on the second radio channel if the second radio channel is unoccupied and the message was not sent on the first…
Remote subscription unit for GNSS information
Granted: August 25, 2009
Patent Number:
7580794
A GPS information service system for providing supplemental GPS correction and signal acquisition information to subscribers. A GPS information server broadcasts GPS aiding information encrypted with subscription keys. A remote GPS subscription unit receives the key enablers for the subscription keys in service activation (SAM) messages for the services for which they have subscribed and then uses the subscription keys to decrypt the GPS aiding information. In order to prevent…
Controlling interaction of deliverable electronic media
Granted: August 18, 2009
Patent Number:
7578002
A method of restricting client interaction of deliverable electronic media. In one embodiment, the method is comprised of detecting a media player application operable within a computer system. The media player application enables the computer system to present contents of a media file. The present method is further comprised of governing within said media player application a function that enables non-compliance with a usage restriction applicable to the media file. The present method…
Position determination with reference data outage
Granted: August 18, 2009
Patent Number:
7576690
Position determination at a rover station on the basis of positioning signals from a plurality of positioning satellites. During normal operation a position of the rover station is determined on the basis of the positioning signal from the positioning satellites and reference data received via a separate connection from a reference station. Upon detecting an outage of the reference data from the reference station, error data at least including satellite clock drifts is obtained from…
System and method for distribution of GPS satellite information
Granted: August 11, 2009
Patent Number:
7574215
A positioning information distribution system for distributing positioning information through a data network is described. In one embodiment, the system distributes satellite information from a global positioning system (GPS). The system includes an information processing station connected to a data network accessible by wireless communication, a receiving station including a GPS receiver, and a mobile unit including a GPS receiver and a wireless receiver. The information processing…
Method and system for implementing automatic vehicle control with parameter-driven disengagement
Granted: August 11, 2009
Patent Number:
7574290
Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for implementing automatic vehicle control with parameter-driven disengagement. In one embodiment, a course for a vehicle is determined along which the vehicle is to be automatically guided. An indication is received that a pre-defined parameter has been exceeded In response to receiving the indication, the generation of vehicle control commands is then suspended.
Location authentication stamp attached to messages
Granted: August 11, 2009
Patent Number:
7574606
A location stamp automatically attached to messages indicates location information such as longitude and latitude information from a GPS device. The location stamp helps a receiver to identify the location of the sender or a transaction, identify the sender, and provides context to the message that further indicates the messages meaning. Applications of the location stamp include authentication of the location of a sender or a transaction and identifying the location of a sender for a…
Method and system for preventing unauthorized recording of media content in the iTunes™ environment
Granted: August 4, 2009
Patent Number:
7570761
A method and system for preventing unauthorized recording of media content in an iTunes™ environment. Embodiment of the method begins by activating a compliance mechanism in response to receiving media content at a client system. The media content is received from a content provider providing content in a format compatible with an iTunes™ media service. Also, the client system has a media content presentation application that is capable of handling the media content operable thereon…
Transducer arrangement
Granted: July 14, 2009
Patent Number:
7559718
A transducer arrangement and method that generates control signals indicating relative positions of the ends of a hydraulically movable tool of a machine. The generated control signals of the present invention are used by a conventional control circuit of the machine to control the ends of the hydraulically movable tool having elevation receivers as an desired mode of operation or when reception by one of the elevational receivers of a elevational reference, which provides an absolute…
Method and apparatus for machine element control
Granted: June 30, 2009
Patent Number:
7552539
A method of monitoring the location, and the orientation of a machine element, and apparatus for monitoring and controlling the operation of the machine include a robotic total station and a plurality of targets in known positions relative to the machine element. The total station, located at a known location near the machine element, repeatedly, successively determines the location of each target. Acquisition and re-acquisition of the targets is aided by stored data regarding the prior…
Signal receiver using alternating time segments
Granted: June 30, 2009
Patent Number:
7555032
A GPS receiver and method using alternating “A” and “B” integration time segments. The polarities of certain GPS data bits are known beforehand and their expected reception times are known. The GPS signal in 10 millisecond “A” time segments and “B” time segments is depolarized according to the known polarities. The depolarized GPS signal during an “A” time period made up of all the “A” time segments is integrated for providing an “A” time period magnitude for…
GNSS sample processor for determining the location of an event
Granted: June 23, 2009
Patent Number:
7551126
An apparatus and method for determining a GNSS position of an event where an event capture device writes a short burst of GNSS signal samples with an approximate time into an event data file and a GNSS sample processor reads the event data file some time later for determining the geographical location and an accurate time of the event.
Managed traverse system and method to acquire accurate survey data in absence of precise GPS data
Granted: June 2, 2009
Patent Number:
7541974
A method and system obtains precise survey-grade position data of target points in zones where precise GPS data cannot be obtained, due to natural or man-made objects such as foliage and buildings. The system comprises a GPS receiver mounted on a survey pole, with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an electronic distance meter (EDM) also mounted on the pole. The system and method obtains GPS data when outside the zone and uses the IMU inside the zone to traverse to a target point,…
