Global positioning system controlled staking apparatus
Granted: December 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6330503
A global positioning system (GPS) controlled marking apparatus for staking and a method of using the apparatus to stake a surface. The apparatus uses a standard architectural or other surface site application program and a stakeout driver program in a standard computer and includes a GPS receiver, a stakeout tool, an autopilot, a vehicle, a geographical drawing converter, and a location comparator. The geographical drawing converter converts an image of a drawing pattern to geographical…
Signal conversion device for coupling RTCM correction data to a position determination device
Granted: December 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6326916
A signal conversion device that provides RTCM correction data to a position determination device. The signal conversion device receives RTCM signals that are converted into a frequency adapted to be received by a position determination device so as to produce a converted correction signal. In one embodiment, the signal conversion device also converts the received RTCM correction data into a format that is adapted to be received by the position determination device. In one embodiment, the…
Laser level selection
Granted: November 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6324455
The apparatus and the system for precise vertical navigation of a grading machine in profile of a curved job site terrain is disclosed. The system includes an integrated satellite navigational receiver and a laser detector system. A plurality of laser systems generates a plurality of laser beams covering the curved job site terrain. The laser detector system mounted in the grading machine latches on a single laser beam at each location of the grading machine to obtain the precise…
Method and apparatus for collecting, processing and distributing differential global positioning system information using the internet
Granted: November 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6324473
An infrastructure for implementing DGPS virtual reference stations is disclosed. The virtual reference station infrastructure is comprised of a network of real DGPS reference stations coupled to a central computer system. The real DGPS reference stations may be coupled to the central computer by a set of radio receivers that transmit the pseudorange corrections from each real reference station to the central computer system. The central computer system processes the pseudorange…
Programming flash in a closed system
Granted: November 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6324628
A method and a system for reprogramming a closed device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system contains an external memory coupled to a limited access device. The limited access device includes a processor, an internal memory, a select control circuit, an internal data bus, and an external data bus. The internal memory is not accessible except through predefined input and output ports of the select control circuit, which are accessible external to the closed device. The select…
Method and apparatus for location-sensitive decryption of an encrypted signal
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317500
A system for assuring the location integrity of a decryption chip used to receive and decrypt encrypted signals ES received from an encrypted signal source. The decryption chip operates in association with a licensed signal receiver and is licensed for use at a selected site or location Li and is positioned adjacent to a Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) antenna and receiver/processor that determine the present location L of this antenna. If the SATPS-determined location L is within a…
Long baseline RTK using a secondary base receiver and a non-continuous data link
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317603
The system and method for long baseline RTK survey are disclosed. The system includes a primary base station (PBS), a secondary base station (SBS), a primary data link between the PBS and the SBS, and a secondary data link between the SBS and a rover. The PBS, the SBS, and the rover are equipped with satellite antennas for satellite navigational purposes. The long baseline vector between the PBS and the rover is established by combining the primary baseline vector between the SBS and the…
Correction control for guidance control system
Granted: November 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6314348
A method and apparatus which allows for corrections to be made to the path of a vehicle when an automatic steering control feature of a guidance control system is in operation. A sensor is coupled to the steering system detects movement of the steering wheel by the operator. When the operator moves the steering wheel the logic of the correction controller adjusts the travel path of the vehicle to correspond to the movement of the steering wheel. In one embodiment the travel path is…
Apparatus and method for coupling data to a position determination device
Granted: October 23, 2001
Patent Number:
6307505
A method and apparatus for coupling data from an external data device to a position determination device. An Auxiliary Data Transmission Unit (ADTU) that includes a radio transmitter couples to the external data device. The ADTU receives serial data from the external data device and encodes the received serial data into a format suitable for receipt by the position determination device. The encoded data is then modulated to produce a radio signal that is transmitted to the position…
Patch antenna with custom dielectric
Granted: October 23, 2001
Patent Number:
6307509
An antenna comprises a signal radiator, a ground plane spaced apart from the radiator, and a dielectric separator between the radiator and the ground plane. The separator comprises at least two positions having different dielectric constants. In a preferred embodiment, it comprises a material such as FR-4 that has a dielectric constant and a loss tangent substantially higher than those of air and is formed with at least one void reducing the loss tangent of the separator. The antenna…
Reduction of time to first fix in an SATPS receiver
Granted: October 16, 2001
Patent Number:
RE37408
A method for fast acquisition, in as little as 6-15 seconds, of signals from a satellite in a Satellite Positioning System (SATPS), such as GPS or GLONASS, that does not require permanent storage of satellite ephemeris information at an SATPS ground station. This SATPS signal acquisition method can be used whenever the “new” station initially powers up or has lost lock on one or more SATPS signals that must be (re)acquired. A reference SATPS station provides the new SATPS…
Location and generation of high accuracy survey control marks using satellites
Granted: October 16, 2001
Patent Number:
6304210
A first position determining device at a known position transmits a data signal identifying the known position. A second position determining device is responsive to the data signal and movable to a position near but displaced from a survey point. The position of the second position determining device is determined relative to the known position, and the range and bearing of the survey point is determined relative to the second position determining device.
Global positioning system controlled paint sprayer
Granted: October 9, 2001
Patent Number:
6299934
A global positioning system (GPS) controlled paint spray system. The system includes a paint sprayer driver program and a GPS paint sprayer. The paint sprayer driver program enables a user of a standard drawing program using a standard personal computer to generate a print file for a drawing pattern. The GPS paint sprayer includes a GPS receiver, a geographical converter for enabling a user to convert the drawing pattern to geographical locations, a location comparator for detecting a…
Power savings technique for a positioning system receiver
Granted: October 2, 2001
Patent Number:
6298083
A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver includes multiple correlation segments that can operate in parallel. Each correlation segment has a separate set of accumulators associated with it, embodied in random access memory (RAM). In each of the correlation segments, correlation data associated with an input code and a reference code are generated. The multiple correlation segments are cross-coupled, so that correlation data generated in each correlation segment are added to correlation…
Horizontal/vertical protection level adjustment scheme for RAIM with baro measurements
Granted: August 28, 2001
Patent Number:
6281836
The method of supplementing the satellite data by the satellite-calibrated baro data when the receiver autonomous integrity monitoring function (RAIM) is unavailable and when the horizontal protection level (HPL) does not satisfy the horizontal alert limit (HAL) requirement is disclosed. The baro data is adjusted to compensate for the lack of baro calibration in the position solution domain. The HPL is re-computed using the satellite-calibrated adjusted baro data. The re-computed HPL…
Geographical position/image digital recording and display system
Granted: August 28, 2001
Patent Number:
6282362
A geographical position/image capturing system stores object images and position coordinates as digital data. The system incorporates a geo-addressed map data base and geo-positioning device for relating the position of the system at the time the image is captured to the captured digital image data and the geo-addressed map. A point-of-interest feature data base is linked to the image data and the position data, by hyper-media links. Digital multi-media entities such as graphics, video…
Receiver having a memory based search for fast acquisition of a spread spectrum signal
Granted: August 21, 2001
Patent Number:
6278745
A GPS receiver having a fast time to lock to a GPS signal by storing a time period of an incoming GPS signal in a signal memory and rapidly comparing the signal memory against locations in a replica memory having stored GPS signal replicas. The GPS receiver includes a memory-based search engine for acquiring the GPS signal so that it may be tracked. The memory-based search engine includes a signal memory for storing a millisecond of a digitized GPS signal, a replica memory section for…
GPS receiver using coarse orbital parameters for achieving a fast time to first fix
Granted: August 14, 2001
Patent Number:
6275185
A GPS receiver having a fast time to first fix by comparing measured range rates for GPS satellites to GPS satellite velocities that are calculated from coarse GPS satellite orbital parameters. The coarse GPS satellite parameters are GPS almanac parameters or GPS ephemeris parameters that are older than the GPS-specified curve fit interval. The GPS receiver includes a satellite velocity calculator and a satellite line-of-sight calculator using the coarse GPS satellite orbital parameters…
Network of equivalent ground transmitters
Granted: August 7, 2001
Patent Number:
6271788
A system for differential navigation of an autonomous vehicle in the location with the limited visibility of the sky is disclosed. The system employs a plurality of satellites, a plurality of ground transmitters, and a base station. Different configurations for the minimum number of the satellites and the minimum number of ground transmitters are disclosed.
Dynamic monitoring of vehicle separation
Granted: July 31, 2001
Patent Number:
6268804
A system for monitoring operation and location of a first moving vehicle relative to a second moving vehicle. A minimum separation distance between the first and second vehicles is estimated, based on the first vehicle velocity, and optionally on the second vehicle velocity, using location determination (LD) signals received from satellite-based transmitters from GPS, GLONASS and LEO satellites, or from ground-based signal sources such as LORAN signal towers, and using ranging signals…
