Vehicle tracker, mileage-time monitor and calibrator
Granted: July 11, 2000
Patent Number:
6088650
A system for monitoring location and speed of a vehicle, using a location determination system such as GPS, GLONASS or LORAN and an optional odometer or speedometer, for determining and recording the locations and times at which vehicle speed is less than a threshold speed for at least a threshold time (called a "vehicle arrest event"). Vehicle arrest event locations, times and time intervals are stored and/or printed to provide trip and mileage records and for efficiency monitoring. A…
GPS guidance system for use with circular cultivated agricultural fields
Granted: July 11, 2000
Patent Number:
6087984
A GPS (Global Positioning System) aircraft guidance system for use with circular cultivated agriculture fields. The system of the present invention includes a GPS receiver adapted to determine a present position, ground track, and ground speed of an aircraft. The GPS receiver is also adapted to store a configuration of a circular cultivated agricultural field and to compute a desired flight path for achieving an optimal coverage of the field. Deviations of the aircraft from the desired…
Suppression of multipath signal effects
Granted: July 4, 2000
Patent Number:
6084927
Method and apparatus for formation of an autocorrelation difference function of an incoming digital signal, with bit transition interval length .DELTA..tau..sub.chip, that reduces the effects of presence of a multipath signal in an incoming composite signal. First and second autocorrelation functions AC(.tau.;E;qE) and AC(.tau.;L;qL) are formed with respective first and second selected time shift values .tau.=t.sub.E and .tau.=t.sub.L, which replicate an estimate of an autocorrelation…
GPS controlled blaster
Granted: June 27, 2000
Patent Number:
6079333
A blasting system using the global positioning system (GPS) for timing the detonations for a shaped blast. The blasting system includes a master station including a master GPS receiver for determining a GPS-based time and a master transceiver in communication with several charge control stations. Each charge control station includes a charge control transceiver for communicating with the master transceiver, a charge control GPS receiver for tracking the GPS-based time, and a detonator…
Theodolite with a disengageable adjustment mechanism
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6076266
A theodolite that includes a stand, a telescope, a friction gear and a worm gear. The telescope is pivotally secured to the stand. The clutch plate is secured to the telescope for at least limited rotational movement upon pivoting of the telescope. The friction gear is mounted for rotation about substantially the same axis as rotation of the clutch plate. The worm gear is mounted to the stand and is in constant mesh with the friction gear so that rotation of the worm gear causes rotation…
User-controlled GPS receiver
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6078290
A system and method which enables a user platform to perform low level control of a channel unit which performs acquisition and tracking of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals processing the measurement platform which includes the channel and that performs all satellite tracking functions which are driven by interrupts. Intermediate measurements data generated therefrom, for example code phase, carrier phase and Doppler, are communicated to a user platform which computes receiver…
Global positioning system controlled paint sprayer
Granted: June 13, 2000
Patent Number:
6074693
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…
Extensible GPS receiver system
Granted: June 6, 2000
Patent Number:
6072431
An extensible Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver system is described. The receiver system isolates user application processing from time critical GPS acquisition and tracking processing in order to insure that GPS acquisition and tracking processing is timely performed. Thus user application processing can be developed without concern of conflict with GPS acquisition and tracking processing.
Integrated position determination system and radio transceiver incorporating common components
Granted: June 6, 2000
Patent Number:
6072429
A integrated position determination network including a position determination system and a radio relay system is disclosed which locates the precise location of the position determination system. The position determination system incorporates the radio, the power source and the GPS receiver and all necessary electronics into a single housing. Similarly, all of the components of the radio relay are integrated into a single housing. Many of the components of the position determination…
Location determination using doppler and pseudorange measurements from fewer than four satellites
Granted: June 6, 2000
Patent Number:
6072428
A method for estimating two or three location coordinates and/or receiver time offset for a receiver that receives and analyzes timed signals transmitted from one, two or three non-geosynchronous satellites (GPS, GLONASS, modified LEO, etc.). Combinations of pseudorange, Doppler shift and/or first time derivative and/or second time derivative of Doppler shift are determined and used to estimate the location coordinates and/or receiver time offset.
Global positioning system receiver enclosure
Granted: June 6, 2000
Patent Number:
D426225
Dynamic monitoring of vehicle separation
Granted: May 23, 2000
Patent Number:
6067031
A system for monitoring operation and location of a moving first vehicle relative to a second 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 from…
Handheld surveying device and method
Granted: May 23, 2000
Patent Number:
6067046
A handheld survey device includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving position information, a pointer to point to the location to be measured, a measuring device to measure the distance between the handheld device and the location to be measured and a level and heading device to determine the level and heading of the handheld device. The GPS receiver may be a real time kinematic (RTK) GPS receiver and may be augmented by the use of a dead reckoning (DR) positioning…
GPS based augmented reality collision avoidance system
Granted: May 16, 2000
Patent Number:
6064335
The present invention comprises a global positioning system (GPS) based augmented reality (AR) aircraft collision avoidance system. The system of the present invention includes a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals and determining a present position using the GPS signals. The system of the present invention also includes an automatic dependent surveillance (ADS-B) receiver for receiving an ADS-B signal from an aircraft. The system of the present invention further includes an AR visor…
Hybrid approach for antenna baseline self-survey and line bias calibration using GPS carrier phase
Granted: May 9, 2000
Patent Number:
6061631
Methods for estimation of the relative locations (baseline vectors) of two or more GPS signal antennas relative to each other and for estimation of line biases associated with each signal processing channel associated with each GPS signal antenna. Double difference carrier phase signal measurements are formed, using floating integer and fixed integer solutions for the phase integer ambiguities, and baseline vectors between the GPS signal antennas are estimated. Single difference phase…
Receiver with seamless correction capacity
Granted: May 9, 2000
Patent Number:
6061632
A system and method for determining which of a plurality of correction signals is to be used in a position determination system for determining position. An antenna receives broadcasts of correction data on designated frequencies. The received correction data is analyzed to determine the best correction data signal to use to accurately determine position. The correction data from the selected best source of correction data is coupled to a position determination system for accurate…
Junction box
Granted: April 25, 2000
Patent Number:
D423461
Use of an altitude sensor to augment availability of GPS location fixes
Granted: April 25, 2000
Patent Number:
6055477
Methods for GPS-assisted determination of location coordinates of a mobile user or selected position on or adjacent to the Earth's surface with improved accuracy. Elevation readings from an altimeter or barometer are integrated with readings of the GPS-determined elevation coordinate for that location, using Kalman filter techniques, minimum least square techniques, or comparison of certain statistically defined parameters associated with the altimeter and GPS variables, such as the…
Method and apparatus for position identification
Granted: April 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6052083
A position identification system, that employs satellite navigational or similar positioning technology is provided. The position identification system eliminates the need for estimating the location of a desired position and iteratively adjusting the placement of a range pole. In one embodiment, the position identification system includes an antenna/receiver for receiving position signals from a positioning system; an orientation device that is configured to rotate about a first axis…
Multiple simultaneous laser-reference control system for construction equipment
Granted: April 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6052181
A number of laser beam stations emit vertically separated parallel planes and/or ray-planes of laser light that can be discriminated by their respective plane elevations, modulation of the laser light, time synchronizing, etc. Identifying the laser plane would also imply an identification of the source laser beam station, and thus a precise indication of the elevation at the point of optical intercept. Alternatively, a single laser beam station is used that can emit several different…
