Abstract: A GNSS antenna assembly for connection to a receiver circuit of a hardware front-end. The assembly may include a multiplayer antenna and a ground plane board. The antenna board may contain an L1 patch antenna of a first width, an L2 patch antenna of a second width greater than the first width, and a ground plane of a third width that is equal to or greater than the second width. The ground plane board may include a ground plane of a fourth width that is greater than the third width. Upon assembly, contact pads of the antenna board, which are in conductive contact with the ground plane of the antenna board, are in conductive contact with contact pads of the ground plane board.

Abstract: A hardware front-end for a software-defined GNSS receiver, which includes an antenna connected to a transmission line that is connected to a pair of separate circuits, one for receiving L1 signals and one for receiving L2 signals. Each circuit includes at least one bandpass filter, at least one LNA, and a single-chip GNSS receiver that receives analog RF signals and provides digitized I and Q signals. The pair of circuits differ in that a first one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L1 frequency corresponding to the designed input frequency of the receiver and the second one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L2 frequency, which is significantly different from the first frequency. The second circuit also includes a mixer to convert the L2 frequency to the L1 frequency, so that a similar receiver can be used in each circuit.

Abstract: A hardware front-end for a software-defined GNSS receiver, which includes an antenna connected to a transmission line that is connected to a pair of separate circuits, one for receiving L1 signals and one for receiving L2 signals. Each circuit includes at least one bandpass filter, at least one LNA, and a single-chip GNSS receiver that receives analog RF signals and provides digitized I and Q signals. The pair of circuits differ in that a first one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L1 frequency corresponding to the designed input frequency of the receiver and the second one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L2 frequency, which is significantly different from the first frequency. The second circuit also includes a mixer to convert the L2 frequency to the L1 frequency, so that a similar receiver can be used in each circuit.

Abstract: A radio frequency component receives and digitizes a first plurality of L1 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and a second plurality of L2C GNSS signals from a plurality of GNSS satellites. A software defined GNSS receiver operating on a processor of a cellular telephone separate from the radio frequency component derives carrier phase measurements from the first plurality of L1 GNSS signals and the second plurality of L2C GNSS signals during an epoch. A wireless message from a communication device located at a base location is received conveying pseudorange and carrier measurements derived from the first plurality of L1 GNSS signals from said plurality of GNSS satellites during the epoch. The cellular telephone determines a distance from the base location to said first location.

Abstract: A stand-alone radio frequency (RF) hardware component comprises first and second antennas, a digitizer, a serializer, and a serial output. The first antenna receives, over-the-air, a first analog Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in a first frequency band. The second antenna receives, over-the-air, at least a second analog GNSS signal in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are separate and distinct. The digitizer digitizes the first analog GNSS signal into a first digitalized GNSS signal and digitizes the second analog GNSS signal into a second digitized GNSS signal. The serializer serializes the digitized GNSS signals into a serialized output signal. A wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the digitized GNSS signals, as the serialized output signal, from the radio frequency hardware component to a separate communication device.

Abstract: A method for capturing ionospheric data is disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, a plurality of phase-coherent signals transmitted by at least one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite is received via a mobile multi-frequency GNSS receiver. Respective code phase data and carrier phase data for each of said plurality of phase-coherent signals are derived using a software defined GNSS receiver operating on a processor of a first communication device of the multi-frequency GNSS receiver. Respective code phase data and carrier phase data for each of the plurality of phase-coherent signals is stored in a data storage device. The respective code phase data and carrier phase data is appended with a respective time-stamp and position fix. An ionospheric sample based upon respective code phase data and carrier phase data of said plurality of phase-coherent signals is wirelessly transmitted to a second location.

Abstract: A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded within the cellular device is accessed. The GNSS chipset calculates raw observables that include raw pseudoranges and carrier phase information. The raw observables are extracted from the GNSS chipset for processing elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset. Smoothed pseudoranges are provided by smoothing the raw pseudoranges based on the carrier phase information. The accessing, the extracting and the providing are performed by one or more hardware processors located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

Abstract: A stand-alone radio frequency hardware component includes a first antenna configured for receiving, over-the-air, a first analog Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in a first frequency band. A second antenna configured for receiving, over-the-air, at least a second analog GNSS signal in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are separate and distinct. A digitizer configured for digitizing the first analog GNSS signal into a first digitalized GNSS signal and for digitizing the second analog GNSS signal into a second digitized GNSS signal. A memory for storing the digitized GNSS signals, wherein the digitized GNSS signals are accessed from the memory by a separate communication device.

Abstract: A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded within the cellular device is accessed. The GNSS chipset calculates raw pseudoranges. The raw pseudoranges are extracted from the GNSS chipset for processing elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset. A position fix is determined based on the raw pseudoranges. Locally measured cellular device movement information is obtained from at least one sensor that is in a known physical relationship with the cellular device. The locally measured cellular device movement information is applied to the position fix.

Abstract: A stand-alone radio frequency (RF) hardware component comprises first and second antennas, a digitizer, a serializer, and a serial output. The first antenna receives, over-the-air, a first analog Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in a first frequency band. The second antenna receives, over-the-air, at least a second analog GNSS signal in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are separate and distinct. The digitizer digitizes the first analog GNSS signal into a first digitalized GNSS signal and digitizes the second analog GNSS signal into a second digitized GNSS signal. The serializer serializes the digitized GNSS signals into a serialized output signal. The serial output communicatively couples the digitized GNSS signals, as the serialized output signal, directly from the RF hardware component to a communication device that is removably couplable with the stand-alone RF hardware component.

Abstract: A method for contextual inference of user activity is disclosed. In one embodiment, an indication of the motion of a pole mounted sensing device comprising at least one motion sensor and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver configured to at least generate raw GNSS observables is received from the at least one motion sensor. The indication of the motion of the pole mounted sensing device is correlated with an operation defined in a gesture library regarding GNSS data collect by the GNSS receiver at a time when the indication of the motion is detected. The indication and the GNSS data are stored.

Abstract: A first process and a second process are executed concurrently by one or more hardware processors located in the cellular device and outside of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded in the cellular device. The first process determines a first set of one or more position fixes based on extracted raw pseudorange information. The second process determines carrier phase smoothed pseudoranges based on carrier phase information and determines a second set of one or more position fixes based on the carrier phase smoothed pseudoranges. One or more of the first set of position fixes are provided to a user while a predetermined amount of carrier phase information is not available for performing carrier phase smoothing. One or more of the second set of position fixes are provided to the user while a predetermined amount of carrier phase information is available for performing carrier phase smoothing.

Abstract: A hardware front-end for a software-defined GNSS receiver, which includes an antenna connected to a transmission line that is connected to a pair of separate circuits, one for receiving L1 signals and one for receiving L2 signals. Each circuit includes at least one bandpass filter, at least one LNA, and a single-chip GNSS receiver that receives analog RF signals and provides digitized I and Q signals. The pair of circuits differ in that a first one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L1 frequency corresponding to the designed input frequency of the receiver and the second one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L2 frequency, which is significantly different from the first frequency. The second circuit also includes a mixer to convert the L2 frequency to the L1 frequency, so that a similar receiver can be used in each circuit.

Abstract: A vehicle-based radio frequency (RF) hardware component comprises first and second antennas, a digitizer, a serializer, and a serial output. The first antenna receives, over-the-air, a first analog Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in a first frequency band. The second antenna receives, over-the-air, at least a second analog GNSS signal in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are separate and distinct. The digitizer digitizes the first analog GNSS signal into a first digitalized GNSS signal and digitizes the second analog GNSS signal into a second digitized GNSS signal. The serializer serializes the digitized GNSS signals into a serialized output signal. The serial output communicatively couples the digitized GNSS signals, as the serialized output signal, directly from a location in a vehicle of the radio frequency hardware component to a separate communication device that is also coupled with the vehicle.

Abstract: A plurality of images are captured by an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform from at least two different perspectives that depict a point of interest in a scene. Coincident with capture of each of the plurality of images, orientation information is obtained via orientation sensors of the mobile data collection platform, a position fix of an antenna associated with the mobile data collection platform is determined, and a position of an entrance pupil of the image capturing device is calculated. Scale information associated with at least one of the images is captured. Scene data comprises the images, the orientation information and the entrance pupil positions. A three dimensional position of the point of interest at the scene is determined based on photogrammetric image processing of the scene data.

Abstract: A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded within the cellular device is accessed. The GNSS chipset calculates raw pseudoranges. The raw pseudoranges are extracted from the GNSS chipset for processing elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset. A position fix is calculated based on the raw pseudoranges. At a first point in time, a first image, and at a second point in time, a second image are obtained with an image capturing device that is in a known physical relationship with the cellular device. An estimate of a distance that the cellular device moved from the first point in time to the second point in time is calculated by processing image data collected from the first point in time to the second point in time. The position fix is processed based on the estimate of the distance.

Abstract: An image that includes a point of interest is captured using an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform. Raw observables are obtained from a GNSS raw observables provider that is external to and coupled with the mobile data collection platform. A position fix of the mobile data collection platform is determined based on the raw observables where the position fix is a location of an antenna. A location of an entrance pupil is calculated as an offset from the location of the antenna. Orientation information comprising a tilt angle and an azimuth angle is determined. The position fix and the orientation information are associated with a three dimensional location of the mobile data collection platform when the image was captured. Scale information is captured. The image, the position fix, the scale information, and the orientation information are stored in hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform.