Patents Examined by Harry Liu
  • Patent number: 8614642
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for processing a set of GNSS signal data derived from signals of a first set of satellites having at least three carriers and signals of a second set of satellites having two carriers. A geometry filter uses a geometry filter combination to obtain an array of geometry-filter ambiguity estimates for the geometry filter combination and associated statistical information. Ionosphere filters use a two-frequency ionospheric combination to obtain an array of ionosphere-filter ambiguity estimates for the two-frequency ionospheric combinations and associated statistical information. Each two-frequency ionospheric combination comprises a geometry-free two-frequency ionospheric residual carrier-phase combination of observations of a first frequency and observations of a second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Charles Talbot, Ulrich Vollath
  • Patent number: 8614643
    Abstract: A system and method for antenna optimization for wireless broadband communication is provided. Such an enhanced antenna array includes higher-gain antenna and lower-gain antenna. The beamforming antenna, both higher-gain and lower-gain, are designed to be able to transmit to and receive from another transceiver. The higher-gain antenna may be designed to form a more directional beam substantially closer to the horizon; whereas the lower-gain antenna is capable of forming a less directional beam at a distance further from the horizon. In both cases, the antenna may form their respective beams anywhere in the 360 degrees horizontally around the antenna array. The higher-gain antenna may include a coverage area from the horizon to a substantially acute angle from the horizon in the vertical direction. In contrast, the lower-gain antenna may have coverage from the substantially acute angle from the horizon to substantially vertical. The substantially acute angle may be approximately 10 degrees in some cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: TruePath Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Michael A. Leabman
  • Patent number: 8610624
    Abstract: Example embodiments disclosed herein provide for a method for detecting a fault in a receiver for a satellite navigation system. The method includes calculating a plurality of measurement residuals corresponding to a position solution and combining the plurality of measurement residuals to form a test statistic. The method also includes calculating a threshold corresponding to the test statistic, wherein calculating the threshold includes selecting the threshold to be a value from a non-central chi squared distribution of possible test statistics that corresponds to a desired probability of false alarm. The test statistic is compared to the threshold and if the test statistic is larger than the threshold, performing at least one of: outputting an alarm indicative of a fault in the position solution and discarding the position solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: John Savoy
  • Patent number: 8610623
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) algorithm are provided. The RAIM algorithm is for determining an integrity risk in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) by processing several ranging signals received from satellites of the GNSS. The algorithm involves determining several integrity risks at an alert limit for different fault conditions of the ranging signals, and determining an overall integrity risk at the alert limit from the determined several integrity risks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Astrium GmbH
    Inventor: Hans L. Trautenberg
  • Patent number: 8604973
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and products, including a method that includes maintaining a plurality of records associated with a plurality of objects, the plurality of records are configured to include global positioning system (GPS)-based data representative of locations of the plurality of objects. The method also includes accessing at least one of the plurality of records based, at least in part, on determined global position system-based data representative of location of at least one object associated with the at least one of the plurality of records.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Markus Schmidt-Karaca, Peter Eberlein
  • Patent number: 8604978
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for positioning one or more anchor nodes or one or more non-anchor nodes in one or more communication networks. A non-anchor node may be in communication with two or more anchor nodes. The method comprises determining two or more distance measurements, corresponding to raw distances of the non-anchor node from the two or more anchor nodes, at predetermined intervals of time. An estimated distance is then calculated between the two or more anchor nodes based on the two or more distance measurements. Estimated distances between a plurality of anchor nodes in the one or more communication networks is calculated in a similar manner. A partial distance matrix is then populated using the estimated distance between the plurality of anchor nodes. A plurality of geographic coordinates of the plurality of anchor nodes is reconstructed based on the partial distance matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: WiChorus, Inc.
    Inventors: Mustafa Ergen, Rehan Jalil
  • Patent number: 8599070
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a first node (1) in a wireless communication system (2), where the first node (1) comprises at least two antenna ports (3, 4), and is arranged for communication with a second node (5) via a channel (H) by means of at least one antenna radiation lobe (6, 7, 8, 9). The second node (5) comprises at least two antenna ports (10, 11) and is positioned at a certain direction (12) in relation to the first node (1), and is arranged for transmitting one of at least two precoding weight set requests to the first node (1) at certain times. Each transmitted precoding weight set request is chosen in dependence of the channel (H) such that the first node (1) receives instructions for a certain beam-forming. The first node (1) is arranged to apply such a beam-forming that the precoding weight set requests received from the second node (5) have one certain distribution, of a set of at least one certain distribution, over a certain time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (PUBL)
    Inventors: Ulf Lindgren, Fredrik Athley, Mikael Coldrey
  • Patent number: 8593340
    Abstract: The inter-mobile body carrier phase positioning device according to the invention includes: a first observation data acquisition means that acquires observation data concerning a phase accumulation value observed in a first mobile body; a second observation data acquisition means that acquires observation data concerning a phase accumulation value observed in a second mobile body; a satellite pair determination means that determines pairs of satellites used for carrier phase positioning; and a carrier phase positioning means that takes, between each of the pairs of the satellites determined by the satellite pair determination means, a single or double difference between the observation data acquired by the first observation data acquisition means and the observation data acquired by the second observation data acquisition means, and determines relative positional relation between the first mobile body and the second mobile body by carrier phase positioning using the single or double difference of the observat
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tajima, Kazunori Kagawa, Masafumi Uchihara
  • Patent number: 8587478
    Abstract: Disclosed is a localization method of multiple based on a TDOA method, including calculating TDOA measurements step S100 of arranging multiple sensors, and calculating TDOA measurement values while a reference sensor is changed, in turn; locating multiple jammers using all TDOA measurements step S200 of calculating estimated location solutions of the multiple jammers; a finding a searching quadrant step S300 of finding a quadrant having the highest density of the estimated location solutions; a setting a searching range and detecting searching cell step S400 of deciding a searching range, and searching the searching cell; and determining estimated positions of the multiple jammers step S500 of deciding the number of the jammers, and calculating location solutions of the multiple jammers. Therefore, the present invention can accurately localize the multiple jammers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Korea Aerospace Research Institute
    Inventors: Hee Won Kang, Deok Won Lim, Moon-Beom Heo
  • Patent number: 8587475
    Abstract: A method of determining the position of a GNSS receiver antenna includes steps of acquiring input data which includes observations at the GNSS receiver antenna of signals of at least clock and position information of GNSS satellites, for each of a plurality of epochs. Float parameters of a state vector from the input data of each epoch are then estimated. The float parameters include receiver antenna position, receiver clock, and at least one ambiguity per satellite. A jump in the at least one ambiguity of at least one satellite from one epoch to another epoch is detected. Then bridge parameters from the input data of at least one epoch and from the estimated float parameters are estimated. The bridge parameters include values sufficient to update the float parameters to compensate for the jump, and the bridge parameters are then used to update the float parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventor: Rodrigo Leandro
  • Patent number: 8581779
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for validating an initial position in a satellite positioning system using range-rate measurements is described. In one example, range-rate measurements are obtained at the remote receiver with respect to a plurality of satellites. Expected range-rates are computed with respect to the plurality of satellites using the initial position. Single differences are computed using the range-rate measurements. Expected single differences are computed using the expected range-rates. Single difference residuals are computed between the single differences and the expected single differences. The single difference residuals are compared to a threshold. The initial position may be deemed valid if the absolute value of each of the single difference residuals is less than or equal to the threshold. A valid initial position may be used to fix the pseudorange integers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Global Locate, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank van Diggelen
  • Patent number: 8581782
    Abstract: Provided is a non-transitory machine readable medium on which is stored a computer program including instructions to adapt a computer system having at least one processor as a simultaneous radio detection and bearing system, including: an RF conditioning subsystem for connection to a plurality of arrays of Frequency Range signal receiving channels, the RF conditioning subsystem operable to combine the signals from the arrays as a first internal data stream; and a coherent multi-channel digitizer subsystem coupled to the RF conditioning system, the coherent multi-channel digitizer subsystem operable to generate a time domain snapshot of the first internal data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Inventor: John Hoover
  • Patent number: 8581780
    Abstract: Enhancing search capacity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. A method for searching satellite signals in a receiver includes performing a plurality of searches sequentially. The method also includes storing a result from each search of the plurality of searches in a consecutive section of a memory. Further, the method includes detecting free sections in the memory. The method also includes concatenating the free sections in the memory to yield a concatenated free section. Moreover, the method includes allocating the concatenated free section for performing an additional search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jasbir Singh, Jawaharlal Tangudu, Aravind Ganesan
  • Patent number: 8576122
    Abstract: A method for measuring a location of a mobile terminal includes calculating first location information by using a ToA (Time of Arrival) scheme, calibrating the first location information by using angle information between two base stations and the terminal; calculating second location information by using an AoA (Angle of Arrival) scheme, and calculating a location value of the terminal by using the calibrated first location information and the second location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung Hyun Choi
  • Patent number: 8576120
    Abstract: A satellite communication ground station configured for communicating over an inclined orbit geostationary satellite may include a tracking antenna having three fixed axis and one moving axis, a motor for swinging the antenna along the moving axis, a controller for controlling the motor, a receiver configured to receive a signal arriving from the satellite via the tracking antenna and an estimator configured to estimate reception quality of a signal received by the receiver. The invention described herein presents a method for tracking an inclined orbit geostationary satellite, the method comprising a learning step and a tracking step, wherein the learning step includes use of a filter for reducing alignment errors and reducing the amount of peaking required for aligning the antenna with the satellite and tracking its movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.
    Inventors: Moshe Halavi, Hagay Peled, Adi Berger
  • Patent number: 8570219
    Abstract: A position detecting apparatus includes a GPS receiver configured to catch one or more of GPS satellites and track one or more of the satellites while receiving a GPS signal or GPS signals from one or more of the satellites. A power supply controllably feeds power to the GPS receiver. A suspension time decider decides a suspension time in accordance with at least one of (1) the number of satellites caught by the GPS receiver and (2) the level of at least one of the received GPS signals, and determines whether or not the lapse of time during which the GPS receiver continues to track no satellite reaches a prescribed time. A suspension controller controls the power supply to suspend the power feed to the GPS receiver during a term equal in length to the decided suspension time in cases where the lapse of time reaches the prescribed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    Inventor: Kazuomi Tachigi
  • Patent number: 8570216
    Abstract: System, methods, and devices for a self-sustaining differential corrections network that employs roving reference devices (RRDs) as reference stations for improving positioning, navigation, and timing (PN&T) solutions for other enabled local roving and/or stationary receiving devices (RDs) are disclosed herein. The disclosed differential correction system enhancement leverages RRDs enabled for a non-global positioning system (non-GPS), secondary PN&T signal to characterize local errors. These local errors are then used by local RDs in combination with a signal to calculate an improved PN&T estimate for the RDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Gregory M. Gutt, Arun Ayyagari, David A. Whelan, Michael Lee O'Connor, David G. Lawrence
  • Patent number: 8570214
    Abstract: There is provided a position calculating method including: calculating a pseudorange by receiving a satellite signal from a positioning satellite; and calculating a position using a normal mixture distribution model which expresses distribution of an error included in the pseudorange with normal mixture distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tsubasa Shirai
  • Patent number: 8570221
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and method for localization positioning in lighting systems. At least two of a Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI) and a Position Estimation Algorithm with unified TDOA and RSSI are used to obtain localization positioning. The schemes introduce a maximum-likelihood estimation strategy incorporating a partial derivative matrix for each lighting unit using at least two reference nodes in order to achieve higher accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Xingkai Bao, Sushanta Das, Monisha Ghosh
  • Patent number: 8564481
    Abstract: The disclosed subject matter generally relates to hybrid positioning systems and methods and, more specifically, systems and methods of detecting moved WLAN assess points using a wireless local area network based positioning system (WLAN-PS) and a satellite-based positioning system (SPS) with at least two satellites measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventor: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz