Trimble Inc.

Trimble Navigation Limited

Shawn D Weisenburger

James M Janky

Peter Van Wyck Loomis

Nicholas Charles Talbot

Gregory Craig Wallace

Richard W Rudow

Robert Wold

Venkateswaran Kasirajan

Michael V McCusker

Peter Glen France

Michael George Sanders

Gregory C Best

David G Bird

Arthur Francis Lange

Peter V Loomis

Adam Clare

John Atkinson

Michael Cash

Omar Soubra

Robert James Lindores

Christian Graesser

Martin Clarence Bringuel

Gleb Aleksandrovich Zyryanov

Kevin Sharp

Jim Green

Farshad Nourozi

Chad McFadden

Shaojun He

Scott Jason Graybill

Yu Jiao

Greg Wallace

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) patch antenna can include a set of layers, a set of channels, and a set of conduction pins. The set of layers can include at least one layer with an electrically conductive antenna element configured to receive GNSS signals and another layer including a ground well. The set of channels can be aligned between the set of layers and can extend through the set of layers. The set of conduction pins can be located in the set of channels. Each conduction pin of the set of conduction pins can include a set of vias coupled by one or more donut-shaped connection pads at each interface between the set of layers.

Donut-shaped connection pad for patch antenna

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) patch antenna can include a middle laminate, a top laminate, a bottom laminate, and a ground well. The middle laminate can include a first side and a second side. The top laminate can be coupled to the middle laminate and can be positioned on the first side of the middle laminate. The top laminate can include an electrically conductive antenna element configured to receive GNSS signals. The bottom laminate can be coupled to the middle laminate and can be positioned on the second side of the middle laminate. The ground well can cover exposed surfaces of the bottom laminate and exposed portions of the second side of the middle laminate and can comprise electrically conductive material. Some of the surface of the middle laminate that is covered by the bottom laminate can be free from the electrically conductive material.

Patch antenna with ground well

A receiver system for determining coordinates of a location can include two GNSS receiver antennas positioned in fixed relation to each other and separated by a short baseline. Signals received from the two receiver antennas can be processed to define a 'virtual' antenna located at the midpoint between the two receiver antennas. For instance, a location can be determined for each receiver antenna using GNSS-based techniques, and the locations of the two antennas can be used to determine a location of the virtual antenna. As another example, GNSS observables from the two antennas can be combined to provide a set of “virtual” observables for the virtual antenna, and GNSS-based techniques can be applied to the virtual observables to determine a location of the virtual antenna.

GNSS location determination using a virtual antenna

Disclosed are a method and apparatus are provided for determining the amount of obstruction of a view of a satellite. An estimated satellite location from a satellite signal is mapped to a matrix of obstructions. A window is determined around the satellite location and all the obstructions within the window are considered in determining whether the satellite is obstructed, with the window considering the degree of possible error within the various measurements. In embodiments, the window size if varied based on the estimated amount of error and location of the satellite within the matrix.

Mitigating errors in GNSS with upward facing sensor

A surveying pole is part of a primary surveying system (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a total station). Cameras are mounted to the surveying pole and used for ground tracking as the survey pole is moved from a place where the primary surveying system is unimpeded to an environment where the primary surveying system is impaired (e.g., to a GNSS-impaired environment or to a position that is blocked from view of the total station). Using ground tracking and/or other sensors, surveying can be continued even though the primary surveying system is impaired.

Surface tracking on a survey pole

Disclosed are techniques for processing satellite signals for computing a geospatial position. A plurality of GNSS signals are received from a plurality of GNSS satellites. An image is captured using an imaging device at least partially oriented toward the plurality of GNSS satellites. The image is segmented into a plurality of regions based on RF characteristics of objects in the image. An orientation of the image is determined. The plurality of GNSS satellites are projected onto the image based on the orientation of the image such that a corresponding region is identified for each of the plurality of GNSS satellites. Each of the plurality of GNSS signals is processed in accordance with the corresponding region.

GNSS satellite line of sight detection

Surface tracking with multiple cameras on a pole

A GNSS antenna assembly for connection to a receiver circuit of a hardware front-end. The assembly may include a multiplayer antenna and a ground plane board. The antenna board may contain an L1 patch antenna of a first width, an L2 patch antenna of a second width greater than the first width, and a ground plane of a third width that is equal to or greater than the second width. The ground plane board may include a ground plane of a fourth width that is greater than the third width. Upon assembly, contact pads of the antenna board, which are in conductive contact with the ground plane of the antenna board, are in conductive contact with contact pads of the ground plane board.

Hardware front-end for a GNSS receiver

Navigation satellite system antenna mount

A hardware front-end for a software-defined GNSS receiver, which includes an antenna connected to a transmission line that is connected to a pair of separate circuits, one for receiving L1 signals and one for receiving L2 signals. Each circuit includes at least one bandpass filter, at least one LNA, and a single-chip GNSS receiver that receives analog RF signals and provides digitized I and Q signals. The pair of circuits differ in that a first one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L1 frequency corresponding to the designed input frequency of the receiver and the second one is designed to receive, filter, and amplify RF signals at the L2 frequency, which is significantly different from the first frequency. The second circuit also includes a mixer to convert the L2 frequency to the L1 frequency, so that a similar receiver can be used in each circuit.

A radio frequency component receives and digitizes a first plurality of L1 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and a second plurality of L2C GNSS signals from a plurality of GNSS satellites. A software defined GNSS receiver operating on a processor of a cellular telephone separate from the radio frequency component derives carrier phase measurements from the first plurality of L1 GNSS signals and the second plurality of L2C GNSS signals during an epoch. A wireless message from a communication device located at a base location is received conveying pseudorange and carrier measurements derived from the first plurality of L1 GNSS signals from said plurality of GNSS satellites during the epoch. The cellular telephone determines a distance from the base location to said first location.

Electronic tape measure on a cellphone

Navigation satellite system antenna

A stand-alone radio frequency (RF) hardware component comprises first and second antennas, a digitizer, a serializer, and a serial output. The first antenna receives, over-the-air, a first analog Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in a first frequency band. The second antenna receives, over-the-air, at least a second analog GNSS signal in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are separate and distinct. The digitizer digitizes the first analog GNSS signal into a first digitalized GNSS signal and digitizes the second analog GNSS signal into a second digitized GNSS signal. The serializer serializes the digitized GNSS signals into a serialized output signal. A wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the digitized GNSS signals, as the serialized output signal, from the radio frequency hardware component to a separate communication device.

Global navigation satellite system receiver system with radio frequency hardware component

A method for capturing ionospheric data is disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, a plurality of phase-coherent signals transmitted by at least one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite is received via a mobile multi-frequency GNSS receiver. Respective code phase data and carrier phase data for each of said plurality of phase-coherent signals are derived using a software defined GNSS receiver operating on a processor of a first communication device of the multi-frequency GNSS receiver. Respective code phase data and carrier phase data for each of the plurality of phase-coherent signals is stored in a data storage device. The respective code phase data and carrier phase data is appended with a respective time-stamp and position fix. An ionospheric sample based upon respective code phase data and carrier phase data of said plurality of phase-coherent signals is wirelessly transmitted to a second location.

Mobile ionospheric data capture system

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded within the cellular device is accessed. The GNSS chipset calculates raw observables that include raw pseudoranges and carrier phase information. The raw observables are extracted from the GNSS chipset for processing elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset. Smoothed pseudoranges are provided by smoothing the raw pseudoranges based on the carrier phase information. The accessing, the extracting and the providing are performed by one or more hardware processors located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Shawn D Weisenburger