Interruption free navigator
AssigneeAmerican GNC Corporation
InventorChing-Fang Lin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interruption free navigator includes an inertial measurement unit, a north finder, a velocity producer, a positioning assistant, a navigation processor, an altitude measurement, an object detection system, a wireless communication device, and a display device and map database. Output signals of the inertial measurement unit, the velocity producer, the positioning assistant, the altitude measurement, the object detection system, and the north finder are processed to obtain highly accurate position measurements of the person. The user's position information can be exchanged with other users through the wireless communication device, and the location and surrounding information can be displayed on the display device by accessing a map database with the person position information.
Claims69
An interruption free navigator, comprising:
- a main IMU based interruption-free positioning module is utilized for sensing motion measurements of a user and producing interruption-free positioning data of said user;
- a positioning assistant providing interruptible positioning data to assist said main IMU based interruption-free positioning module to achieve an improved interruption-free positioning data of said user;
- and
- a wireless communication device being built in for exchanging said improved interruption-free positioning data with other users.
An interruption-free hand-held positioning method, comprising the steps of:
- (a) sensing motion measurements of a user by a main IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to produce digital angular increments and velocity increments signals in response to a user motion,
- (b) providing interruptible positioning data to assist said main IMU based interruption-free positioning module by a positioning assistant,
- (c) producing interruption-free positioning data of said user using motion measurements, and improving said interruption-free positioning data of said user when said interruptible positioning data is available, and
- (d) exchanging said interruption-free positioning data with other users by a wireless communication device.
The interruption-free hand-held positioning method, as recited in anyone of claims 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55;
- wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:
- (c.1) sensing an earth's magnetic field to measure a heading angle of said user by a magnetic sensor,
- (c.2) measuring a relative velocity of said user relative to a ground by a velocity producer to produce a measured velocity, and
- (c.3) blending said digital angular increments and velocity increments signals, said heading angle, said relative velocity of said user relative to said ground, and said GPS positioning data to produce optimal positioning data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.