Invensense, Inc.

Other

University Technologies International, Inc.

Trusted Positioning, Inc.

Aboelmagd Noureldin

Jacques Georgy

Zainab Syed

Mohamed Atia

Christopher Goodall

Naser El-Sheimy

Medhat Omr

Martin Pavlov Mintchev

Chris Goodall

Walid Abdelfatah

Ahmed Wahdan

Dave Irvine-Halliday

Herb Tabler

Winston Smith

Husain Syed

Zhi Shen

The present disclosure relates to methods of enhancing a navigation solution about a device and a platform, wherein the mobility of the device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform, and wherein the navigation solution is provided even in the absence of normal navigational information updates (such as, for example, GNSS). More specifically, the present method comprises utilizing measurements from sensors (e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers etc.) within the device to calculate and resolve the attitude of the device and the platform, and the attitude misalignment between the device and the platform.

Methods of attitude and misalignment estimation for constraint free portable navigation

Systems and methods are disclosed for characterizing on foot motion of a user with a portable device by obtaining parameters sufficient to characterize the on foot motion of the user from multiple sensor assemblies. Each additional sensor assembly may be independent of each other. The characterization of on foot motion is provided by synthesizing the parameters from the sensor assemblies. Characterization of on foot motion may include detecting a step, estimating step length, or both.

Method and system for characterization of on foot motion with multiple sensor assemblies

A system and method for providing wireless positioning and an accuracy measure thereof, using a probabilistic approach alone or in combination with other models, is provided, for wireless-network-enabled areas. Further means of ranking 'base-stations' in a wireless network area according to position discrimination significance and using this ranking to provide an accuracy measure of positioning is provided. Further means of determining the locations of 'base-stations' of a wireless network in unknown area without the need for any absolute reference based positioning system is provided.

System and method for wireless positioning in wireless network-enabled environments

A method and apparatus for fast magnetometer calibration with little space coverage is described herein. The present method and apparatus is capable of performing both 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) calibration for a magnetometer (magnetic sensor) and calculating calibration parameters. The present method and apparatus does not need the user to be involved in the calibration process and there are no required specific movements that the user should perform. The present method and apparatus performs magnetometer calibration in 2D or 3D depending on the natural device movements whatever the application that the magnetometer is used in.

Method and apparatus for fast magnetometer calibration

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for providing and enhanced navigation solution of a device within a platform (such as for example person, vehicle, or vessel of any type), wherein the device is within the platform and may be strapped or non-strapped to the platform, wherein in case of non-strapped the mobility of the device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform, wherein the enhancement of the navigation solution is through multiple sensor assemblies, wherein the multiple sensors assemblies are not necessarily all on the device, and wherein the multiple sensors assemblies are within the platform. This method works for a navigation solution utilizing measurements from sensors (such as for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers etc.) whether in the presence or in the absence of absolute navigational information (such as, for example, GNSS or WiFi positioning).

Method and system for enhanced navigation with multiple sensors assemblies

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for determining the misalignment between a device and a platform (such as for example a vessel or vehicle) using radius of rotation of the device, wherein mobility of the device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform. The device may be moved or tilted to any orientation within the platform and still provide a seamless navigation solution without degrading the performance of this navigation solution. This method can utilize measurements (readings) from sensors (such as for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) whether in the presence or in the absence of navigational information updates (such as, for example, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or WiFi positioning).

Method and apparatus for determination of misalignment between device and vessel using radius of rotation

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for estimating varying step length for on foot motion (such as for example walking or running). The present method and apparatus is able to be used in anyone or both of two different phases depending on the embodiment. The first phase is a model-building phase done offline to obtain the nonlinear model for the step length as a function of different parameters that represent human motion dynamics, the model is built using a nonlinear system identification technique. In the second phase the nonlinear model is used to calculate the step length from the different parameters that represent human motion dynamics used as input to the model. These parameters are obtained from sensors readings from the sensors in the apparatus. This second phase is the more frequent usage of the present method and apparatus for a variety of applications.

Method and system for varying step length estimation using nonlinear system identification

A navigation module for providing a real-time INS/GNSS navigation solution for a moving object comprising a receiver for receiving absolute navigational information from an external source and an assembly of self-container sensors for generating navigational information. The module also contains a processor coupled to receive the output information from the receiver and sensor assembly, and integrate the output information in real-time to produce an overall navigation solution. The overall navigation solution will contain a main navigation solution task, and at least one other task, where the other task is used to enhance the overall navigation solution.

Method and apparatus for real-time positioning and navigation of a moving platform

A navigation module and method for providing an INS/GNSS navigation solution for a device that can either be tethered or move freely within a moving platform is provided, comprising a receiver for receiving absolute navigational information from an external source (e.g., such as a satellite), an assembly of self-contained sensors capable of obtaining readings (e.g. such as relative or non-reference based navigational information) about the device, and further comprising at least one processor, coupled to receive the output information from the receiver and sensor assembly, and operative to integrate the output information to produce an enhanced navigation solution. The at least one processor may operate to provide a navigation solution by benefiting from nonlinear models and filters that do not suffer from approximation or linearization and which enhance the navigation solution of the device.

Method and apparatus for navigation with nonlinear models

A two-filter based method of detecting and tracking a target that can track an unknown and time-varying number of targets, while keeping continuous track, even in scenarios with large number of false contacts or missing measurements, is provided. More specifically, a first filter provides target detection, a second filter provides target tracking of the detected targets, and a clustering technique that operates after the first filter. The first filter starts with a uniform distribution over the surveillance area and resets periodically after the clustering technique is run. When the clustering technique runs, it detects the clusters corresponding to the different targets and passes them to the second filter that tracks these targets.

Two-stage filtering based method for multiple target tracking

A navigation module and method for providing an INS/GNSS navigation solution for a moving platform, comprising a receiver for receiving absolute navigational information from an external source (e.g., such as a satellite), means for obtaining speed or velocity information and an assembly of self-contained sensors capable of obtaining readings (e.g., such as relative or non-reference based navigational information) about the moving platform, and further comprising at least one processor, coupled to receive the output information from the receiver, sensor assembly and means for obtaining speed or velocity information, and operative to integrate the output information to produce a navigation solution. The at least one processor may operate to provide a navigation solution by using the speed or velocity information to decouple the actual motion of the platform from the readings of the sensor assembly.

Method and apparatus for improved navigation of a moving platform

A moving platform INS range corrector ('MPIRC') module and its method of operation for providing navigation and positioning information. The module comprises: means, such as a receiver, for receiving a first set of absolute navigational information from an external source (such as satellites in case of GNSS); an inertial sensor unit for generating a second set of navigational information at the module; and a transceiver, for receiving and/or transmitting signals and estimating distance measurement from a known position and receiving position coordinates. The navigational information is used by a processor programmed with a core algorithm, to produce a navigation solution (which comprises position, velocity and attitude). The system has the following attributes: the solution is produced seamlessly, even if one source of navigational information is temporarily out of service; the accuracy of the solution is assisted by use of distance and position coordinate measurement from a known position.

Moving platform INS range corrector (MPIRC)

A navigation module and method for providing an INS/GNSS navigation solution for a moving platform is provided, comprising a receiver for receiving absolute navigational information from an external source (e.g., such as a satellite), means for obtaining speed or velocity information and an assembly of self-contained sensors capable of obtaining readings (e.g., such as relative or non-reference based navigational information) about the moving platform, and further comprising at least one processor, coupled to receive the output information from the receiver, sensor assembly and means for obtaining speed or velocity information, and operative to integrate the output information to produce a navigation solution. The at least one processor may operate to provide a navigation solution by using the speed or velocity information to decouple the actual motion of the platform from the readings of the sensor assembly.

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Calgary, Canada

Aboelmagd Noureldin