Patent · US Active

Indoor altitude measurement by GNSS receiver

US9000977B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
3References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 19, 2011
Grant dateApr 7, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 4, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S19/46
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the US GPS, the European GALILEO and the Russian GLONASS are very limited indoors, due to very low power levels and significant multipath. So, though hundreds of millions of people around the world use GPS receivers, particularly embedded in mobile devices, they cannot use these devices indoors, where they stay most of the time. Present art methods for augmenting or assisting GPS indoors, are mainly based on cellular or WLAN networks, and embedded sensors such as accelerometers and compasses, yet no integrated solution was launched. The present invention discloses a method that may contribute to GNSS indoors navigation, enabling a GNSS receiver to measure its elevation above sea level, indoors, to a floor resolution. The disclosed method is based on terrestrial infrastructure, yet possibly only one beacon per building.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.