Patents Examined by Harry Liu
  • Patent number: 9182473
    Abstract: A system, method and product for determining a vehicle key fob location. The system may include a control unit for mounting in a vehicle and configured to receive multiple signals, each representing a strength of a wireless signal transmitted between the fob and one of multiple antennas located on a vehicle, and multiple neural networks having a cascade topology. The neural networks may include a first neural network for determining one of a vehicle internal position and a vehicle external position of the fob based on the wireless signal strengths, a second neural network in communication with the first neural network for determining one of multiple vehicle interior positions of the fob based on the wireless signal strengths, and a third neural network in communication with the first neural network for determining one of multiple vehicle exterior positions of the fob based on the wireless signal strengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Jordi Virgili Margalef, Daniel Cirujano Cuesta, Gema Barreda Martinez, Sameer Deshpande, Petru Macovei
  • Patent number: 9182495
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring integrity of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are provided. Integrity of a GNSS location is assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with one or more locations received from at least one other GNSS. Integrity of the GNSS location is also assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with one or more locations obtained from signals generated by one or more known located emitters. Integrity of the GNSS location is also assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with historical data, which may include contextual information of recent GNSS locations of a user equipment, measurements made by an inertial navigation system of the user equipment, and prior measurements made by the user equipment during similar paths. An integrity warning is outputted when one or more of the integrity assessments indicate a loss of integrity of GNSS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Tim Stevens
  • Patent number: 9182474
    Abstract: A method for localizing an object, including the acts of: transmission of a first signal by a first transmitter assigned to the object and of a second signal by at least one second transmitter; reception of the first and of the second signal by at least three receivers; in each receiver and for the first and the second signal: a) generation of a first and of a second reference signal; b) correlation between the first signal and the first reference signal and between the second signal and the second reference signal; c) interpolation of samples resulting from the correlation; d) deduction of the propagation time of the first and of the second signal; e) calculation of the difference between the propagation times of the first and of the second signal; and, by triangulation, deduction of the position of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.A., STMICROELECTRONICS (GRENOBLE 2) SAS
    Inventors: Thierry Michel, Bruno Paille
  • Patent number: 9182493
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing fine timing assistance to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) via wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, a method for synchronizing a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver includes receiving, by a wireless device, via a wireless local area network (WLAN), fine time assistance information transmitted by an assisting device connected to the WLAN. A time value of a GNSS clock of the wireless device is adjusted based on the fine time assistance information. Based on the adjusted time value, GNSS codes of a GNSS positioning signal are acquired by the wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORAED
    Inventors: Deric Wayne Waters, Ariton E. Xhafa, Ramanuja Vedantham
  • Patent number: 9182497
    Abstract: A method and detector for detecting a global positioning system (GPS) carrier phase (CP) cycle slip or correcting the GPS CP cycle slip is disclosed. A GPS CP cycle slip detector can include an integrated CP (ICP) change measurement module, an ICP change prediction module, and a processor. The ICP change measurement module can be configured for generating a measured ICP change of a measured CP of a GPS signal for a time duration. The ICP change prediction module can be configured for determining a predicted ICP change of the GPS signal CP for the time duration using directional position information. The processor can be configured for detecting in near real time a GPS CP cycle slip when the measured ICP change varies from the predicted ICP change by greater than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: George Jeffery Geier, David Michael Sneffner
  • Patent number: 9176217
    Abstract: A position location system comprises transmitters that broadcast positioning signals. Each broadcasted positioning signal comprises a pseudorandom ranging signal. The position location system includes a remote receiver that acquires and measures the time of arrival of the positioning signals received at the remote receiver. During an interval of time, at least two positioning signals are transmitted concurrently by the transmitters and received concurrently at the remote receiver. The two positioning signals have carrier frequencies offset from one another by an offset that is less than approximately twenty-five percent of the bandwidth of each positioning signal of the two positioning signals. Cross-interference between the positioning signals is reduced by tuning the remote receiver to a frequency of a selected signal of the two positioning signals and correlating the selected signal with a reference pseudorandom ranging signal matched to a transmitted pseudorandom ranging signal of the selected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: NextNav, LLC
    Inventors: Norman Krasner, Arun Raghupathy
  • Patent number: 9178277
    Abstract: A synthesized-beam transceiver system steers a beam of a two-dimensional antenna array by activating a first subset of antenna elements to orient the beam in a first direction and subsequently activating a second subset of the antenna elements to orient the beam in a different direction. The system also electrically connects antenna elements that are inactive, not in the first subset, or not in the second subset to a reference potential of the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Moretti, Omer Onen, Ronald A. Oliver
  • Patent number: 9170336
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a signal-recording system. During operation, the system receives a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals, separates the RF signals to obtain a first group of RF signals in a first RF band and a second group of RF signals in a second RF band, and simultaneously down-converts the first group of RF signals to a first group of low intermediate-frequency (low-IF) signals in a first IF band and the second group of RF signals to a second group of low-IF signals in a second IF band. The system further converts the first group of low-IF signals and the second group of low-IF signals to the digital domain, and simultaneously processes all of the converted low-IF signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: AVIACOMM INC.
    Inventors: Hans Wang, Tao Li, Binglei Zhang, Shih Hsiung Mo
  • Patent number: 9170316
    Abstract: Systems and methods for improving bearing availability and accuracy in a traffic collision-avoidance system (TCAS). In an exemplary method, if only a single phase-difference value is received for one of two two-element antennas, a processor determines an expected maximum antenna element phase-difference value for the elements of the two-element antenna that did not receive a phase-difference value for a target signal source; estimates a phase-difference value for the two-element antenna that did not include a phase-difference value, based on the expected maximum antenna element phase-difference value and a previously determined predicted bearing value; and calculates bearing based on the estimated phase-difference value and a phase-difference value received from the other two-element antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Ruy C. Brandao, Eduard Shestak, Ian Dougherty
  • Patent number: 9157983
    Abstract: This system and method provides a direction finding system that enables modern RF DF systems to analyze short duration signals in the entire instantaneous bandwidth. By providing a method to process wideband data, the invention drastically improves throughput and probability of intercept (POI). The invention is unique in that it does not require separate narrowband channels for analysis, and can simultaneously calculate azimuth and elevation estimates for every frequency in the bandwidth of an incident signal. It is also well-suited for fixed point, FPGA implementations making it a perfect match for modern state-of-the-art processing systems. The system and method capitalizes on the ability of Fourier Frequency Transform operations to accurately resolve incident wave phase at discrete frequencies. The system then uses the phase information from the individual elements in the array to arrive at an emitter azimuth angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: SPECTRANETIX, INC.
    Inventor: Lars Karlsson
  • Patent number: 9158001
    Abstract: A navigation system for an enclosed area, the navigation system comprising: a) at least one satellite signal receiving station, positioned outside the enclosed area, to receive satellite signals transmitted by a constellation of satellites and to determine time synchronization information relative to the transmitted signals; b) at least one local transmitting station, positioned within the enclosed area, to transmit a local signal compatible with the transmitted satellite signals; and c) a communication channel to communicate self-alignment information between each station and at least one other station; wherein each local transmitting station uses the self-alignment information to generate the local signal; and wherein the at least one local signal provides navigation information useable by a satellite navigation receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: GALILEO SATELLITE NAVIGATION LTD.
    Inventors: Eliyahu Ariel, Ran Zivhon
  • Patent number: 9146320
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for detecting and excluding at least one pseudo-range measured between a satellite and a receiver for receiving signals transmitted by different satellites of a radio-positioning constellation when said pseudo-range is faulty, characterized in that said method includes the steps of: (a) determining an estimation of the position of the receiver from the pseudo-ranges measured by the receiver, (b) estimating, from the thus-estimated position, biases in the measured pseudo-ranges; (c) processing the thus-obtained biases in order to derive a value representative of the probability of a fault for each pseudo-range; (d) preselecting, on the basis of the resulting values, a given number of pseudo-ranges which are most likely to be faulty; (e) determining, for each combination of pseudo-ranges from among the thus-preselected pseudo-ranges, a value of a test variable representative of the likelihood the combination is faulty; (f) selecting, on the basis of the values of the th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignees: SEGEM DEFENSE SECURITE, UNIVERSITE DE BORDEAUX 1, INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE BORDEAUX
    Inventors: Mohamed Najim, Audrey Giremus, Frédéric Faurie
  • Patent number: 9136607
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of, and corresponding apparatus for, electronically steering an antenna beam. Beam steering is accomplished by altering the electric-field distribution at the open-end of one or more overmoded waveguides through the controlled mixing of multiple modes. An example method includes propagating a signal in multiple modes in a waveguide, and controlling the relative phase and amplitude of the respective modes, relative to each other, to steer the beam. A further example includes a common waveguide enabling the propagation of multiple modes, first and second waveguides enabling the propagation of respective first and second modes, a splitter/combiner coupling the first and second waveguides to the common waveguide, and a controller for controlling a propagation characteristic of the modes relative to each other in a least one path to steer the beam. Electronically steering a beam is useful for fine-tuned angle adjustments and tight beam scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventor: James P. Anderson
  • Patent number: 9136611
    Abstract: A directional antenna system for an aircraft is disclosed. The directional antenna system may include an enclosure, a linear antenna array disposed within the enclosure and a controller. The linear antenna array may include a plurality of antenna elements physically oriented in the same orientation. The plurality of antenna elements may be positioned along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance center-to-center. The controller may be in communication with each of the plurality of antenna elements of the linear antenna array. The controller may be configured for independently controlling a RF phase angle of each of the plurality of antenna elements based on a position of the aircraft and at least one ground station available to the aircraft, allowing the linear antenna array to concentrate RF radiations in a particular wavelength toward a general direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: James P Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9130277
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to beamforming. A device may include a plurality of mixers, wherein each mixer is configured to receive at least one of a quadrature signal and an in-phase signal. The device may further include at least one RF phase rotator coupled to an output of each of the plurality of mixers and configured for rotating an envelope of the at least one of the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal to generate at least one of a rotated in-phase signal and a rotated quadrature signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Saihua Lin
  • Patent number: 9130633
    Abstract: There is provided a wireless communication device includes a transmitter configured to transmit a known signal in each of a plurality of first directions different from each other, a receiver configured to receive a plurality of first reflected waves, each of the plurality of first reflected waves being generated by the known signal transmitted in each of the plurality of first directions and to detect each of a plurality of first reception intensities, each of the plurality of first reception intensities being associated with each of the plurality of first reflected waves; and a controller configured to determine a transmission direction of a radio signal addressed to a first wireless terminal, based on the plurality of first reception intensities and to control the transmitter to transmit the radio signal in the transmission direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Teppei Oyama
  • Patent number: 9128187
    Abstract: A method and associated system for estimating a position of an object. A radio wave is received from each radio frequency identification (RFID) tag of N RFID tags affixed to the object at different positions at the object (N?2). A position of each RFID tag is detected from the received radio waves. A position of each RFID tag is estimated from analysis of the detected positions. The estimating includes utilizing, for n=1, 2, . . . , N, a specified probability function P(?pn|pn) denoting a probability that the estimated position of RFID tag n is ?pn if the detected position of RFID tag n is pn, wherein ?pn and pn are vectors from an origin of a coordinate system to the detected position and the estimated position, respectively, of the RFID tag n. The position of the object is ascertained from analysis of the estimated positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yamato Kamaya, Satoru Nishi, Makoto Tanibayashi, Takashi Yonezawa
  • Patent number: 9121935
    Abstract: Assisted-GPS for a portable biometric monitoring device is provided. The portable biometric monitoring device may obtain updated ephemeris data from an associated secondary device via a short-range, low-power communication protocol. The secondary device may be a computing device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Various rules may control when the ephemeris data is updated. The ephemeris data may be used in the calculation of the global position of the portable biometric monitoring device. Additionally, the portable biometric monitoring device may communicate downloaded position fixing data to the associated secondary device. The associated secondary device may then calculate the global position from the position fixing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Fitbit, Inc.
    Inventors: James Park, Heiko Gernot Albert Panther, Shelten Gee Jao Yuen
  • Patent number: 9121936
    Abstract: A highly accurate positioning operation is achieved regardless of an existence of multipath. An observed pseudorange ?m(k) is acquired based on reception signals of positional signals (S101). A current determination estimated pseudorange ?mp(k) is calculated based on a previous estimation result (S102). A determination difference value Delta?m(k) is calculated based on the observed pseudorange ?m(k) and the estimated pseudorange ?mp(k) (S103). A determination threshold ?Delta? is calculated based on a C/No of the reception signal and PDOP (S104). If the determination difference value Delta?m(k) is below the threshold ?Delta?, an error variance ??m(k) is calculated using an approximate equation of the C/No (S105(NO)?S106), and if the determination difference value Delta?m(k) is above the threshold ?Delta?, the error variance ??m(k) is calculated based on the threshold ?Delta? (S105(YES)?S107).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Takaki Tominaga
  • Patent number: 9116231
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for reporting quality of GNSS position fixes. A desired quality mode selection is obtained. Position fixes with respective precision estimates and satellite tracking information are obtained. For each of a plurality of position fixes a current positioning quality is determined, based on the precision estimates and satellite tracking information and quality mode selection. Current positioning quality is reported. The quality selection can be a preference of availability over accuracy, or accuracy over availability, or a balance of availability and accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventors: Ulrich Vollath, Sidharth Nair, Jesus Michael Martinez, Greg Price, Glenn Waterland, Mark Gibson