Patents by Inventor Jonathan Ladd

Jonathan Ladd 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: 8558738
    Abstract: A GNSS receiver reduces the time to first fix by utilizing the properties of existing radiated signals of opportunity, such as AM or FM radio signals, television signals and so forth, to reduce the uncertainties associated with oscillator frequency and phase, and further utilizing an Almanac and battery backed-up date and time to determine the satellites in view and reduce the uncertainties associated with Doppler. The receiver may use multiple signals of opportunity to determine the city or local area in which the receiver is located based on the set of frequencies of the signals, and also to reduce search uncertainties for oscillator frequency by estimating an offset based on the differences between the frequencies of the respective signals of opportunity at the receiver and the nominal broadcast frequencies of the signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: NovAtel Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton
  • Patent number: 8085201
    Abstract: A system to determine position, frequency and clock offsets over a network utilizing signals of opportunity transmitted by one or more transmitters with known locations, the system includes a base receiver with a clock and a known position that determines ranges to the transmitters, takes a series of samples of the signals of opportunity and time tags the series with times of receipt, calculated times of transmission based on the calculated ranges, or both. The base receiver transmits the time tagged series and, as appropriate, computed ranges to the remote receivers. A given remote receiver saves and time tags samples of the signals of opportunity, correlates the time-tagged series with the saved samples, and calculates a time offset as a time difference of the times of receipt at the remote receiver and either the time of receipt at the base receiver or the time of transmission calculated at the base receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: NovAtel Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton
  • Patent number: 8055288
    Abstract: A system to distribute accurate time and/or frequency over a network utilizing signals of opportunity transmitted by one or more local transmitters with known locations, the system includes a base receiver with a clock synchronized to a reference time scale such as GNSS or UTC time that saves a series of samples of the signals of opportunity and time tags the series with a calculated time of broadcast. A remote receiver saves samples of the signals of opportunity and correlates the series with the saved samples. The remote receiver calculates a time of transmission of saved samples that correspond to the series, determines a time offset as a difference in the time of broadcast calculated at the remote receiver and the time of broadcast calculated at the base receiver, and determines the time offset with respect to the base receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: NovAtel Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton
  • Publication number: 20090322601
    Abstract: A GNSS receiver reduces the time to first fix by utilizing the properties of existing radiated signals of opportunity, such as AM or FM radio signals, television signals and so forth, to reduce the uncertainties associated with oscillator frequency and phase , and further utilizing an Almanac and battery backed-up date and time to determine the satellites in view and reduce the uncertainties associated with Doppler. The receiver may use multiple signals of opportunity to determine the city or local area in which the receiver is located based on the set of frequencies of the signals, and also to reduce search uncertainties for oscillator frequency by estimating an offset based on the differences between the frequencies of the respective signals of opportunity at the receiver and the nominal broadcast frequencies of the signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton
  • Publication number: 20090121940
    Abstract: A system to determine position, frequency and clock offsets over a network utilizing signals of opportunity transmitted by one or more transmitters with known locations, the system includes a base receiver with a clock and a known position that determines ranges to the transmitters, takes a series of samples of the signals of opportunity and time tags the series with times of receipt, calculated times of transmission based on the calculated ranges, or both. The base receiver transmits the time tagged series and, as appropriate, computed ranges to the remote receivers. A given remote receiver saves and time tags samples of the signals of opportunity, correlates the time-tagged series with the saved samples, and calculates a time offset as a time difference of the times of receipt at the remote receiver and either the time of receipt at the base receiver or the time of transmission calculated at the base receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton
  • Publication number: 20090117928
    Abstract: A system to distribute accurate time and/or frequency over a network utilizing signals of opportunity transmitted by one or more local transmitters with known locations, the system includes a base receiver with a clock synchronized to a reference time scale such as GNSS or UTC time that saves a series of samples of the signals of opportunity and time tags the series with a calculated time of broadcast. A remote receiver saves samples of the signals of opportunity and correlates the series with the saved samples. The remote receiver calculates a time of transmission of saved samples that correspond to the series, determines a time offset as a difference in the time of broadcast calculated at the remote receiver and the time of broadcast calculated at the base receiver, and determines the time offset with respect to the base receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Jonathan Ladd, Patrick C. Fenton