US5633799A — Combined PC/104 and satellite positioning system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 394 words

Apparatus for determining the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of an observer located in the vicinity of the Earth's surface, the apparatus comprising: a PC/104/SATPS Card, that receives and processes Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) signals from one or more SATPS satellites, where the PC/104/SATPS Card is built according to the following standards: the PC/104/SATPS Card provides at least one of 8-bit signal processing and 16-bit signal processing, and the Card complies with the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard for a personal computer bus and a card that includes this bus and a personal computer, with the following changes in the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard; the physical size of the PC/104/SATPS Card is about 9 cm by 9.5 cm by 1.5 cm; the PC/104/SATPS Card has a first bus connection group having about 64 electrical connection pins and a second bus connection group having about 40 electrical connection pins; the PC/104/SATPS Card includes at least two signal processing modules that are self-stacking when assembled together, and each module consumes at most about 2 Watts of power; and four electrical signals generated on the PC/104/SATPS Card each require a maximum of about 20 milliamps of drive current, and all other signals generated on the Card require drive currents of at most about 6 milliamps; an SATPS antenna positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive SATPS signals from one or more SATPS satellites, with each signal being characteristic of a particular satellite, and to issue these signals as antenna output signals; a radiofrequency downconverter positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the antenna output signals, to convert the primary frequency of each of these signals to a selected lower frequency, and to issue these down-converted signals as downconverter output signals; a programmed digital signal processor and associated memory positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the downconverter output signals corresponding to each SATPS signal received by the antenna, to determine the present value of at least one Location Coordinate for the antenna, and to issue this Location Coordinate present value as a processor output signal; and an information transfer module positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the digital signal processor output signal and to transmit this output signal to an electronic device that is linked to the PC/104/SATPS Card, for further signal processing of the present value of at least one Location Coordinate for the antenna.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 394 words

Apparatus for determining the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of an observer located in the vicinity of the Earth's surface, the apparatus comprising: a PC/104/SATPS Card, that receives and processes Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) signals from one or more SATPS satellites, where the PC/104/SATPS Card is built according to the following standards: the PC/104/SATPS Card provides at least one of 8-bit signal processing and 16-bit signal processing, and the Card complies with the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard for a personal computer bus and a card that includes this bus and a personal computer, with the following changes in the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard; the physical size of the PC/104/SATPS Card is about 9 cm by 9.5 cm by 1.5 cm; the PC/104/SATPS Card has a first bus connection group having about 64 electrical connection pins and a second bus connection group having about 40 electrical connection pins; the PC/104/SATPS Card includes at least two signal processing modules that are self-stacking when assembled together, and each module consumes at most about 2 Watts of power; and four electrical signals generated on the PC/104/SATPS Card each require a maximum of about 20 milliamps of drive current, and all other signals generated on the Card require drive currents of at most about 6 milliamps; an SATPS antenna positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive SATPS signals from one or more SATPS satellites, with each signal being characteristic of a particular satellite, and to issue these signals as antenna output signals; a radiofrequency downconverter positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the antenna output signals, to convert the primary frequency of each of these signals to a selected lower frequency, and to issue these down-converted signals as downconverter output signals; a programmed digital signal processor and associated memory positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the downconverter output signals corresponding to each SATPS signal received by the antenna, to determine the present value of at least one Location Coordinate for the antenna, and to issue this Location Coordinate present value as a processor output signal; and an information transfer module positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the digital signal processor output signal and to transmit this output signal to an electronic device that is linked to the PC/104/SATPS Card, for further signal processing of the present value of at least one Location Coordinate for the antenna.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 48 words

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising signal format translator means on said PC/104/SATPS Card, connected to said digital signal processor, for receiving said SATPS signals and converting said signals from an SATPS format into a format that can be accepted and processed by said digital signal processor.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 377 words

Apparatus for determining the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of an observer located in the vicinity of the Earth's surface, the apparatus comprising: a PC/104/SATPS Card, that receives and processes Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) signals from one or more SATPS satellites, where the PC/104/SATPS Card is built according to the following standards: the Card provides at least one of 8-bit signal processing and 16-bit signal processing, and the Card complies with the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard for a personal computer bus and a card that includes this bus and a personal computer, with the following changes in the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard: the physical size of the PC/104/SATPS Card is about 9 cm by 9.5 cm by 1.5 cm; the PC/104/SATPS Card has a first bus connection group having about 64 electrical connection pins and a second bus connection group having about 40 electrical connection pins; the PC/104/SATPS Card includes at least two signal processing modules that are self-stacking when assembled together, and each module consumes at most about 2 Watts of power; and four electrical signals generated on the PC/104/SATPS Card each require a maximum of about 20 milliamps of drive current, and all other signals generated on the Card require drive currents of at most about 6 milliamps; an SATPS antenna positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive SATPS signals from one or more SATPS satellites, with each signal being characteristic of a particular satellite, and to issue these signals as antenna output signals; a radiofrequency downconverter positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the antenna output signals, to convert the primary frequency of each of these signals to a selected lower frequency, and to issue these down-converted signals as downconverter output signals; a programmed digital signal processor and associated memory positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the downconverter output signals corresponding to each SATPS signal received by the antenna, to determine the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of the antenna, and to issues this Location Coordinate present value as a processor output signal; and an image display module positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the digital signal processor output signal and to display the present value of a Location Coordinate of the antenna in a visually perceptible manner.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 377 words

Apparatus for determining the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of an observer located in the vicinity of the Earth's surface, the apparatus comprising: a PC/104/SATPS Card, that receives and processes Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) signals from one or more SATPS satellites, where the PC/104/SATPS Card is built according to the following standards: the Card provides at least one of 8-bit signal processing and 16-bit signal processing, and the Card complies with the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard for a personal computer bus and a card that includes this bus and a personal computer, with the following changes in the I.E.E.E. P996 Standard: the physical size of the PC/104/SATPS Card is about 9 cm by 9.5 cm by 1.5 cm; the PC/104/SATPS Card has a first bus connection group having about 64 electrical connection pins and a second bus connection group having about 40 electrical connection pins; the PC/104/SATPS Card includes at least two signal processing modules that are self-stacking when assembled together, and each module consumes at most about 2 Watts of power; and four electrical signals generated on the PC/104/SATPS Card each require a maximum of about 20 milliamps of drive current, and all other signals generated on the Card require drive currents of at most about 6 milliamps; an SATPS antenna positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive SATPS signals from one or more SATPS satellites, with each signal being characteristic of a particular satellite, and to issue these signals as antenna output signals; a radiofrequency downconverter positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the antenna output signals, to convert the primary frequency of each of these signals to a selected lower frequency, and to issue these down-converted signals as downconverter output signals; a programmed digital signal processor and associated memory positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the downconverter output signals corresponding to each SATPS signal received by the antenna, to determine the present value of at least one Location Coordinate of the antenna, and to issues this Location Coordinate present value as a processor output signal; and an image display module positioned on the PC/104/SATPS Card to receive the digital signal processor output signal and to display the present value of a Location Coordinate of the antenna in a visually perceptible manner.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 44 words

The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising signal format translator means, connected to said digital signal processor, for receiving said SATPS signals and converting said signals from an SATPS format into a format that can be accepted and processed by said digital signal processor.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2000-05-26	2000-11-25	2001-05-27	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2004-05-26	2004-11-25	2005-05-27	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2008-05-26	2008-11-25	2009-05-27	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Combined PC/104 and satellite positioning system

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