Patents by Inventor William J. Bencze

William J. Bencze has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240045080
    Abstract: User equipment receives a GNSS signal that includes a GNSS signal from a satellite. The user equipment also receives a first data input from a motion sensor of the user equipment that is indicative of a motion of the user equipment, receives a second data input from the temperature sensor of the user equipment that is indicative of a temperature of the user equipment, and performs a coherent operation based on the pilot channel of the GNSS signal over a coherent period of time based on the first data input and the second data input to generate a resulting signal. The user equipment performs a non-coherent operation based on the resulting signal to amplify the resulting signal, and outputs a position of the user equipment based on the resulting signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Glenn D. MacGougan, Robert G. Lorenz, Kevin X. Chin, William J. Bencze
  • Publication number: 20230239656
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Patent number: 11627433
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Publication number: 20220191644
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Patent number: 11212642
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Publication number: 20210396619
    Abstract: Described herein are techniques to enable a mobile device to perform multi-source estimation of an altitude for a location. A baseline altitude may be determined at ground level for a location and used to calibrate a barometric pressure sensor on the mobile device. The calibrated barometric pressure sensor can then estimate changes in altitude relative to ground level based on detected pressure differentials, allowing a relative altitude to ground to be determined. Baseline calibration for the barometric sensor calibration can be performed to determine an ambient ground-level barometric pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Lei Wang, William J. Bencze, Kumar Gaurav Chhokra, Fatemeh Ghafoori, Stephen P. Jackson, Cheng Jia, Yi-Wen Liao, Glenn D. Macgougan, Isaac T. Miller, Alexandru Popovici, Christina Selle, Aditya Narain Srivastava, Richard Warren, Michael P. Dal Santo, Pejman Lotfali Kazemi
  • Publication number: 20190297457
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Patent number: 10285013
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Mohit Narang, Indranil S. Sen
  • Publication number: 20180234797
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Mohit Narang, Indranil S. Sen
  • Patent number: 9618625
    Abstract: A system and method of continuous carrier wave reconstruction includes a radio navigation receiver that includes one or more processors, memory coupled to the one or more processors, and an input for receiving a signal from a transmitter. The signal has a phase. The one or more processors are configured to obtain phase lock on the received signal, extract first phase information from the received signal, detect a loss in phase lock on the received signal, and extrapolate second phase information while phase lock is lost using a model of the phase. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to reconstruct the carrier signal based on the first and second phase information. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to scale the first and second phase information from a first nominal frequency of the received signal to a different second nominal frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac T. Miller, William J. Bencze, Robert W. Brumley, Brent M. Ledvina, Mark L. Psiaki, Thomas J. Holmes, Clark E. Cohen
  • Patent number: 9557422
    Abstract: Systems, methods, devices and subassemblies for creating and delivering a GNSS augmentation service include one or more reference stations for receiving signals transmitted by navigation beacons and an augmentation server coupled to the reference stations. At least one of the reference stations is able to receive at least one of the signals from a low earth orbit satellite. Each of the reference stations determines first navigation observables based on the received signals and transmit information associated with the first navigation observables to the augmentation server. The augmentation server is configured to determine and distribute augmentation information to a receiver. The augmentation information is based on the received information associated with the first navigation observables, locations of the reference stations, and computational models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac T. Miller, William J. Bencze, Robert Brumley, Brent M. Ledvina
  • Publication number: 20160313449
    Abstract: Position, navigation and/or timing (PNT) solutions may be provided with levels of precision that have previously and conventionally been associated with carrier phase differential GPS (CDGPS) techniques that employ a fixed terrestrial reference station or with GPS PPP techniques that employ fixed terrestrial stations and corrections distribution networks of generally limited terrestrial coverage. Using techniques described herein, high-precision PNT solutions may be provided without resort to a generally proximate, terrestrial ground station having a fixed and precisely known position. Instead, techniques described herein utilize a carrier phase model and measurements from plural satellites (typically 4 or more) wherein at least one is a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite. For an Iridium LEO solution, particular techniques are described that allow extraction of an Iridium carrier phase observables, notwithstanding TDMA gaps and random phase rotations and biases inherent in the transmitted signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac T. Miller, Clark E. Cohen, Robert W. Brumley, William J. Bencze, Brent M. Ledvina, Thomas J. Holmes, Mark L. Psiaki
  • Patent number: 9360557
    Abstract: Position, navigation and/or timing (PNT) solutions may be provided with levels of precision that have previously and conventionally been associated with carrier phase differential GPS (CDGPS) techniques that employ a fixed terrestrial reference station or with GPS PPP techniques that employ fixed terrestrial stations and corrections distribution networks of generally limited terrestrial coverage. Using techniques described herein, high-precision PNT solutions may be provided without resort to a generally proximate, terrestrial ground station having a fixed and precisely known position. Instead, techniques described herein utilize a carrier phase model and measurements from plural satellites (typically 4 or more) wherein at least one is a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite. For an Iridium LEO solution, particular techniques are described that allow extraction of an Iridium carrier phase observables, notwithstanding TDMA gaps and random phase rotations and biases inherent in the transmitted signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac T. Miller, Clark E. Cohen, Robert W. Brumley, William J. Bencze, Brent M. Ledvina, Thomas J. Holmes, Mark L. Psiaki
  • Publication number: 20150042511
    Abstract: A system and method of continuous carrier wave reconstruction includes a radio navigation receiver that includes one or more processors, memory coupled to the one or more processors, and an input for receiving a signal from a transmitter. The signal has a phase. The one or more processors are configured to obtain phase lock on the received signal, extract first phase information from the received signal, detect a loss in phase lock on the received signal, and extrapolate second phase information while phase lock is lost using a model of the phase. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to reconstruct the carrier signal based on the first and second phase information. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to scale the first and second phase information from a first nominal frequency of the received signal to a different second nominal frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: Coherent Navigation, Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac T. Miller, William J. Bencze, Robert W. Brumley, Brent M. Ledvina, Mark L. Psiaki, Thomas J. Holmes, Clark E. Cohen
  • Patent number: 7978130
    Abstract: A practical method for adding new high-performance, tightly integrated Nav-Com capability to any Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment requires no hardware modifications to the existing user equipment. In one example, the iGPS concept is applied to a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and combines Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as Iridium, with GPS or other GNSS systems to significantly improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and to enable new communication enhancements made available by the synthesis of precisely coupled navigation and communication modes. To achieve time synchronization stability between the existing DAGR and a plug-in iGPS enhancement module, a special-purpose wideband reference signal is generated by the iGPS module and coupled to the DAGR via the existing antenna port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Coherent Navigation, Inc.
    Inventors: Clark E. Cohen, Todd E. Humphreys, Brent M. Ledvina, William J. Bencze, Mark L. Psiaki, Bryan T. Galusha
  • Publication number: 20110163913
    Abstract: A practical method for adding significant new high-performance, tightly integrated Nav-Com capability to any Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment, such as GPS receivers, requires no hardware modifications to the existing user equipment. In one example, the iGPS concept is applied to a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and combines Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as Iridium, with GPS or other GNSS systems to significantly improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)—in some cases by three orders of magnitude, to enable high precision GNSS carrier phase observable to be more readily exploited to improve PNT availability—even under interference conditions or occluded environments, and to enable new communication enhancements made available by the synthesis of precisely coupled navigation and communication modes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: Dalaware Corporation
    Inventors: Clark E. Cohen, Todd E. Humphreys, Brent M. Ledvina, William J. Bencze, Mark L. Psiaki, Bryan T. Galusha
  • Publication number: 20110109506
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for simulating radio-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals that are carrier-phase and code-phase aligned with ambient GNSS signals at a user-specified location in the vicinity of the simulator. Such phase alignment allows the synthesized signals to be made to appear substantially the same as the authentic signals to a target receiver, allowing the target receiver to transition seamlessly between authentic and simulated signals. The method is embodied in a device, a phase-coherent GNSS signal simulator, which can be implemented on a digital signal processor for embedded applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC.
    Inventors: Todd E. Humphreys, Brent M. Ledvina, William J. Bencze, Bryan T. Galusha, Clark E. Cohen
  • Publication number: 20110102259
    Abstract: A method of countering GNSS signal spoofing includes monitoring a plurality of GNSS signals received from a plurality of GNSS signal sources and comparing broadcast data to identify outlying data, which is excluded from generation of a navigation solution defined by the plurality of GNSS signals. The outlying data can be a vestigial signal from a code or carrier Doppler shift frequency. The method includes triggering a spoofing indicator upon identification of the outlying data or other phenomenon. The phenomenon can include a shift in a phase of a measured GNSS navigation data bit sequence or a profile phenomenon of a correlation function resulting from correlation of the incoming GNSS signals with a local signal replica. The profile phenomenon can be the presence of multiple sustained correlation peaks. A nullifying signal can be generated and superimposed over a compromised signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Todd E. Humphreys, William J. Bencze, Bryan T. Galusha, Clark E. Cohen
  • Publication number: 20110068973
    Abstract: A method for upgrading GNSS equipment to improve position, velocity and time (PVT) accuracy, increase PVT robustness in weak-signal or jammed environments and protect against counterfeit GNSS signals (spoofing). A GNSS Assimilator couples to an RF input of existing GNSS equipment, e.g., a GPS receiver, and extracts navigation and timing information from available RF signals, including non-GNSS signals, or direct baseband aiding, e.g., from an inertial navigation system, frequency reference, or GNSS user. The Assimilator fuses the diverse navigation and timing information to embed a PVT solution in synthesized GNSS signals provided to a GNSS receiver RF input. The code and carrier phases of the synthesized GNSS signals are aligned with those of actual GNSS signals to appear the same at the target receiver input. The Assimilator protects against spoofing by continuously scanning incoming GNSS signals for signs of spoofing, and mitigating spoofing effects in the synthesized GNSS signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC.
    Inventors: Todd E. Humphreys, Brent M. Ledvina, William J. Bencze, Bryan T. Galusha, Clark E. Cohen
  • Patent number: 7372400
    Abstract: A navigation system provides a significant level of protection against all forms of interference or jamming to GPS in a cost-effective way. The system employs a network of ground reference stations and Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites in conjunction with GPS. A common-view ranging geometry to a GPS satellite is established that links a reference station and a user. A second common-view geometry to a LEO satellite between the same reference station and user pair is also established. The ground stations synthesize real-time aiding signals by making carrier phase measurements of GPS the LEO satellite signals. This aiding information is transmitted via the LEO satellites to the user receiver at high power to penetrate ambient jamming. The user receiver locks onto the carrier phase of the LEO satellite, demodulates the aiding information, then applies the carrier phase measurements and the aiding information to enable extended coherent measurements of the GPS signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Clark E. Cohen, Robert W. Brumley, Mark L. Psiaki, Gregory M. Gutt, William J. Bencze, Brent M. Ledvina, Barton G. Ferrell, David A. Whelan