Patents by Inventor Albert J. Van Dierendonck

Albert J. Van Dierendonck 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).

  • Patent number: 6243409
    Abstract: GNSS receiver includes a subsystem that reduces the adverse effects of multipath signals on punctual and early-minus-late correlation measurements by making the correlation measurements using a “blanked-PRN code.” The blanked-PRN code is all zeros except for adjacent positive and negative short pulses that occur at every code bit transition in a locally-generated PRN code. Using the blanked-PRN code, the receiver makes non-zero correlation measurements only near the code bit transitions in the local PRN code. If the local PRN code and the PRN code in the received GNSS satellite signal are closely aligned, the non-zero correlation measurements are made at the times of the bit transitions in the received PRN code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: NovAtel, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick C. Fenton, Albert J. Van Dierendonck
  • Patent number: 6184822
    Abstract: A GPS receiver that acquires and tracks a split-C/A code separately aligns with the received signal the phases of a locally-generated 10.23 MHz square wave, which can be thought of as a 20.46 MHz square-wave code, and a locally-generated 1.023 MHz C/A code. The receiver first aligns the phase of the locally-generated square-wave code with the received signal, and tracks one of the multiple peaks of the split-C/A code autocorrelation function. It then shifts the phase of the locally-generated C/A code with respect to the phase of the locally-generated square-wave code, to align the local and the received C/A codes and position the correlators on the center peak of the split-C/A. The receiver then tracks the center peak directly, using a locally-generated split-C/A code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: NovAtel, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick C. Fenton, Albert J. Van Dierendonck
  • Patent number: 5809064
    Abstract: A receiver for pseudorandom noise (PRN) encoded signals consisting of a sampling circuit, multiple carrier and code synchronizing circuits, and multiple digital autocorrelators. The sampling circuit provides digital samples of a received composite signal to each of the several receiver channel circuits. The synchronizing circuits are preferably non-coherent, in the sense that they track any phase shifts in the received signal and adjust the frequency and phase of a locally generated carrier reference signal accordingly, even in the presence of Doppler or ionospheric distortion. The autocorrelators in each channel form a delay lock loop (DLL) which correlates the digital samples of the composite signal with locally generated PRN code values to produce a plurality of (early, late), or (punctual, early-minus-late) correlation signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: NovAtel, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Fenton, Albert J. Van Dierendonck
  • Patent number: 5495499
    Abstract: A receiver for pseudorandom noise (PRN) encoded signals consisting of a sampling circuit, multiple carrier and code synchronizing circuits, and multiple digital autocorrelators. The sampling circuit provides digital samples of a received composite signal to each of the several receiver channel circuits. The synchronizing circuits are preferably non-coherent, in the sense that they track any phase shifts in the received signal and adjust the frequency and phase of a locally generated carrier reference signal accordingly, even in the presence of Doppler or ionospheric distortion. The autocorrelators in each channel form a delay lock loop (DLL) which correlates the digital samples of the composite signal with locally generated PRN code values to produce a plurality of (early, late), or (punctual, early-minus-late) correlation signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: NovAtel Communications, Ltd.
    Inventors: Patrick Fenton, Albert J. Van Dierendonck
  • Patent number: 5390207
    Abstract: A receiver for pseudorandom noise (PRN) encoded signals consisting of a sampling circuit, multiple carrier and code synchronizing circuits, and multiple digital autocorrelators. The sampling circuit provides digital samples of a received composite signal to each of the several receiver channel circuits. The synchronizing circuits are preferably non-coherent, in the sense that they track any phase shifts in the received signal and adjust the frequency and phase of a locally generated carrier reference signal accordingly, even in the presence of Doppler or ionospheric distortion. The autocorrelators in each channel form a delay lock loop (DLL) which correlates the digital samples of the composite signal with locally generated PRN code values to produce a plurality of (early, late), or (punctual, early-minus-late) correlation signals. Thus, during an initial acquisition mode, the delay spacing is relatively wide, on the order of approximately one PRN code chip time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: NovAtel Communications Ltd.
    Inventors: Patrick Fenton, Albert J. Van Dierendonck