Whereby The Further System Is An Inertial Position System; E.g., Loosely Coupled (ipc) Patents (Class 342/357.32)
  • Patent number: 8655578
    Abstract: An electronic device 1 receives ephemeris information from a GPS satellite at intermittent timings TE1, TE2, and TE3 and stores the received information in its memory. In addition, the electronic device 1 receives time information at intermittent timings TC1, TC2, TC3, and TC4, and corrects a clocked time based on the received time information. Then, at positioning timing T1, the electronic device 1 captures a transmission signal from the GPS satellite while synchronizing timing with the GPS satellite based on the clocked time, and performs positioning based on the captured transmission signal and the ephemeris information stored in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Patent number: 8643544
    Abstract: Location of a wireless communication device is determined by a combination of geolocation and a detection of augmenting data such as acceleration and/or speed over time measurements. A last known terrestrial navigation fix is established based on reliable terrestrial navigation or GPS data. A zone of valid location fixes based on the last known terrestrial navigation fix and an output of a rate detection circuit can be established. A weighted average is taken of using independent location measurement and detected location using last known reliable position plus change in position by integrating position changes over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Kirk S. Taylor, Liren Chen, Jack Steenstra
  • Publication number: 20140002302
    Abstract: A ground location inertial navigation geopositioning system (GROUNDLINGS) end receiver (GER) can include a GROUNDLINGS module. The GROUNDLINGS module can be configured to generate a GER position using a time of flight (TOF) of a downlink pseudo-random noise (PRN) signal and a Doppler shift of at least one of the downlink PRN signal and a downlink tone signal on a common frequency carrier. The downlink PRN signal sent from a GROUNDLINGS satellite (GRS) to the GER can include a copy of an uplink PRN signal from a ground located transceiver (GLT) to the GRS. When used, the downlink tone signal can be received from the GRS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Inventor: Ian S. Robinson
  • Patent number: 8593341
    Abstract: A position calculation method and apparatus are described. The position calculation apparatus may include an inertial measurement unit and be configured to be coupled with at least one sensor unit for detecting a physical event for use in position calculation. The presence of and type sensor unit may identified, and the position processing to be undertaken may depend on this identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kumar Anand, Shunichi Mizuochi, Shuji Uchida, Takuya Sugimoto, Kenji Onda, Rama Sanjay
  • Publication number: 20130271314
    Abstract: A device is disclosed that is capable of determining its location using high-power with high accuracy, and using low-power with lower accuracy. By coordinating usage between the high power method and the low power, overall power consumption of the device can be significantly reduced without a significant reduction in accuracy. Such high accuracy may be achieved through the use of a GNSS unit, such a GPS receiver. In addition, the low-power alternative may be achieved using an accelerometer, together with software, hardware or firmware for extrapolating a speed based on the force measurements by the accelerometer. In this manner, the GPS receiver can be operated for only a fraction of overall use, primarily to provide adjustment data necessary to calibrate usage of the accelerometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen Mole, Frank van Diggelen
  • Patent number: 8543329
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a display displaying a first map representing a position of the apparatus obtained as a result of a first positioning, and further displaying a second map representing the position of the apparatus and being obtained as a result of a second positioning which is started before displaying the first map, the second map being displayed without responding to a request for displaying the position of the apparatus obtained as a result of the second positioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichi Hirano
  • Patent number: 8543266
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are described herein for using a modified Kalman filter to generate attitude error corrections. Attitude measurements are received from primary and secondary attitude sensors of a satellite or other spacecraft. Attitude error correction values for the attitude measurements from the primary attitude sensors are calculated based on the attitude measurements from the secondary attitude sensors using expanded equations derived for a subset of a plurality of block sub-matrices partitioned from the matrices of a Kalman filter, with the remaining of the plurality of block sub-matrices being pre-calculated and programmed into a flight computer of the spacecraft. The propagation of covariance is accomplished via a single step execution of the method irrespective of the secondary attitude sensor measurement period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Rongsheng Li, Tung-Ching Tsao, Arunkumar P. Nayak
  • Patent number: 8538691
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprises a controller and a display. The controller receives vector data on a position of a user of the portable device from a satellite positioning sensor associated with the user, and scalar data on movement of the user from at least one motion sensor associated with the user. The controller stores data based on the vector data and feeds a scalar parameter proportional to the scalar data to the display. The display displays the scalar parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
    Inventors: Jarkko Haataja, Urpo Niemelä, Tero Posio
  • Patent number: 8467967
    Abstract: Inertial navigation systems for wheeled vehicles with constrained motion degrees of freedom are described. Various parts of the navigation systems may be implemented in a smart-phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventor: Peter Van Wyck Loomis
  • Patent number: 8412456
    Abstract: Techniques for loosely coupling a Global Navigation Satellite System (“GNSS”) and an Inertial Navigation System (“INS”) integration are disclosed herein. A system includes a GNSS receiver, an INS, and an integration filter coupled to the GNSS receiver and the INS. The GNSS receiver is configured to provide GNSS navigation information comprising GNSS receiver position and/or velocity estimates. The INS is configured to provide INS navigation information based on an inertial sensor output. The integration filter is configured to provide blended position information comprising a blended position estimate and/or a blended velocity estimate by combining the GNSS navigation information and the INS navigation information, and to estimate and compensate at least one of a speed scale-factor and a heading bias of the INS navigation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: June Chul Roh
  • Patent number: 8374624
    Abstract: Provided is a location measurement method of a mobile node using a predictive filter is provided for improving the location measurement accuracy of the mobile node. The location measurement method of a mobile node detects change of movement pattern of the mobile node, corrects weights of a location measurement period and a predictive filter depending on the change of movement pattern, and compensates a location of the mobile node using the corrected weights of the location measurement period and predictive filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, Information and Communication University
    Inventors: Jin-Serk Baik, Joon-Oo Kim, Yun-Je Oh, Joong-Soo Ma, Myoung-Hwan Seo, Myoung-In Ji, Sung-Chang Choi
  • Patent number: 8224575
    Abstract: A method for processing data in an inertial navigation system having a Kalman filter and computer-readable storage medium containing instructions to configure a processor to perform the same. The method produces more accurate estimates of the position, velocity and attitude of the inertial measurement unit. The method is fully automatic and enables zero-velocity updates and fixed-azimuth updates to be performed simultaneously. The method may also include a multi-stage filtering process to filter digital compass data when used in an environment with extraterrestrial magnetic field sources. The method may also include a fixed-lag smoother to improve estimates of the position, velocity and attitude of the inertial measurement unit. The method also may include processes to constrain altitude errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: ENSCO, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Todd Faulkner, Stephen R. Chestnut, David W. A. Taylor
  • Patent number: 8170796
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a position system configured to determine a global positioning (GPS) change vector, and an inertial navigation system (INS) change vector. The position system is configured to determine a relative position between a first platform and a second platform based on the GPS change vector and the INS change vector, and the position system is configured to correct a GPS position calculation error based on the GPS change vector and the INS change vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Gang Kevin Liu, Robert John Buchler
  • Patent number: 8165794
    Abstract: A positioning method includes performing a first positioning by carrying out information communication with an external part of an positioning apparatus to obtain a first information indicating a position of an object to which the method is applied, displaying a first map representing the position of the object indicated by the first information, performing a second positioning by carrying out information communication with an external part of the positioning apparatus before displaying the first map to obtain a second information indicating the position of the object more precisely than the first information, and displaying a second map representing the position of the positioning apparatus indicated by the second information without responding to another instruction from the user of the positioning after the displaying the first map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichi Hirano
  • Publication number: 20110298661
    Abstract: A system comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver configured to acquire and track a unique radio frequency (RF) signal for each of a plurality of channels, wherein the GNSS receiver is configured to provide one or more system state measurements based on the unique RF signals; processing functionality configured to calculate a respective code delay error for each of the plurality of channels based on the respective unique RF signal; and micro jump detection functionality configured to calculate an average code delay error across all of the plurality of channels based on the plurality of calculated code delay errors, wherein the micro jump detection functionality is further configured to compare the calculated average code delay error to an error threshold to detect a micro jump event when the calculated average code delay error exceeds the error threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Timothy M. Buck, Lawrence C. Vallot
  • Publication number: 20110298658
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to positioning systems and location determination using measurement stitching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Wyatt Thomas Riley, Douglas Neal Rowitch, Dominic Gerard Farmer
  • Patent number: 8072379
    Abstract: A position location system, apparatus, and method are disclosed. A wireless device includes a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver and position location processor. The SPS receiver detects the availability of positioning signals and the position location processor determines an initial position of the wireless device based upon the positioning signals. A controller generates power saving events when the positioning signals are detected as being available. The controller determines the timing and duration of the power saving events. During a power saving event, the SPS receiver is deactivated and/or processing of the positioning signals is suspended to reduce power consumption of the wireless device. The initial position is updated based upon relative positioning information from one or more sensors during the power saving event. The controller activates the SPS receiver and resumes processing of the positioning signals following the power saving event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Sunil Gopinath
  • Patent number: 8009087
    Abstract: The invention provides a positioning system. In one embodiment, the positioning system comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module, a dead reckoning module, a Geographic Information System (GIS) module, and an calculating module. The GNSS module generates a first positioning data according to satellite communication. The dead reckoning module estimates a second positioning data according to a sensor's measurement data, the first positioning data, and a feedback positioning data of a previous epoch. The GIS module fits the first positioning data to a map to generate a third positioning data taken as a final output of the positioning system. The calculating module integrates the third positioning data and the second positioning data according to predetermined weights to obtain the feedback positioning data of a current epoch, which is recursively fed back to the dead reckoning module for a next estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Mediatek Inc.
    Inventor: Jen-Hao Mao
  • Patent number: 7957898
    Abstract: A computational scheme for an INS which utilizes micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors resolves issues of unnecessarily large computational burden and numerical instability which happen in using conventional methods using high-end inertial sensors. The first aspect is to omit computing Earth radii of curvatures that were used in a high-frequency application. The second aspect is to ignore the Earth rotation and the rotation of the local tangent plane with respect to Earth which are much smaller than noise and bias in the MEMS sensor output. The last aspect is to assume that the absolute amount of the platform pitch and roll angles is less than 90 degrees. According to the aspects noted above, the computational load will be one-fourth of the conventional method without degradation of accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc
    Inventors: Takayuki Hoshizaki, Eric Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20110063166
    Abstract: A positioning data producing unit can select suitable region position units automatically in accordance with the environmental conditions of the moving target. The location information of a position tracking device is calculated either from a coordinate data of a narrow region and a position data of the narrow region which is selected in accordance with a location of the position tracking device, or from a position data of a broad region, wherein the position data of the narrow region is calculated from a movement parameter of the position tracking device, the position data of the broad region is calculated from a plurality of received satellite signals. The location information is then transmitted via a communication module to a far end receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: GTA ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Pao-Lin Guo
  • Patent number: 7904041
    Abstract: Remote control system for generating control signal for controlling a device from a distance. Processor for processing a digital signal into Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and into cross-correlated in-phase and quadrature-phase filtered signal. Voice processor for processing a voice signal into Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal. Receiver, demodulator and processor for receiving, demodulating and processing Radio Frequency (RF) modulated signal into demodulated processed position finder signal. RF modulated signal received from one or more satellites and from one or more ground based transmitters. Polar modulators and other modulators. Signal transmitters for transmission of remote control, TDMA, OFDM or OFDMA or spread spectrum signals. Signals, transmission, reception for cellular Global Mobile System (GSM), spread spectrum, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provided networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Inventor: Kamilo Feher
  • Patent number: 7904243
    Abstract: Data from GPS satellites within the field of view of a ground station are retransmitted to LEO satellites, such as Iridium satellites, and cross-linked if necessary before being transmitted to a user. The user is then able to combine the fed-forward data with data received directly from GPS satellites in order to resolve errors due to interference or jamming. Iridium and data aiding thus provides a means for extending GPS performance under a variety of data-impaired conditions because it can provide certain aiding information over its data link in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Clark Cohen, Bart Ferrell, Greg Gutt, David Whelan
  • Patent number: 7847727
    Abstract: A system and method for tracking the identity and position of an object. The system includes at least one locator unit the is attached to the object to be tracked. The system also includes at least one display unit carried by or with a user. The locator unit obtains its satellite position data from a satellite positioning system such as GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, or the like, or position data from a radio positioning system such as LORAN. The locator unit then measures local position data with one or more sensors such as accelerometers and compasses and augments the satellite position data with the local position data. The locator unit transmits the combined position data to a display unit. The display unit calculates its own position in the same way and outputs the combined position of the locator unit relative to the augmented position of the display unit via a user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Pinpoint Productions LLC
    Inventors: Charles R. Hensley, Charles Jones, Kipton Moravec
  • Patent number: 7839329
    Abstract: The invention provides a positioning system. In one embodiment, the positioning system comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module, a dead reckoning module, a Geographic Information System (GIS) module, and an calculating module. The GNSS module generates a first positioning data according to satellite communication. The dead reckoning module estimates a second positioning data according to a sensor's measurement data, the first positioning data, and a feedback positioning data of a previous epoch. The GIS module fits the first positioning data to a map to generate a third positioning data taken as a final output of the positioning system. The calculating module integrates the third positioning data and the second positioning data according to predetermined weights to obtain the feedback positioning data of a current epoch, which is recursively fed back to the dead reckoning module for a next estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Mediatek Inc.
    Inventor: Jen-Hao Mao