Abstract: Direction based pointing services are enabled for a portable electronic device including a positional component for receiving positional information as a function of a location of the portable electronic device, a directional component that outputs direction information as a function of an orientation of the portable electronic device and a location based engine that processes the positional information and the direction information to determine points of interest relative to the portable electronic device as a function of at least the positional information and the direction information. A set of scenarios with respect to movable endpoints of interest in the system emerge.

Abstract: A device and method are provided for estimating a position of a target device (e.g., a device emitting radio frequency energy) based on data pertaining to strength of an emission received from the target device. At a mobile device, emissions are received from the target device when the mobile device is at each of a plurality of positions to produce receive signal strength data representative thereof. The mobile device, also recieves signals from each of a plurality of reference devices at a corresponding known position when the mobile device is at each of the plurality of positions. The position of the target device is estimated based on receive signal strength data associated with received emissions from the target device and from the reference devices. Using the estimated position and estimated transmit power of the target device, a zone of impact of the target device is determined with respect to other wireless activity based on the estimated position and estimated transmit power of the target device.

Abstract: A diversity reception handset includes a receiver for receiving pilot and plural increments of traffic sent from a base station within a service area of a wireless communications network. The handset includes at least two antennas, a switch for switching a receiver between the two antennas, a time-of-arrival searcher circuit connected to the receiver and responsive to the pilot for determining time of arrival of the received signals and expected time of arrival of each increment, and a controller for controlling the switch based upon determined expected time of arrival of each increment.

Abstract: A system for detecting mobile bodies, using digital telebroadcasting transmissions of an array of terrestrial transmitters. The digital telebroadcast transmissions include a plurality of carriers, afforded symbol-based digital modulation, processed by carrier-wise orthogonal frequency multiplexing. After its reception stages, the receiver includes a processor for performing a discrimination of backscattering the transmissions, according to distance/Doppler bins. A reference pathway receives and demodulates the direct signal received from one of the transmitters. The processor includes a Doppler distribution, the Doppler pathways of which are each assigned to a respective frequency shift, then a distance compressor that yields samples arranged in the distance/Doppler bins. After coherent Doppler integration, a postprocessing with tracking contrasts the echoes obtained in these bins, to obtain radar plots containing position/velocity information on one or more objects.

Abstract: A method and system for testing network-based location determination technologies within a single test area in the field. Channel models are developed to simulate the propagation impairment conditions associated with identified test scenarios. The channel models for an identified test scenario can be developed by estimating the amount of multi-path, path loss, and Doppler frequency shift effects one would expect under the conditions and environment of the identified tests scenario. The path loss effects of an identified scenario may be estimated by combining the Okumura-Hata outdoor path loss models with available indoor path loss models. A single test area having receiving antennas and signal transmission of fixed and known geographic locations may be selected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining tag location is disclosed. Tag reference data may be stored, e.g., in the form of a lookup table, as a trained neural network, and so on, and used to determine the location of tags. Readings used to determine tag location and/or preliminary tag locations may be filtered to produce reliable tag location indications. Packages of user configurable parameters can be provided and used for the filtering of the preliminary tag locations. Confidence levels may also be generated for determined tag locations and used, for example, to indicate how well an asset location system can distinguish between different tag locations.

Abstract: A navigation system that provides guidance information if more than three guide intersections are successively located adjacent each other. The vehicle navigation system's guidance information output is controlled on the basis of the successive relationships between respective intersections and is stored as programs in a memory medium.

Abstract: An apparatus to enable one's position to be easily found on a traditional map having its own coordinate system distinct from a wide area coordinate system, data is associated with the map from which the relationship—between the map coordinate system and the wide area coordinate system can be determined. The apparatus has a reader for reading the data associated with the map, a memory for storing the read data, a GPS receiver for receiving transmissions from GPS satellites and determining the position of the GPS receiver in terms of the wide area coordinate system, a processor for processing the determined wide area coordinate position and the stored data to determine the position of the GPS receiver in terms of the map coordinate system, and a display or the like for annunciating to a user the determined map coordinate position. The data associated with the map preferably also includes information on the area covered by the map.

Abstract: The navigational system, device and method of the present invention provide navigational information to the user derived from data signals received from a plurality of transmitters (20,22,24,26). The range to each of the plurality of transmitters (20,22,24,26) is then computed based upon the corresponding data signal received from the transmitters, and a current position relative to each of said plurality of transmitters is then determined. Geographical data relating to at least the current location of the user module 32 is stored in a memory 40, and selected geographical data relating to the current location of the user module 32 is retrieved from the memory 40 to provide an audio or video display 44.

Abstract: A radio monitoring method which can estimate the position of an objective radio wave source with a high degree of accuracy by taking an influence of the geography or objects on the ground into consideration. According to the method, radio wave hologram observation is performed at individual sensor stations to acquire radio wave reconstructed images, and the reconstructed images are compared with results of a computer simulation prepared in advance to determine a candidate position of the radio wave source. The computer simulation is repeated while the position of the radio wave source is successively varied in the proximity of the candidate position to finally determine the position of the radio wave source. Map information is used in the computer simulation to simulate radio wave propagation with an influence of the geography and objects on the ground into consideration.

Abstract: A position detecting system capable of making communications with a plurality of pointing devices without changing resonance circuits of said pointing devices, and a pointing device suitable for the position detecting system. The position detecting system detects positions of at least two cordless pointing devices on a two-dimensional plane and is equipped with a command electromagnetic wave transmitting circuit to transmit a command to the pointing device.

Abstract: In a vehicle navigation method and apparatus for drawing a map in which the scale of a displayed map is reduced to display a second wide-area map, an image of a presently-traveled road is drawn on the display so it is superimposed on the wide-area map, even if the wide-area map otherwise does not show the presently-traveled road. When the scale of the presently displayed map is reduced to instead display the wide-area map, a determination is made as to whether the presently-traveled road is displayed. If the presently-traveled road is not displayed, an image of the presently-traveled road is generated from map information pertaining to the presently-traveled road and the image is displayed so it is superimposed on the wide-area map.

Abstract: A system for confirming a position of a moving terminal in a radio communication network including a plurality of base stations each corresponding to one of a plurality of individual radio areas. A moving terminal having a specific identification number is provided which includes a receiver for receiving a paging signal including the specific identification number, and a transmitter for wirelessly outputting a response signal in response to the paging signal. A first data base is provided for storing position data representing positions within the plurality of individual radio areas to which a person holding the moving terminal may visit, and base station data representing respective ones of the base stations corresponding to the positions to which the person holding the moving terminal may visit. The position data and the base station data are stored in the first data base in an associated manner with respect to the identification number of the moving terminal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting and predicting movement patterns of mobile radio transceivers, such as mobile cellular telephones, enhance the performance of hierarchical radio networks, in which network structures, such as different cells, have different communication bandwidths. One method of predicting a next location of a mobile terminal based on stored previous locations of the mobile terminal includes the step of comparing a current sequence that includes the current location of the mobile terminal and a plurality of previous locations of the mobile terminal to each of a plurality of stored sequences that each include previous locations of the mobile terminal. The method also includes the steps of selecting one of the stored sequences based on at least one quantitative measure of a degree of matching between the current sequence and each stored sequence, and predicting the next location of the mobile terminal based on the selected one of the stored sequences.

Abstract: An electronic cursor (12) is movable over a digitising table (10) on which a chart (16) has been spread. The cursor can give an indication of which way it should be moved to reach a defined position on the chart. The cursor can also convert positions in terms of x, y coordinates of the table into positions in terms of latitude and longitude co-ordinates of the chart, and can display the chart positions. The cursor can also determine bearings and distances between its own position and a defined position. Several other facilities are also available. Thus, the cursor can be used to facilitate the plotting of positions and courses on the chart and in reading off positions and bearings from the chart.

Abstract: An electronic digital plotter for navigators which relieves the rigors of mechanical manual plotting of position on a chart. The plotter utilizes either a flexible or rigid board employing electromagnetic or capacitive resistance technology. It makes use of a fixed X/Y coordinate system to generate latitude and longitude coordinates from a chart overlay. The plotter employs a pencil or pen type stylus with interchangeable cartridge to locate position, derived from electronic position information on the board and hence on the chart. By comparing the location of the stylus to the input data, the plotter directs the user to the input location utilizing a visual, bullseye director display. Given ship's position, on a dead reckoning track or expected destination or waypoint, the plotter gives course, speed distance, and transit time. The plotter can also accept inputs from hand bearing compass or ship's heading compass.

Abstract: Apparatus for a video navigation plotter with electronic charting, specifically such a plotter designed for marine use, and various methods for processing navigational data therein and displaying resulting navigational data thereon are disclosed herein. Specifically, this plotter stores coastline data only for those cells which contain coastline data within a given geographic region of a pre-defined chart. The data for each of these cells is stored in a unique data structure that stores data for a plurality of line segments that, when drawn, collectively depicts the geographic data stored within that cell. Each segment is stored in terms of coordinate locations for a starting point followed by coordinate offset values for each successive point in that cell. Only those cells and their constituent segments are drawn for coastline data that exists within a specific region to be displayed.

Abstract: A navigational plotter includes a light-transmissive LCD graphical display which serves as a window-like element in relation to a map placed underneath it. The map is calibrated to the plotter by moving a calibration cursor on the display to two known points diagonally displaced on the map, by manually entering the latitude and longitude of these known positions and by commanding the device to associate each point with its respective longitude and latitude. Navigational positions and navigational paths are then related to these points and displayed at the appropriate locations on the graphical display, where they appear over the appropriate locations on the underlying map.