Global positioning system having postprocessed realtime corrected data
Granted: April 11, 2000
Patent Number:
6049303
A method for determining an improved position fix by performing postprocessing on a realtime differentially corrected GPS position. A remote rover unit containing a GPS receiver is used to determine a differentially corrected position according to measured pseudoranges and realtime pseudorange correction vectors is broadcast by a base station. The rover unit applies realtime corrections to measurements to determine a more accurate realtime differential position. It then stores the…
Clandsetine location reporting for missing vehicles
Granted: April 4, 2000
Patent Number:
6046687
Apparatus and method for a location determination and reporting (LDR) system for clandestinely or surreptitiously determining and reporting a missing vehicle present location. The vehicle may be stationary or moving and may be anywhere within reach of a cellular central station to which the location is reported. The vehicle is equipped with a location determination (LD) unit (preferably hidden on the vehicle) that receives LD signals and determines the LD unit present location, a…
Renting/leasing instrument options using satellite positioning system
Granted: April 4, 2000
Patent Number:
6047258
An apparatus and a method of purchasing or leasing the time dependent option of operation of an instrument are disclosed. An apparatus generates and uses a time dependent password configured to be matched with at least one time dependent parameter in order to activate the instrument. The apparatus includes a time-antispoof device in order to prevent spoofing the purchased time of operation of the instrument. The time-antispoof device includes a satellite navigation receiver in order to…
Navigation system and orientation system incorporating solar sighting
Granted: March 28, 2000
Patent Number:
6043778
A method and apparatus for providing orientation using a solar sighting device. In one embodiment, sighting of the sun and the moon and stars is used to determine orientation. The input from the solar sighting system is input into a processing system along with global positioning system data. Ephemerides stored in the processing system are used in conjunction with time signals from global positioning system data and position determined from global positioning system data so as to…
Method and apparatus for advising cellphone users of possible actions to avoid dropped calls
Granted: March 14, 2000
Patent Number:
6038444
Method and apparatus for tracking the location of, and for providing cellular telephone handoff for, a mobile cellphone user as the user moves from one cell to another. A boundary curve B12 between a first cell and an adjacent second cell is defined in an electronic map. First and second quasi-boundary curves QB1 and QB2, lying within the first and second cell, respectively, are defined, where each point on the curve QBi (i=1,2) lies at a selected distance from the boundary curve B12. A…
Aircraft turn guidance system
Granted: March 14, 2000
Patent Number:
6038497
An aircraft turn guidance system comprises a satellite navigation receiver connected to a turn path computer. Position, velocity and waypoint headings and distances are communicated from the satellite navigation receiver to the turn path computer. Roll angle, airframe and airspace constraints are fed to the turn path computer which computes a constant roll turn for the constraints when transitioning a waypoint from the inbound to outbound legs. The effects of wind on the airmass are…
Method and apparatus for collecting recording and displaying data pertaining to an artifact
Granted: March 14, 2000
Patent Number:
6038522
A new and useful method and apparatus are provided for collecting, recording and displaying data pertaining to artifacts in a time based fashion. The apparatus includes a data measurement device such as a GPS receiver or other measurement device for collecting data such as position information pertaining to artifacts, a memory for recording collected data and a user interface having an input for receiving recorded information such as qualitative information pertaining to artifacts from…
Remote control and viewing for a total station
Granted: March 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6034722
A method and apparatus are provided for performing remote control and viewing with a total station. The total station is operated remotely from a remote control and viewing unit (RCVU) by a single user. The total station has a measurement unit, a video camera aligned with the measurement unit for acquiring real-time images of a target, and a transceiver for transmitting video images to the RCVU and for receiving control data from the RCVU. The RCVU includes a transceiver for transmitting…
GPS-aided autolock in a robotic total station system
Granted: March 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6035254
A surveying system for accurate determination of the position of a target based on ranging information provided by a positioning system is disclosed. A target is configured with a receiver to receive positioning signals from a positioning system, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). The target transmits to a total station system position information estimating the target's location. The total station system, based on the location and orientation of the total station and the…
Method and system for an efficient low cost PPS GPS receiver
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6031488
A system for processing a PPS (precise positioning service) signal from a GPS (global positioning system) satellite to obtain PPS based positioning information therefrom. A first GPS receiver is adapted to process a PPS signal from a GPS satellite. The first GPS receiver is further adapted to output CVas (Crypto Variable Anti Spoofing) and SA correction information corresponding to the PPS signal. A second GPS receiver is adapted to receive the CVas and SA correction information from the…
Carrier multipath estimation for weighted or modified tracking using weighted or modified correlations
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6031884
The apparatus and method for estimation and minimization of the carrier multipath response envelope are disclosed. The reduction of the carrier multipath error signal is achieved by using the weighted or modified tracking or estimation circuits. The Modify and Weight signals are generated by the generator of Modify or Weight signals at five different circuit levels.
Adaptive equalization of multipath signals
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6031882
Method and apparatus for using a plurality of correlators to improve the estimate of direct signal arrival time by identifying detailed features of a correlation function at and adjacent to the correlation peak. The errors in location of the center point of a correlation function R(.tau.), formed by the received signal and a stored copy of the expected signal, are assumed to be strongly correlated for narrow sample spacing and wide sample spacing of the correlation function.…
Code-space optical electronic distance meter
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6031601
An electronic distance meter comprises an integrated circuit from a GPS navigation receiver having a local pseudo-random number code generator for code demodulation that is connected to modulate either a polychromatic or a monochromatic light source. An optical system focuses the light on a distant target with an unknown range. Reflections from the distant target are focused on a light detector that produces a phase-delayed copy of the original pseudo-random number code. The…
Full alphanumeric character set entry from a very limited number of key buttons
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6031471
A graphical machine-user interface includes a processor connected to a display screen to generate a screen display of individual items in groups together with the selector indication. The processor and a display screen are used to advantage to provide a rich keyboard function from a very limited set of pushbuttons. For example, five pushbuttons indicating "up", "right", "down", "left", and "middle" are recursively used to reduce a large two-dimensional matrix of item choices presented on…
Vehicle guidance system using signature zones to detect travel path
Granted: February 22, 2000
Patent Number:
6028550
A system and method for determining which of a plurality of travel paths is taken by vehicles through area in which the performance of an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system is reduced. In one embodiment, the present invention divides a geographic region into a plurality of signature zones which are further divided into a plurality of signature zone cells. The signature zone cells in each signature zone correspond to travel paths that pass through an area having structures that…
Apparatus and method for improving signal-to-jamming ratio in a spread spectrum receiver
Granted: February 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6021156
A jamming signal cancellation method and apparatus for removing an undesired in-band CW jamming signal from a desired spread spectrum signal. The jamming cancellation apparatus includes a limiter, a summer, and a feedback loop. The feedback loop includes the summer, a harmonic filter, a mixer, a loop/filter amplifier, and an adjustable gain control (AGC). The limiter limits the waveform of the input signal and issues a limited signal to the AGC and the mixer. The AGC controls the…
Communication and navigation system incorporating position determination
Granted: February 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6021371
A method and apparatus for providing navigation and information services. A mobile unit which includes a microphone and a speaker is used to communicate between a user and a service location. The service location includes a computer and data storage which includes data on geography, roads, road conditions, traffic and other data which may be of use to a user. The mobile unit includes a receiver and position determination processing circuitry for location determination. A user may obtain…
Method of displaying connections in the field between like geographical features
Granted: February 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6021376
A data recorder and method for automatically displaying connections between feature icons as like features are recorded in the field. In setup, feature codes for identifying features of interest are entered and stored. In field operation, geographical features are recorded by entering the feature codes and either entering geographical locations for the features through a keypad or receiving the locations through an I/O interface from a location apparatus. A display shows the features as…
PCI card for receiving a GPS signal
Granted: January 25, 2000
Patent Number:
6018784
A peripheral component interconnect (PCI) global positioning system (GPS) card for receiving a GPS signal. In a first embodiment the PCI card includes a GPS downconverter. In a second embodiment the PCI card including the GPS downconverter is integrated into a personal computer for correlating a GPS signal and computing a GPS location. In a third embodiment the PCI card includes a GPS downconverter and a GPS correlator. In a fourth embodiment the PCI card including the GPS downconverter…
Method for the efficient determination of GPS satellite orbital position
Granted: January 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6016117
A GPS navigation receiver which calculates the GPS satellites' positions by numerical integration. The GPS receiver of the present invention integrates over eccentric anomaly E as an independent variable rather than time, in order to use an integration method that is exact for sinusoidal motion, since the components of motion and time are sinusoidally related to the eccentric anomaly E. Using eccentric anomaly as an independent variable, the GPS receiver performs Leapfrog integration on…
