Abstract:
A cigar cooler is disclosed that includes a housing having an upper surface with a pair of open channels each sized to receive a cigar. The housing includes an open central region for receiving a cooling medium such as ice or a frozen gel. During use, the cigar is placed in an open channel between inhalations to reduce the temperature of the cigar.
Abstract:
Dynamic inter-channel bias calibration of a navigational receiver is provided. A reference signal is propagated through front-end circuitry of the receiver. A delay caused by the propagation of the reference signal through the front-end circuitry is measured. The inter-channel bias of the navigational receiver is reduced using the measured delay associated with the front-end circuitry of the receiver.
Abstract:
A method for mitigating the effects of multipath errors in GNSS devices is provided. Signals from GNSS satellites are received. Image data from an image sensor is received. Orientation data from an orientation sensor is received. The orientation data describes the orientation of the image sensor. Obstruction data is determined based on the image data. The obstruction data includes an obstruction region that indicates the sky in that region is obstructed by a structure. Based on the orientation data, obstruction data, and GNSS satellite location data, the position of GNSS satellites with respect to the obstruction region is determined. The location of the GNSS device is determined based on signals from some of the GNSS satellites and the position of GNSS satellites with respect to the obstruction region.
Abstract:
The position of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) surveying receiver is determined based on a plurality of RTK engines. A first RTK engine is implementing using a first set of parameters. A second RTK engine is implemented using a second set of parameter different than the first set. A plurality of GNSS signals are received from multiple satellites. At least one correction signal is received from at least one base receiver. A first position is determined from the first RTK engine based on the GNSS signals and the at least one correction signal. A second position is determined from the first RTK engine based on the GNSS signals and the at least one correction signal. A final position of the GNSS surveying receiver is determined based on the first position or the second position or a combination of both positions.
Abstract:
Dynamic inter-channel bias calibration of a navigational receiver is provided. A reference signal is propagated through front-end circuitry of the receiver. A delay caused by the propagation of the reference signal through the front-end circuitry is measured. The inter-channel bias of the navigational receiver is reduced using the measured delay associated with the front-end circuitry of the receiver.
Abstract:
A graphics-aided geodesic device is provided. The device may include a display, camera, distance meter, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System, including GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) receiver and antenna, and horizon sensors. Data from the camera and horizon sensors may be displayed to assist the user in positioning the device over a point of interest. In one example, the distance meter may be used to determine the position of the point of interest. In another example, images of the point of interest taken from multiple locations may be used to determine the position of the point of interest.
Abstract:
Methods and systems for measuring coordinates of a target, particularly under strong multipath conditions, are described. A satellite navigation system antenna and a tilt sensor are mounted on a range pole, with the sensor at the pole's bottom tip. Signals from the antenna and tilt sensor are provided to a receiver, which computes the antenna's coordinates from the antenna signals, and the pole tips position from the computed coordinates and the tilt data. The operator places the pole tip on the target and swings the pole by hand over an angle sector of 15 degrees while keeping the tip on the target. Height of the target can be computed with a single measurement set, and X-Y coordinates with just three measurement sets. The use of additional measurements reduces errors in the target's coordinates since multipath errors are uncorrelated during movement of the antenna. Vertical alignment of the pole is unnecessary.
Abstract:
A receiver of a radio frequency signal having a pseudo-random noise (PRN) code, and techniques of processing such a signal that are especially adapted for ranging applications. A signal corresponding to the PRN code is locally generated and used for decoding the received signal in a manner to reduce ranging errors that can result when multipath (delayed) versions of the radio frequency signal are also present. A significant application of the receiver and signal processing techniques of the present invention is in a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein a number of such signals from several satellites are simultaneously received and processed in order to obtain information of the position, movement, or the like, of the receiver. A delay locked loop (DLL) correlator, provided in each of the receiver's multiple processing channels, locks onto a line of sight signal from one of the satellites with the effect of any multipath signal(s) being significantly reduced.
Abstract:
Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for generating the estimates of receiver's coordinates and/or time offset for a moment of time tn without large errors caused by short-term shading of a part of the observable global positioning satellites and also without large dynamic errors caused by the receiver movement. The receiver may be stationary or mobile (i.e., rovering). A set of snapshot-solution values for the position coordinates and time offset of the receiver at the time moment tn, and a set of predicted values for the position coordinates and time offset of the receiver at the time moment tn are generated. The accuracy of each of these sets are determined, and a set of refined estimates for the position and time offset of the receiver is generated based the snapshot solution values, the predicted position values, and the accuracies.
Abstract:
A cigar cooler is disclosed that includes a housing having an upper surface with one or more vertically extending cylindrical channels each sized to receive a cigar. The housing includes an open central region for receiving a cooling medium such as ice or a frozen gel. During use, the cigar is placed in an open channel between inhalations to reduce the temperature of the cigar.